Recurring Defects

[Beaver Driver]

CAR 726.05 (3) For the purposes of these standards, defects are recurring defects if a failure mode is repeated three times, on a particular aircraft, within 15 flight segments of a previous repair made in respect of that failure mode.

But what is the definition of a flight segment? I have read elsewhere that a segment is one take off and one landing. On a busy day during the season, I can easily do 15 or more take off and landings, so by that definition I could have the same defect every day of the summer and it would not be considered as recurring. Is this correct? Doesn't seem right.....

[groncher]

CARs does not define flight segment as such, but most organizations that I am aware of consider it to be 1 flight or cycle.
So, a defect is recurring when it occurs 3 times in 15 flights after a first repair attempt (so really the 4th time).
So yes, by definition, you could have the same snag every day if you flew 15 legs and it would not be recurring.
The purpose of the reg is to ensure operators have a method of reporting these defects to their maintenance provider, it is a requirement of their maintenance control system.
I wouldn't recommend flying with the same snag every day though!!

[Beaver Driver]

I'm working on a new MCM, and trying to figure out an effective system for identifying recurring defects. A system that tracks defects over several months and 100's of hours will be a lot more complex than one that only looks back over the last 15 flights. I'm going to aim at somewhere in between...

[Spinner]

We made it a procedure during inspections and snag rectifications for the engineer to review the logs to see if the defect was recurring. In the snag rectification a (RECURRING DEFECT) is typed in under the snag to let the flight crew know.

Seems to work well when maintenance gets used to the idea. We use the 15 entries of flights in the JLB as a guide for a recurring defect.

We also have a log of recurring defects in the maintenance office that we track them and any rectifications.

[5x5]

I'm working on a new MCM, and trying to figure out an effective system for identifying recurring defects. A system that tracks defects over several months and 100's of hours will be a lot more complex than one that only looks back over the last 15 flights. I'm going to aim at somewhere in between...

Just a word of caution although I'm sure you're thinking of it anyway - be careful what you put in your MCM (or any other formal operating documentation.) Your company will be required to follow everything in there to the letter. It's usually prudent to incorporate the minimum legal requirement as additional practices or higher standards, though well intentioned, can easily become a real issue down the road. You can't anticipate all the ramifications and simply put yourself at higher risk of contravention. Be careful anytime you are writing binding documentation that brings to mind the phrase "more complex than required" related to legal requirements.