Flight Standards Service and Aircraft Certification Service Acknowledgment and Continuing Oversight of a Corporate Safety Management System

3/6/26 8000.379 Chapter 1. General Information 1. Purpose of This Order. This order provides guidance and assigns responsibilities for Flight Standards Service (FS) and Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) personnel to perform Continued Operational Safety (COS) and oversight of an aviation organization that has implemented a Corporate Safety Management System (SMS). A Corporate SMS may incorporate multiple Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) certificates, authorizations, or approvals, which may be overseen by a single or multiple responsible Flight Standards and/or AIR office(s).

Oversight of the aviation organizations remains with their respective services office. This order contains information that is administrative in nature.

Note: This is a guidance document. Its content is not legally binding in its own right and will not be relied upon by the Department as a separate basis for affirmative enforcement action or other administrative penalty.

Conformity with the guidance document is voluntary only. Nonconformity will not affect rights and obligations under existing statutes and regulations.

2. Audience. The primary audience for this order is FS aviation safety inspectors (ASI) and AIR personnel responsible for oversight of certificate, design, and production approval holders.

The secondary audience includes the Safety Standards and Foundational Business offices.

3. Where You Can Find This Order. You can find this order on the MyFAA employee website at https://employees.faa.gov/tools_resources/orders_notices and the Dynamic Regulatory System (DRS) at https://drs.faa.gov . Operators and the public can find this order on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) website at https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/orders_no tices and DRS.

4. Guidance References.

a. FS. FAA Order 8900.1, Volume 17, Safety Management System.

b. AIR.

• FAA Order 2150.3, FAA Compliance and Enforcement Program.

• FAA Order 8120.24, Implementation Plan Approval, Verification, and Evaluation of Safety Management Systems for Design and Production Approval Holders.

• FAA Order 8120.25, Safety Management Oversight of Design and Production Approval Holders.

• AIR Quality Management System (QMS) AIR-002-035, Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) Compliance and Enforcement Process.

5. Distribution. This order is distributed to all FS and AIR offices.

6. Directive Feedback Information. Direct questions or comments to the Safety Management, Analytics, and Systems Integration Division (AFS-900) at 9-FAA-SMB@faa.gov. For your convenience, Form FAA 1320-19, Directive Feedback Information, is the last page of this order.

Note any deficiencies found, clarifications needed, or suggested improvements regarding the contents of this order on Form FAA 1320-19.

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3/6/26 8000.379 Chapter 2. Definitions 1. Definitions. For the purposes of this order, the following terms and definitions will apply.

Term Definition Aircraft Certification Service A service of Aviation Safety ( AVS ) responsible for oversight of (AIR) design, production, airworthiness certification, and continued airworthiness programs for all U.S. civil aviation products and foreign import products.

Corporate Safety Management An SMS developed with standardized processes and procedures System (SMS) to be utilized throughout an aviation organization that holds multiple certificates, approvals, or authorizations issued by Flight Standards Service (FS) and/or AIR. This will ensure uniformity and consistency across the entire organization, except where operational differences applicable to the operations are acceptable.

Differences may be acceptable when adequately described and interfaced with the organization’s SMS policies, processes, and procedures.

Flight Standards Service (FS) A service of AVS responsible to promote safe air transportation by setting the standards for certification and oversight of airmen, air operators, air agencies, and designees.

Parent Organization The aviation organization or a corporation that wholly owns or (applicable only to FS) owns a controlling interest in another certificated company or companies, known as the Satellite organizations. The Parent organization will have the overall responsibility of the Corporate SMS process for all the Satellite organization operations and for the successful implementation and continued performance of the SMS by all covered locations.

The accountable executive must be identified as a position within the Parent and Satellite organizations’ business structure (organization chart) and must meet the requirements of 14 CFR §§ 5.23 and 5.25.

Satellite Organization An aviation organization that is under the corporate structure of (applicable only to FS) the Parent organization. The Satellite organization(s) functions as a separate entity.

N ote: For the purposes of a Corporate SMS process, a Satellite organization may be certificated under 14 CFR part 121, 125, 133, 135, 137, 141, 142, 145, or 147.

