Release paperwork
Authorized-release-document review checklist
This checklist reviews a component release certificate block by block, whether it is an FAA Form 8130-3 or an EASA Form 1, confirming the status statement, approval basis, traceability references, and dual-release where it applies. Use it when component paperwork drives acceptance into a build or a transaction. You finish with a per-document validity status, a flagged-block list, and the documents to reissue or supplement.
When this review is needed
- Component paperwork is being checked at receiving before it goes into stores or a build.
- A release document has to be validated for a transaction or an audit.
- A dual-release is needed and the form has to satisfy both authorities.
- A used part arrives and its status block has to be reconciled to its actual condition.
The problem
A release certificate looks authoritative, and that is exactly why a weak one slips through. The status block may say overhauled where the shop report describes an inspection, the approval basis may cite data that does not cover the work, or the serial number on the form may not match the part in hand. At receiving these are easy to miss, and once the part is in a build the error is buried.
What gets reviewed
- The status block and whether it states new, overhauled, inspected, or repaired
- The approval basis and the data referenced for the work performed
- Part number, serial number, and quantity against the physical part
- Dual-release statements where the part crosses authorities
- Authorizing signature, approval number, and date validity
- Traceability references tying the form to its supporting work record
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 status block matches the work claimed and the part's condition
- The approval basis cites data appropriate to the work and the part
- Part and serial numbers on the form match the part and its records
- Dual-release wording is present and correct where two authorities apply
- The authorizing signature, approval number, and date are present and valid
Evidence normally required
- The release certificate under review
- The component and its part and serial markings
- The work order or shop report behind the release
- The receiving operator's acceptance criteria for the jurisdiction
- The applicable approval-basis references for the work claimed
Common discrepancies
- A status block that does not match the work the shop report describes
- An approval basis citing data that does not cover the work performed
- A serial number on the form that does not match the part
- A single-authority release where the installation needs a dual-release
- A missing approval number or an expired authorization on the form
What is at stake
A part accepted on a release that does not stand can fail an audit, stall a transaction, or have to be removed and reinstalled with correct paperwork. Catching the weak block at receiving, before the part is fitted, turns a costly removal into a request to the shop to reissue or supplement.
How the work runs
Read the status block
Confirm the stated condition matches the work the shop report actually describes for the part.
Check the approval basis
Confirm the cited data covers the work performed and is appropriate to the part and its installation.
Match the identifiers
Reconcile part number, serial number, quantity, signature, approval number, and dates against the part and its records.
Flag and route
List each weak block and mark the document for reissue or supplement before the part is accepted.
What the buyer receives
- A per-document validity status for the reviewed set
- A flagged-block list with the specific issue on each form
- A reissue-or-supplement list for documents that do not stand
Who uses the output
- Quality and compliance teams accepting or rejecting the paperwork
- Stores and receiving deciding whether a part enters inventory
- Records teams clearing release documents for a transaction
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The checklist is the focused block-level review behind the broader engine shop-visit and acquisition checks, and it underpins cross-authority moves where each release has to satisfy the receiving authority.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
An FAA Form 8130-3 and an EASA Form 1 are functionally equivalent, but a release acceptable to one authority is not automatically accepted by the other. Where a part crosses authorities, the form is checked for the dual-release wording or the acceptance route the receiving authority requires.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms the document is complete and internally consistent. It does not re-certify the part, substitute for the issuing authority's approval, or make an airworthiness determination on the installation.
What this review does not cover
- Physical inspection or test of the component
- Re-certification or re-issue of the release on EE's authority
- Any airworthiness determination on the part
Specific to this review
- A release accepted under one authority is not automatically accepted by another, so cross-authority installations are checked for the receiving authority's requirements.
- The review confirms the document is complete and consistent; it does not re-certify the part or substitute for the authority's acceptance.
- The status block and the shop report are checked against each other, because a form can state overhauled while the report describes only an inspection.
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.
European Union / EASA. EASA design and production certification, STCs, ETSO authorizations, and EASA Form 1 release.
Frequently asked questions
Can EE reissue a release that fails the review?
No. The checklist identifies the blocks that do not stand and what is needed to fix them. Reissuing or supplementing a release is the job of the authorized organization that signed it, not of a records review.
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.
Adapt the checklist to your asset, event, and jurisdiction.