Maintenance Error Decision Aid (MEDA)

Midwest Express uses a process tool developed by Boeing called Maintenance Error Decision
Aid (MEDA). Boeing originally developed MEDA to collect more information on maintenance
errors. It developed into a project to provide maintenance organizations with a standardized
process for analyzing contributing factors to errors and developing possible corrective actions
The basic philosophy behind MEDA is:
• Maintenance errors are not made on purpose.
• Most maintenance errors result from a series of contributing factors.
• Many of these contributing factors are part of a company process and, therefore, can be
managed.

The MEDA process involves five basic steps: Event, Decision, Investigation, Prevention
Strategies, and Feedback.

Event – Examples include an in-flight shutdown or damage to the aircraft. The company needs
to determine what events will be investigated.

Decision – After the aircraft is fixed and returned to service, the company determines if the event
was maintenance related. If it was, then they perform a MEDA investigation.
Investigation – When using MEDA, one of the key steps is the interview after an event.
Effective interviews incorporate the following:
• Introduce yourself and make sure the interviewee is familiar with the MEDA process.
• Use a checklist.
• Follow up on contributing factors alluded to.
• Ask for ideas on needed corrective actions.
• Avoid "Yes" or "No" questions like "Did you use the maintenance manual?" Instead, you can
rephrase it as "What kind of written information did you use?"
The investigation process is the one that presents a major challenge to many companies. It
involves a culture change in many cases. The company needs to change from a "blame game"
philosophy of investigating an accident so that they can determine who needs to get written up.
Instead, the actual causal factors need to be uncovered. Was fatigue a factor? Was adequate
technical information provided and used? Was the person properly trained to perform the task?
These are some of the questions that can help determine root causes.
Prevention strategies – In this step, the company reviews, prioritizes, implements, and tracks
prevention strategies (also known as process improvements) in order to avoid or reduce the
likelihood of similar errors in the future.
Feedback – The company must provide feedback to the maintenance technicians. A new policy
does no good if nobody on the hangar floor knows about it.
Stop the blame game
As discussed earlier, an antiquated discipline policy that seeks blame is not useful in a MEDA
type program. If technicians are disciplined for honest errors, they may:
• Hide errors.
• Not talk openly during an investigation.
• Not perform some tasks that are prone to error.