Maintenance
SMS Operations & Individual Responsibilities

Gold Aviation Services (Dolphin Atlantic Inc.) holds a 14 CFR Part 135 on-demand air charter certificate based at KFLL. The SMS operates under South Florida FSDO-19 oversight [14 CFR Part 5].

The SMS is a shared responsibility across the entire organization. While specific leaders have defined accountability, safety is everyone's duty. Maintenance personnel play a critical role in hazard identification, reporting, and supporting risk controls that protect aircraft airworthiness.

Key Leadership Roles:

• Accountable Executive (AE): Holds ultimate accountability for the SMS and authority over resources required to implement and maintain the system. Signs the safety policy [14 CFR §5.23, §5.25].
• Director of Safety (DOS): Manages day-to-day SMS operations, administers the voluntary reporting system, reviews safety reports, opens and tracks corrective actions, conducts audits, and maintains safety records.
• Director of Operations (DO) and Chief Pilot: Exercise operational control and oversee flight operations safety.
• Director of Maintenance (DOM): Holds company authority for the maintenance program and ensures maintenance-related hazards are addressed through both CASS and the SMS. The DOM retains overall responsibility for CASS, with day-to-day administration handled by the CASS Program Administrator.

Safety Action Group (SAG): Meets regularly to review safety reports and trends, assess risk, recommend corrective actions, and support closure of open items.

Safety Board: Chaired by the Accountable Executive. Meets quarterly to review safety performance data, SPI trends, audit results (including CASS and IEP), and provide strategic direction [14 CFR §5.5, §5.23, §5.25, AC 120-92D].

The voluntary safety reporting system is the primary mechanism for hazard identification. Maintenance personnel are often the first to see issues with aircraft condition, procedures, tooling, or documentation.

How to submit:

• Through FOS (preferred), or
• Directly to the Director of Safety at safety@goldaviation.com

What to report:

• Any near-miss or unplanned event that could have resulted in injury, damage, or loss.
• Any hazard observed during maintenance, inspection, or servicing.
• Procedural deviations, documentation issues, or tool/equipment problems.
• Organizational conditions (time pressure, fatigue, poor lighting, inadequate procedures) that create safety risk.
• Anything that didn't go right, even if the aircraft was released without issue.

What happens after you report:

1. Your report is received and acknowledged in FOS.
2. The Director of Safety reviews it and classifies the hazard and risk level.
3. If corrective action is required, it is opened and assigned in FOS.
4. Corrective actions are tracked to closure.
5. The system notifies you when the report is closed.
6. The Director of Safety may contact you for discussion when follow-up is needed.

As maintenance personnel at Gold Aviation Services (Dolphin Atlantic Inc.), you are on the front line of aircraft airworthiness and play a vital role in the SMS. Your responsibilities include:

• Performing maintenance and inspections in accordance with approved procedures, the General Maintenance Manual (GMM), and manufacturer instructions.
• Submitting safety reports promptly for any hazard, defect, procedural issue, human factors concern, or unsafe condition.
• Using the appropriate GMM Forms (e.g., Form 405 Deferred Maintenance Log, Form 406 Aircraft Maintenance Log, Form 409 Limited Authorization) to document discrepancies and maintenance actions.
• Supporting the Continuing Analysis and Surveillance System (CASS).
• Participating in Management of Change (MoC) reviews for maintenance-related changes.
• Completing required SMS and maintenance-specific recurrent training.
• Maintaining accurate, legible, and complete maintenance records.

CASS Overview and Your Role: CASS is the formal, ongoing surveillance program that monitors the effectiveness of the entire maintenance program over time. The DOM retains overall responsibility and authority for CASS. Day-to-day administration is led by the CASS Program Administrator.

CASS includes regular data collection and analysis from maintenance records, service difficulty reports, reliability data, and safety reports. The CASS Committee meets twice yearly (typically June and December) to review CASS data, audit results, and program effectiveness. The committee includes the DOM, CASS Program Administrator, Director of Safety, and other key personnel.

Maintenance personnel contribute to CASS by accurately documenting work using GMM Forms, reporting recurring issues or trends, and supporting CASS-driven audits or corrective actions.

Maintenance errors are frequently linked to human factors such as time pressure, fatigue, inadequate procedures, poor lighting, distractions, or lack of clear documentation. These are systemic hazards — report them through the SMS so they can be addressed.

Under the company's just culture policy:

• Honest mistakes and good-faith reporting are protected and used for learning and system improvement.
• Deliberate violations (such as falsifying records or bypassing required inspections) are not protected.
• Organizational pressure that leads to shortcuts should be reported — it is a systemic issue, not an individual failing.

Any significant change that could affect maintenance safety requires a formal Management of Change review before implementation [14 CFR §5.51–§5.55, SMS Manual §5.8]. Common triggers in maintenance include changes to maintenance providers, new aircraft types, major tooling or procedure changes, and staffing adjustments that affect maintenance capabilities.

As maintenance personnel, you may be asked to provide practical input during MoC reviews. Your hands-on knowledge helps identify hazards and effective controls before changes are implemented.

Maintenance personnel contribute to SMS effectiveness by:

• Reporting hazards and near-misses promptly and accurately.
• Participating openly in audits and providing factual information.
• Supporting implementation and verification of corrective actions from both SMS and CASS.
• Applying lessons learned from safety reports, CASS findings, and training.
• Helping maintain a strong safety culture by speaking up when something does not look right.

Your observations and reports directly improve aircraft safety, maintenance quality, and the overall SMS. Consistent, high-quality participation from the maintenance team is essential to meeting the May 28, 2027 Part 5 compliance deadline.