Installation evidence gap
Missing component installation evidence in the records
Missing installation evidence means a component reads as fitted on the status list but the records do not show the work that installed it, such as the task reference, the sign-off, or the release the fitment relied on. It is a problem for lessors, airlines, and MROs at redelivery, induction, or audit. The check reads the status list against the installation entries and supporting evidence each fitment should carry. You receive a list of parts shown as fitted with no installation record and the path to recover each.
When this review is needed
- A redelivery binder is being built and each fitted rotable must show the work that installed it.
- An audit finds a part on the status list with no installation entry linking it to the aircraft.
- A pooled or exchange unit was fitted and the installation paperwork was not raised or not retained.
The problem
A status list states what is fitted, but it does not prove how the part got there. The installation event ties the part to the aircraft through a task reference, a sign-off, and the release it was fitted against, and any of those can be absent while the status line still reads as present. A fitment without that evidence rests on the status list pointing to itself.
What gets reviewed
- Each fitted component by part and serial number
- The installation task reference and sign-off for the fitment
- The release the part was installed against
- Pooled, exchange, and loaned units whose install paperwork may not have been raised
- Controlled fitments requiring specific authorization to install
Scope this review
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What gets validated
- Each fitted part has an installation entry with a task reference and sign-off
- The installation references the release the part was fitted against
- The sign-off is by a person or organization authorized for the work
- Pooled and exchange units carry installation evidence, not only a status line
- Controlled fitments show the authorization the installation required
Evidence normally required
- Component status list with part and serial numbers
- Installation entries and task cards or digital equivalents
- Authorized release certificates for fitted parts
- Work packages for components installed during recent visits
Common discrepancies
- A part on the status list with no installation entry tying it to the aircraft
- An installation entry with no task reference or no sign-off
- A fitment that does not reference the release the part was installed against
- A controlled component installed without the authorization the work required
What is at stake
A part fitted without installation evidence may be treated as unsupported until the work is reconstructed, which can mean recovering the work pack from the shop that did the job. At redelivery the cost lands on the accepting party, and on a controlled fitment the gap can hold the aircraft until the installation is substantiated.
Move from findings to resolution
Sequence the fixes and the documentation that closes each finding.
How the work runs
Read the status list
Take each fitted component by part and serial number from the status list as the population to verify.
Find the installation event
Locate the task reference, sign-off, and the release each fitment was installed against.
Test the authorization
Confirm the sign-off is by an authorized person or organization and that controlled fitments carry the authorization they required.
Set the recovery path
For each unsupported fitment, map whether to recover the work pack or substantiate the installation another way.
What the buyer receives
- A register of fitments with missing or incomplete installation evidence
- The evidence currently standing in for each unsupported fitment
- A recovery path per component, whether locating the work pack or substantiating the installation
Who uses the output
- Records teams assembling the redelivery binder for the fitted rotables
- Quality assurance confirming the sign-off rests on an authorized signature
- Continuing-airworthiness staff resolving a controlled fitment held for evidence
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review separates the installation event from the release document, so a part with a valid release but no record of being fitted is caught distinctly from one missing its release. It feeds the redelivery binder and the discrepancy register.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
Who may sign off an installation differs by authority and class of work. Where the aircraft is moving registries, installation evidence is read for whether the receiving authority accepts the authorization the sign-off relied on.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms whether installation evidence is present, signed, and consistent. It does not approve an installation, authorize return to service, or make an airworthiness determination.
What this review does not cover
- Authorizing return to service or approving the installation
- Physical re-inspection of the fitted component
- Issuing any airworthiness determination on the fitment
Specific to this review
- A status list line is not installation evidence, because the line records the result while the installation event records how the part was fitted and by whom.
- Installation evidence and release evidence are checked as separate failures, since a part can carry a valid release yet have no record of the work that fitted it.
- Pooled and exchange fitments are a recurring source of missing installation records, because the install is often raised in a system that did not travel with the aircraft.
Sources
U.S. Government (eCFR). Maintenance recordkeeping content and approval-for-return-to-service requirements, including 43.9, 43.11, and Appendix B.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency. EASA authorised release certificate for components, equivalent in function to FAA Form 8130-3.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
Frequently asked questions
Does a valid release certificate cover the installation?
No. A release shows the part was fit to install. The installation evidence shows it was actually fitted, by whom, and against which release. The two are checked separately, because a part can hold a valid release and still have no record of being installed.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
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