Mind the OEBs

Source: Airbus Safety First URL: https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/mind-the-oebs/ Published: 2020-07-22 Category: Flight Ops, Maintenance, OEB reminder, Operations Engineering Bulletin, red OEB, SB reporting, white OEB PDF: Original PDF

Mind the OEBs!

Bulletins are Operations Engineering (OEBs) temporary procedures published for flight crews. They must be applied only in specific conditions to ensure safe and efficient operations of the aircraft.

This article explains why OEBs are issued, the importance communicating them to flight crews as soon as possible, and the importance for flight crews to comply with the OEB procedures. This article also stresses the importance of applying the available modifications that will cancel an OEB as soon as possible. Airbus provides support to Operators assess and prioritize the implementation of service bulletin modifications that can remove applicable OEBs from their fleets.

This article is also available on safetyfirst.airbus.com and on the Safety first app for iOS and Android devices.

WHAT IS AN OEB?

A Temporary Procedure

An Operations Engineering Bulletin (OEB) is a temporary procedure published for flight crews, which must be applied in specific conditions to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the aircraft. An OEB is applicable until a permanent corrective solution is installed on the aircraft.

Two Types of OEB

There are two types of OEB:

Red OEB : Safety related OEB where non-compliance may have significant impact on the safe operations of the aircraft
White OEB : Non-compliance may have a significant impact on the efficient operations of the aircraft (e.g. diversions or delays)

Where to Find OEBs

OEBs can be published and made applicable to any Airbus aircraft with the exception of the A220 family.

OEBs can be found in the FCOM of A350 and A380 aircraft. OEBs are currently published in both the FCOM and the QRH for the A320 family and A330/A340 aircraft. From the end of 2020, OEBs for these aircraft will only be available in the QRH. A300/A310 aircraft OEBs can be found in both the FCOM and QRH.

Airbus Temporary Quick Change (ATQC) A350 and A380 aircraft

OEBs for A350 and A380 aircraft will only be issued to cover non-ECAM related procedures. An Airbus Temporary Quick Change (ATQC) will be issued to temporarily amend the existing ECAM procedure directly onboard these aircraft.

HOW FLIGHT CREWS MANAGE

OEBS

When preparing for a flight, the flight crew must know the answers to the following questions:

What are the OEBs applicable to this aircraft?
What are the specific entry conditions for applying these OEBs?
What are the cockpit effects and system effects of the OEBs when applied on the aircraft?

Know the OEBs that are applicable to your aircraft

It is essential that flight crews know precisely which OEBs are applicable to their aircraft before each flight.

Several events with the potential of negative outcomes have occurred when flight crews inappropriately applied an OEB that was not applicable for the aircraft they were flying. This risk is higher for Operators with diverse fleets aircraft models and of different ages. Some flight crews may fly several aircraft over a short period of time with different OEBs that are applicable.

Review the OEBs before each flight

Airbus Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) request flight crews to review all applicable OEBs during the preliminary cockpit preparation phase of each flight to mitigate this risk, even when in transit.

“It is essential that flight crews know precisely which OEBs are applicable to their aircraft before each flight.”

The LEOEB from the QRH: An Efficient Tool A300/A310, A320 family, and A330/A340 aircraft

The flight crew can use the List Of Effective OEBs (LEOEB) available in the QRH of the A300/A310, A320 family and A330/A340 aircraft to perform the review of the OEBs during the preliminary cockpit preparation. The LEOEB is representative of the aircraft configuration and displays only the OEBs that are applicable that aircraft. It displays red OEBs first and mentions the associated ECAM entries, if any.

Know when to apply an OEB

OEBs only apply in very specific conditions. These conditions can be either an ECAM alert or another defined event.

Flight crews must be precisely able to recognize the defined conditions that will require the application of an OEB. Any ECAM entry conditions are defined in the OEB and are also described in the LEOEB. If an OEB does not have an ECAM entry condition, the conditions of a defined event that requires application of an OEB is provided in the OEB description.

