OPM-03

United States Department of the Interior

Office of Aviation Services

300 E Mallard Drive, Suite 200

Boise, Idaho 83706-3991

DOI OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES MEMORANDUM (OPM) - 03 Subject: Fleet Services Operational Procedures for Alaska Region Fixed Wing Aircraft Effective Date: January 1, 2026 Last Updated: December 12, 2022 Expiration Date: December 31, 2026 1. Summary of Changes.

No Changes.

2. Purpose. This OPM establishes maintenance procedures for all Alaska Region fleet aircraft.

These requirements and procedures are in addition to Department of the Interior’s Manual, and Operational Procedures Memorandums issued by the Office of Aviation Services (OAS).

3. Background . A task force was convened to study Alaska fleet maintenance procedures. It identified the need to separate the fleet management responsibilities from the Alaska Region Repair Station.

4. Authority. This policy is established by the Director, Department of the Interior, Office of Aviation Services (OAS) in accordance with the provisions of Departmental Manual 112 DM 12, 350 DM 1, and Secretarial Order 3322 dated August 23, 2012.

5. Procedures. Maintenance of all aircraft operated through the OAS Alaska Region is managed by Fleet Services. All requests for maintenance must be coordinated through this office. All maintenance will follow the procedures outlined below. For the purposes of this OPM, the term facility refers to both commercial vendor and the OAS Repair Station.

A. Primary Maintenance Facilities: Maintenance assignments will be made by Fleet Services based upon geographic location and an assessment of what facility can provide the best support and service for the required task. Fleet Services may move an aircraft to a different facility should the need arise.

1) Scheduling of Routine and Non-Routine Maintenance: OPM - 03 Page 2 a) Scheduled Maintenance Scheduled maintenance events (i.e.: annual inspections/100-hour inspections) are to be scheduled with Fleet Service at least 14 days in advance of the event. This will allow time for Fleet Services to provide the facility with necessary information and aircraft records and establish a work order number and procurement approvals for work to be performed.

At that time, the facility will be authorized to commence an inspection of the aircraft to determine if any repairs are required. A written discrepancy list and corrective action estimate will be required. The corrective action list shall include an estimate of the labor required to correct the problem as well as parts and their associated cost. This information shall be hand delivered, faxed, or emailed to Fleet Services for their review and NBC Contracting Staff approval.

b) Unscheduled Maintenance - Individual pilots will be authorized to deliver aircraft to the facility for unscheduled, remedial maintenance. Pilots are required to record ALL unscheduled maintenance discrepancies in the OAS-2 Flight Log.

(1) Minor Discrepancies - Based upon the written discrepancies, the maintenance facility is authorized to inspect the aircraft to validate the discrepancy and determine an appropriate remedy. The maintenance facility may be authorized to expend up to four hours of labor to inspect and, if possible, correct (all recorded) discrepancies. No prior approval is required for the correction of these small, unscheduled discrepancies (subject to the four-hour limitation) that affect the airworthiness of the aircraft. However, the maintenance facility is required to provide timely (same day) verbal notice to Fleet Services that unscheduled maintenance was required. The original OAS-2 Flight Log, containing the original discrepancy, must be annotated with the mechanic’s corrective actions, including a return to service signature and mechanic certificate number. The completed OAS-2 (original) along with the facilities work order/invoice shall be submitted to Fleet Services for review. Upon receipt and review of these documents, the facility will be contacted, and payment arrangements will be made if the facility is a commercial vendor.

(2) Major Discrepancies - Upon receipt of an aircraft containing major unscheduled discrepancies, the facility shall notify Fleet Services that the aircraft has arrived at their facility. At that time the facility is authorized to commence an inspection of the aircraft to determine the cause of the problem and prepare a written discrepancy list and corrective action list. The corrective action list shall include an estimate of the labor required to correct the problem as well as parts and their associated cost. The written estimate shall be provided to Fleet Services for their review and approval. [See paragraph .3a (3), (a), (b), (c), and (d)]. Upon receipt and review of these documents, the facility will be contacted, and payment arrangements will be made if a commercial vendor is the facility.

OPM - 03 Page 3 2) Parts - Maintenance facilities shall have the primary responsibility for furnishing parts required for repairing aircraft. A limited number of items, such as replacement engines, propellers, or radio replacements may be available from Fleet Services.