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3/6/26 8000.379 Chapter 3. Implementation of a Corporate SMS 1. Eligibility. Any aviation organization that holds multiple certificates, approvals, or authorizations overseen by FS and AIR is eligible to voluntarily develop and implement a Corporate SMS. An organization voluntarily implementing a Corporate SMS must have a single accountable executive that meets 14 CFR § 5.25 to be considered compliant. The organization is also responsible for ensuring that the SMS meets the 14 CFR part 5 requirements applicable to each certificate, approval, or authorization held. A Corporate SMS may cover holders of certificates, approvals, or authorizations that are required to have an SMS or are in a voluntary SMS program. The following are recommended areas to be incorporated into an organization’s SMS: • The SMS manual and/or documentation should define how the system functions as a Corporate SMS; • All data required by 14 CFR § 5.71 should be in a data collection system that may be accessible throughout the organization; • The data required by 14 CFR § 5.71 should be monitored for the safety performance of the corporate organization; and • Hazards identified should be communicated throughout the organization.

2. Corporate SMS Notification.

a. FS. After an organization voluntarily develops and implements an SMS that meets the requirements of 14 CFR part 5, each organization will then submit a declaration of compliance in a form and manner acceptable to the Administrator to their responsible Flight Standards office.

The accountable executive needs to sign the Corporate SMS notification and submit the declaration of compliance to each responsible office, to include the following information: • The name of the Parent organization within FS and its certificate number or operator designator code, as applicable; • The physical address of the Parent organization; • The name of each Satellite organization and its certificate number or operator designator code(s), as applicable; • The physical address of each Satellite organization; • The FAA responsible office with oversight for each Satellite organization; • A statement that the organization(s) developed and implemented an SMS that meets the requirements of 14 CFR part 5; and • A signature from the accountable executive.

Note: Once the declaration of compliance is received, the responsible Flight Standards office will email AIR at 9-AVS-AIR-SMS@faa.gov, advising of their receipt of the Corporate SMS, and listing the applicable associated certificates (type certificate and or production certificate) for notification and verification of the corporation’s accountable executive.

b. AIR. An organization needs to submit an implementation plan under 14 CFR § 5.19 to implement a Corporate SMS. AIR personnel will follow guidance in Order 8120.24 to review 3-1 3/6/26 8000.379 and approve the SMS implementation plan. If an associated air carrier, air operator, or air agency certificate is included in the Corporate SMS, AIR personnel will notify FS at 9-FAA-SMB@faa.gov upon receipt of an implementation plan for a Corporate SMS.

3. Corporate SMS Acknowledgment.

a. FS. FS will acknowledge each aviation organization’s request as outlined in Order 8900.1, Volume 17, Chapter 4, Corporate Safety Management System.

b. AIR. AIR personnel follow guidance in Order 8120.24 to complete a three-step process to acknowledge an organization’s SMS. Step one is to approve the organization’s SMS implementation plan if it complies with 14 CFR § 5.19(a) and issue an implementation plan approval letter. Step two, completed after the organization finishes SMS implementation, is to conduct an SMS verification and issue an SMS verification letter upon successful completion of the verification. Step three, completed approximately 12 months after verification, is to conduct an SMS evaluation and issue an SMS evaluation letter upon successful completion of the evaluation.

Note: Approval of the SMS implementation plan, issuance of the SMS verification letter, or issuance of the SMS evaluation letter does not constitute FAA approval of the organization’s SMS.

4. Communication Between Service Offices. Communications refer to the sharing of information between FS and AIR. It is important to maintain an open line of communication between the services. The sharing of information on the performance or process failures of the organization’s SMS will assist the FAA in the continuing assessment of the performance of the organization’s SMS. Communication between FS and AIR is highlighted in yellow on the flowchart in Figure 3-1, Corporate SMS Acknowledgment, Communication, and COS/Oversight Process, and is summarized as follows: a. Initial Communication. Initial communication occurs upon receipt of the declaration of compliance from an organization within the FS areas of responsibility, as outlined in this chapter, or receipt of an SMS implementation plan from an organization within the AIR areas of responsibility.

b. On-Going Communications. During COS and/or oversight, FS and AIR will notify each other if any systemic SMS performance failures or suspected SMS process failures are observed.

c. Annual Planning and Coordination Meeting. An annual planning meeting will be conducted in accordance with Chapter 4, Continued Operational Safety/Oversight.

5. Adding Additional Organization(s) to an Existing Corporate SMS.

a. FS. The Parent organization may request to add additional Satellite organizations that are part of the corporate structure. When adding an additional Satellite, the accountable executive needs to submit the request as outlined in Order 8900.1, Volume 17, Chapter 4.

