Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com looks at best practices to ensure optimum Aircraft Zonal Inspection within your Organisation.

Consider the following reasons, which have been understood to impact the inspection process and to also provide an insight as to why inspection does not “always” identify the problem:

- Visual Inspection is typically 80% of all inspection activities
- Visual Inspection forms a vital part of the many available Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) techniques
- Visual inspection is of the greatest importance to aviation reliability for airframes, power plants, and systems.
- Performed correctly, it can detect a variety of defects, from cracks and corrosion to loose fasteners, ill-fitting doors, wear or stretching in control cables, as well as damaged components.

What are the implications if it is not performed correctly?

As Aircraft Maintenance Engineers, we work in a dynamic industry demanding perfection. Our human errors can have disastrous results. Which is why we must take every possible precaution to ensure we perform our duties in a safe 7 effective way.

How many of these do you personally identify with?

Note that each of the following “reasons” has been identified following feedback from multiple Inspection Feedback Surveys.

How to Ensure Adequate Mitigation ?

For each of the following items please develop your answer based on the following - This will NOT happen in our organisation because:

1/ Inspection Documentation not available

2/ Documentation not self-contained

3/ Documentation not well-human-engineered

4/ Documentation does not specify inspection strategy

5/ Wrong, broken lighting used

6/ Task Wrong choice of area /access

7/ Missing access equipment

8/ Inadequate access equipment

9/ Inadequate body support during task

10/ Poor posture for simultaneous manipulation and viewing

11/ Difficulty handling light, mirror, and magnifier together

12/ Wrong inspection area limits chosen

13/ Incomplete search coverage by area,

14/ Field of Vision (FOV) or fixation incomplete coverage due to time limitations

15/ Fixation movement too far to ensure reliable inspection

16/ Loss of situational awareness by area or FOV or fixation

17/ Loss of Situational Awareness (SA) and coverage when finding indication stops search process

18/ Defect location not recorded

19/ Defect type not recorded

20/ Defect comments not recorded

21/ Defect location incorrectly recorded

22/ Defect type incorrectly recorded

23/ Defect comments incorrectly recorded

 

Next Steps

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