ARSA To Hold Meeting on Changes to U.S.-EU Mx Guidance
The reworded guidance makes it clear that each new or used part must have an FAA Form 8130-3.

On November 3 the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) will hold a members-only discussion about Change 5 to the U.S.-EU Maintenance Annex Guidance (MAG). Brett Levanto, vice president of operations for the firm that manages ARSA, told AIN, “A single word was poised to cause a mess of trouble for the FAA, EASA and their certificate holders.”


Previously, the MAG stated that an FAA Form 8130-3 “should” accompany every new or used part, and the word was interpreted to mean desirable but not required. The new wording, scheduled to be implemented on December 8, says “must accompany.”


Under current rules, only the FAA or its designee can issue an 8130. A final rule published by the agency on October 1 allows U.S. production approval holders to issue 8130-3s, but they do not have that authority until March 31, 2016—a costly gap for U.S. repair stations. ARSA and an alliance of industry groups have asked the FAA and EASA to align the MAG’s implementation with effectiveness of the new FAA rule, and to clarify that existing inventory need not meet the new 8130-3 requirement.