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Maintenance technician reported that a service difficulty report (sdr) was submitted for a crack found on an EC135 helicopter nearly a month after discovery due to the assessment of the condition.

Narrative:

After discussion with my area supervisor and my site lead; we decided that a service difficulty report (sdr) would be applicable for a crack found on an EC135 helicopter during a recent inspection. Aircraft was released for service and the sdr was submitted the next day however the original discrepancy was dated [almost a month prior]. This resulted in a delayed submittal of the sdr based on the discrepancy date as directed by 14 crash fire rescue equipment 135.415 para. (D)avoiding the recurrence of delayed submittal of a sdr during maintenance may be avoided by a better understanding or greater clarification of the specific requirements needed for submittal. It was unclear whether this item fell under 14 crash fire rescue equipment 135.415 para. A(14) aircraft structure that requires major repair; or para. A(15) cracks; permanent deformation; or corrosion of aircraft structures; if more than the maximum acceptable to the manufacturer or the FAA; if any. This could be clarified by the engineering department as they evaluated the discrepancy to determine its severity. Upon discovering that this discrepancy fell under any of the reportable requirements; it may be suggested (along with the instructions needed for repair or mitigating the discrepancy) that an sdr was needed to be submitted within the proper time constraints. It should be emphasized that items found under 14 crash fire rescue equipment 135.415 even during extended maintenance have a time restraint of 24 hours from the date of discovery.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: Maintenance Technician reported that a Service Difficulty Report (SDR) was submitted for a crack found on an EC135 helicopter nearly a month after discovery due to the assessment of the condition.

Narrative: After discussion with my area supervisor and my site lead; we decided that a Service Difficulty Report (SDR) would be applicable for a crack found on an EC135 helicopter during a recent inspection. Aircraft was released for service and the SDR was submitted the next day however the original discrepancy was dated [almost a month prior]. This resulted in a delayed submittal of the SDR based on the discrepancy date as directed by 14 CFR 135.415 Para. (d)Avoiding the recurrence of delayed submittal of a SDR during maintenance may be avoided by a better understanding or greater clarification of the specific requirements needed for submittal. It was unclear whether this item fell under 14 CFR 135.415 Para. A(14) Aircraft structure that requires major repair; or Para. A(15) Cracks; permanent deformation; or corrosion of aircraft structures; if more than the maximum acceptable to the manufacturer or the FAA; if any. This could be clarified by the engineering department as they evaluated the discrepancy to determine its severity. Upon discovering that this discrepancy fell under any of the reportable requirements; it may be suggested (along with the instructions needed for repair or mitigating the discrepancy) that an SDR was needed to be submitted within the proper time constraints. It should be emphasized that items found under 14 CFR 135.415 even during extended maintenance have a time restraint of 24 hours from the date of discovery.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.