AMC M.A.613(a) Component certificate of release to service

ED Decision 2020/002/R

1.       An aircraft component which has been maintained off the aircraft requires the issuance of a CRS for such maintenance and another CRS in regard to being installed properly on the aircraft when such action occurs. When an organisation maintains a component for use by the same organisation, an EASA Form 1 may not be necessary depending upon the organisation’s internal release procedures defined in the maintenance organisation exposition.

2.       In the case of components in storage prior to Part-145, Part-M and Part-21 and not released on an EASA Form 1 or equivalent in accordance with M.A.501(a) or removed serviceable from a serviceable aircraft which have been withdrawn from service, this paragraph provides additional guidance regarding the conditions under which an EASA Form 1 may be issued.

2.1.    An EASA Form 1 may be issued for an aircraft component which has been:

-           Maintained before Part-145, or Part-M became effective or manufactured before Part-21 became effective.

-           Used on an aircraft and removed in a serviceable condition. Examples include leased and loaned aircraft components.

-           Removed from aircraft which have been withdrawn from service, or from aircraft which have been involved in abnormal occurrences such as accidents, incidents, heavy landings or lightning strikes.

-           Components maintained by an unapproved organisation.

2.2.    An appropriately rated M.A. Subpart F maintenance organisation may issue an EASA Form 1 as detailed in this AMC subparagraph 2.5 to 2.9, as appropriate, in accordance with the procedures detailed in the manual as approved by the competent authority. The appropriately rated M.A. Subpart F maintenance organisation is responsible for ensuring that all reasonable measures have been taken to ensure that only approved and serviceable aircraft components are issued an EASA Form 1 under this paragraph.

2.3.    For the purposes of this paragraph 2 only, ‘appropriately rated’ means an organisation with an approval class rating for the type of component or for the product in which it may be installed.

2.4.    An EASA Form 1 issued in accordance with this paragraph 2 should be issued by signing in block 14b and stating ‘Inspected/Tested’ in block 11. In addition, block 12 should specify:

2.4.1. when the last maintenance was carried out and by whom;

2.4.2. if the component is unused, when the component was manufactured and by whom with a cross-reference to any original documentation which should be included with the Form;

2.4.3. a list of all ADs, repairs and modifications known to have been incorporated. If no ADs or repairs or modifications are known to be incorporated then this should be so stated;

2.4.4. detail of life used for life-limited parts and time-controlled components being any combination of fatigue, overhaul or storage life;

2.4.5. for any aircraft component having its own maintenance history record, reference to the particular maintenance history record as long as the record contains the details that would otherwise be required in block 12. The maintenance history record and acceptance test report or statement, if applicable, should be attached to the EASA Form 1.

2.5.    New/unused aircraft components

2.5.1. Any unused aircraft component in storage without an EASA Form 1 up to the effective date(s) for Part-21 that was manufactured by an organisation acceptable to the competent authority at the time may be issued an EASA Form 1 by an appropriately rated maintenance organisation approved under M.A. Subpart F. The EASA Form 1 should be issued in accordance with the following subparagraphs which should be included in a procedure within the maintenance organisation manual.

Note 1: It should be understood that the release of a stored but unused aircraft component in accordance with this paragraph represents a maintenance release under M.A. Subpart F and not a production release under Part-21. It is not intended to bypass the production release procedure agreed by the Member State for parts and subassemblies intended for fitment on the manufacturers own production line.

(a)     An acceptance test report or statement should be available for all used and unused aircraft components that are subject to acceptance testing after manufacturing or maintenance as appropriate.

(b)     The aircraft component should be inspected for compliance with the manufacturer’s instructions and limitations for storage and condition including any requirement for limited storage life, inhibitors, controlled climate and special storage containers. In addition, or in the absence of specific storage instructions, the aircraft component should be inspected for damage, corrosion and leakage to ensure good condition.

(c)      The storage life used of any storage life-limited parts should be established.

2.5.2. If it is not possible to establish satisfactory compliance with all applicable conditions specified in subparagraph 2.5.1 (a) to (c) inclusive, the aircraft component should be disassembled by an appropriately rated organisation and subjected to a check for incorporated ADs, repairs and modifications and inspected/tested in accordance with the maintenance data to establish satisfactory condition and, if relevant, all seals, lubricants and life-limited parts replaced. Upon satisfactory completion after reassembly, an EASA Form 1 may be issued stating what was carried out and the reference to the maintenance data included.

2.6.    Used aircraft components removed from a serviceable aircraft.

2.6.1. Serviceable aircraft components removed from a Member State registered aircraft may be issued an EASA Form 1 by an appropriately rated organisation subject to compliance with this subparagraph.

(a)     The organisation should ensure that the component was removed from the aircraft by an appropriately qualified person.

(b)     The aircraft component may only be deemed serviceable if the last flight operation with the component fitted revealed no faults on that component or related system.

(c)      The aircraft component should be inspected for satisfactory condition including in particular damage, corrosion or leakage and compliance with any additional maintenance data.

(d)     The aircraft record should be researched for any unusual events that could affect the serviceability of the aircraft component such as involvement in accidents, incidents, heavy landings or lightning strikes. Under no circumstances may an EASA Form 1 be issued in accordance with this paragraph 2.6 if it is suspected that the aircraft component has been subjected to extremes of stress, temperatures or immersion which could affect its operation.

(e)     A maintenance history record should be available for all used serialised aircraft components.

(f)      Compliance with known modifications and repairs should be established.