Inappropriate application of an OEB can potentially impair safety

Events have occurred as a result of inappropriate application of an OEB following the misinterpretation of the aircraft parameters. Refer to the “Overspeed event with crew take-over and OEB49 application” Safety first article (June 2019) that describes an incident in which the flight crew improperly applied an OEB whereas the entry conditions were not met .

Understand the OEB procedure and its effects

Flight crews must fully understand the OEB procedure and the effects of application. A well-prepared flight crew should already know the content of the applicable OEBs before entering the cockpit or take the time to review them during the preliminary cockpit preparation phase.

“Flight crews must be precisely able to recognize the defined conditions that will require the application of an OEB.”

The explanation of each OEB is attached to the procedure (in the FCOM today for all Airbus aircraft, but from the end of 2020 only in the QRH for A320 family and A330/A340 aircraft). The explanation provides a concise description of the context and the reason for the OEB. Flight crews must refer to these explanations, and any other supporting materials provided by Airbus, or their flight operations department, to be confident in the correct application of the OEB procedures.

HOW TO IMPLEMENT OEBS

Airbus Decision to Create an OEB

Airbus may decide to publish an OEB when a situation is identified that could pose a potential risk to the safe operations of the aircraft and there is no existing procedure or technical solution to manage this risk. A published OEB applicable until a permanent corrective solution is installed on the aircraft.

Airbus will closely coordinate with Authorities throughout the OEB decision-making process and publication of the relevant documentation. As in the case of a red OEB, Authorities will issue an Airworthiness Directive (AD) and Airbus will issue the associated update of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM).

Airbus OEB Publication

When the decision is made to issue an OEB, the goal is to make it available Operators as soon as possible.

Notice of an OEB sent to Operators

Airbus Flight Operations will issue a Flight Operations Transmission (FOT) explaining the rationale for the OEB, the content of the OEB itself as an advance copy, and the AFM Temporary Revision text if required (for red OEBs).

Operational Documentation Update

An update to the FCOM and QRH will incorporate the new applicable OEBs published since the last revision. The AFM will also be updated if required (for red OEBs).

Continuous Support to Operators

Airbus provides Operators with supporting materials via the AirbusWorld portal and web conferences to well understand and manage the new OEB, which is key to safe application of the OEB.

Operator OEB Implementation

The objective for Operators is to deploy any new OEB as soon as it is available. It is best practice that all Operators have a defined process, which will ensure rapid implementation of the OEB and its content is fully understood by flight crews. This will contribute to ensuring that the flight crew is aware of any applicable OEBs and will reduce the risk of inappropriate application of an OEB.

“The objective for Operators is to deploy any new OEB as soon as it is available.”

The OEB Reminder: A Useful Function A320 family and A330/A340 aircraft

The OEB reminder function will advise the flight crew to apply the OEB procedure instead of the ECAM procedure when it is impacted by an OEB. This function inhibits the display of the procedure and/or status of an ECAM alert. A “REFER TO QRH PROC” message will be displayed in its place. Operators can activate the OEB reminder function by entering a code corresponding to the ECAM alert in the MCDU (AMM task 31-51-00-610-001-A for A320 family aircraft, AMM task 31-51-00-610-801-A for A330/A340 aircraft). Coordination between Flight Operations and Maintenance Engineering is necessary to ensure that:

The OEB is available in the QRH when the OEB reminder function is activated
The OEB reminder function is deactivated when the OEB cancellation modification is installed and the OEB is removed from the QRH.

Operators can use the OEB advance copy sent by Airbus with the FOT to make the OEB available in the cockpit for flight crews as soon as possible.

HOW OPERATORS REMOVE OEBS

When the decision is made to issue an OEB, Airbus takes the necessary actions at the same time to quickly find a solution to cancel this OEB. We must keep in mind that an OEB is only temporary pending the availability of a permanent solution.

