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Maintaining doors on aircraft

URN: SEMAE3326
Business Sectors (Suites): Aeronautical Engineering Suite 3
Developed by: Enginuity
Approved on: 2021

Overview

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This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out maintenance activities on aircraft doors, in accordance with the approved aircraft maintenance manual, structural repair manual, approved change documentation (service bulletin) and airworthiness requirements. It covers both fixed wing and rotary winged aircraft, and includes those removable units used for entrance or exit, and for enclosing other structure contained within the fuselage. The maintenance activities will include the removal, fitting and, where appropriate, testing of a range of doors/door equipment, and making repairs to primary and secondary airframe/door structures, as appropriate to the aircraft type.

You will be required to select the correct tools and equipment to use, based on the operations to be performed and the door equipment to be removed or fitted. The aircraft doors will include those used for entrance and exit of passenger and crew to and from the aircraft, emergency exits that are not normally used and are there to facilitate evacuation of the aircraft, exterior doors used to gain access to cargo compartments and for servicing of the aircraft, interior doors inside the fuselage installed in fixed partitions, stairs which operate with but are not an integral part of entrance doors. It also includes the electrical and hydraulic systems associated with door control and warning systems. You will remove the required door components and fit approved replacements, as appropriate. You will then need to test and adjust the completed system to meet the aircraft maintenance manual, structural repair manual, change documentation (service bulletin) and airworthiness requirements.

Your responsibilities will require you to comply with the specific practices and procedures identified in the aircraft manual, structural repair manual, change/service bulletin documentation and airworthiness requirements for the maintenance activities undertaken, and to report any problems with these requirements that you cannot personally resolve, or that are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You must ensure that all tools, equipment and materials used are correctly accounted for on completion of the activities, and that all necessary job/task documentation is completed thoroughly, accurately and legibly. You will be expected to work with a minimum of supervision, taking personal responsibility for your own actions and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.

Your underpinning knowledge will provide a good understanding of your work, and will provide an informed approach to applying the appropriate maintenance techniques and procedures to aircraft doors and door equipment. You will understand the removal, fitting and testing/checking methods and procedures, and their application, along with the equipment maintenance requirements. You

will know how the door equipment functions, the common problems that can occur, the purpose of the individual components and associated defects, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out the maintenance activities, correcting faults and for ensuring that the aircraft doors are maintained to the required standard.

You will understand the safety precautions required when working on the aircraft door equipment, and when using the associated tools and equipment. You will be required to demonstrate safe working practices throughout, and will understand your responsibility for taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.

Notes:

  1. This standard is designed to cover the practical experience requirements of the Airline Transport Association (ATA) Chapter 52 Doors.
  2. To display competence in this standard, it is necessary to both remove and fit aircraft door equipment. You must remove the door components; however, you may fit replacement components where the original was previously removed by another person. You should also be aware of how to leave a system in a safe condition if maintenance tasks cannot be completed. This covers both the physical systems and the job documentation.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
  2. follow the relevant maintenance schedules to carry out the required work
  3. carry out the maintenance activities within the limits of your personal authority
  4. carry out the maintenance activities, and replace components in the specified sequence and in an agreed timescale
  5. report any instances where the maintenance activities cannot be fully met or where there are identified defects outside the planned schedule
  6. complete relevant documentation in accordance with organisational requirements
  7. dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved procedures
  8. leave the aircraft and system in a safe and appropriate condition, free from foreign object debris on completion of the activities

Knowledge and Understanding

You need to know and understand:

  1. the specific safety practices and procedures that you need to observe when carrying out maintenance activities on aircraft doors (including any specific legislation, regulations/codes of practice for the activities, equipment or materials)
  2. the importance of maintenance on aircraft doors, and impact upon (Extended Range Twin-Engine Operations Procedures) ETOPS systems, legislation and local procedures
  3. the hazards associated with removing and fitting aircraft doors and door components, and with the tools and equipment used, and how to minimise them and reduce any risk
  4. the requirements and importance of understanding and applying human factors as defined by the regulatory requirements and the potential impact if these are not adhered to

  5. the protective equipment that you need to use for both personal protection (PPE) and protection of the aircraft

  6. what constitutes a hazardous voltage and how to recognise victims of electric shock

  7. how to reduce the risks of a phase to earth shock (such as insulated tools, rubber matting and isolating transformers)

  8. the importance of aircraft husbandry and of ensuring that, throughout the maintenance activity, the aircraft and work area are maintained free from foreign objects, and the implications of FOD to the safety of the aircraft

