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NavWorx explains refused FAA inspection

Company says it had reason to deny inspectors access

NavWorx Inc. has explained one of its refusals to allow FAA inspectors access to the Texas facility where it manufactures the ADS600-B universal access transceiver (UAT). The products provide Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out and In capabilities on the 978-MHz frequency.

This NavWorx ADS600-B Universal Access Transceiver has been installed in the tail of a Cessna 152. Photo by Mike Collins.

Refusal to allow inspectors access to the facility was cited in the FAA’s Nov. 21 emergency order that suspended NavWorx’s authorization to manufacture certain models of its ADS600-B UAT.

The agency suspended the company’s technical standard order authorization for NavWorx ADS600-B units carrying part numbers 200-0012 and 200-0013. The FAA said that NavWorx declined on repeated occasions to allow FAA personnel to conduct required inspections, and that the immediate suspension will remain in effect until the company consents to the inspections and demonstrates compliance with FAA standards.

“For the last inspection noted, we told the FAA that our quality inspector would not be available,” NavWorx President Bill Moffitt told AOPA. The inspector had to undergo back surgery and the ensuing recovery, he explained. “But they insisted on performing the inspection. We knew that they would then fail us on those items.

“We preferred this approach [over] failing the inspection because of missing personnel, and having the FAA say that our quality system wasn’t up to par, insinuating a much deeper problem,” Moffitt said. He indicated the company had reasons for the other reported refusals to admit FAA inspectors, as well.

The FAA said in a press release that it is concerned ADS600-B UATs with those part numbers may contain an internal GPS receiver that does not meet the FAA’s minimum ADS-B performance standards for transmitting aircraft position. The FAA on Oct. 20 proposed an airworthiness directive that would require removing the UATs from the aircraft in which they have been installed, and would prohibit their installation on any aircraft. It followed an FAA unapproved parts notification issued Oct. 14. The FAA estimated that approximately 800 U.S.-registered aircraft would be affected by the proposed AD.

NavWorx ADS-B transceivers with part numbers 200-0112 and 200-0113 contain a different WAAS GPS position source and are not subject to the proposed AD or the unapproved parts notification, the FAA said. NavWorx can continue to produce transceivers with those part numbers.

Mike Collins
Mike Collins
Technical Editor
Mike Collins, AOPA technical editor and director of business development, died at age 59 on February 25, 2021. He was an integral part of the AOPA Media team for nearly 30 years, and held many key editorial roles at AOPA Pilot, Flight Training, and AOPA Online. He was a gifted writer, editor, photographer, audio storyteller, and videographer, and was an instrument-rated pilot and drone pilot.
Topics: ADS-B, Technology

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