Tips on Avoiding Counterfeit Aircraft Spares

Aircrafts have to be maintained and repaired regularly to prevent accidents and to ensure that the aircrafts run efficiently. Many people opt for used aircraft spare parts over OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) spare parts, mostly because used spares are cheaper. Whether you are buying OEM spares or used aircraft spares, you have to ensure that they are not counterfeit. Some suppliers cut corners since they can make a killing with counterfeit parts. This is because, as an example, a counterfeit rivet can cost less than 5 pounds while an original rivet costs hundreds of pounds.

The impact of counterfeiting goes beyond trademark infringement and intellectual property protection in the aviation industry. Counterfeit parts could lead to death and they should therefore be avoided at all cost. Just as important as avoiding counterfeit parts is avoiding obsolescence parts, technologies, and materials. The problem first reached critical levels in the 70s when the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) found counterfeit parts in the Boeing 737 aircraft. As recently as 2008, counterfeit valves, gears, gauges, flanges, and radar parts were found on sale at consumer auction sites. One way of ensuring you get genuine OEM spares or used aircraft spares is buying from a well-established supplier. Some of the things you should look for in your supplier are recognition by the relevant civil authority such as the FAA and the UK Civil Aviation Authority and such approvals as JAR 145 approvals and BSI/ISO approvals.

You should know the parts that are usually counterfeited so that you can employ extra vigilance when buying them. The most counterfeited parts are smaller parts such as rivets, electronic assemblies, capacitors, semiconductors, resistors, pumps, batteries, actuators, and integrated circuits. When buying time-controlled parts and life limited (LLP) parts, ensure that they come with additional documentation so that you can do a ‘back to birth’ trace, an engine/aircraft serial number trace, a module serial number trace, and other traces. Testing should be done to determine whether the parts are stable. Consider enlisting the services of a professional such as an aeronautical engineer to help you find genuine OEM spares or used aircraft spares, and to help with testing.