(a) Each certificate holder shall report the occurrence or detection of each failure or defect related to --

(1) Corrosion, cracks, or disbonding that requires replacement of the affected part;

(2) Corrosion, cracks, or disbonding that requires rework or blendout because the corrosion, cracks, or disbonding exceeds the manufacturer's established allowable damage limits;

(3) Cracks, fractures, or disbonding in a composite structure that the equipment manufacturer has designated as a primary structure or a principal structural element; or

(4) Repairs made in accordance with approved data not contained in the manufacturer's maintenance manual.

(b) In addition to the reports required by paragraph (a) of this section, each certificate holder shall report any other failure or defect in aircraft structure that occurs or is detected at any time if that failure or defect has endangered or may endanger the safe operation of an aircraft.

(c) Each certificate holder shall submit each report required by this section, covering each 24-hour period beginning at 0900 local time of each day and ending at 0900 local time on the next day, to a centralized collection point as specified by the Administrator. Each report of occurrences during a 24-hour period shall be submitted to the FAA within the next 96 hours. However, a report due on Saturday or Sunday may be submitted on the following Monday, and a report due on a holiday may be submitted on the next workday. Each certificate holder also shall make the report data available for 30 days for examination by the certificate-holding district office in a form and manner acceptable to the Administrator.

(d) The certificate holder shall submit the reports required by this section on a form or in another format acceptable to the Administrator. The reports shall include the following information:

(1) The manufacturer, model, serial number, and registration number of the aircraft;

(2) The operator designator;

(3) The date on which the failure or defect was discovered;

(4) The stage of ground operation during which the failure or defect was discovered;

(5) The part name, part condition, and location of the failure or defect;

(6) The applicable Joint Aircraft System/Component Code;

(7) The total cycles, if applicable, and total time of the aircraft;

(8) Other information necessary for a more complete analysis of the cause of the failure or defect, including corrosion classification, if applicable, or crack length and available information pertaining to type designation of the major component and the time since the last maintenance overhaul, repair, or inspection; and

(9) A unique control number for the occurrence, in a form acceptable to the Administrator.

(e) A certificate holder that also is the holder of a Type Certificate (including a Supplemental Type Certificate), a Parts Manufacturer Approval, or a Technical Standard Order authorization, or that is a licensee of a Type Certificate holder, need not report a failure or defect under this section if the failure or defect has been reported by that certificate holder under §21.3 of this chapter or under the accident reporting provisions of 49 CFR part 830.

(f) A report required by this section may be submitted by a certificated repair station when the reporting task has been assigned to that repair station by the part 121 certificate holder. However, the part 121 certificate holder remains primarily responsible for ensuring compliance with the provisions of this section. The part 121 certificate holder shall receive a copy of each report submitted by the repair station.

(g) No person may withhold a report required by this section although all information required by this section is not available.

(h) When a certificate holder gets supplemental information to complete the report required by this section, the certificate holder shall expeditiously submit that information as a supplement to the original report and use the unique control number from the original report.
 

Effective Date Note: By Amdt. 121-279, 65 FR 56203, Sept. 15, 2000, §121.704 was added, effective Jan. 16, 2001. At 65 FR 80743, Dec. 22, 2000, the effective date was delayed until July 16, 2001. At 66 FR 21626, Apr. 30, 2001, the effective date was delayed until Jan. 16, 2002. At 66 FR 58912, Nov. 23, 2001, the effective date was delayed until Jan. 16, 2003. At 67 FR 78970, Dec. 27, 2002, the effective date was delayed until Jan. 16, 2004.