The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently published an Unapproved Parts Notification (UPN) warning aircraft operators and maintenance providers about spare parts currently in circulation that may not meet FAA production regulations.

UPN 2026-AAE-EHL-20250507-177 states that parts and accessories manufactured by MadebyMike3D—or Michael Graham—were produced and sold for use on type-certified aircraft without FAA authorization.

Many of these non-FAA-approved parts have characteristics like:

• Having active listings on Etsy
• Lacking evidence or documentation confirming FAA-approved manufacturing
• Missing articles with markings in accordance with section 45.15 of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations

An FAA statement advises, “The FAA encourages aircraft owners, operators, manufacturers, maintenance organizations and parts suppliers and distributors to inspect their aircraft and/or aircraft parts inventory for the referenced articles.”

The statement continues, “If these articles are found in existing inventory, the FAA recommends that they be quarantined to prevent installation until a determination can be made regarding their eligibility for installation.”

Operators, owners, MROs and any other aviation organization that may be impacted by these parts should also contact the FAA with information like:

• Parts from the list found installed on aircraft
• Process used for identifying the source
• Steps taken to remove the unapproved components from the aircraft or parts inventory