The inevitable effects of aircraft aging are progressive increases in the probability of damage from fatigue corrosion. The continued safe operation of the U.S. commercial fleet will depend on the ability to anticipate required adjustments in the inspection and maintenance activities to compensate for the aging process. Increasing numbers of aircraft are exceeding their economic design life. Presumably, commercial aircraft are designed for infinite life with proper maintenance, but public confidence in operators' abilities to properly maintain older aircraft significantly diminished following the widely publicized failure of the Aloha Airlines 737 fuselage in 1988. The FAA established the National Aging Aircraft Research Program (NAARP) to address this diminished public confidence in the airlines' ability to properly maintain their older aircraft. The goal is to assure continued airworthiness of the U.S. commercial fleet of in-service and future aircraft beyond their economic design life. This will be achieved through improvements in equipment, techniques, practices, and procedures in aircraft and engine design, repair, maintenance, and inspection. The FAA will identify and direct the research to reach this goal. The results of the program will include a technical information data base that will be used by the FAA and/or industry to update or develop new rules, standards, advisories, and facilities.
Program Plan: National Aging Aircraft Research Program
1991
53 pages
Report
No indication
English
Transportation Safety , Air Transportation , Aircraft maintenance , Aircraft reliability , Aircraft safety , Airline operations , Commercial aircraft , Project planning , Safety management , Service life , Aging (Materials) , Civil aviation , Corrosion , Damage assessment , Data bases , Failure analysis , Flight safety , Inspection
FAA Aging Airplane Program Plan for Transport Aircraft
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