481 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 26.43 

Damage Tolerance Evaluation (DTE) 

means a process that leads to a deter-
mination of maintenance actions nec-
essary to detect or preclude fatigue 
cracking that could contribute to a 
catastrophic failure. As applied to re-
pairs and alterations, a DTE includes 
the evaluation both of the repair or al-
teration and of the fatigue critical 
structure affected by the repair or al-
teration. 

Damage Tolerance Inspection (DTI) 

means the inspection developed as a re-
sult of a DTE. A DTI includes the areas 
to be inspected, the inspection method, 
the inspection procedures, including 
acceptance and rejection criteria, the 
threshold, and any repeat intervals as-
sociated with those inspections. The 
DTI may specify a time limit when a 
repair or alteration needs to be re-
placed or modified. If the DTE con-
cludes that DT-based supplemental 
structural inspections are not nec-
essary, the DTI contains a statement 
to that effect. 

DT data 

mean DTE documentation 

and the DTI. 

DTE documentation 

means data that 

identify the evaluated fatigue critical 
structure, the basic assumptions ap-
plied in a DTE, and the results of a 
DTE. 

Fatigue critical structure 

means air-

plane structure that is susceptible to 
fatigue cracking that could contribute 
to a catastrophic failure, as determined 
in accordance with § 25.571 of this chap-
ter. Fatigue critical structure includes 
structure, which, if repaired or altered, 
could be susceptible to fatigue crack-
ing and contribute to a catastrophic 
failure. Such structure may be part of 
the baseline structure or part of an al-
teration. 

Implementation schedule 

consists of 

documentation that establishes the 
timing for accomplishing the necessary 
actions for developing DT data for re-
pairs and alterations, and for incor-
porating those data into an operator’s 
continuing airworthiness maintenance 
program. The documentation must 
identify times when actions must be 
taken as specific numbers of airplane 
flight hours, flight cycles, or both. 

Published repair data 

mean instruc-

tions for accomplishing repairs, which 
are published for general use in struc-

tural repair manuals and service bul-
letins (or equivalent types of docu-
ments). 

§ 26.43

Holders of and applicants for 

type certificates—Repairs. 

(a) 

Applicability. 

Except as specified 

in paragraph (g) of this section, this 
section applies to transport category, 
turbine powered airplane models with a 
type certificate issued after January 1, 
1958, that as a result of original type 
certification or later increase in capac-
ity have— 

(1) A maximum type certificated pas-

senger seating capacity of 30 or more; 
or 

(2) A maximum payload capacity of 

7,500 pounds or more. 

(b) 

List of fatigue critical baseline struc-

ture. 

For airplanes specified in para-

graph (a) of this section, the holder of 
or applicant for a type certificate 
must— 

(1) Identify fatigue critical baseline 

structure for all airplane model vari-
ations and derivatives approved under 
the type certificate; and 

(2) Develop and submit to the respon-

sible Aircraft Certification Service of-
fice for review and approval, a list of 
the structure identified under para-
graph (b)(1) of this section and, upon 
approval, make the list available to 
persons required to comply with § 26.47 
and §§ 121.1109 and 129.109 of this chap-
ter. 

(c) 

Existing and future published repair 

data. 

For repair data published by a 

holder of a type certificate that is cur-
rent as of January 11, 2008 and for all 
later published repair data, the holder 
of a type certificate must— 

(1) Review the repair data and iden-

tify each repair specified in the data 
that affects fatigue critical baseline 
structure identified under paragraph 
(b)(1) of this section; 

(2) Perform a DTE and develop the 

DTI for each repair identified under 
paragraph (c)(1) of this section, unless 
previously accomplished; 

(3) Submit the DT data to the respon-

sible Aircraft Certification Service of-
fice or its properly authorized des-
ignees for review and approval; and 

(4) Upon approval, make the DTI 

available to persons required to comply 

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