The official lookup is the Painel 145, published by ANAC (Brazil's civil aviation authority) in the Aircraft Maintenance section of gov.br. In it you can search for a shop by name, by certificate number (COM) or by city, and also by the aircraft, engine or propeller model that needs maintenance. What decides whether the shop can do the job is not being on the list: it is your model and your service showing as valid in the operations specifications of that specific base.
The rest of this article walks through the panel and what to check before handing over the aircraft.
"Homologated" or "certificated"?
Both words point to the same thing. The Brazilian Aeronautical Code (art. 70) speaks of homologation certificates for companies that overhaul, repair and maintain aircraft; RBAC 145 (Brazil's equivalent of FAR Part 145) uses the term certificated maintenance organization (OM, in Portuguese).
The core of the regulation is in section 145.5: no one may operate as a certificated maintenance organization without the maintenance organization certificate (COM) and the operations specifications issued under RBAC 145. Both documents must be available on the premises for inspection by the public and by ANAC (145.5(b)). In other words: you can ask to see them.
The certificate lists ratings and classes (section 145.59): Airframe, Powerplant, Propeller, Radio, Instrument, Accessory and Specialized Services. In the Powerplant rating, for example, Class 1 covers reciprocating engines of up to 400 hp and Class 3 covers turbine engines. The rating alone is not enough, though. Under section 145.201, the shop performs maintenance on articles within the rating it holds and within the limitations of its operations specifications. The operations specifications are where the manufacturer, the model and the restrictions appear.
Step by step in the Painel 145
The path on the website is gov.br/anac → Assuntos → Regulados → Manutenção Aeronáutica → Painel 145. The panel is an interactive report, in Portuguese, titled "Dados das Organizações de Manutenção Certificadas pela ANAC" (data on ANAC-certificated maintenance organizations), and it opens with six entries:
- Informações Estatísticas (statistics);
- Informações Gerais das Organizações de Manutenção (general information);
- Pesquisa de OM para manutenção em célula, motor e hélice (search by airframe, engine and propeller);
- Pesquisa de OM para manutenção em acessório, rádio e instrumento (search by accessory, radio and instrument);
- Pesquisa de OM para execução de serviço especializado (search by specialized service);
- Foreign Maintenance Organization (foreign maintenance organizations).
To check a shop you already know
Use Informações Gerais das Organizações de Manutenção. The filters are organization name, base name, COM number, country, state and city. When you click on the base, the panel shows:
- the base status (valid or not valid);
- the COM number and the CNPJ (Brazilian company registration number);
- the address and whether it is the main base;
- the ratings and classes on the certificate;
- the accountable manager and the technical manager;
- a link to the operations specifications of that base;
- the "EO virtual": the list of products and specialized services the base can handle, each one marked as valid or not valid.
The panel itself points out two details. A shop may have more than one base, and each base has its own status and operations specifications: check the base where the work will be done. And if maintenance on a product, or the entire base, is suspended, the item shows as "not valid".
To find shops for your model
Use the search that matches what needs maintenance. In the airframe, engine and propeller search, you filter by rating, manufacturer, model and state. The table shows organization, base, COM, city, manufacturer, model, limitations and a column stating whether the base is able to perform maintenance on the selected product.
Read the limitations column
This is where most of the surprises are. The panel shows limitations such as "Limitado às inspeções periódicas" (limited to periodic inspections) or "Exceto pintura geral e reparo estrutural" (except full painting and structural repair). A shop may be able to work on your model and still not be able to do the service you need.
One note: ANAC's older pages listing shops in alphabetical order are not the current reference. The old page of the Airworthiness Superintendence's system itself states that the information on RBAC 145 certificated organizations was moved to the dedicated site. If you find something inconsistent in the panel, it points to the "Fale com a ANAC" (contact ANAC) channel.
Why the check is yours
RBAC 91 (Brazil's equivalent of FAR Part 91), in section 91.403(a), is direct: the operator or, in its absence, the owner is responsible for keeping the aircraft in airworthy condition, including compliance with RBAC 39 (airworthiness directives).
In commercial air transport the rule runs along the same line. Under §135.413(a) of RBAC 135 (Brazil's equivalent of FAR Part 135), the certificate holder is primarily responsible for the airworthiness of its aircraft. When it contracts out maintenance, it must ensure that the work is performed in accordance with its manual and with the regulation (§135.413(b)(2)). §121.363(b) of RBAC 121 states expressly that contracting another person does not relieve the certificate holder of that responsibility.
Hiring the shop does not transfer the responsibility. Choosing a shop within scope is part of it.
Checklist before hiring
- Valid base in the panel. Check the status of the base that will perform the work, not just the company name.
- Model and service covered. The manufacturer and model must show as valid in that base's operations specifications, and the service must not fall under one of the limitations.
- If the model does not appear, ask about the capability list. According to IS 145-009E (an ANAC advisory circular), the shop may perform maintenance on an article listed in its operations specifications or in its capability list. The list is the shop's own document, and each article only goes on it with prior ANAC approval, unless the shop is authorized for self-inclusion. The panel shows when a base is authorized for self-inclusion. Ask for the current list and check your model on it.
- Ask to see the certificate and the operations specifications. RBAC 145 requires them to be available on the premises to the public (145.5(b)).
- Know who signs the release. Whoever approves return to service on behalf of a shop in Brazil must be qualified under RBAC 65 (Brazil's mechanic licensing rule, equivalent to FAR Part 65) (145.157(a)). The record must carry the signature and the ANAC license number and type of whoever approved it.
- Ask whether any work will be subcontracted. The shop may subcontract part of the work (145.201(a)(2)). If the subcontractor is not certificated, the shop must ensure a quality control system equivalent to its own.
- Agree on the records you will receive. Under sections 43.9 and 43.11 of RBAC 43 (Brazil's equivalent of FAR Part 43), the maintenance entry includes a description of the work, the date, who performed it and who approved return to service. For a major repair or major alteration, there is also the form approved by ANAC (43.5); IS 145-009E points to form F-400-04.
Certificated shop and independent mechanic
A mechanic with a valid license and rating may perform maintenance, preventive maintenance and alterations as provided in RBAC 65 (43.3(b)). The difference lies in approving return to service. Section 43.7 gives the mechanic that privilege in defined cases. Examples:
- inspections of up to 50 hours on aircraft not linked to a company operating under RBAC 121 or 135;
- preventive maintenance, also outside those companies;
- light-sport aircraft, gliders and motor gliders.
Outside those cases, approval must come from another person authorized by section 43.7. Among them is the certificated maintenance organization, which approves return to service as provided in RBAC 145 (43.7(c)): within its ratings, its operations specifications and with the applicable technical data (145.201).
For those on the shop side
Alis is a management system for RBAC 145 maintenance shops: work orders, quotes, parts traceability and maintenance records. Learn more on the Alis maintenance shop page.
This article is informational and does not replace consulting ANAC's current regulations or your operation's approved manuals.