Major components may be discussed at the time of inspection. In the event OAS does furnish parts, the facility shall be required to return cores to OAS, prepaid, along with appropriate paperwork, before payment for services will be made. Shipping of cores and returned items will be reimbursed to the facility as part of the maintenance cost.

The facility will tag the cores with the aircraft number they were removed from, the discrepancy, and the OAS work order number.

3) Procurement Approvals - All work, with the exception of the 4-hour inspection correction procedure identified above, requires prior approval before any work is accomplished. The following procedures must be followed.

a) Approvals - All requests for maintenance services must be assigned an OAS Work Order number and a procurement identification number. The latter can be a Purchase Order, Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA), a credit card number or in- house identifier. Both BPA’s and credit card transactions also have a unique “Call” number that identifies a specific transaction with a specific facility. No work shall be performed unless there is a signed estimate, Work Order and a procurement number; complete with call number and a dollar amount (where appropriate) that shall not be exceeded without prior approval.

b) Payment for Services - No payments will be processed without an ORIGINAL facility statement, (no facsimile or copies), to include the return to service signature, all required documents (FAA Form 337’s, maintenance records, parts tags, Weight and Balance changes, etc., including the return of cores for parts furnished by OAS). Payments in amounts beyond that previously approved will not be processed.

c) Although credit card transactions are encouraged, a facility may choose (on a case-by-case basis) the method of payment. The payment method shall be written on the original statement (i.e.: Credit Card or EFT). An Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) may be selected and the net amount will be paid within 30 calendar days from the date of submission of a correct statement. Credit card transactions may not be processed through a financial institution until Fleet Services formally approves the transaction. Failure to comply with the foregoing may result in a charge being contested.

d) Responsibilities and Authorities - The following individuals are authorized as follows:

OPM - 03 Page 4 (1) Fleet Services Specialist - Responsible for the providing the technical oversight on maintenance activities. The Fleet Services Specialist will evaluate maintenance requests, the corrective actions proposed, and provide technical concurrence for all maintenance events. This person is authorized to obligate OAS for expenditure of Government Funds for aircraft maintenance and parts not to exceed $10,000.00 per individual transactions.

(2) For maintenance events exceeding $10,000.00 per individual transaction, approval from Fleet Services will require processing through the NBC Contracting Staff.

6. Expectations.

A. What the facility should expect. If the aircraft comes due for a scheduled maintenance event, the pilot must notify fleet services a minimum of 14 days in advance for the maintenance package to be developed and delivered to the maintenance facility. A complete list of known discrepancies will be entered in the OAS-2 Flight Log book before the aircraft and book are turned over to the facility. If any modifications are to be done by another facility during the same event (i.e.: avionics), both facilities will be scheduled before the work starts.

If the aircraft comes in for an unscheduled airworthiness maintenance event, the facility can expend up to four person-hours to troubleshoot and repair while contact is being made with Fleet Services. This will be used to reduce response time and improve mission availability. It will not be used for Pilot responsibilities (oil changes, etc.) or as a means to circumvent the system when normal arrangements can reasonably be made.

The pilot and facility will notify Fleet Services as soon as possible when such quick response maintenance is required. All discrepancies will be documented on the OAS-2.

If an operational flight is required, the appropriate pilot will complete the necessary flight, log it on the OAS-2, and return the white copy to the facility for submittal with the invoice. Once the complete package is returned to Fleet Services, the facility will be paid as quickly as feasible OPM - 03 Page 5 B. What OAS should expect. The pilot will notify OAS of upcoming maintenance as soon as possible. All required paperwork will be completed and submitted with the invoice after the aircraft is returned to service. The facility will furnish all required parts and materials, with the exception of a few specialty, or big-ticket items (engines, propellers, and some avionics). If OAS furnishes parts, return of the properly identified cores will be one of the prerequisites for processing payment.

C. What the pilot should expect. When maintenance is complete, the facility will brief the pilot on the work accomplished. The reasons that a check flight is required and any maintenance action that might affect the flight characteristics of the aircraft will be discussed. Any required changes to the Aircraft Operating Manual or Pilot’s Operating Handbook, weight and balance, or equipment list will be in the aircraft. There will be an entry in the OAS-2 indicating that maintenance is complete, and the aircraft is released for return to service, with the inspector’s name, signature, and certificate number. When the return to service flight is complete and all discrepancies are addressed, the pilot will make an entry in the OAS-2 accepting the aircraft for return to service. That OAS-2 will be returned to the facility for inclusion in the billing package.

Susan E. Bates Director, Office of Aviation Services