Non-routine closeout
Incomplete non-routine closure in a work package
Incomplete non-routine closure is a non-routine card that records a finding but is never carried through to a disposition, the rectification, and the inspection sign-off that close it. It concerns the receiving MRO, the airline accepting the package, and the lessor relying on the check at return. The review reads each non-routine raised, traces it to its disposition and rectification, and isolates the cards left open or closed without the evidence the closure requires. You receive an open-non-routine register, the closure evidence missing from each, and the route to completing or carrying each item forward.
When this review is needed
- A package closed under time pressure left non-routines without a documented disposition.
- A check release is in hand but several non-routines show no rectification or sign-off.
- An item was deferred or carried forward and the carry-over record cannot be found.
- An audit samples non-routines and finds findings recorded but never closed.
The problem
A non-routine starts as a finding and is only complete once it has been dispositioned, rectified, inspected, and signed, or formally deferred with a tracked carry-over. Under check pressure, cards are raised faster than they are closed, and some are signed off without the disposition and rectification that should sit behind them. A package can then carry findings that were observed but never resolved, hidden behind a release that reads as final.
What gets reviewed
- Every non-routine card raised during the check or package
- The disposition recorded for each finding and whether it is engineering-backed where required
- The rectification work and its task card or entry tied to the disposition
- The inspection and final sign-off that close each non-routine
- Deferred or carried-forward items and their tracking into the program
- Non-routines that generated a component change or a repair and the paperwork behind it
Scope this review
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What gets validated
- Each non-routine carries a disposition appropriate to the finding
- The rectification ties to a task card or entry that matches the disposition
- Each closed non-routine has the inspection and final sign-off it requires
- A disposition requiring engineering input names and attaches that input
- Deferred items have a tracked carry-over record carried into the program
- Non-routines that drove a component change or repair link to that paperwork
Evidence normally required
- All non-routine cards from the check or package
- Disposition and engineering-disposition records
- Rectification task cards and logbook entries
- Deferred-item and carry-forward records and the program tracking they feed
- The check release and work-package summary
Common discrepancies
- A non-routine recording a finding with no disposition behind it
- A non-routine signed closed without the rectification card that should support it
- A disposition requiring engineering input that was never attached
- An item deferred at the check with no carry-over record reaching the program
- A non-routine that drove a component change with the release paperwork missing
What is at stake
An open non-routine is an unresolved finding the next operator inherits, sometimes without knowing it exists. A non-routine closed without its disposition and rectification cannot be shown to have been fixed, which can force re-inspection or rework, and an untracked deferral can become an overdue item the moment the carry-over is found.
Move from findings to resolution
Sequence the fixes and the documentation that closes each finding.
How the work runs
List every non-routine
Pull all non-routine cards raised in the package and establish the closure state of each.
Trace closure evidence
Tie each finding to its disposition, rectification, and sign-off, and flag any step that is absent.
Check the deferrals
Confirm every deferred item has a carry-over record that reaches the maintenance program.
Register and route
Record each open or under-evidenced item and recommend completing, deferring, or escalating it with an owner.
What the buyer receives
- An open-non-routine register listing each finding and the closure step it lacks
- The closure evidence missing from each, mapped to the disposition or rectification needed
- A route to complete, defer-and-track, or escalate each item with the responsible party
Who uses the output
- Quality assurance deciding whether the package can be accepted
- Continuing-airworthiness staff tracking deferred items into the program
- Records teams completing closure evidence before the performing organization is released
How the work fits into the transaction or program
This is the second half of a work-package closeout, paired with the task-card check. Where that confirms the routine work is evidenced, this confirms the findings the work raised were actually resolved. It feeds the handback decision and the discrepancy register and flags deferrals that must enter the program.
Aircraft-specific considerations
Non-routine volume scales with the depth of the check and the age of the airframe, so a heavy check on a high-cycle aircraft generates far more findings to close than a light check. The review is scoped to the package and the program for the specific type rather than applied at a fixed effort across events.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
What a complete disposition and an acceptable deferral look like follows the system the work was performed under, and the FAA and EASA frameworks treat carry-forward items differently. Where the asset moves to another authority, open and deferred non-routines are assessed against what the receiving authority will accept.
Regulatory limits
The review identifies non-routines that are open or closed without sufficient evidence and what each needs to close. It does not perform the rectification, issue a disposition on the operator's behalf, release the package, or make an airworthiness determination.
What this review does not cover
- Performing the rectification work for an open non-routine
- Issuing an engineering disposition on the operator's behalf
- Any airworthiness determination or regulatory approval
Specific to this review
- A non-routine is only closed when its disposition, rectification, and sign-off are all present; a signature alone does not prove the finding was resolved.
- Under check pressure, non-routines are raised faster than they are closed, so the unclosed tail is where this review concentrates.
- An untracked deferral can become an overdue item the instant the carry-over record surfaces, so deferrals are traced into the program rather than taken at face value.
- Closure evidence is recovered far more easily before the performing organization is released, which sets the timing of the review.
Sources
U.S. Government (eCFR). Maintenance recordkeeping content and approval-for-return-to-service requirements, including 43.9, 43.11, and Appendix B.
Federal Aviation Administration. FAA guidance on making and keeping maintenance records and acceptable recordkeeping practices.
U.S. Government (eCFR). Air carrier maintenance recordkeeping and retention requirements under Part 121.
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.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
Frequently asked questions
When is a non-routine actually closed?
When the finding has a disposition, the rectification tied to that disposition is recorded, and the required inspection and sign-off are present. A formally deferred item is acceptable only if it carries a tracked carry-over record into the program.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
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