FAA Approves Removal of a Structural Inspection for the Embraer E190
Following a new assessment by Embraer, the FAA has granted an exemption to the Widespread Fatigue Damage (WFD) rule, optimizing the aircraft's maintenance program.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted an exemption to the Brazilian manufacturer Embraer S.A. that allows the removal of a specific maintenance task from the mandatory program for the ERJ-190-200 aircraft model. The decision, made official on July 22, 2025, responds to a petition from Embraer and concludes that the inspection is no longer necessary to ensure the aircraft's operational safety.
The request, submitted by Ricardo Lavall Hollerbach, Embraer's Airworthiness Director, sought an exemption from section § 26.21(b)(2)(ii) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations. This regulation is part of the Widespread Fatigue Damage (WFD) rule, designed to prevent structural failures in aging aircraft. The rule requires manufacturers to establish a Limit of Validity (LOV) for the engineering data that supports the structural maintenance program.
Embraer, which has complied with 14 CFR Part 26 requirements since 2016, had included a series of maintenance actions in a binding schedule to prevent WFD. However, a new technical assessment of item 190SS02-D001, corresponding to the circumferential joint between the forward fuselage and center fuselage I, demonstrated that Widespread Fatigue Damage will not occur in this area before reaching three times the aircraft's LOV.
What is Widespread Fatigue Damage (WFD)?
It is the simultaneous presence of cracks at multiple points in an aircraft's structure, which grow over time due to repeated loads (such as pressurization cycles). If left unchecked, it can compromise the structural integrity of the airplane. The FAA regulation aims to prevent this scenario through inspection programs and an operational service life limit (LOV).
The FAA justified its decision by stating that granting the exemption is in the public interest. In its analysis, the agency states that the measure "would eliminate unnecessary maintenance actions for the airline industry, thereby reducing the maintenance and operational costs associated with an airplane being taken out of service to perform unnecessary maintenance tasks". The agency agrees with Embraer that this optimization allows airlines to allocate resources more efficiently "without depreciating safety".
This is not the first time the FAA has granted such an exemption to Embraer. A similar decision for other ERJ-190 models was issued on July 15, 2019 (Exemption No. 18277), setting a precedent on the matter.
The exemption is effective immediately and is based on the technical data submitted by Embraer in the design change application (DCA) 0190-053-00104-2024/ANAC. The news comes at a very active time for Embraer, which recently reported a record order backlog, largely driven by demand for its executive jets and the E-Jets family.
The decision was signed by Patrick R. Mullen, Manager of the Technical Policy Branch in the Policy and Standards Division of the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service.
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