3-2 3/6/26 8000.379 b. AIR. The organization submits an SMS implementation plan under 14 CFR § 5.19 to add an organization(s) to the Corporate SMS. The organization will also update the organizational system description to include the added organization(s) to meet the requirements in 14 CFR § 5.17. AIR personnel follow guidance in Order 8120.24 to complete the three-step process (approve implementation plan, SMS verification, SMS evaluation) to acknowledge the organization’s SMS.

Figure 3-1. Corporate SMS Acknowledgment, Communication, and COS/Oversight Process 3-3

3/6/26 8000.379 Chapter 4. Continued Operational Safety/Oversight 1. COS/Oversight Findings.

a. Unfavorable Response.

(1) FS. FS will notify AIR if systemic SMS performance failures or systemic SMS design failures (policies or procedures) are observed during COS.

(2) AIR. AIR will notify FS if systemic SMS noncompliances or systemic SMS policy or procedure failures are observed during oversight.

b. Documentation of Resolutions/Mitigations. Resolutions/mitigations to the finding(s) are managed as follows: (1) FS. FS will resolve the findings following the guidance in Order 8900.1, Volume 17, Chapter 4 and notify AIR of the results.

(2) AIR. AIR will resolve the findings through Order 2150.3, the compliance and enforcement process through AIR-002-035, and notify FS of the results.

2. FS/AIR Annual Planning and Coordination Meeting. This meeting will be organized and facilitated by the FS Parent Certificate Management Team (CMT). The Parent CMT will contact AIR at 9-AVS-AIR-SMS@faa.gov to coordinate with the applicable AIR offices. At a minimum, the following items will be addressed: • Review current and past SMS performance; • When routine surveillance suggests there is a failure with an organization’s SMS, the applicable service will evaluate the design (process or procedure) and/or performance of the SMS; • Coordinate COS and or oversight activities between services if required; • The service office will evaluate the projected COS surveillance and or oversight activities and determine if there is a need to schedule shared resources; and • Based on Risk-Based Decision Making (RBDM), additional planning and coordination meetings may be conducted as required.

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3/6/26 8000.379 Chapter 5. Withdrawal From a Corporate SMS 1. Withdrawal. An organization is free to withdraw from a Corporate SMS structure acknowledged by the FAA. Withdrawal does not override the regulatory requirements for an organization to have an SMS where required by 14 CFR part 5. Withdrawal from an acknowledged Corporate SMS pertains only to those aviation organizations in the SMS Voluntary Program (SMSVP). Title 14 CFR parts 21, 121, and 135 certificate holders are free to withdraw from a Corporate SMS structure but are still required to maintain their SMS in accordance with 14 CFR part 5. Withdrawal of a 14 CFR part 145 repair station with a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Part-145 approval requires EASA notification, as outlined in Order 8900.1, Volume 6, Chapter 9, Title 14 CFR Part 145 Inspections.

2. Voluntary Withdrawal of a Corporate SMS.

a. FS. Withdrawal from the Corporate SMS may be requested at any time. If the Parent organization elects to withdraw from the Corporate SMS, the accountable executive needs to notify the Parent CMT in writing, to include the Satellite organization(s) and Satellite CMTs, and follow the withdrawal process as outlined in Order 8900.1, Volume 17, Chapter 4.

b. AIR. Withdrawal from the Corporate SMS voluntary program may be requested at any time. AIR personnel will complete the following after receiving a withdrawal notification: • Acknowledge receipt of the withdrawal notification, and • Stop continuing oversight of the voluntary program under Order 8120.25.

5-1 Directive Feedback Information Please submit any written comments or recommendations for improving this directive or suggest new items or subjects to be added to it. Also, if you find an error, please tell us about it.

Subject: Order 8000.379, Flight Standards Service and Aircraft Certification Service Acknowledgment and Continuing Oversight of a Corporate Safety Management System To: Directive Management Officer, AFB-120 Directives Mailbox (9-AWA-AFB-120-Directives@faa.gov) (Please mark all appropriate line items) An error (procedural or typographical) has been noted in paragraph _____________ on page _______________ .

Recommend paragraph _______________ on page _________ be changed as follows: (attached separate sheet if necessary) In a future change to this order, please include coverage on the following subject: (briefly describe what you want added) Other comments: I would like to discuss the above. Please contact me.

Submitted by: ___________________________________________ Date: _________________ Telephone Number: _____________________________ Routing Symbol: _________________ FAA 1320-19 (11/23) Supersedes Previous Edition