Description

A Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) is an information tool that alerts, educates, and makes recommendations to the aviation community about ways to improve the safety of a product. SAIBs are created by the US FAA and contain non-regulatory information and guidance that does not meet the criteria for an Airworthiness Directive (AD).

The decision whether or not to use an SAIB is made through the process outlined in FAA Order 8110.107, Monitor Safety/Analyze Data. Examples of situations where the issue of a SAIB is appropriate include:

• An airworthiness concern that has not yet been determined to be an unsafe condition. The SAIB may reference recommended actions but must clearly state that at present this concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant AD action.
• An unsafe condition on aircraft with a special airworthiness certificate, such as for the purpose of amateur-built, which do not have a type certificate. Without a type certificate, these aircraft have no approved type design therefore, an AD would not be issued for them. The SAIBs for these aircraft are still recommended actions and not mandatory.
• Information on an approved alternative method of compliance to an AD.
• A request for voluntary reporting of information on the safety of a product (e.g. inspection results).

The SAIB is advisory in nature and is therefore not used to e.g. mandate actions to correct an unsafe condition on type certificated products.

Related Articles

• Service Bulletin (SB)
• Airworthiness Directive
• Airworthiness

Further Reading

• A list of current SAIBs, sorted by date, external link
• Order 8110.100B SAIB, external link