AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2017 - 91

P&E

SAVVY MAINTENANCE

It was the IA's
responsibility to
determine the
propeller was
unairworthy.
It was the owner's
responsibility decide
what to do about that.
their mechanics. Many mechanics also take
on responsibilities that properly belong to
their aircraft-owner clients, and in doing
so expose themselves to liability that they
shouldn't be exposed to.
In the case of the Tri-Pacer, it was the
IA's responsibility to inspect the aircraft
and to make a regulatory determination
that the corroded propeller was unairworthy. It was the owner's responsibility
decide what, if anything, to do about that.
The owner might have tried to find
some other mechanic to inspect the

propeller and declare it airworthy. He
might have elected to send the prop to an
FAA-approved propeller repair station
for repair. Or he might have elected to do
what he did: replace the prop with an airworthy one. All that would have fallen into
the what category for which the owner is
responsible, not the how category for
which the mechanic is responsible. The
owner could ask the mechanic for help in
determining his options, but the decision
is the owner's to make.
WHO CAN GROUND AN AIRCRAFT?

FAR 91.7 forbids a PIC from flying an aircraft that is unairworthy, although FAR
21.197 (Special Flight Permits) allows the
FAA to grant special dispensation to fly
an unairworthy aircraft (usually for repositioning purposes). There is no FAR that
empowers a mechanic to ground an aircraft. Mechanics are not the safety police.
Airworthiness safety inspectors (ASIs)
work at the FAA's 80 flight standards field
offices (formerly known as FSDOs), and

they are the safety police. An ASI has the
authority to ramp check an aircraft and
hang an Aircraft Condition Notice (Form
8620-1) on it requiring that a specific
unsafe condition be corrected before further flight. An A&P has no such authority.
A vindictive mechanic who wants to
prevent an aircraft-owner client from
flying his aircraft could conceivably call
an ASI and try to persuade him to come
out to inspect the aircraft. I think that's
poor form, to say the least. It's like calling
the cops to complain that your neighbor
is playing his stereo too loud, instead
of calling the neighbor and asking him
nicely to turn down the volume. In my
view, a mechanic who "calls the cops"
on one of his clients (except in the most
extraordinary circumstances) should be
avoided.
AOPA
MIKE BUSCH is an A&P/IA.
EMAIL mike.busch@savvyaviator.com

WEB

www.savvyaviation.com

| 91

Get the largest glass in your class.
The most affordable, capable and largest glass on the market.
The Evolution 2500 cost-effectively combines an EFD Pro Primary Flight
Display (PFD), a 1000 Multi-function Flight Display (MFD) and a 500 MFD
into the ultimate glass panel solution for your aircraft. The customizable
multi-display system expands your cockpit display area to put more
flight data where you want it, when you want it, and delivers unrivaled
performance with dual independent AHRS, Air Data Computers, compass
systems, HSIs, and more.
The system is also fully upgradable with the ability to add new safety
features like Synthetic Vision and Angle of Attack. Aspen's displays offer
multiple choices for ADS-B compliance with a full range of Aspen, L-3 and
Garmin solutions to provide an easy, cost-effective path to meet the FAA's
NextGen mandate.
Evolution 2500: general aviation's largest, most innovative and affordable
multi-panel glass cockpit system available.

Copyright 2017 Aspen Avionics Inc. "Aspen Avionics," "Evolution Flight Display System," and the Aspen Avionics aircraft logo
are trademarks of Aspen Avionics Inc. All rights reserved. U.S. Patent No. 8,085,168, and additional patents pending.

EFD500 MFD
with Angle of Attack

EFD 1000 Pro Plus PFD
with Synthetic Vision
and Angle of Attack

EFD1000 MFD
with full PFD redundancy

www.aspenavionics.com

http://www.savvyaviation.com http://www.aspenavionics.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2017