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I dont if everybody is an AOPA member but if you are
not this may be of interest. It was in the online newsletter
today.
AOPA RALLIES AGAINST MANDATORY SBs FOR GA
AIRCRAFT
A recent NTSB decision could have expensive consequences for you, if you are an aircraft owner. That is why AOPA is unleashing its legal and regulatory experts to fight it. The safety board, ruling on a recent enforcement action against a mechanic, seemed to say that aircraft manufacturers could make service bulletins (SBs) mandatory, essentially giving them the same force of law as an airworthiness directive (AD). "That is neither AOPA's nor the FAA's interpretation of the regulations," said Luis Gutierrez, AOPA director of regulatory and certification policy. "Service bulletins are considered advisory, not mandatory, for Part 91 operators." If the NTSB interpretation stands, the cost could be substantial. But SBs cannot be made mandatory for your aircraft if you are flying it on noncommercial operations, according to the FAA. In a letter of interpretation that AOPA requested in 2001, the FAA's Small Airplane Directorate said, "Small airplane design approval holders cannot unilaterally impose mandatory compliance with manufacturers' SBs." "We've asked our legal counsel to thoroughly research this issue so that we have all the ammunition to reinforce the longstanding rulings that SBs are recommendations for Part 91 operators," said Gutierrez. "We will always strive to keep GA aircraft safe and affordable. The AD process ensures that we do what's needed to fix safety problems but not spend more than necessary." See AOPA Online.
A recent NTSB decision could have expensive consequences for you, if you are an aircraft owner. That is why AOPA is unleashing its legal and regulatory experts to fight it. The safety board, ruling on a recent enforcement action against a mechanic, seemed to say that aircraft manufacturers could make service bulletins (SBs) mandatory, essentially giving them the same force of law as an airworthiness directive (AD). "That is neither AOPA's nor the FAA's interpretation of the regulations," said Luis Gutierrez, AOPA director of regulatory and certification policy. "Service bulletins are considered advisory, not mandatory, for Part 91 operators." If the NTSB interpretation stands, the cost could be substantial. But SBs cannot be made mandatory for your aircraft if you are flying it on noncommercial operations, according to the FAA. In a letter of interpretation that AOPA requested in 2001, the FAA's Small Airplane Directorate said, "Small airplane design approval holders cannot unilaterally impose mandatory compliance with manufacturers' SBs." "We've asked our legal counsel to thoroughly research this issue so that we have all the ammunition to reinforce the longstanding rulings that SBs are recommendations for Part 91 operators," said Gutierrez. "We will always strive to keep GA aircraft safe and affordable. The AD process ensures that we do what's needed to fix safety problems but not spend more than necessary." See AOPA Online.
----- Original Message -----From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Sent: Sunday, June 04, 2006 5:00 PMSubject: [COUPERS-TECH] SB32----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----I thought only AD's can be mandatory, not service bulletins (even though SB32 says "Mandatory Service Bulletin"). Can someone clarify this? From what I've read on the list, we're doing this on a voluntary basis right now.ThanksDarickN94139============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
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