NTSB Issues Safety Recommendation A-12-023 to FAA Regarding STC Modifications

The National Transportation Safety Board has issued Safety Recommendation A-12-023, identified as ERA10FA140, directed to the Federal Aviation Administration. This recommendation builds upon the request made in Safety Recommendation A-12-21. The NTSB instructs the FAA to develop specific guidance for installers who perform supplemental type certificate modifications. Once this guidance is established, the agency must educate owners and operators of all aircraft equipped with multiple supplemental type certificates about the potential hazards associated with incompatible modifications. Furthermore, the FAA is urged to encourage these stakeholders to have their aircraft evaluated to determine if the presence of multiple supplemental type certificates adversely affects the aircraft’s structural strength, performance, or flight characteristics. Any such evaluation must be documented in FAA Form 337 for the specific aircraft involved.