Aviation Regulations
Aviation regulations
This domain tests the New Zealand Civil Aviation Rules that govern maintenance and certification. Know the roles of Part 43 (general maintenance), Part 66 (aircraft maintenance personnel licensing), Part 145 (aviation maintenance organisations), Part 12 (accident and incident reporting), and Part 21 (certification). The exam asks who may certify what, what record is required, and when a defect must be reported.
Core rules
- A maintenance release is issued after maintenance or inspection to certify that the aircraft is airworthy for the scope of work. It must be signed by an appropriately rated person or organisation. Never sign for work you did not perform or cannot verify.
- Part 66 licences are category-specific, such as A, B1, and B2, and may require type ratings. The licence holder must work within the privileges and any limitations.
- Part 145 organisations need approved procedures, facilities, personnel, and a quality system. Maintenance must use approved data and current manuals.
- Airworthiness directives (ADs) are mandatory. Service bulletins (SBs) are not automatically mandatory unless incorporated by an AD, a maintenance programme, or approved data.
- Logbooks and maintenance records must be legible, permanent, and traceable. Defects are recorded and cleared by approved methods.
- Occurrences meeting Part 12 criteria must be reported to the CAA. Defect and occurrence reporting is not a substitute for correcting the aircraft.
Worked example
An AME finds a cracked bracket during a scheduled inspection. The bracket is in the manufacturer's structural repair manual, but the crack exceeds the manual's limit, so a repair scheme is needed. The AME cannot approve that scheme unless authorised. The correct path is to obtain approved data or an approved repair design, record the defect, carry out the repair under the applicable approval, and issue a maintenance release only for the completed work. A service bulletin recommending bracket replacement is not mandatory unless an AD makes it so.
Traps
Assuming FAA or EASA approval automatically applies in New Zealand; signing a maintenance release for a task outside your rating; treating an SB as an AD; and recording a defect without clearing it.