Aircraft Maintenance Service Bulletins and other technical instructions are issued in several forms, from Service Letters through Service Bulletins to the highest level which is Alert Service Bulletins.
From a due diligence point of view Alert Service Bulletins should be incorporated in accordance with the embodiment instructions.
Aircraft service bulletins are typically sent to the aircraft owner by the aircraft or component manufacturer, service bulletins are not automatically sent to maintenance providers.
A service bulletin is the delivery vehicle for a proposed change which is in turn driven by a shortfall or defect or proposed enhancement applicable to an airframe, engine or component.
Aircraft Maintenance Service bulletins are issued by the Type Certificate Holder TCH or Original Equipment Manufacturer OEM. Providing guidance to perform an inspection, replace a component or embody a modification
Regardless of how the SB is identified by the issuing company, Service Bulletins are not mandatory, unless they are supported by an Airworthiness Directive AD.
So from a regulatory point of view the SB may not be required. However this is only one part of the story. SB’s may also be driven by Lease Obligations or by Organisational decisions.
Whilst the intention of the SB provider is to raise the standard of safety, the operator may view the cost of the bulletin as not effective for the particular aircraft, engine or component.
For the Operator to automatically comply with service bulletins will result in increased maintenance costs.
For this reason it is normal for the Operator to implant a Service Bulletin Analysis process.
Even Free of Charge Service Bulletins may not be free!
Research has indicated that the actual cost of embodying a service bulletin.
This will typically translate into higher maintenance costs.
A survey of Service Bulletin true costs showed that the actual cost of embodiment was between 7 to 13 times the basic cost of the Service Bulletin
Therefore it makes sound financial sense to review SB’s not just for Safety Benefits, but for economic benefits and to make a balanced decision to embody.
A template may be used for this purpose which will consider all the relevant criteria which is applicable including the remaining length of the lease, the various obligations, as well as benefits to both safety & reliability. A cost benefit analysis will allow the operator to compare the cost of embodying the aircraft maintenance service bulletin (compliance) in the light of the perceived benefits .
With this information the appropriate decision should become more obvious.
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Aircraft Maintenance Service Bulletins, Aviation Training, Maintenance Planinng, Regulatory training, Reliability Engineering
