Twin-aisle assets
Widebody aircraft records review
A widebody records review is for lessors, airlines, and acquisition teams pricing or accepting a twin-aisle aircraft ahead of a transaction or return. The trigger is a high-value deal where the long maintenance history of a long-haul airframe carries the risk. We examine structural repair substantiation, large modification programs, high-value engine and landing-gear records, and the approval basis behind each major change against source documents. You receive a discrepancy register, a repair and modification status view mapped to its approval basis, and the evidence each open item needs to close.
When this review is needed
- A long-haul twin-aisle aircraft carries years of structural repairs whose substantiation has to be confirmed.
- A high-value transaction rests on engine and landing-gear records that justify the asking price.
- A large modification program was embodied and the buyer needs the approval basis verified.
- A return is offered and the lessor wants the long maintenance history read independently first.
The problem
Twin-aisle airframes carry deep service histories with many structural repairs, large modifications, and high-value rotable changes. Every repair needs approved data behind it and every modification needs an approval basis the receiving authority will accept. The volume is large, and the item that is missing is usually the substantiation behind a repair rather than the record of the repair itself.
What gets reviewed
- AD accomplishment evidence across a long service life, including high-cycle structural inspections
- Structural repairs with the approved or substantiating data behind each one
- Major modification and Service Bulletin packages and their approval basis
- Shop-visit records and life-limited part status for the engines, APU, and landing gear
- Authorized release certificates for high-value rotables
- Status lists reconciled against the documents that support them
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
- Each structural repair carries approved or substantiating data appropriate to its classification
- Major modifications show an approval basis acceptable to the relevant authority
- Shop-visit reports for the engines and landing gear reconcile with recorded part and serial numbers
- Life-limited part status traces to release documentation with consistent time and cycle histories
- Repair locations and classifications are consistent between the structural-repair register and the airframe records
- Status lists tie back to source documents rather than standing on their own
Evidence normally required
Common discrepancies
- A structural repair recorded without the approved data behind it
- A modification whose approval basis does not transfer to the receiving authority
- Shop-visit reports that disagree with the recorded serial numbers
- An unsupported AD closure on a high-cycle structural inspection
- Status lists that disagree with the source documents they summarize
What is at stake
Accepting a widebody with an unsubstantiated structural repair or a modification whose approval basis does not transfer can force rework or a discount at the next move. On a high-value asset that swing is significant and far cheaper to find before the deal closes.
How the work runs
Map the repair and mod history
Build the structural-repair and major-modification inventory for the airframe and identify the items that drive value or movability.
Substantiate each major change
Confirm approved or substantiating data behind each repair and a transferable approval basis behind each modification.
Register discrepancies
Record each finding with its source document, evidence trace, and effect on the approval basis.
Map closure
Recommend a closure path and responsible party so the deal can proceed or be driven to resolution.
What the buyer receives
- A discrepancy register pairing each finding with its source document and evidence trace
- A repair and modification status view mapped to its approval basis
- A closure recommendation for each item with the responsible party named
- A view of which findings most affect the asset's price or movability
Who uses the output
- Acquisition and asset teams pricing the widebody
- Continuing-airworthiness teams confirming the modification and repair baseline
- Transaction stakeholders quantifying residual records risk
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review supports a sale, return, or acquisition by turning a voluminous structural and modification history into a substantiated status view. It feeds the data room and the discrepancy register that the larger transaction is built on.
Start with a single asset
Start with a single tail and expand once the workflow is proven.
Aircraft-specific considerations
Long-haul widebody airframes accumulate many structural repairs over a long calendar life, so repair substantiation and modification approval basis tend to drive value more than routine task accomplishment. Engine and landing-gear assemblies are high-value, so their shop-visit and life-limit records are checked in depth.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
A major modification approved under one authority is not automatically acceptable to another, so the approval basis is verified for transferability to the receiving authority separately from the modification record itself.
Regulatory limits
This review confirms records completeness, consistency, and traceability. It does not classify repairs on the authority's behalf, issue an approval, or determine that the aircraft is airworthy.
What this review does not cover
- Physical or non-destructive inspection of structure and components
- Engineering re-substantiation or re-approval of a repair
- Any airworthiness or acceptance determination
Specific to this review
- Long-haul widebody airframes accumulate many structural repairs over a long calendar life, so repair substantiation and approval basis tend to drive value more than routine task accomplishment.
- A major modification approval valid under one authority is not automatically acceptable to another, so the approval basis is checked separately from the modification record.
- Engine and landing-gear assemblies are high-value items whose shop-visit and life-limit records frequently carry more residual value risk than the airframe records.
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). Records an owner or operator must keep, including total time in service, current status of life-limited parts, and AD compliance.
Federal Aviation Administration. FAA type certification process, certification basis establishment, and compliance findings.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
Frequently asked questions
What is usually missing on a widebody records set?
It is rarely the record of a repair. The gap is the approved or substantiating data behind it, or the evidence that a modification's approval basis transfers to the receiving authority. The review checks substantiation and approval basis as separate items from the records that reference them.
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.