GM2 21L.A.9(b) Instructions for continued airworthiness

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CONTINUED AIRWORTHINESS (ICAs) — FORMAT

The ICAs may be furnished or made available by various means (including paper copies, electronic documents, or web-based access). Regardless of the format, the design approval holder (DAH) or declarant is expected to furnish or make the ICAs available in a means that is readily accessible for and useable by the owner and any other person required to comply with the ICAs. Service documents, such as service information letters, may be used for transmitting ICAs information and updates.

(a) Formatting standards

DAHs or declarants may use the latest ATA, AECMA/ASD or GAMA formatting standards such as:

(1) AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD), ASD-S1000D, International Specification for Technical Publications Utilizing a Common Source Data Base, version 4 or higher;

(2) the Air Transport Association’s (ATA) iSpec 2200, Information Standards for Aviation Maintenance, latest edition (ATA is now known as Airlines for America (A4A) but the standard is still listed as ATA); or

(3) General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) Specification No. 2, Specification for Manufacturers Maintenance Data, latest edition.

With regard to scheduled maintenance, DAHs or declarants may also refer to the glossary of the ATA MSG‑3 standard, latest revision, for standardised task definitions and designations.

(b) General considerations

The ICAs should be easy to read and to follow. All ICAs should include a means to identify their applicability (model, type, etc.), and the associated revision status. Refer to sample formats in the Air Transport Association’s iSpec 2200, Information Standards for Aviation Maintenance, latest edition, or AECMA/ASD standards. There is no requirement for any specific format or arrangement of the ICAs in a document or documents. However, the specific format selected by the DAH or declarant should be used and applied in a uniform manner. Empty pages in a document should contain the statement ‘Intentionally left blank’ or similar.

At the beginning of each procedure, the ICAs should contain cautions and warnings regarding possible mistakes that can be made when following the instructions.

Abbreviations, acronyms and symbolisation should be either avoided or explained as part of the ICAs documentation.

The ICAs contain units of measurement. Measurements could be, for instance, instrument readings, temperatures, pressures, torque values with tolerances, limits, and ranges when applicable. If the ICAs contain units of measurement of a system other than the metric, the ICAs should include a conversion to the metric system for each measurement, tolerance, or torque value. A general conversion table alone should not be provided, as it may introduce an additional source of error.

The DAH or declarant should use a means to indicate changes to the ICAs directly in relation to each item of the information/data of the ICAs, e.g. using a vertical change bar in the margin next to the line.

(c) Publication of the ICAs in multiple documents

DAHs or declarants may prepare ICAs as a document, or several documents, depending on how much data is necessary to provide a complete set of ICAs.

If there are multiple documents, there should be a principal document that describes the general scope of all other documents, in order to provide an overview of the multiple document structure.

According to different standards, the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) needs to be included in the principal document as a dedicated section. However, EASA may also accept a separate Airworthiness Limitations document when it is at least referenced as such in the principal document.

DAHs or declarants that decide to segregate information dedicated to a specific subject from a principal document into a separate document, e.g. ‘Fuel Pipe Repair Manual’, ‘Cable Fabrication Manual’, ‘Duct Repair Manual’ or ‘Instrument Display Manual’, should declare these documents to be ICAs.

DAHs or declarants may decide to integrate certain information in a principal document (as, for example, troubleshooting information as part of the aircraft maintenance manual (AMM) instead of a separate troubleshooting manual (TSM)).

(d) Language

The ICAs should be provided in any of the official language(s) of the European Union which is (are) acceptable to the competent authority.

Note: In certain countries, such as the USA, English is required for ICAs. EASA, therefore, recommends that DAHs or declarants include a version of the ICAs in simplified technical English (e.g. in accordance with ASD Specification STE100).

(e) Electronic media

The ICAs may be provided in an electronic format (e.g. CDs, via the internet, etc.) instead of paper copies or microfilms (refer to AMC1 21L.A.9(b)).

When electronic format is used, the DAH or declarant should consider aspects such as the traceability of updates, keeping previous versions (record-keeping), data security and the obligations of the person(s) or organisation(s) responsible for the aircraft continuing airworthiness, considering that the ICAs form the basis of the data used for continuing airworthiness activities.