NPA 2017-20

Embodiment of level of involvement acceptable means of compliance and guidance material to Part-21 - RMT.0262 (MDM.060)

The objective of this NPA is to support the embodiment of level of involvement (LoI) and other changes into Part 21 as proposed by European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Opinion No 07/2016 (Phase I). The NPA (Phase II) proposes to amend the related Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC)/Guidance Material (GM) to Annex I (Part-21) to Regulation (EU) No 748/2012.

EASA Opinion No 07/2016 proposed to introduce in the product certification process the safety management principles contained in International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Annex 19. With said Opinion, the first step for the embodiment of LoI into Part-21 has been completed. As a second step, this NPA proposes to reflect in the related AMC/GM the amendments proposed by the Opinion. Additionally, new AMC/GM have been created and included in this NPA to cover the new elements introduced by the Opinion.

This NPA proposes AMC to support an applicant’s proposal for EASA’s LoI in certification projects, as well as EASA’s determination of its LoI. Furthermore, GM is proposed not only on the application of a risk-based approach for determining EASA’s LoI, but also on the process used. Furthermore, the GM proposed in the NPA provides guidance on the application of the new privileges for certain major changes, major repairs, and supplemental type certificates (STCs). Finally, the NPA includes new or amended AMC/GM based on the amendments to Part-21; in particular, it proposes to also relocate the guidance on those Part-21 requirements that have been moved from Section A to Section B.

The proposed changes are expected to support the implementation of the amendments to Part-21 proposed by Opinion No 07/2016. This will improve the effectiveness, efficiency, transparency, and predictability of the certification process, allowing for a better planning of the process with fewer delays as well as for a better allocation of both EASA’s and the applicant’s certification staff resources. In addition, compliance with ICAO Annex 19 will be achieved through the introduction of safety management system (SMS) elements into the certification process.