Interim Report - Introduction - EASA

INTERIM REPORT – OPTIONS FOR CHANGE
EASA.2009.OP.21
- the aircraft and required equipment comply with the applicable
airworthiness requirements/approvals;
- a training programme has been established for flight crew and, as
applicable, personnel involved in these operations; and
- operating procedures in accordance with the applicable subpart have
been specified in the operations manual.
It can clearly be seen how these criteria for application of special operations
approval could be adjusted to suit de-icing / anti-icing operations. Both
service providers’ equipment and personnel can be included with reference to
external standards of maintenance and training respectively.
TECIN2. EASA identifies an external source document and adopts it as a set of
Technical Instructions which operators are required to follow, and which
operators are required to impose on service providers.
TECIN3. EASA, in collaboration with Industry and other agencies (EU NAAs, FAA, TC)
develops an AMC to OPS.GEN.100 which can be used as a template for
operators’ de-icing / anti-icing policies, programmes and OM entries (refer to
REGAO2).
Navigation Data
Uploading electronic navigation data into an aircraft’s navigation database and system is not
a process that allows for the cross-checking of that data at the moment of upload. The
operator is entirely dependent on the supplier of data, or equipment (if pre-loaded), to ensure
that the data is accurate. Inaccurate navigation data can introduce hazardous conditions and
increase the risk of flight operations. Some data can be checked by the flight crew when the
data is actually being used, or immediately prior to it being used, however, this is unreliable,
and does not ensure the accuracy of the rest of the database. Any errors will remain latent
until exposed through use. The similarities with de-icing / anti-icing are plain to see: the flight
crew are reliant upon the service provider’s “accuracy”, and while some post treatment
checking by the flight crew is possible, the crew have to rely on someone else to conduct the
check and provide assurances. Undetected errors may have an immediate effect, or may
remain latent until exposed.
Whereas operators are responsible entirely for ensuring that de-icing / anti-icing is conducted
to an acceptable standard, they are not always responsible for ensuring the accuracy of
navigation databases. Instead, a system of “approval” of the supplier is used. Operators can
obtain their navigation databases from suppliers who hold a Letter of Acceptance (LoA) and
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