Part D OpSpec

8/14/19 8900.1 CHG 674

12. INTERNATIONAL AVIATION

CHAPTER 4  PART 129 OPERATIONS

5. Part 129 Part D Operations Specifications—Aircraft Maintenance

   1. GENERAL.

      1. Purpose. This section provides the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) policy requirements and aviation safety inspector (ASI) guidance associated with the standard Part D (Aircraft Maintenance) operations specifications (OpSpec) paragraphs and their templates available for issuance to foreign air carriers and foreign persons operating under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 129, § 129.14.

      2. Scope. This section is applicable to all FAA Flight Standards Service (FS) personnel and International Field Offices (IFO) having responsibilities associated with part 129 foreign air carrier and foreign persons operating United States (U.S.)-registered aircraft within or outside the United States in common carriage.

1. Advisory circulars (AC) referenced throughout this section provide guidance for compliance with specific regulations. They define acceptable means, but not the only means, of accomplishing or showing compliance with regulations.

1. Program Tracking and Reporting Subsystem (PTRS) Activity Codes.

   1. Operations: 1321, 1322, 1326, and 1327.

   2. Maintenance: 3312, 3313, 3315, and 3316.

   3. Avionics: 5312, 5313, 5315, and 5316.

2. Regulatory References. All regulatory references in this section are found in 14 CFR unless otherwise indicated.

1. DEFINITIONS. See Volume 12, Chapter 1, Section 1, Definitions, Abbreviations, and Acronyms, for information associated with this section.

2. PART D OPSPECS. The FAA issues part 129 Part D OpSpecs to foreign air carriers and foreign persons operating U.S.-registered aircraft within or outside the United States in common carriage.

   1. The FAA also issues Part D OpSpecs to foreign air carriers and foreign persons using U.S.‑registered aircraft operated in common carriage solely outside the United States in accordance with § 129.1(b).

   2. The FAA does not issue Part D OpSpecs to part 129 foreign air carriers and foreign persons who conduct operations with only foreign‑registered aircraft.

1. The following guidance gives general instructions on how to complete Part D OpSpecs. Additional information for approving a maintenance program and minimum equipment list (MEL) under § 129.14 is contained in Volume 12, Chapter 4, Sections 8 and 9.

2. FAA policy associated with part 129 Part D OpSpecs may be immediately accessed by clicking on the appropriate following paragraph number: D085, D095, D097, D301.

OPSPEC D085—U.S.‑REGISTERED AIRCRAFT LISTING AND MAINTENANCE REQUIREMENTS (REQUIRED FOR ALL FOREIGN AIR CARRIERS AND FOREIGN PERSONS CONDUCTING OPERATIONS WITH U.S.‑REGISTERED AIRCRAFT UNDER PART 129, § 129.14). OpSpec D085 identifies the maintenance program that the FAA has reviewed and approved for any U.S.‑registered aircraft, as required by § 129.14. After the Airworthiness ASI(s) has evaluated the maintenance program the foreign air carrier or foreign person submitted in accordance with Volume 12, Chapter 4, Section 8, and AC 129-4, Maintenance Programs for U.S.‑Registered Aircraft Operated under 14 CFR Part 129, the Airworthiness ASI will issue OpSpec D085 as follows:

1. Make, Model, and Series (M/M/S), Aircraft Registration Number, and Aircraft Serial Number.

1. All aircraft information must be entered into the Web-based Operations Safety System (WebOPSS) in the left navigation area, under “CHDO,” then “Maintain Operator Data,” and then “Aircraft.”

   1. Aircraft used to operate solely outside the United States identify as “129.14.”

   2. Aircraft flying into the United States identify as “129.”

2. Once entering the “Aircraft” data, and when the Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI), foreign air carrier, or foreign person moves a new D085 template to the workspace, the aircraft‑specific information (M/M/S, aircraft registration number, and aircraft serial number) for the foreign air carrier or foreign person’s U.S.‑registered aircraft will be auto‑filled into the table(s).

1. For foreign air carriers operating to the United States, the D085 template contains an additional column in the table that identifies if the aircraft is being used to operate within or solely outside the United States.

2. Maintenance Program Document Information. Manually enter the information into the appropriate table for the document name of the maintenance program and document revision date and number.

