[A/C Environment] Aircraft Grounding/Earthing/Bonding

Reference: 12.34.00003 Issue date: 10-JUN-2020 Last check date: 10-JUN-2020 Status: Open
A/C type/serie: A300, A300-600, A310, A318, A319, ... ATA: 12-34
Engine manufacturer: Supplier:
Purpose / Reason for revision: update title/content & merge with ISI 12.34.00001
Engineering Support Status: Open
SUBJECT
What are AIRBUS requirements or recommendations for Bonding/Grounding/Earthing of the aircraft during
maintenance, servicing, transit or parking?

DEFINITION
Bonding refers to the establishment of a current path between electrically conductive parts in order to assure
Electrical Continuity. By extension, in order to ensure the fault current return path to the power source neutral.
This path may be between:
• Two structural parts
• Two points on a ground plane of a system (e.g. antenna) or
• The PVR (Point Of Voltage Reference = A/C power source voltage reference) and structure elements
such as Metallic Aircraft Structure, MBN (Metallic Bonding Network) or ESN (Electrical Structural Network), a
circuit or an equipment chassis. In this context the bonding path is used for return of fault currents the PVR.

Grounding means connecting the live part (meaning the part which carries current under normal condition) to
the earth, and in other terms, the establishment of a current path between two conductive parts in order to
ensure the return of functional current (power or signal) to the power source neutral (this includes connections
used for Electrical Current Return).
It is done for the protections of power system equipment and to provide an effective return path from the
machine to the power source.
 Grounding refers the current carrying part of the system such as neutral.

Earthing means connecting the dead part (meaning the part which does not carries current under normal
condition) to the earth, and in other terms, the establishment of electrical continuity between the A/C on ground
and the earth’s surface (globe).
Thus, earthing is a bonding function between the aircraft on ground AND the earth.
 The purpose of earthing is to minimize the risk of receiving an electric shock if touching metal parts when
a fault is present.
FACT
There are three different “basic” reasons whereby Bonding, Grounding/Earthing is needed, which are applicable
depending on the maintenance/servicing operation being performed:

(1) Prevention of Electrical shocks to personnel due to current leakages.

These current leakages might come from a defect condition on:
 the aircraft 115V/400Hz power network
 the ground power external unit connected to the aircraft OR
 the ground network if an externally powered device is brought into the aircraft.
Even if in all above three cases, protections should limit the presence of these leakages, there is a residual
risk of hazard to the people working on aircraft that is cancelled when the aircraft is grounded to the earth.

(2) Prevention of arcs during fuel or oxygen servicing.

This is why:
 Bonding, which equalizes the electrical potential, is mandatory.
 Grounding/earthing recommended per local regulations.

(3) Limitation of damages in case of Lightning strike on ground to the aircraft.

LOCATION OF GROUNDING/EARTHING POINTS

A318/A319
A300/A310 A330/A340 A380 A350
A320/A321
Nose LG     
Main LG     

Centerline LG   (on A340  
-500/-600)
Body LG     
Wing LG     
 

Wing for refuel (If (If  
(If installed)
installed) installed)
  
Engine air inlet (CFM, GE if (CFM if (CFM if  
installed) installed) installed)
 

HP connector (If (If  
(If installed)
installed) installed)

 APPLICABLE
 Not APPLICABLE
RULES and MAINTENANCE TASKS
1) Aircraft Bonding for the refuel/defuel OR oxygen servicing operations

It is mandatory to bond between the aircraft and

- the fuel tanker before the refuel/defuel operations.
- the oxygen ground-filling equipment before oxygen servicing operations.
For grounding (i.e. earthing by means of a cable), obey the local area regulations.

The rule can be illustrated as follows:

Please be advised IATA has produced an "Intoplane Fuelling Procedures" Guidance Material geared towards the
operators, which is procurable at the IATA web site: www.iata.org
 2) Aircraft Grounding/Earthing for other maintenance operations

The grounding of the aircraft is required prior to energizing the aircraft network.

