Raw Metal Sold With Altered Material Certification

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Sean_Caranna
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Raw Metal Sold With Altered Material Certification

Post by Sean_Caranna »

UNAPPROVED PARTS NOTIFICATION
SUSPECTED UNAPPROVED PARTS PROGRAM OFFICE, AVS-20
13873 PARK CENTER ROAD, SUITE 165
HERNDON, VA 20171
U.S. Department
of Transportation
Federal Aviation
Administration

UPNs are posted on the Internet at http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/programs/sups/upn/
No. 2004-00167

December 15, 2005
Mailed by: FAA, AIR-140, P.O. Box 26460, Oklahoma City, OK 73125

AFFECTED AIRCRAFT
All aircraft.


PURPOSE

The purpose of this notification is to advise all aircraft owners, operators, maintenance organizations, manufacturers, and parts suppliers and distributors regarding raw metal sold with altered material certification.

BACKGROUND

Information received during a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspected unapproved parts investigation revealed that M&M International Aerospace Metals, Inc. (M&M), located at 1382 West McNab Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309, may have knowingly sold raw metal that was offered as meeting the applicable Mil Spec but did not. M&M sold the raw metal to various distributors, type certificate holders, production approval holders, experimental aircraft distributors, as well as a variety of military and commercial applications.
Evidence indicates that M&M may have deliberately altered material certifications in order to satisfy customer requirements when they knew that the material did not meet the full requirements. The following changes were found:

Specification numbers were added.
Quantities were changed.
Heat-treat certifications were altered.
Chemical analysis requirements were added.
Hardness test results were changed.
Names of required mills were changed to match purchase order requirements.


The Offices of the Inspector General for the Department of Transportation, Department of Defense, Department of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the FAA conducted an investigation. DOE and FAA performed tests on the materials and examined purchase orders; these tests revealed nonconformance with the purchase orders.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Regulations require that type-certificated products conform to their type design. Aircraft owners, operators, maintenance organizations, manufacturers, and parts suppliers and distributors should inspect their records for raw metal purchased from M&M and examine those records for alterations. If material certifications are suspected of being altered, it is recommended that the original certificate supplier be contacted for a copy of the original certification, or independent tests be run for the original purchase order requirements. If the material is determined to be nonconforming, the stock -- or parts made from the stock -- should undergo an engineering analysis that is based on the material’s location or use in its proposed application.
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millerdvr
New Member
Posts: 12
Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 1:36 pm
Location: Montana

crooked bastards!!!

Post by millerdvr »

you think they are aware that we build aircraft out of this material and pay the extra sum to have it meet our criteria?
they should fire these people and burn down their houses!!!!

Chris
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