Converted freighter assets
Freighter conversion records review
A freighter conversion records review is for lessors, operators, and acquisition teams handling a passenger-to-freighter converted aircraft, with the conversion modification at the center of the work. The trigger is usually an acquisition or return where the conversion drives configuration and value. We verify the conversion approval basis, the structural modification package, the supplemental inspection tasks the conversion adds, and how the prior passenger history reconciles with the converted configuration. You receive a discrepancy register, a conversion configuration view tied to its approval basis, and the evidence each open item needs to close.
When this review is needed
- A converted freighter is being acquired and the conversion approval basis must be verified.
- The supplemental inspection data the conversion adds needs confirming as active in the program.
- A buyer needs to see how the prior passenger history reconciles with the converted configuration.
- A return is offered and the lessor wants the conversion package read independently.
The problem
A conversion replaces a major part of the airframe's configuration and adds its own approved data, inspection tasks, and continued-airworthiness instructions. The conversion approval has to be valid for the registry the aircraft will operate under, the supplemental inspections have to be live in the maintenance program, and the prior passenger records have to reconcile with the new configuration. A conversion whose supplemental data was never folded into the program is a serious and common finding.
What gets reviewed
- Conversion approval basis and its acceptance for the operating registry
- Structural modification package and its approved or substantiating data
- Added inspection tasks and continued-airworthiness instructions the conversion introduces
- AD compliance for the modified, converted configuration
- Reconciliation of prior passenger records with the converted configuration
- Authorized release certificates for components changed during the conversion
Scope this review
Tell us the asset, the event, and the evidence in scope, and we will outline a focused first engagement.
Send a representative, redacted record set and we will scope the review.
What gets validated
- The conversion approval basis is valid and transferable to the operating registry
- The structural modification carries approved or substantiating data
- Supplemental inspection tasks are active in the current maintenance program
- AD compliance reflects the modified, converted configuration
- Prior passenger records reconcile with the converted configuration baseline
- Conversion-installed components carry release documentation appropriate to the registry
Evidence normally required
Common discrepancies
- Supplemental inspection tasks from the conversion absent from the active program
- A conversion approval basis that does not transfer to the operating registry
- Structural modification recorded without complete approved data
- Prior passenger history that does not reconcile with the converted configuration
- AD status not updated for the modified configuration
What is at stake
Accepting a freighter whose conversion approval does not transfer or whose supplemental inspections were never tracked can leave the operator unable to show continued airworthiness of the modification. Reconstructing that after acceptance is costly and can ground the asset.
How the work runs
Anchor on the conversion
Identify the conversion approval, modification package, and supplemental data set that define the converted configuration.
Confirm approval and currency
Verify the approval basis transfers to the operating registry and the supplemental tasks are live in the program.
Register discrepancies
Record each finding with its source document, evidence trace, and effect on the converted configuration.
Map closure
Recommend a closure path and responsible party so the conversion baseline can be relied on.
What the buyer receives
- A discrepancy register pairing each finding with its source document and evidence trace
- A conversion configuration view tying the modification to its approval basis
- A closure recommendation for each item with the responsible party named
- A confirmation of which supplemental tasks are live in the program and which are not
Who uses the output
- Acquisition and asset teams pricing the converted asset
- Continuing-airworthiness teams confirming the conversion is live in the program
- Operators inducting the freighter against the converted configuration
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review supports an acquisition or return by confirming the conversion is both approved for the operating registry and live in the maintenance program. It feeds the configuration baseline the receiving operator maintains against.
Start with a single asset
Start with a single tail and expand once the workflow is proven.
Aircraft-specific considerations
A passenger-to-freighter conversion adds its own approved data and continued-airworthiness instructions, so the supplemental inspection tasks must be active in the program rather than merely present in the conversion package. The prior passenger history is reconciled against the converted configuration as a distinct step.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
A conversion approval valid in one system is not automatically accepted in another, so the approval basis is checked for transferability to the registry the freighter will operate under, alongside the releases for conversion-installed components.
Regulatory limits
This review confirms records completeness, consistency, and traceability for the converted configuration. It does not approve the conversion, validate it for a registry, or determine airworthiness.
What this review does not cover
- Physical survey of the conversion installation
- Engineering re-approval of the conversion modification
- Any airworthiness or registry-acceptance determination
Specific to this review
- A passenger-to-freighter conversion adds its own approved data and continued-airworthiness instructions, so the supplemental inspection tasks must be live in the program, not just present in the conversion package.
- The conversion approval basis is checked for transferability to the operating registry, because an approval valid in one system is not automatically accepted in another.
- The prior passenger history is reconciled against the converted configuration, since a configuration change can leave passenger-era records that no longer match the airframe.
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). The legal basis for issuing and enforcing Airworthiness Directives on U.S.-registered products.
U.S. Government (eCFR). Export airworthiness approval requirements and special requirements of an importing authority.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most serious conversion finding?
A conversion whose supplemental inspection tasks were never folded into the active maintenance program. The modification can be present and approved on paper while its continued-airworthiness instructions are not being tracked, which is what the review tests for directly.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
Talk to an engineer who has done this work
We will walk through your current state, the records or evidence involved, and a scoped first engagement.
Walk through your situation with an engineer who has done this work.