Which it is, tech pubs are huge part of the after market activities of every aerospace manufacturer. That those are not up to date, or not available when or where needed, is a major finding during audits or investigations.

The article says the article was actually available on site through a different publication, but the mechanic wasn't aware of this(and yet did the right thing of contacting dedicated support, who didn't advise him correctly):

" The Rolls Royce SBs were also listed in the Trent Illustrated Parts Catalogue, accessible from any computer at the facility, but he was apparently unaware of this, so he instead switched to plan B and called the Air Transat Maintenance Control Center for help."

So many problems involving tech pubs process here. I could almost classify this whole incident as a tech pubs problem, since the aircrew faults also involved the operational checklists and their planning/guidance.

TechPubs teams often have no control over the compliance (Optional, Mandatory, etc) of the SBs - that, at least in my experience, always came from way up high in the chain, sometimes from a VP who wasn't even tangentially involved in MRO. The required procedures - MX or ACRW - also are often coming from a costs concern, rather than criticality. The whole process of figuring out what's critical and what's not - that's a problem still being smacked into, every day.

It's not hard to make a Sanity Check for pubs vs ERP/PDM, but often people involved REALLY DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT. Because it's horrifying.

The commenter who mentioned HFACS is right on the money. Unless you implement something equivalent, you're gonna be chasing your own tail.

What a great article.