  9. how to extract and use information from aircraft manuals, log books, flight logs, and other documents needed in the maintenance process
  10. how to carry out currency/issue checks on the specifications you are working with
  11. the range of door equipment and components that may need to be maintained/replaced/repaired
  12. preparations to be undertaken on the door structure, prior to maintenance/repair (including disarming of escape slides and door rafts)
  13. understanding the interconnection between door systems and other emergency equipment (slides, rafts and door dams for ditching)
  14. the repair methods and procedures to be used, and the importance of adhering to these procedures
  15. the application of sealants and adhesives within the repair activities, and the precautions that must be taken when working with them
  16. how to conduct any necessary checks to ensure the accuracy and quality of the repair
  17. recognising defects (such as skin blemishes, poor skin lines, ineffective fasteners, foreign object damage)
  18. the various mechanical fasteners that are used to hold the equipment in place, and their methods of removal and replacement (such as threaded fasteners, special securing devices)
  19. the importance of using the specified fasteners for the particular installation, and why you must not substitute others
  20. why securing devices need to be locked and labelled, and the different methods that are used to remove and install them
  21. the torque loading requirements on the fasteners, and what to do if these loadings are exceeded or not achieved
  22. the various types of electrical connector that are used, methods of unlocking, orientation indicators and locating and locking-in of the connections
  23. the need to take care when removing doors, door equipment and furnishings so as not to cause damage to the equipment or surrounding structure
  24. the need to label and store correctly components that require repair or overhaul, and to check that replaced components have the correct part/identification markings and accompanying release documentation
  25. the need to position, align, adjust and secure correctly the replaced door equipment on the aircraft, without damage to the components or surrounding structure
  26. methods of lifting, handling and supporting the components/equipment during the removal and fitting activities
  27. why electrical bonding is critical, and why it must be both mechanically and electrically secure
  28. how to carry out routine checks of the aircraft doors and door equipment (such as checking the condition of door seals, checking correct operation of air stairs and emergency exits, checking door warning devices)
  29. why tool/equipment control is critical and what to do if a tool or piece of equipment is unaccounted for on completion of the activities
  30. the problems that can occur with the maintenance operations and how these can be overcome
  31. the recording documentation to be completed for the activities undertaken and, where appropriate, the importance of marking and identifying specific pieces of work in relation to the documentation
  32. the procedure for the safe disposal of waste materials and scrap components
  33. the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have problems that you cannot resolve

Scope/range

Scope Performance

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  1. Carry out all of the following during the maintenance of the aircraft doors:

    1. ensure that appropriate authorisation to work on the aircraft is obtained, and observe all relevant isolation and safety procedures
    2. obtain and use the correct documentation (such as job instructions, technical instructions, aircraft manuals and maintenance documentation)
    3. obtain the correct tools and equipment for the activity, and check that they are in a safe, tested and usable condition and within current calibration dates
    4. adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations and procedures to realise a safe system of work
    5. ensure that the relevant safety devices and mechanical/physical locks are in place (where appropriate)
    6. use approved removal, fitting and testing techniques and procedures at all times
    7. return tools and equipment to the correct storage location on completion of the activities
    8. ensure that work carried out is correctly documented and recorded
    9. ensure that any outstanding tests are correctly documented

  2. Carry out maintenance on three of the following aircraft doors/door equipment:

    1. passenger    
    2. service 
    3. door warning equipment
    4. crew        
    5. galley
    6. door wiring
    7. cargo/baggage   
    8. accessory compartment   
    9. escape equipment
    10. emergency exit  
    11. auxiliary power unit (APU) doors 
    12. door arming equipment
    13. tail cone         
    14. entrance stairs   
    15. power plant doors
    16. landing gear     
    17. fixed interior doors

  3. Undertake three of the following structural repair activities:

    1. insertion repair             
    2. overlay patch repair
    3. primary structure repair    
    4. composite repair
    5. secondary structure repair  
    6. blend repair
    7. tertiary structure repair       
    8. reworking of aluminium structures and limitations forming
    9. damage assessment and evaluation 
    10. NDT inspection requirements (post damage removal)

  4. Use six of the following during the structural repair activities:

    1. marking out airframe materials  
    2. profiling                 
    3. securing and locking components
    4. making holes in airframe materials 
    5. countersinking     
    6. using adhesives and sealants
    7. cutting/shaping airframe materials
    8. deburring         
    9. anti-corrosive treatment
    10. bending and forming materials
    11. riveting           
    12. blending out permissible damage to structural components
    13. drilling extremities of cracks