3. For dry‑leased aircraft, see additional guidance in Volume 12, Chapter 3, Section 2 and part 129, § 129.14(b).

OPSPEC D095—MINIMUM EQUIPMENT LIST (MEL) AUTHORIZATION—U.S.‑REGISTERED AIRCRAFT (OPTIONAL. HOWEVER, REQUIRED FOR U.S.‑REGISTERED AIRPLANES IF THE FOREIGN AIR CARRIER OR FOREIGN PERSON IS AUTHORIZED TO USE AN MEL).

1. General. The regulatory basis for an MEL is § 129.14. Without the MEL, the foreign air carrier or foreign person operating a U.S.-registered aircraft must operate the aircraft with all instruments and equipment operative. For MEL exceptions, see Volume 12, Chapter 4, Section 2, OpSpec paragraph A003.

2. Approval. When seeking approval of an MEL, the foreign air carrier or foreign person must show the procedures in its maintenance program are adequate to support the use of its MEL. Approval of MELs for U.S.-registered aircraft is through the issuance of FAA OpSpec paragraphs. Section 129.14(b)(4) states in part that the OpSpec permitting the use of the MEL is carried on board the aircraft.

   1. The carriage on board of the MEL is not limited to hard copies. The intent of § 129.14(b)(4) is that the current and approved MEL is accessible to the flightcrew. For example, if a foreign air carrier is approved by their State of the Operator to carry the MEL electronically, this is an acceptable means of compliance with § 129.14.

   2. An ASI conducting a ramp inspection must be able to verify that the MEL is available, approved, and up-to-date (refer to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Doc 8335, Manual of Procedures for Operations Inspection, Certification and Continued Surveillance, and Volume 12, Chapter 4, Section 10, Figure 4-10A, Foreign Carrier Ramp Inspection Job Aid).

3. Principal Inspectors’ (PI) Evaluation. After the Principal Operations Inspector (POI) has evaluated the foreign air carrier- or foreign person-submitted program and coordinated with the PMI and/or Principal Avionics Inspector (PAI) in accordance with Volume 4, Chapter 4 and Volume 12, Chapter 4, Sections 8 and 9, the PIs will issue D095. The aircraft M/M/S, aircraft registration number, serial number, Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL), revision date and number, and MEL revision date and number for aircraft authorized for the use of an MEL must be listed in the D095 table.

OPSPEC D097—AGING AIRCRAFT PROGRAMS.

1. Foreign Air Carriers or Foreign Person Authorized OpSpec Paragraph D097. The issuance of OpSpec D097 signifies the FAA has reviewed the foreign air carrier or foreign person’s policy and procedures incorporated into their maintenance and/or inspection programs for compliance with the aging aircraft program rules. D097 Table 1, Aging Aircraft Maintenance Programs, will consist of three columns that list:

1. The aging aircraft program rules;

2. The manual and section where the policy and procedures are located for the applicable aging aircraft program; and

3. The date of the manual and section where the current policy and procedures are located for the applicable aging aircraft program.

4. Figure 4-5A, Sample D097 Table 1 – Aging Aircraft Maintenance Programs, illustrates a sample D097 Table 1 that lists the various part 129 rules. The foreign air carrier or foreign person will have a specific D097 paragraph template for their operation.

Figure 4-5A. Sample D097 Table 1 – Aging Aircraft Maintenance Programs

Aging Aircraft Program Rules	Foreign Air Carrier/Foreign Person’s Maintenance and Inspection Program Policy and Procedures (Manual and Section)	Date
Repairs Assessment for Pressurized Fuselages — § 129.107
Supplemental Inspections — § 129.109
Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS) Maintenance Program — § 129.111
Fuel Tank System Maintenance Program — § 129.113
Flammability Reduction Means — § 129.117

2. Submission to PI for Review. Submit initial submissions and any later revisions to the foreign air carrier or foreign person’s maintenance and/or inspection program policy and procedures to the PI. Review for compliance with the aging aircraft program rules.

3. Foreign Air Carrier/Foreign Person Actions. A foreign air carrier or foreign person’s program must have procedures that incorporate the instructions for continued airworthiness (ICA) into their maintenance and/or inspection program.

4. Procedures for Tracking Changes and Approvals. The PI must ensure that the foreign air carrier or foreign person has procedures in their manual that track any changes and approvals to their program with the FAA oversight office-approved fuel tank safety (FTS) ICAs.

OPSPEC D301—AIRCRAFT NETWORK SECURITY PROGRAM (ANSP). See Volume 3, Chapter 61.

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