1. Measures to assure aircraft safety
(1) Tapping Private Sector Know-how for Safety Assurance
In order to tap private sector know-how, manufacturers and maintenance service firms, deemed to be qualified for accurately checking conformity with safety standards, through their experience in manufacturing, repair and inspection, should be certified to carry out inspections in lieu of those conducted by government authorities. Such approved companies should then be required to certify the aircraft manufactured or repaired by them.
The government should also clearly define inspection procedures and techniques, in addition to implementing periodic or spot inspections to assure that inspections by authorized private companies conform with regulations. The government's role should thus be limited to guidance and monitoring.
- With respect to imported aircraft, the acceptance of foreign certification should be limited to countries which employ standards equivalent to or higher than those enforced in Japan, in addition to entering, as a rule, into agreements with aircraft exporting countries for mutual recognition of airworthiness certification. Moreover, after an aircraft has been imported, the government should strive at compiling data on accidents, and the data deemed necessary should be fed back to the manufacturer in the exporting country. Thus measures to assure safety of imported aircraft should be implemented.
- The government should steadfastly carry out responsibilities considered necessary for assuring aircraft safety. These include, issuance of airworthiness certificate, through which design inspections can be tightened, compilation, analysis and dissemination of information on major accidents in Japan as well as safety information obtained from foreign government's and aircraft manufacturers, establishment of safety standards for new technologies, research on technologies expected to enhance safety, in addition to providing guidance and monitoring the activities of contractors approved for inspecting aircraft for compliance with established standards on behalf of the government.
Moreover, since mutual conformation is required to assure effective functioning of the new system, Japan should enter into agreements with foreign countries for mutual recognition of each others airworthiness certification.
The government is also called on to expand training facilities for its employees assigned to aircraft inspection to assure that it retains the ability to administer the system, since reform of the inspection system will change its own responsibilities.
- Documents detailing the procedures for the maintenance and repair of aircraft, provide the basic guidelines on the maintenance of the aircraft to the user, who is primarily responsible for the safety of the aircraft. The government should make it legally mandatory for the user of the aircraft to keep a record of all pertinent data and procedures undertaken during periodic inspections. This will enhance the perception of the importance of periodic inspections and thus contribute toward raising the awareness of the importance of safety.
Since the initial date of the validity period of the airworthiness certificate is considered to be the date on which the aircraft passes the inspection, if the aircraft passes renewal inspection prior to the expiry of the original certificate, the validity period, in actual practice becomes shorter than one year. Therefore, the current system, with its validity period of one year should be reformed. Under the new system, if the aircraft passes renewal inspection within one month of the expiry of the original validity period, the extension should start from the day following the expiry date of the original certificate. This will allow efficient management of the system.
- Under the new system, imported aircraft will be required to obtain type certification. Since this will eliminate the need for direct inspection for obtaining airworthiness certificate, it will likely prompt foreign aircraft manufacturers to actively apply for type certification from the Japanese government.
The government should, therefore, encourage owners of imported aircraft to obtain type certification, in order to expand the aircraft design inspection. But this will require clarification of inspection procedures and establishment of a system of charges corresponding to the same.
- A system of safety certificates issued by the government for aircraft parts to be exported has been in force hereto, in response to requests from foreign governments. Possibility of transferring the certification system to private companies should be considered.
With respect to existing aircraft not conforming with new environmental protection standards, such as those for noise pollution and motor emissions, a deferment period for compliance with the new standards should be stipulated in order to avoid excessive burden on users.
The scope of the present certification system does not extend to fittings other than important ones, to repair and reform of internal parts and to special work carried out on the aircraft.
Nevertheless, foreign countries are moving toward mutual recognition of the certification under the assumption that the scope of their certification system extends to the items mentioned above.
Under the circumstances, Japan should work toward agreements for mutual recognition of certification systems with foreign countries, while at the same time creating a new licensing system for such work with due consideration to the present separation of inspection responsibilities in Japan.
Moreover, with respect to standards and certification systems, moves toward international coordination, in order to promote mutual recognition, are in progress. Japan will also be required to create an environment conductive to mutual recognition, in addition to expansion of the scope of quality control inspection and striking off the prior experience clause, to streamline its system from the standpoint of adequately assuring aircraft safety.
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