  5. Remove and fit six different aircraft door equipment components (at least three must be from group A):

Group A

1.  door structure        
2.  escape slide    
3.  actuating mechanisms (such as linear, rotary)
4.  door seals             
5.  door mounted life rafts  
6.  pneumatic cylinder
7.  handle assembly    
8.  ramps           
9.  hydraulic cylinder
10.  lock assembly        
11.  lining          
12.  latching mechanisms and interlocks
13.  integral steps       
14.  cargo door jack  
15.  pressure relief doors and gates
16.  gearbox              
17.  controls    
18.  torque tubes (aircraft and door)
19.  damper          
20.  electric power lift unit
21.  door abutments
22.  counter balance

Group B
23. insulation  
24. door snubber/damper 
25. attached fittings
26. trim          
27. hand rails   
28. security locking devices
29. handles         
30. switches  
31. warning devices (such as lights, bells horns)
32. brackets         
33. sensors
34. cable harness/wiring/switches/plugs sensors
35. door hinges       
36. interlock  
37. viewing devices
38. levers/linkages   
39. push rods
40. teleflex
41. other specific components

  1. Carry out fifteen of the following maintenance activities:

    1. removing/refitting linings and covers to expose components/fastenings to be removed
    2. carrying out fault diagnosis and system checks
    3. carrying out safety checks and isolation on automatic systems prior to the commencement of maintenance activities
    4. preparing the equipment for maintenance (such as isolating, disarming escape systems, pressure relief and automatic systems disconnections)
    5. disconnecting electrical connections      
    6. positioning and aligning replaced equipment
    7. removing securing devices and mechanical fasteners
    8. setting and adjusting replaced components
    9. removal of bonding                                     
    10. replacing seals and sealants
    11. supporting equipment to be removed   
    12. making mechanical connections
    13. dismantling equipment to an appropriate level    
    14. making electrical connections
    15. covering (protecting) exposed components, wires, pipework or vents     
    16. carrying out bonding
    17. torque loading as required
    18. checking components for serviceability   
    19. re connecting/rearming escape systems
    20. replacing damaged/defective components     
    21. carrying out equipment functional checks
    22. refitting components in the correct position, orientation and alignment
    23. removal and refitting of door dams (ditching requirements on some aircraft)
    24. ensuring that replacement equipment is of the correct type (has the correct part numbers)
    25. labelling (and storing in the correct location) equipment that requires repair or overhaul
    26. applying bolt locking methods (such as split pins, wire locking, lock nuts)
    27. carrying out area inspections prior to task close down

  2. Service/check aircraft doors to include carrying out four of the following:

    1. checking door seals for damage
    2. checking handles for correct operation
    3. checking latching mechanisms for correct operation
    4. rigging/adjusting the locking mechanism
    5. adjusting air stair system
    6. checking operation of emergency exits
    7. checking door assemblies for deterioration, de-lamination, wear (mechanical or otherwise)
    8. checking critical fastenings for security
    9. lubricating door mechanisms
    10. checking and adjustment of door abutments
    11. checking of water drains
    12. testing door warning system
    13. check dents and scratches on door skin/structure against manufacturer's tolerances

  3. Complete the relevant paperwork, to include one from the following and pass it to the appropriate people:

    1. job cards/work sheets
    2. computer records
    3. aircraft technical log
    4. aircraft cabin log
    5. aircraft log book

  4. Carry out maintenance on aircraft doors in compliance with one of the following:

    1. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)/European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)
    2. Extended Range Twin-Engine Operations Procedures (ETOPS) (where appropriate)
    3. Ministry of Defence (MoD)
    4. Military Aviation Authority (MAA)
    5. Aerospace Quality Management Standards (AS)
    6. Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)
    7. aircraft maintenance manual/structural repair manual/approved change documentation (service bulletin)
    8. manufacturers standards and procedures

Scope Knowledge

Values

Behaviours

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You will be able to apply the appropriate behaviours required in the workplace to meet the job profile and overall company objectives, such as:

  • strong work ethic
  • positive attitude
  • team player
  • dependability
  • responsibility
  • honesty
  • integrity
  • motivation
  • commitment

Skills

Glossary

Links To Other NOS

External Links

Version Number

3

Indicative Review Date

2024

Validity

Current

Status

Original

Originating Organisation

Enginuity

Original URN

SEMAE3326

Relevant Occupations

Engineer, Engineering, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Engineering Technicians

SOC Code

5234

Keywords

engineering; aeronautical; aircraft doors; removal; fitting; testing; door structures; emergency exits; cargo compartments; electrical and hydraulic systems; door control and warning systems