Fake spare parts sold to repair CFM56 engines

Sadly this may be (or may not be) new to the aviation industry but has been going on for decades in other industries. We have received things like lifting slings and fall arrest harness that turned out to be counterfeit. And although the article claims not to know we’re they came from if it’s like other industries it will be from our friends in China.

May be new to the CFM56, but not new to the Industry... Would love to Nail someone Gonads to the wall over this kind of things... It causes problems for everyone and have cause deaths in the past...

With the sanctions restricting the suppply of aircaft spares to Russian airlines, there is going to be an increase in demand for uncertified parts from that quarter, and envitably these will start turning up elsewhere too.

How's that for a mealy-mouthed response from the governing bodies? "The spread of undocumented or potentially faked parts into the engine supply chain is rare and treated with utmost urgency in an industry where every component requires verified provenance to ensure aircraft safety" Then why does this nonsense happen more than "rarely"?

"If a part with a falsified ARC is already installed, then it is recommended that the part be replaced with an approved part," EASA's Aug. 4 filing said, referring to the authorized release certificate which identifies the approved originator of the part. It added that the European safety agency "might take further action" as a result of the ongoing investigations.

An EASA official said Wednesday that the agency was continuing to monitor responses to determine whether any further actions were needed.

The U.K.'s CAA had no immediate comment. The FAA didn't respond to requests for comment."

Jose must be shaking in his boots and has plenty of time to hit the road if he has not already done so.

Fake parts have been around at least as long as my A&P ticket,circa 1980. We bought stainless steel screw kits for paint upgrades from Aviall, Standard Aero. et.al. that were not only ferrous, (magnetic), but seized in the female threads because they were incorrectly threaded or oversized for the application. Everybody knew where they came from! Nobody paid for my time to get rid of that detritus. just sayin', nothin' new under el sol.

We’ve all known for a very long time that this has been a problem in aviation, and every other industry.
The difference is obvious, though.
When bad parts fail in your car, you pull over to the shoulder.
When you’re in an airplane with 300+ souls on board, notsomuch.
These sob’s got caught red handed.
They don’t care about our lives.
We’re just a number on their P&L.

It sounds like 2 things need to happen here:

1. AOG Technics should be shut down by the courts pending the delivery of the required paperwork. I'm not sure how the British regulatory system works, but I'm sure the FAA / NTSB have some pull in the US to do that in cases such as this.

2. The operators and maintenance teams will need to directly contact the manufacturers to confirm the authenticity of the parts. The manufacturers will also need to keep track of which operators and maintenance shops contact them for which units - keeping track of the serial numbers - to ensure valid S/N and Certificate pairs are not reused. It's a pain, but given that these operators are responsible to Civil Aviation Authorities, they're already accustomed to the voluminous documentation required.

I'll bet "JoseZamora", will never be seen in London again. That Venezuelan passport will come in handy right about now.

I some what alluded to this point earlier, but no comment was made. WHO SAID THESE PARTS WERE PRICED CHEAPER?. I didn't see that anywhere. These products are ones that would be in demand world wide and if the other real sources are not keeping up with demand why not produce parts that are priced the same as other manufacturers and produce them less expensively why not keep the supply rolling and not raise any questions as to there authenticity? I would think that any product being sold under the going rate would raise suspicions.

I'd be quite in favour of life without parole for those who knowingly supply fake aircraft parts, engine or airframe.

42 years in aviation. Guess what, mistakes are made. Almost to perfection, aviation is well thought out from design. Through all phases of normal, non normal, emergency, maintenance, etc. Be happy to put my family on any flight. Definitely better than your car. Good flights.

When people base their purchasing choices on price alone, you get this.

“Heavens! I thought I was just getting a really great deal!”

So when a repair facility orders the least expensive parts they gotta know why right?