Definition

The unintended failure to carry out a maintenance task in accordance with the requirements of that task and/or not working in accordance with the principles of good maintenance practice.

Description

Aviation industry studies have found that the origin of as many as 20% of all in-flight engine shutdowns can be traced to maintenance error.

Typical maintenance errors include:

• Electrical wiring discrepancies.
• Loose objects left in airplane.
• Incorrect installation of components.
• Fitting of wrong parts.
• Inadequate lubrication.
• Access panels, fairings, or cowlings not secured.
• Fuel or oil caps and fuel panels not secured.

For installation errors on engines, one specific study found the following types of error: