FAA Revokes Aero Bearings’ Repair Station Certificate
07 Mar,2018
The FAA alleges that AeroBearings routinely disassembles, inspects and overhauls turbine engine bearings without possessing the data necessary to perform key aspects of this safety critical work. The FAA further alleges that the repair station intentionally falsified documents certifying that these repairs were accomplished in accordance with appropriate data and federal safety regulations.
The FAA began its investigation of AeroBearings in 2016 after receiving two Administrator’s Hotline complaints from customers who reported quality problems with bearings overhauled by the company. During its investigation, the FAA found that AeroBearings conducted work that exceeded their available data on bearings for a variety of aircraft engines, including those manufactured by General Electric Co., Pratt & Whitney, and CFM International.
The FAA alleges that AeroBearings disassembled engine bearings for overhaul, even though some manufacturers specifically prohibited disassembly. The FAA also alleges that during these overhauls, AeroBearings removed material from critical internal bearing surfaces without having the requisite design data to verify the overhauled parts would fit and function together as designed.
The FAA further alleges that because AeroBearings did not possess the necessary approved data to determine that the overhauled engine bearings met original manufacturers’ design specifications, AeroBearings could not determine they were airworthy.
Due to the seriousness of the alleged violations, the FAA has determined that enough evidence exists to immediately revoke AeroBearings’ Air Agency Certificate. The company’s willingness to make intentionally false statements on airworthiness certifications shows it cannot be trusted to maintain the integrity of aviation’s trust-based record keeping system.
AeroBearings has 10 days from the issuance of the FAA’s Emergency Order of Revocation to file an appeal.