§44733 Oversight of repair stations located outside the United States

Summary

The FAA must create and run a risk-based safety check system for all part 145 repair stations. It must make sure foreign repair stations get inspections based on risk and U.S. requirements. The FAA must consider inspection results from foreign authorities that have safety agreements with the United States. Those agreements must let the FAA do its own inspections when safety concerns arise. The FAA must tell two Congressional committees within 30 days after starting formal talks on a new agreement. The FAA must publish a yearly report showing how it tracks where part 121 carrier work is done, a staffing plan for inspectors, the training given to inspectors, and how well monitoring and oversight are working. The FAA must ask ICAO members to create international drug and alcohol testing rules for people who do safety-sensitive maintenance. Within 1 year after this law, the FAA must propose a rule requiring acceptable drug and alcohol testing for part 145 employees who do safety-sensitive work on part 121 aircraft, consistent with host-country laws. The FAA must do at least one unannounced annual inspection of each foreign part 145 repair station, and may do more inspections based on risk and law. Within 90 days after the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 became law, the FAA must focus its system on foreign stations that do scheduled heavy maintenance on part 121 aircraft and consider how often and how serious the fixes carriers must make are. Carriers must report yearly (by the end of the next fiscal year) any heavy maintenance done outside the U.S., listing location, work, completion date, any safety failures found within 30 days after return to service that came from that work, and the approver’s certificate number. The FAA will analyze these reports and require fixes; the reports get the same protections as other voluntary safety information. The FAA cannot approve new part 145 applications from persons in countries rated Category 2 by the IASA program (renewals are allowed), may refuse new maintenance agreements with such countries, and part 121 carriers cannot enter new heavy-maintenance contracts with them while the country is Category 2. Within 18 months after this subsection was enacted, supervisors and anyone who approves return to service at covered repair stations must hold part 65 mechanic/repairman certificates or an equivalent, and the person approving or in charge of heavy maintenance must be available for consultation during the work. Definitions: covered repair station — a foreign part 145 station doing heavy maintenance for part 121 carriers; heavy maintenance work — C-check, D-check, or equivalent airframe work (including on-wing engines); part 121 air carrier — an airline with a part 121 certificate; part 145 repair station — a repair station with a part 145 certificate.