Modification & STC status
Embraer E-Jet modification-status records review
This review confirms that the modifications and STCs an Embraer E-Jet's records claim are embodied match what was approved and what the configuration list reflects. It is run before a transaction, after a cabin or avionics upgrade, or when modification history has built up across operators. It checks Service Bulletin embodiment against its effectivity, the approval basis behind each STC, and the link between the configuration list and the changes actually recorded. You receive an exception list of unsupported or mis-recorded changes, a source map to the approval data, and a plan to close each item before the configuration is relied on.
When this review is needed
- An E-Jet is being priced and the buyer needs each claimed modification confirmed against its approval basis.
- A cabin or avionics upgrade was embodied and the configuration list has to catch up to the change.
- Modifications accumulated across several operators and no one has reconciled the status report recently.
- An STC is claimed on the configuration list and the approval file behind it has never been located.
The problem
Modification status drifts because each change is small and the records that track it lag the airframe. A Service Bulletin is embodied but recorded against the wrong effectivity for the serial number; an STC is listed on the configuration but its approval file was never held by the operator that claims it; a cabin reconfiguration reads as complete while the approval data sits with whoever did the work. On an E-Jet that has passed through operators with different cabin and avionics fits, the configuration list can assert a state the approval records do not support.
What gets reviewed
- Embodied Service Bulletins checked against the effectivity for this serial number
- STCs on the configuration list traced to their approval files
- The approval and substantiation data behind each claimed modification
- The configuration list reconciled against the changes actually recorded
- Cabin and avionics upgrades confirmed against the modification approval rather than the work record alone
- Modifications recorded against the correct revision of the change instruction
Scope this review
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What gets validated
- Each claimed STC is supported by an approval file appropriate to the installation and register
- Service Bulletin embodiment matches the effectivity for the serial number
- The configuration list reconciles with the modification and Service Bulletin records
- Cabin and avionics changes carry approval data rather than a work-accomplishment record alone
- Modifications are recorded against the revision of the change instruction that was actually embodied
Evidence normally required
- The modification and STC status report or configuration list
- Approval and substantiation data for each claimed modification and STC
- Service Bulletin embodiment records with effectivity
- The type-design configuration reference for the aircraft variant
- Work-accomplishment records for cabin and avionics upgrades
Common discrepancies
- An STC on the configuration list with no approval file behind it in the records
- A Service Bulletin recorded against effectivity that does not apply to this serial number
- A cabin upgrade shown embodied with only a work record and no modification approval
- A modification recorded against a superseded revision of its change instruction
What is at stake
A modification without traceable approval data may have to be re-substantiated or removed, which is far more expensive than confirming the basis before a deal closes. A Service Bulletin recorded against effectivity that does not apply to the serial number puts every AD compliance built on that embodiment in doubt. A configuration list that overstates the aircraft's approved fit stalls acceptance until the basis is reconstructed, usually mid-transaction.
Move from findings to resolution
Move from findings to a documented resolution path.
How the work runs
Pull the claimed configuration
Assemble the modification, STC, and Service Bulletin status the records assert for the serial number.
Check effectivity and basis
Confirm each change applies to this aircraft and carries appropriate approval data.
Reconcile to the configuration list
Map the recorded changes against the configuration list and the type design.
List the exceptions
Flag unsupported, mis-recorded, or non-portable changes with the evidence behind each.
What the buyer receives
- An exception list of modifications and STCs that lack a traceable approval basis
- A source map tying each change to its approval and substantiation data
- A closure plan for the changes that need approval evidence located or reconciled
Who uses the output
- Asset and acquisition teams pricing the configuration the records actually support
- Engineering deciding how to treat a modification with no traceable basis
- Records teams setting a configuration the rest of the file can rest on
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The modification review establishes the configuration baseline that AD applicability, equipment status, and later modification tracking all depend on. It runs before a transaction or right after an upgrade so the records catch up to the airframe, and its exceptions feed the work of locating or reconstructing approval data before anything is built on the configuration.
Aircraft-specific considerations
E-Jets are frequently reconfigured between operators, especially in the cabin and the avionics suite, so a single serial number can carry layers of modification embodied under different STCs and Service Bulletins over its life. Because these upgrades are where the approval basis most often detaches from the work record, the review treats cabin and avionics changes as the primary drift points and traces each to its approval rather than accepting the configuration list at face value.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
An STC approved under FAA rules is not automatically accepted on an EASA register, and the reverse is equally true, so a modification the configuration list claims may need a validated approval to be relied on after a transfer. The review flags each STC whose acceptance does not carry across the register change without a further approval step.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms the recorded configuration is internally consistent and supported by approval data. It does not approve a modification, grant or validate an STC, or determine that the aircraft is in an airworthy configuration.
What this review does not cover
- Developing or approving new modification, STC, or repair data
- Validating an STC for acceptance on a receiving register
- A physical configuration survey or any airworthiness determination on the installed fit
Specific to this review
- Effectivity is where modification records most often break: a Service Bulletin can be genuinely embodied but recorded against a serial it does not apply to.
- A cabin or avionics upgrade often leaves a strong work record and a weak approval trail, because the approval sits with whoever developed the change.
- An STC accepted on one register is not portable: a transfer can require it to be validated before the configuration list holds up.
- A Service Bulletin recorded against the wrong effectivity puts every AD compliance built on that embodiment into question, so the error cascades beyond the modification itself.
- E-Jets are reconfigured between operators often enough that one serial can carry layered modification history, so the configuration list is traced change by change rather than accepted whole.
Sources
U.S. Government (eCFR). Maintenance recordkeeping content and approval-for-return-to-service requirements, including 43.9, 43.11, and Appendix B.
U.S. Government (eCFR). Type certificates, STCs (Subpart E), TSO authorizations (Subpart O), PMA (Subpart K), and export airworthiness approvals (Subpart L).
Federal Aviation Administration. STC application process, certification basis, and continued airworthiness obligations of an STC holder.
European Union / EASA. EASA design and production certification, STCs, ETSO authorizations, and EASA Form 1 release.
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
An STC is on the configuration list. Isn't that enough?
The list records that a change was embodied. The review confirms the approval file behind that STC exists, applies to this serial number, and will be accepted on the register the aircraft is moving to. An STC valid in its origin system can still need validation before the configuration list holds up after a transfer.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
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