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Results for: wire system certification

Wire and Cable Testing and Analysis

Lectromec’s lab offers several testing and analysis options based on your particular test need. Find out more about each of these options below. Wire, Cable, and Electrical Component Testing Doing the right test and doing it correctly is critical for aircraft and aerospace components. Contact Lectromec to get started with testing your components right. Before […] Read more

Takeaways from the 2014 UL Wire and Cable International Conference

July 29, 2014 Michael Traskos

Interest in wires and cables is not limited to the United States. Every year Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) conducts a trade show in the People’s Republic of China in a city called Humen, which is close to Hong Kong. In July, UL recognized Lectromec’s expertise by inviting them to present at the 2014 UL Wire and […] Read more

DO-254 process for aircraft component certification

July 18, 2014 Emma Schwoerer

RTCA/DO-254, Design Assurance Guidance for Airborne Electronic Hardware is a commonly used document that provides instructions and process for airborne electronic hardware development and aircraft component certification. Formally recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2005, the DO-254 serves as a standard for ensuring the highest level of safety in the design of electronic […] Read more

A response to the TWA800 accident involving wire damage: SFAR-88

November 1, 2011 Michael Traskos

The SFAR88 requirements and related regulations (66 Fed. Reg. (May 7, 2001)) was the immediate FAA response to the TWA800 accident investigation involving wire damage. The investigation, conducted by the NTSB, indicated that the probable cause was a wire failure that resulted in additional energy being transferred to the fuel quantity indicating system (FQIS). This […] Read more

For aircraft wire systems, there is no perfect conductor, not even a silver plated one

July 1, 2006 Lectromec Team

Aircraft engineers are always seeking perfect aircraft wire systems. Problems with silver plated copper wires were discovered during the 1960’s; in particular, a corrosive effect emerged that was commonly referred to as Red Plague (cuprous oxide and perhaps some cupric oxide). Read more

Does a Connector’s Plating Type Impact Performance?

August 23, 2017 Michael Traskos

Design and installation of an aircraft’s electrical system has been made significantly easier with the adoption of modular harness design. This design pattern allows for discrete wiring sections to be designed and fabricated; this is only possible with the reliable performance of connectors. The connector-ization of harnesses has led some OEMs to build platforms where […] Read more

MIL-DTL-32630 vs ASTM B33 and AS29606

April 29, 2026 Michael Traskos

Metal conductors have been the primary (and pretty much only) means of transferring electrical energy for centuries. With recent technological developments, it is possible to use alternative materials such as nanotubes and metalized fibers as conductors. Because these non-traditional conductors rely on alternative materials, thorough testing is needed to assess their viability for high demand applications like aerospace systems. For conventional aerospace conductor procurement, the progression is clear: ASTM B33 qualifies an upstream tin-coated copper wire material, AS29606 qualifies a released aerospace stranded conductor, and MIL-DTL-32630 qualifies unconventional conductor technology, whose material architecture creates additional electrical, environmental, combustion, and termination risks. This article reviews the requirements of these non-traditional conductors and how they align with traditional conductors. Read more

HIRF and EWIS in the Age of High-Voltage Aircraft

April 2, 2026 Michael Traskos

High-Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF) have often been viewed and treated mainly as an avionics certification problem. For modern aircraft, especially those moving toward higher-voltage power distribution and power-electronic control, HIRF is evolving into an EWIS issue as well. The reason is straightforward: EWIS is the installed pathway through which electromagnetic energy can couple, propagate, and interact with equipment, structure, and other wiring systems. When the electrical architecture includes high-voltage buses and high-frequency switching, the wiring system becomes even more central to whether the aircraft remains robust in the HIRF environment. In this article, we consider the implications and how they might be addressed. Read more

FAA EWIS ICA Update

March 17, 2026 Michael Traskos

AC 120-102B replaces AC 120-102A and modernizes the FAA’s operator guidance for EWIS ICA incorporation by tightening the legal framing of AC usage, updating oversight terminology and contact pathways, and most importantly for certification-sensitive programs, clarifying the Appendix H scope of § 25.1729 EWIS ICA (H25.4 and H25.5) and surfacing “mandatory replacement times” as an explicit element of the § 25.1729 context. In this article, we discuss the updated revision of AC 120-102, the changes made between revisions and the implications/impacts these changes have on ICA documentation. Read more

Comparison of MIL-DTL-38999 and MIL-DTL-22992

January 28, 2026 Laura Wishart

In aviation Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS), the MIL-DTL-38999 is nearly synonymous with connector testing. Connectors qualified to the 38999 are considered suitable for rather extreme aviation environments, namely: high vibration areas, SWAMP environments, and even within weapons systems. Because of its robustness, the test/performance requirements of the MIL-DTL-38999 can sometimes be too restrictive for less intense aircraft environments (such as commercial or low-altitude aircraft) or for EWIS connectors that do not align with the construction of MIL-DTL-38999’s “miniature, high density, circular, environment resistant electrical” connectors. In these cases, other standards may be considered to more closely align with the anticipated needs of an aircraft’s EWIS. In this article, we will compare the well-known MIL-DTL-38999 with a much less restrictive standard, MIL-DTL-22992, and identify many similarities and gaps between the two standards. Read more