Implementing an OEB Fix

As soon as a solution is found to cancel the OEB, Airbus will publish one or several Service Bulletins (SBs) with instructions to apply the modifications on the aircraft. A Retrofit Information Letter (RIL) is usually sent to Operators to inform them of the availability of the SB.

“We must keep in mind that an OEB is only temporary pending the availability of a permanent solution.”

As soon as the fix is available to cancel an OEB, it is important to implement it in a timely manner on affected aircraft. It is always better from a safety and operational perspective to operate aircraft with the minimum possible number of OEBs.

Operational Documentation Update When SBs are Implemented

To prevent inappropriate application of an OEB, it is crucial that the aircraft configuration (SB installation) and the onboard operational documentation (list of applicable OEBs) are aligned. This requires close coordination between Maintenance Engineering and Flight Operations to confirm when modifications are implemented on the aircraft which will cancel an OEB. This is to avoid the risk of any significant impact to the safety of a flight if a flight crew were to attempt to apply an OEB procedure that is no longer applicable to their aircraft.

Report of Service Bulletin Installation to Airbus

“It is crucial that the aircraft configuration and the onboard operational documentation are aligned.”

Service Bulletin reporting is required to ensure that Airbus and Operators share the same view of the retrofit status for the fleet and to trigger the update of all operational documentation. Operators can also request operational documentation to be updated in advance of the standard revision cycle.

Reporting is done via the Service Bulletin Reporting Online tool. (Ref. ISI 00.00.00135 available on the AirbusWorld portal)

Service Bulletin reporting should be done aircraft per aircraft and not only reported at the completion of the retrofit cycle for the entire fleet.
Operators can manually remove the OEBs from their current versions operational documentation pending the availability of the updated version.

Limiting the Number of Applicable OEBs

Limiting the number of OEBs applicable to an aircraft improves safety because it enables the Operator to resume standard aircraft operations. Operators should therefore install the OEB cancellation modifications as soon as possible after they are informed they are available.

Airbus Support for OEB Reduction Strategies

Operators should define and secure a retrofit strategy for their fleets with appropriate priority management, for example, any corrective actions mandated by an Airworthiness Directive or red OEBs.

Operators can ask Airbus Customer Support to provide them with a full status of the available solutions for their current list of effective OEBs, the retrofit priorities, instructions, and recommendations.

“Operators should install the OEB cancellation modifications as soon as possible after they are informed they are available.”

For Further Information

Operators can also access information on the AirbusWorld portal with the updates of the Technical Follow-Up (TFU) associated with an OEB and the latest “Digest of Available Safety Enhancements” brochure published annually. This brochure includes information on safety enhancements, which were developed in response to the in-service experience of the Airbus fleet. Many of these enhancements will also cancel an associated OEB.

Contributors :

Roger ARRAUD Technical Documentation Operations Support Manager Technical Documentation Configuration and Revision Management

Sara GARCIA DELGADO

Senior Flight Operations Support Engineer Flight Operations Support and Training Standards

Emmanuel JANSSEN Flight Operations Pilot Expert Flight Operations Support and Training Standards

Inappropriate or incorrect application of an OEB could cause potentially negative outcomes for the safety of a flight. Therefore, it is important that flight crews know which OEBs are applicable to their aircraft when preparing for a flight. The applicable OEBs can be quickly and efficiently reviewed by referring to the “List of Effective OEBs” (or LEOEB) in the QRH.

There are defined entry conditions for applying the OEB procedure when it is applicable to the aircraft. This can be an ECAM alert or other specific conditions. The flight crew must apply an OEB procedure only if the pre-defined entry conditions are confirmed as present. Flight crews must also ensure that they review the entry conditions of applicable OEBs during their flight preparation and know what the expected cockpit or system effects will be when the OEB is applied.

OEBs are temporary and Operators should limit the number of OEBs applicable to an aircraft by implementing the OEB cancellation Service Bulletins as soon as possible. The operational documentation must also be updated to reflect the aircraft’s configuration so the flight crews have the most up to date list of applicable OEBs. This will prevent inappropriate application of an OEB if the OEB cancellation modifications are already installed.

