The
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Maintenance and
Engineering Group (AMEG) issued an urgent requirement on Friday to
establish a contract with a qualified vendor to perform heavy
maintenance inspections on aircraft used to transport prisoners.
AMEG performs aircraft maintenance for the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS) operation based in Oklahoma City. Managed by the U.S. Marshals Service, JPATS is one of the largest transporters of prisoners in the world – handling about 804 requests every day to move prisoners between judicial districts, correctional institutions and foreign countries.
JPATS transports sentenced prisoners who are in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons as well as to hearings, court appearances and detention facilities. JPATS is the only government-operated, regularly scheduled passenger airline in the nation. JPATS routinely serves approximately 42 domestic and international cities, plus other major cities in the United States on an as-required basis.
JPATS owns two Boeing 737-400 aircraft, N639CS and N640CS. These aircraft are maintained under a Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program that requires scheduled inspections and maintenance at regular intervals during the life of the aircraft. These inspections, or checks, are required to be performed at specific intervals based on take-offs and landings (cycles) flight hours or monthly requirement. Failure to perform these inspections/maintenance will ground the aircraft until the work is performed.
N639CS and N640CS both have C-CHECKs due Sept. 1 and Oct. 10, respectively. These checks are considered “Heavy maintenance” and therefore outside the capabilities/responsibilities of the AMEG maintenance personnel functions.
C-CHECKs are extensive checks of individual systems and components for serviceability and function. It requires a thorough visual inspection of specified areas, components and systems as well as operational or functional checks. It is a high-level check that involves extensive tooling, test equipment, and special skill levels. C-CHECKs can remove an airplane from service for three to five days.
“AMEG has an urgent requirement to establish a contract with a qualified vendor to purchase maintenance services to accomplish a C-CHECK maintenance inspection for both N639CS and N640CS to keep both aircraft in service,” the FAA said in contract documents released Friday. “The first aircraft, N639CS, runs out of calendar time Sept. 1. The second aircraft, N640CS is scheduled to run out of time by Oct. 10."
AMEG performs aircraft maintenance for the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System (JPATS) operation based in Oklahoma City. Managed by the U.S. Marshals Service, JPATS is one of the largest transporters of prisoners in the world – handling about 804 requests every day to move prisoners between judicial districts, correctional institutions and foreign countries.
JPATS transports sentenced prisoners who are in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons as well as to hearings, court appearances and detention facilities. JPATS is the only government-operated, regularly scheduled passenger airline in the nation. JPATS routinely serves approximately 42 domestic and international cities, plus other major cities in the United States on an as-required basis.
JPATS owns two Boeing 737-400 aircraft, N639CS and N640CS. These aircraft are maintained under a Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program that requires scheduled inspections and maintenance at regular intervals during the life of the aircraft. These inspections, or checks, are required to be performed at specific intervals based on take-offs and landings (cycles) flight hours or monthly requirement. Failure to perform these inspections/maintenance will ground the aircraft until the work is performed.
N639CS and N640CS both have C-CHECKs due Sept. 1 and Oct. 10, respectively. These checks are considered “Heavy maintenance” and therefore outside the capabilities/responsibilities of the AMEG maintenance personnel functions.
C-CHECKs are extensive checks of individual systems and components for serviceability and function. It requires a thorough visual inspection of specified areas, components and systems as well as operational or functional checks. It is a high-level check that involves extensive tooling, test equipment, and special skill levels. C-CHECKs can remove an airplane from service for three to five days.
“AMEG has an urgent requirement to establish a contract with a qualified vendor to purchase maintenance services to accomplish a C-CHECK maintenance inspection for both N639CS and N640CS to keep both aircraft in service,” the FAA said in contract documents released Friday. “The first aircraft, N639CS, runs out of calendar time Sept. 1. The second aircraft, N640CS is scheduled to run out of time by Oct. 10."
