Defect Reporting and Deferral Procedure

Purpose. This procedure sets out how defects found by pilots or maintenance staff are recorded, assessed, rectified or deferred within the permitted limits.

1.Scope

This procedure applies to any defect on an aircraft under the business's care, whether reported by a pilot in the maintenance release or technical log, found during maintenance, or identified by a customer.

2.Recording

Every defect must be entered in the Defect and Deferred Defect Log with the aircraft registration, the date, the reporter, a clear description of the symptom and the conditions under which it occurred. The entry must be made before any troubleshooting starts so that the history is complete.

3.Assessment

A licensed engineer must assess each defect against the approved data, the minimum equipment list where one exists and the operator's requirements, and decide whether it must be rectified before flight or is eligible for deferral. Defects affecting flight controls, engines, structure or any item required for the intended flight must be rectified before release.

4.Rectification

Rectification must be performed under a work order with the troubleshooting steps, the fault found, the parts replaced and the functional test recorded. Repeat defects within 30 days must be flagged to the supervisor and investigated for root cause rather than repeatedly treated.

5.Deferral

A defect may be deferred only when the approved data or minimum equipment list permits it, the operator agrees, and any operational limitation is recorded in the aircraft's maintenance release. The Deferred Defect Request Form must be completed and the deferral entered in the log with the rectification due date or hours. Deferrals must not be extended beyond the permitted limit.

• Permitted by approved data or minimum equipment list
• Operator agreement recorded
• Limitation recorded in the maintenance release
• Due date or hours recorded in the log

6.Monitoring

Planning will review open deferred defects weekly and schedule rectification before the due limit. Deferred defects approaching their limit will be raised at the daily production meeting.