Olivier JOSEPH SMS Officer Delegate and Multi-Program Manager Programmes Support

With thanks to:

Muriel DUCROZ, Cesar GARCIA CASTILLA, Yoan HUDON and Marc LE-LOUER

Safety first , 2020. Safety first is published by Airbus S.A.S. 1, rond point Maurice Bellonte - 31707 Blagnac Cedex/France.

Publisher and Editor: Yannick Malinge, Chief Product Safety Officer.

中文译文

来源：Airbus Safety First 网址：https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/mind-the-oebs/ 发布日期：2020-07-22 类别：飞行运营、维修、OEB提醒、运营工程通报、红色OEB、服务通告报告、白色OEB PDF：原始PDF

关注OEB！

运营工程通报（OEB）是面向飞行机组发布的临时程序。这些程序仅在特定条件下适用，以确保飞机的安全高效运行。

本文阐述了OEB发布的原因、及时向飞行机组传达OEB的重要性，以及飞行机组遵守OEB程序的必要性。本文还强调了尽快应用可取消OEB的改装的重要性。空客为运营商提供支持，协助其评估和优先实施服务通告改装，以尽快从其机队中消除适用的OEB。

本文也可在 safetyfirst.airbus.com 网站以及 iOS 和 Android 设备上的 Safety first 应用中获取。

什么是OEB？

临时程序

运营工程通报（OEB）是面向飞行机组发布的临时程序，在特定条件下必须执行，以确保飞机的安全高效运行。OEB适用直至在飞机上安装永久性纠正方案。

两种类型的OEB

OEB分为两种类型：

红OEB：与安全相关的OEB，不遵守该OEB可能对飞机的安全运行产生重大影响
白OEB：不遵守该OEB可能对飞机的高效运行产生重大影响（例如：改航或延误）

OEB的查找位置

除A220系列外，OEB可发布并适用于任何空客飞机。

A350和A380飞机的OEB可在FCOM中找到。A320系列以及A330/A340飞机的OEB目前同时发布在FCOM和QRH中。自2020年底起，这些飞机的OEB将仅在QRH中提供。A300/A310飞机的OEB可在FCOM和QRH中找到。

空客临时快速更改（ATQC） A350和A380飞机

为A350和A380飞机发布的OEB仅涵盖非ECAM相关程序。空客临时快速更改（ATQC）将用于在这些飞机上直接临时修改现有ECAM程序。

飞行机组如何管理

OEB

在飞行准备阶段，飞行机组必须了解以下问题的答案：

该飞机适用的OEB有哪些？
应用这些OEB的具体进入条件是什么？
在飞机上应用OEB时的驾驶舱效应和系统效应是什么？

了解适用于本机的OEB

飞行机组在每次飞行前精确了解其飞机适用的OEB至关重要。

当飞行机组错误地应用了不适用于所飞机型的OEB时，已发生多起具有潜在负面后果的事件。对于运营多种机型和不同机龄的机队的运营商，此风险更高。部分飞行机组可能在短时间内执飞多架具有不同适用OEB的飞机。

每次飞行前复习OEB

空客标准操作程序（SOP）要求飞行机组在每次飞行的初始驾驶舱准备阶段复习所有适用的OEB，以降低此风险，即使在过站期间也是如此。

“在每次飞行前，飞行机组精确了解其飞机适用的OEB至关重要。”

QRH中的LEOEB：高效工具 A300/A310、A320系列和A330/A340飞机

飞行机组可使用A300/A310、A320系列和A330/A340飞机QRH中提供的有效OEB列表（LEOEB）在初始驾驶舱准备阶段进行OEB复习。LEOEB代表飞机构型，仅显示适用于该飞机的OEB。它首先显示红OEB，并提及相关的ECAM条目（如有）。

