A recent letter from the FAA Office of Airport Safety and Standards has created an unsettling atmosphere in the tower lighting community. “This is a big deal,” one lighting executive told Inside Towers, wishing to remain off the record. Industry execs are concerned about the ramifications of the FAA invalidating the certification of lighting systems with non-OEM components.
Inside Towers obtained a copy of the letter dated June 27, 2018 that came from the FAA’s Khalil Kodsi, P.E., PMP, Manager, Airport Engineering Division.
“Only entire systems and devices with production parts are certified under the current FAA certification program and Advisory Circular (AC) 150/535-53C. The certification is invalidated for a product modified with non-OEM replacement parts or non-production components.”
“The purpose of this letter is to rescind the previous letter dated Nov. 22, 2005. The Nov. 22, 2005 letter established an interim procedure to certify entire devices with non-Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) components installed. The decision to rescind this industry letter is due to the myriad of logistical issues as well as the follow-up quality assurance provisions related to the certification of equipment with non-OEM replacement parts installed.”
The FAA contacted Inside Towers stating, “nothing has changed” in the interpretation or enforcement of the code and cited a 2012 Advisory Circular on the Airport Lighting Equipment Certification Program canceling the 2005 edict and installing it as the current policy en force. Tower owners must now evaluate the compliance of their systems as listed in the FAA AC 150/5345-53d addendum.
“Thousands of non-OEM replacement components which also includes cable have been used over the past 13 years,” the industry source said.
Much of the confusion came from interim program the FAA introduced in 2005 to allow for testing an approval of non-OEM components.
“That program never materialized,” the source told Inside Towers. “It’s unfortunate companies promoted the use of non-OEM components because it will take some time to rectify this.”
By Jim Fryer, Managing Editor, Inside Towers
August 17, 2018
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