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FAA implements “Run-to-Fail” Maintenance Scheme
FAA adopts new maintenance concept that changes how National Airspace System equipment is checked. On Sept. 13, 2005, the FAA formally adopted the Concept of Operations (ConOps) document that specifies fundamental changes in how maintenance of National Airspace System electronics equipment will be performed. The new concept termed “Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)” will be put in place over the next couple of years. While the FAA refers to it as an “event-based” concept, it can best be described as a “fix-on-fail” concept. The document states that maintenance of electronics equipment will be evolved from the recognized procedure of preventative maintenance to a scheme where equipment will be used until it fails and then fixed. The preventative maintenance procedure has been used since the inception of the FAA and required a technician to perform periodical checks of equipment on a timely basis to certify that a given component could perform its function as required and to ensure that they remain in a safe operating range. The new ConOps scheme specifies a change in procedure where equipment will be utilized until it fails and then a technician will be required to fix it. NATCA believes that this is an unsafe condition that allows equipment to perform outside of tolerances without checking it periodically to ascertain whether the unit is performing properly.
How is the FAA going to determine what equipment will be “run to fail”? The agency has numerous systems and subsystems that make up the National Airspace System. While some equipment such as radios, have numerous backup subsystems, there are many systems such as radar and automation systems that serve as the “eyes” for the controllers that do not have full back-up or overlapping coverage. It appears there is going to be a subjective determination on what equipment will be placed under the new maintenance scheme. There is a potential that over three-quarters (3/4) of the equipment being utilized by pilots and controllers will be placed under this new scheme.
This failed before, why adopt it on a national basis? The ConOps scheme is based on the prior Corporate Maintenance Philosophy that was used in Alaska and was a recognized failure. The noted failure of the Alaska experiment was because of increased duration of outages when equipment did fail due to multiple component failures within the unit.
Will it really save money? The whole purpose cited by the agency in the adoption of the new Concept of Operations is to save money on maintenance. However, there is potential that equipment failures will be so extensive that the only viable repair will be to replace the entire equipment sets. Does this really save the agency any money?
Both FAA unions objected but the FAA implemented it anyway! Both NATCA and PASS objected to the concept of this new maintenance scheme as being unsafe to the flying public. Under the agency’s new plan, equipment will only be checked when a system has failed and is being returned to service. Such a severe reduction of periodic maintenance and certification will dramatically affect the aviation industry by increasing the number of unplanned outages and length of recovery time when equipment fails, and the overall safety of the NAS. Both unions concerns went unheeded and the FAA is proceeding with the new scheme.
Read the Concept of Operations (ConOps) document.