了解何时应用OEB

OEB仅在非常特定的条件下适用。这些条件可以是ECAM警告或其他定义的事件。

飞行机组必须能够精确识别需要应用OEB的特定条件。所有ECAM进入条件均在OEB中定义，并在LEOEB中描述。如果OEB没有ECAM进入条件，则需要在OEB描述中提供触发OEB应用的定义事件条件。

不当应用OEB可能损害安全

由于对飞机参数的误解而不当应用OEB，已发生多起事件。请参阅“超速事件中机组接管及OEB49应用”Safety First文章（2019年6月），该文描述了一起事故：飞行机组在进入条件未满足的情况下错误地应用了OEB。

理解 OEB 程序及其影响

飞行机组必须充分理解 OEB 程序及其应用的影响。一支准备充分的飞行机组应在进入驾驶舱之前就已了解适用 OEB 的内容，或在初始驾驶舱准备阶段花时间查阅这些内容。

“飞行机组必须能够精确识别需要应用 OEB 的规定条件。”

每个 OEB 的说明都附在相应程序中（目前所有空客飞机均在 FCOM 中提供，但从 2020 年底起，A320 系列和 A330/A340 飞机仅在 QRH 中提供）。说明提供了情况的简要描述和发布 OEB 的原因。飞行机组必须参考这些说明，以及空客或其飞行作业部门提供的任何其他支持材料，以确保正确应用 OEB 程序。

如何实施 OEB

空客决定发布 OEB

当识别到可能对飞机安全运行构成潜在风险的情况，且没有现有程序或技术方案来管理此风险时，空客可能会决定发布 OEB。发布的 OEB 在飞机上安装永久纠正方案之前有效。

空客将在整个 OEB 决策过程和相关文件发布过程中与当局密切协调。对于红色 OEB，当局将颁发适航指令（AD），空客将颁发相应的飞行手册（AFM）临时修订。

空客 OEB 发布

一旦决定发布 OEB，目标是使其尽快提供给运营商。

发送给运营商的 OEB 通知

空客飞行作业部门将颁发一份飞行作业通报（FOT），说明 OEB 的理由、OEB 本身的提前副本内容，以及所需的飞行手册临时修订文本（针对红色 OEB）。

运营文件更新

FCOM 和 QRH 的更新将纳入自上次修订以来发布的新适用 OEB。飞行手册也将根据需要进行更新（针对红色 OEB）。

对运营商的持续支持

空客通过 AirbusWorld 门户和网络会议向运营商提供支持材料，以帮助他们充分理解和管理新 OEB，这对于安全应用 OEB 至关重要。

运营商 OEB 实施

运营商的目标是尽快部署任何新的 OEB。最佳做法是所有运营商都有一个既定流程，确保 OEB 的快速实施及其内容被飞行机组完全理解。这将有助于确保飞行机组了解任何适用的 OEB，并降低 OEB 应用不当的风险。

“运营商的目标是尽快部署任何新的 OEB。”

OEB 提醒功能：实用功能 A320 系列和 A330/A340 飞机

OEB 提醒功能将在受 OEB 影响时提示飞行机组应用 OEB 程序而非 ECAM 程序。该功能抑制 ECAM 警告的程序和/或状态显示，取而代之的是显示“REFER TO QRH PROC”（参阅 QRH 程序）消息。运营商可通过在 MCDU 中输入与 ECAM 警告对应的代码来激活 OEB 提醒功能（A320 系列飞机参考 AMM 任务 31-51-00-610-001-A，A330/A340 飞机参考 AMM 任务 31-51-00-610-801-A）。飞行作业与维护工程之间需要协调，以确保：

