Whilst many organisations have procedures related to Fuel Tank Safety processes, there are considerably fewer with respect to processes and practices related to Electrical Wiring Interconnect Systems.

What Procedures should we consider?

a) Procedures with respect to Tripped Circuit Breakers and how we will manage the associated troubleshooting activities. Ensure that the Flight Crew never reset circuit breakers (or reset circuit breakers) unless the procedure is a direct “in flight” instruction driven by documentation available on board the aircraft, for example, as an OPS Manual procedure.

Also ensure that ground support personnel carry out troubleshooting before proceeding to reset a circuit breaker, as simply resetting without additional maintenance activity may be a precursor to a more serious problem and even subsequently a fire.

b) Procedures with respect to the Maintenance of Inspection Standards and how these standards should be applied. It is often assumed that a maintenance engineer automatically understands how to inspect an aircraft. But this is a skill like any other that needs to be both taught and understood. The maintenance organisation moreover must ensure that the competence of the aircraft inspectors is managed effectively.

c) Procedures regarding the Management and Training associated with EWIS Tooling, and how this process is managed to ensure that the work is performed and delivered to the highest standards.
Different tooling requires specific training and demonstration of satisfactory understanding; much of this information is available in both the Standard Wiring Practices Manual and vendor support documentation.

d) Cleaning Procedures for EWIS directly and for the cleaning of zones in which EWIS is present. Note that Fluids with a high PH value may cause chemical breakdown of the insulation material or swelling of the insulation material.

Typically, cleaning activities are performed by entry-level staff who may not have the necessary awareness of the impact their activities may be having on the aircraft wiring or the associated systems—this information should be understood and trained.

e) Wiring Installation Procedures to be adopted during the installation of modifications include acceptable bend radius and the use of tie wraps P clips and other securing elements.

f) The use of anti-icing fluids in the region of EWIS—anti-icing fluids can make electrical wiring sticky and become a catalyst for degradation—appropriate steps need to be taken to ensure this exposure is minimized.

g) Care and concern of EWIS during maintenance activities note that EWIS should not be used as handholds or for supporting tooling and test equipment for example, lighting. Mechanical stress and strains that are imparted to the wiring looms may induce yielding or fatigue and accelerate other stresses.

EWIS Initial and Recurrent training courses are available either in a classroom-based format with Sofema Aviation Services or as online training.

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