Background
EASA was informed that certain Boeing 787 variants will not be able to comply with standard 1.1 (c) of Appendix 8 to Annex 6, Part 1 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation that require, as of 1 January 2018, that Flight Recorders are equipped with an Underwater Locating Device (ULD) capable to transmit for at least 90 days.
Based on the information provided by Boeing Co. and Rockwell Collins, the vendor of the Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorder (EAFR) that is installed on Boeing 787 aeroplanes, an in-field solution was developed which is now commercially available, thus enabling the equipage of all affected aeroplanes with compliant ULDs by 31 December 2018.
EASA TCO position
After analysis of all information, considering the limited number of aeroplanes affected and the limited period of this non-compliance, and in order to ensure a uniform approach between third country operators and EU operators, the EASA TCO position is the following:
For operations of Boeing 787 aircraft under TCO Authorisations pursuant to Regulation (EU) No 452/2014 (Part-TCO), third country operators are required to comply with the provisions of standard 1.1 (c) of Appendix 8 to Annex 6, Part 1 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation at the latest by 31 December 2018.
In addition, if at least one of the two EAFRs equipping a Boeing 787 aircraft is fitted with a ULD capable to transmit for at least 90 days, this already provides for improved aircraft localisation in case of an accident over water. Therefore, EASA recommends that as early as practicable, each individual Boeing 787 aircraft carries at least one compliant EAFR