激活 OEB 提醒功能时，OEB 已在 QRH 中可用
安装 OEB 取消改装并从 QRH 中移除 OEB 后，停用 OEB 提醒功能

运营商可使用空客随 FOT 发出的 OEB 提前副本，使飞行机组尽快在驾驶舱中获得 OEB。

运营商如何取消 OEB

当决定发布 OEB 时，空客同时采取必要措施，迅速找到取消该 OEB 的解决方案。我们必须记住，OEB 只是一项临时措施，有待永久解决方案的可用性。

实施 OEB 修复

一旦找到取消 OEB 的解决方案，空客将发布一份或多份服务通告（SB），其中包含在飞机上实施改装的说明。通常会向运营商发送一份改装信息函（RIL），告知 SB 的可用性。

“我们必须记住，OEB 只是一项临时措施，有待永久解决方案的可用性。”

一旦有可用的修复方案来取消 OEB，重要的是及时在受影响飞机上实施。从安全和运营角度来看，始终最好以尽可能少的 OEB 数量来运营飞机。

实施 SB 后的运营文件更新

为防止 OEB 应用不当，飞机构型（SB 安装）和机上运营文件（适用 OEB 列表）必须保持一致。这需要维护工程与飞行作业之间密切协调，以确认何时在飞机上实施将取消 OEB 的改装。这是为避免在飞行机组试图应用其飞机已不再适用的 OEB 程序时，对飞行安全造成任何重大影响的风险。

向空客报告服务通告安装情况

“确保飞机构型与机上运营文档保持一致至关重要。”

要求进行服务通告报告，以确保空客和运营商对机队的改装状态达成共识，并触发所有运营文档的更新。运营商也可以在标准修订周期之前申请更新运营文档。

报告通过服务通告在线报告工具完成。（参考资料 ISI 00.00.00135，可在 AirbusWorld 门户获取）

服务通告报告应按飞机逐一进行，而不应仅在整个机队改装周期完成时才进行报告。
在更新版本可用之前，运营商可手动从当前版本运营文档中移除 OEB。

限制适用 OEB 的数量

限制适用于一架飞机的 OEB 数量可提高安全性，因为这使运营商能够恢复标准飞机操作。因此，运营商应在获知 OEB 取消改装可用后尽快安装。

空客对 OEB 缩减策略的支持

运营商应为其机队制定并确保获得适当的优先级管理改装策略，例如适航指令或红色 OEB 规定的任何纠正措施。

运营商可以请求空客客户支持部门提供其当前有效 OEB 清单的可用解决方案完整状态、改装优先级、说明和建议。

“运营商应在获知 OEB 取消改装可用后尽快安装。“

撰稿人：

Roger ARRAUD 技术文档运营支持经理技术文档构型与修订管理

Sara GARCIA DELGADO

高级飞行运营支持工程师飞行运营支持与培训标准

Emmanuel JANSSEN 飞行运营飞行员专家飞行运营支持与培训标准

不适当或不正确地应用 OEB 可能对飞行安全造成潜在负面影响。因此，飞行机组在准备飞行时了解其飞机适用的 OEB 非常重要。可通过参阅 QRH 中的”有效 OEB 清单”（LEOEB）快速高效地审查适用的 OEB。

应用 OEB 程序有明确的入口条件。当 OEB 适用于该飞机时，可能是 ECAM 警告或其他特定条件。飞行机组只有在确认预定义的入口条件存在时才能应用 OEB 程序。飞行机组还须确保在飞行准备期间检查适用 OEB 的入口条件，并了解应用 OEB 时的预期驾驶舱或系统效应。

OEB 是临时性的，运营商应通过尽快实施 OEB 取消服务通告来限制适用于飞机的 OEB 数量。运营文档也必须更新以反映飞机构型，使飞行机组获得最新的适用 OEB 清单。这将防止在 OEB 取消改装已安装的情况下不当应用 OEB。

Olivier JOSEPH SMS 专员兼多项目计划经理项目支持

致谢：

Muriel DUCROZ、Cesar GARCIA CASTILLA、Yoan HUDON 和 Marc LE-LOUER

Safety first ，2020年。Safety first 由空中客车公司出版。1, rond point Maurice Bellonte - 31707 Blagnac Cedex/法国。

出版方和编辑：Yannick Malinge，首席产品安全官。