# During base/hangar maintenance:

As soon as you do maintenance and/or servicing tasks with equipment powered from domestic or industrial
network outside the A/C, Operators must ground (earth) the A/C.

The rule can be illustrated as follows:

# During transit operations / on the ramp:

As soon as you do maintenance and/or servicing tasks with equipment powered from domestic or industrial
network outside the A/C, Operators must ground (earth) the A/C.
In addition, by "aircraft in transit", it is assumed that the aircraft is either at the gate or parked on the tarmac.
The rules can be illustrated as follows:
 3) Aircraft parked

When the aircraft is parked under clear weather conditions and without fuel servicing or Maintenance, the
grounding is not required.

However, if the parking period is prolonged (more than 2 days typically), the grounding (earthing) is
recommended as a preventive measure, due to possibilities of unexpected occurrences of storms. This is risk can
be emphasized depending on the geographical location, season, weather forecast,...

So, when the aircraft is parked or stored outside, AIRBUS also recommends the grounding of the aircraft, as a
preventive measure in case of storm occurrence and subsequent lightning strikes.

4) Storm conditions:

The grounding (earthing) of the aircraft is required.

Note: avoid the presence of personnel around the aircraft.

The rule can be illustrated as follows:

Please also refer to ISI article ref 20.17.00001 (Risks to personnel and aircraft in case of lightning
strike affecting an aircraft on ground).
 5) Aircraft grounding cable specifications:

As mentioned in the maintenance documentation, to ensure the electrical continuity between the aircraft and the
earth, the a/c must be grounded by means of an electric cable with a cross section of 22mm² minimum (0.034
in²).

This cable must be connected between the earth connections and identified grounding points (varying function
of the aircraft family).
The ohmic resistance value between those grounding points and the earth connection must not exceed 500
milliohms.

Moreover, for each ground point (aircraft grounding point and earth connection) an electrical bonding
measurement must be performed.
The corresponding ohmic resistance value must not exceed 10 milliohms.

As an example, AIRBUS proposes the P/N cable ref. NSA935131DG4 (NSA935131 for the standard reference, DG
for the type code and 4 for the gauge code).
Dimensions, tolerances, electrical/general characteristics etc. of the cable are documented in Standard Manuals
(SM).

ADDITIONAL NOTE
Static electricity resulting from the flight or the environmental conditions on ground (wind with dust, sand, etc.)
is discharged through the tires.

Tires contact with the ground is sufficient for ESD (electrostatic discharges), but not for electrical safety. As a
consequence, it cannot be considered as a grounding (earthing) solution.

NOTA: Evacuation of Aircraft electro-static charge after landing:

For the purpose of dissipation of the own aircraft Electro-static charge, the grounding of aircraft is not
necessary. Although of high resistance, the tires provide conductivity enough to ensure the evacuation of the
aircraft flight cumulated electro-static charge just after landing (within a few seconds maximum).
So, when it arrives at the gate, the aircraft has already been electro-statically discharged.

In addition, please be advised that for the specific cases of aircraft in transit in airport, other recommendations
may be provided by organisms such as the IATA. In particular, the IATA has produced an "Airport Handling
Manual" geared towards the operators, which is procurable at the IATA web site: www.iata.org

READ MORE
Refer to Maintenance Briefing Note, available on AIRBUS World portal, which consolidates the AIRBUS
requirements and recommendations concerning bonding, grounding, and earthing.

DISCLAIMER
In any case, AMM and MP tasks should remain the reference documentation for Operators.
Survey for the Engineering Support section
 Annex

General Information
Potential impact:
Key information:
Solution benefit:
First issue date: 11-AUG-2005 Issue date: 10-JUN-2020 Last check date: 10-JUN-2020

Technical parameters
ATA: 12-34
A/C type/serie: A300, A300-600, A310, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340, A350, A380
Engine:
Engine manufacturer:
Fault code/ECAM
warning:
FIN:
Part Number:
Supplier:

Attachments
General:
- ISI_12.34.00003_Summary.docx

Links
Other articles (ISI/TFU):
- 20.17.00001
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