EASA SIB CASA-2014-01
Galley or Lavatory Water Heater Overheat - FAA Supplemental Type Certificate SA696GL and SA4370SW
Summary
The document titled 'Galley or Lavatory Water Heater Overheat - FAA Supplemental Type Certificate SA696GL and SA4370SW' is a Transport Canada Civil Aviation Safety Alert issued on 2014-01-28. It addresses a safety concern involving galley and lavatory water heaters installed under FAA STCs SA696GL and SA4370SW, commonly found on aircraft such as Canadair Challenger, Gulfstream GII, GIII, GIV, and Hawker 700/800. The alert highlights incidents of water heater thermostat failures causing overheating, smoke, and heat damage.
What Changed
This safety alert introduces a strong recommendation to disable the affected water heaters due to multiple in-flight failures and overheating events. It emphasizes the need for owners, operators, and maintenance organizations to inspect aircraft records to identify installations of the subject water heaters and to take immediate action to prevent further incidents.
Why It Matters
This alert is critical for aviation professionals as the thermostat failure in these water heaters can lead to significant smoke and heat damage, posing safety risks during flight. Operators and maintenance teams must be aware of this issue to ensure aircraft safety, prevent emergencies, and maintain regulatory compliance with mandatory service difficulty reporting requirements.
What To Do
Affected stakeholders should review aircraft maintenance records to verify the installation of the specified water heaters. They are strongly advised to disable these water heaters using instructions from the STC holder, aircraft OEM, or standard practices. Any defects or failures must be reported to Transport Canada Continuing Airworthiness in accordance with CAR 521 division IX. No explicit compliance deadline is stated.
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