(g)     The flight hours/cycles/landings as applicable of any life-limited parts and time-controlled components including time since overhaul should be established.

(h)     Compliance with known applicable airworthiness directives should be established.

(i)      Subject to satisfactory compliance with this subparagraph 2.6.1, an EASA Form 1 may be issued and should contain the information as specified in paragraph 2.4 including the aircraft from which the aircraft component was removed.

2.6.2. Serviceable aircraft components removed from a non-Member State registered aircraft may only be issued an EASA Form 1 if the components are leased or loaned from the maintenance organisation approved under M.A. Subpart F who retains control of the airworthiness status of the components. An EASA Form 1 may be issued and should contain the information as specified in paragraph 2.4 including the aircraft from which the aircraft component was removed.

2.7.    Used aircraft components removed from an aircraft withdrawn from service. Serviceable aircraft components removed from a Member State registered aircraft withdrawn from service may be issued an EASA Form 1 by a maintenance organisation approved under M.A. Subpart F subject to compliance with this subparagraph.

(a)     Aircraft withdrawn from service are sometimes dismantled for spares. This is considered to be a maintenance activity and should be accomplished under the control of an organisation approved under M.A. Subpart F, employing procedures approved by the competent authority.

(b)     To be eligible for installation, components removed from such aircraft may be issued with an EASA Form 1 by an appropriately rated organisation following a satisfactory assessment.

(c)      As a minimum, the assessment will need to satisfy the standards set out in paragraphs 2.5 and 2.6 as appropriate. This should, where known, include the possible need for the alignment of scheduled maintenance that may be necessary to comply with the maintenance programme applicable to the aircraft on which the component is to be installed.

(d)     Irrespective of whether the aircraft holds a certificate of airworthiness or not, the organisation responsible for certifying any removed component should satisfy itself that the manner in which the components were removed and stored are compatible with the standards required by M.A. Subpart F.

(e)     A structured plan should be formulated to control the aircraft disassembly process. The disassembly is to be carried out by an appropriately rated organisation under the supervision of certifying staff, who will ensure that the aircraft components are removed and documented in a structured manner in accordance with the appropriate maintenance data and disassembly plan.

(f)      All recorded aircraft defects should be reviewed and the possible effects these may have on both normal and standby functions of removed components are to be considered.

(g)     Dedicated control documentation is to be used as detailed by the disassembly plan, to facilitate the recording of all maintenance actions and component removals performed during the disassembly process. Components found to be unserviceable are to be identified as such and quarantined pending a decision on the actions to be taken. Records of the maintenance accomplished to establish serviceability are to form part of the component maintenance history.

(h)     Suitable M.A. Subpart F facilities for the removal and storage of removed components are to be used which include suitable environmental conditions, lighting, access equipment, aircraft tooling and storage facilities for the work to be undertaken. While it may be acceptable for components to be removed, given local environmental conditions, without the benefit of an enclosed facility subsequent disassembly (if required) and storage of the components should be in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

2.8.    Used aircraft components maintained by organisations not approved in accordance with M.A Subpart F, Part-145 or Part-CAO.

For used components maintained by a maintenance organisation not approved under Part-M Subpart F or Part-145, due care should be taken before acceptance of such components. In such cases an appropriately rated maintenance organisation approved under M.A. Subpart F should establish satisfactory conditions by:

(a)     dismantling the component for sufficient inspection in accordance with the appropriate maintenance data,

(b)     replacing of all life-limited parts and time-controlled components when no satisfactory evidence of life used is available and/or the components are in an unsatisfactory condition,

(c)      reassembling and testing as necessary the component,

(d)     completing all certification requirements as specified in M.A.613.

In the case of used components maintained by an FAA Part-145 repair station (USA) or by TCCA CAR573 approved maintenance organisations (Canada) that does not hold an EASA Part-145 or M.A. Subpart F approval, the conditions (a) through (d) described above may be replaced by the following conditions:

(a)     availability of an 8130-3 (FAA) or TCCA 24-0078 (TCCA) or an Authorized Release Certificate Form One (TCCA),

(b)     verification of compliance with all applicable airworthiness directives,

(c)      verification that the component does not contain repairs or modifications that have not been approved in accordance with Part-21,

(d)     inspection for satisfactory condition including in particular damage, corrosion or leakage,

(e)     issuance of an EASA Form 1 in compliance with paragraphs 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4.

These alleviated requirements are based on the fact that credit can be taken for their technical capabilities and their competent authority oversight, as attested by the following documents:

-           Maintenance Annex Guidance (MAG) between the FAA and EASA,

-           Maintenance Annex Guidance (MAG) between the EASA and TCCA.

2.9.    Used aircraft components removed from an aircraft involved in an accident or incident. Such components should only be issued with an EASA Form 1 when processed in accordance with paragraph 2.7 and a specific work order including all additional necessary tests and inspections made necessary by the accident or incident. Such a work order may require input from the TC holder or original manufacturer as appropriate. This work order should be referenced in block 12.

3.       A certificate should not be issued for any component when it is known that the component is unserviceable except in the case of a component undergoing a series of maintenance processes at several approved maintenance organisations and the component needs a certificate for the previous maintenance process carried out for the next approved maintenance organisation to accept the component for subsequent maintenance processes. In such a case, a clear statement of limitation should be endorsed in block.

4.       The certificate is to be used for export/import purposes, as well as for domestic purposes, and serves as an official certificate for components from the manufacturer/maintenance organisation to users. It should only be issued by organisations approved by a competent authority or the Agency as applicable within the scope of the approval.