General visual inspection vs detailed inspection: the AMM definitions

The three levels

• General visual inspection (GVI): a visual examination of an interior or exterior area, installation or assembly to detect obvious damage, failure or irregularity. Made from within touching distance unless the task says otherwise, under normally available lighting, and may require opening or removing access panels.
• Detailed inspection (DET): an intensive examination of a specific item, installation or assembly to detect damage, failure or irregularity. Uses adequate lighting and, where necessary, inspection aids such as mirrors and magnifiers; may require surface cleaning and elaborate access.
• Special detailed inspection (SDI): an intensive examination of a specific item using specialized techniques — non-destructive testing, or a borescope for internal gas-path inspection — and sometimes disassembly.

A borescope inspection of the gas path is therefore not a GVI; it is a special detailed inspection of the inside of the engine.

What a GVI of a CFM56 covers

The externals: fan case and cowl attachments, accessory gearbox and accessories, fuel, oil and hydraulic lines, electrical harnesses and connectors, clamps and brackets, bleed ducts, drains, and the mounts. The inspector is looking for leaks, chafing, cracks, loose or missing hardware, heat damage, security of installation and foreign object damage, each against the acceptance criteria in the task.

Where the hours go

A GVI of engine externals is a few hours of looking and several more of writing: matching each photo to the item on the task card, quoting the criterion, recording the result. That write-up is the part InspectView targets, with the aim of reducing a four-hour GVI to one or two hours while the technician still looks at every item and signs the result.

What the report must record

The task reference, each item inspected with its result, photographs of anything found, the criterion the finding was judged against, the action taken or deferred, and the signature and authorization of the inspector.