Authorized release certificates
Airbus A220 family authorized release documentation review
This review confirms that the components installed on an Airbus A220 family aircraft carry the release paperwork their installation requires. It is run for lessors, airlines, operators, and management teams before a transaction, after a component-heavy check, or when the release file has never been reconciled to what is actually fitted. The work checks FAA Form 8130-3, EASA Form 1, dual-release certificates, and the installation records that tie each release to a specific install. You receive a supported exception list of components missing or mismatched on release, a source map per part, and a closure plan for the tail.
When this review is needed
- A component-heavy check has just fitted parts whose release paperwork must be filed against each install.
- A buyer requires a release certificate for every serialized unit before it will accept the tail.
- The aircraft is moving between FAA and EASA registers and each install needs a release the receiving system accepts.
- The component release file has grown across operators and no one has matched it to the current fit.
The problem
A component is only installable if its release certificate supports the installation, and on an A220 the release file accumulates across shops, operators, and forms that read differently. A part can sit on the aircraft with a certificate that names a different serial number, carries the wrong form for the register, or is missing the installation record that would tie it to this tail. The file looks full, but full is not the same as reconciled to what is fitted.
What gets reviewed
- Release certificate present for each serialized component the tail carries
- FAA Form 8130-3 and EASA Form 1 checked for the correct part and serial number
- Dual-release certificates confirmed for parts crossing between FAA and EASA acceptance
- Installation records tying each release to a specific install on this tail
- Release status reconciled against the current configuration and fitted-parts list
- Components flagged where no acceptable release supports the installation
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What gets validated
- Each installed serialized component has a release certificate naming its exact part and serial number
- The release form matches the acceptance basis for the register the tail is on
- A dual-release certificate is present where the part crossed authorities
- An installation record ties each release to the install it supports on this tail
- The release file reconciles to the fitted-parts list with no unmatched components either way
Evidence normally required
- The component release file for the aircraft
- The current fitted-parts and configuration list for the tail
- FAA Form 8130-3, EASA Form 1, and dual-release certificates on file
- Installation and removal records for the serialized components
- The register history relevant to the acceptance basis for each release
Common discrepancies
- A release certificate that names a serial number other than the one installed
- A part released under one authority's form on a tail that needs release for the other
- An installed component with no installation record tying its release to this tail
- A release in the file for a part that is no longer fitted, with no release for its replacement
What is at stake
A component with no acceptable release, or a release that does not match the installed unit, cannot be relied on at a sale and may have to be removed or re-released before acceptance. On a register change, a part released only under one authority's form can stall the move until dual release or a re-release is arranged, and that work lands under time pressure on the current owner.
Move from findings to resolution
Move from findings to a documented resolution path.
How the work runs
Pull the fitted list
Establish the serialized components actually installed on the tail from the current configuration.
Match releases to installs
Confirm each fitted component has a release naming its exact part and serial number.
Check form and register
Verify the release form fits the acceptance basis for the tail's current or intended register.
List and sequence closure
Flag components lacking acceptable release and lay out recovery, re-release, or dual release.
What the buyer receives
- A supported exception list of components lacking an acceptable, matching release
- A source map linking each installed part to its release and installation record
- A closure plan to recover, re-release, or dual-release the flagged components
Who uses the output
- Records teams reconciling the release file before a sale or a register change
- Continuing-airworthiness staff confirming each install rests on acceptable paperwork
- Asset managers gauging the release exposure carried by the installed components
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The release review confirms the paperwork layer that component status, LLP trace, and configuration all sit on. Its exception list feeds recovery or re-release while the tail is still under the owner's control, and its source map lets a buyer or a receiving authority verify each install against an acceptable certificate.
Aircraft-specific considerations
A220 components come from a supply base spread across FAA and EASA shops, so a single tail's release file routinely mixes FAA Form 8130-3, EASA Form 1, and dual-release paperwork. That mix is where mismatches hide, because a part acceptable on one register can lack the form the tail's current or intended register expects. The review reconciles the release form to the acceptance basis rather than treating any authorized release as interchangeable.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
The acceptance basis for a release differs between FAA and EASA, and a part released cleanly for one register is not automatically acceptable for the other. The review identifies which installed components carry release valid for the tail's register and which will need dual release or re-release before a move between systems.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms that acceptable release paperwork supports each installation on file. It does not issue a release certificate, approve an installation, or determine airworthiness. Identifying a missing release is an evidence finding, not an authorization to fit or re-release the part.
What this review does not cover
- Issuing or re-issuing any release certificate
- Physical inspection or removal of the installed components
- Any airworthiness or installation-approval decision
Specific to this review
- A full release file is not a reconciled one: the test is whether each installed serial number has a matching certificate.
- The most common defect is a certificate that names a different serial number than the part actually fitted.
- A part released under one authority's form can be unacceptable on the other register, which surfaces only on a move.
- A release for a removed part sitting in the file masks the missing release for the replacement that is actually installed.
Sources
Federal Aviation Administration. Completion and use of FAA Form 8130-3, Authorized Release Certificate, for new and used parts.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency. EASA authorised release certificate for components, equivalent in function to FAA Form 8130-3.
U.S. Government (eCFR). Maintenance recordkeeping content and approval-for-return-to-service requirements, including 43.9, 43.11, and Appendix B.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
U.S. Government (eCFR). Records an owner or operator must keep, including total time in service, current status of life-limited parts, and AD compliance.
Frequently asked questions
Our release file is complete. Isn't that enough for a buyer?
A complete file is not the same as a reconciled one. The review matches each installed serial number to a release that names it, confirms the form fits the register, and ties the release to an installation record. What matters to a buyer is that every fitted part has a certificate that actually supports its installation, which is what the review establishes.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
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