Continuing airworthiness
Airworthiness-review records review
An airworthiness-review records review confirms that the airworthiness review certificate, the review that issued it, and the evidence behind the recommendation are present and consistent. It is used before a purchase, a lease return, or a registry change. It checks the certificate validity, the findings the review recorded and their closure, and the records the review relied on. You receive a review-and-certificate record, the findings still open or unsupported, and what is needed to close each gap before the next review.
When this review is needed
- An aircraft is being bought or returned and the current airworthiness review state has to be confirmed.
- A registry change is planned and the review and certificate need to be understood before the move.
- The last airworthiness review recorded findings and the question is whether each was closed.
- A buyer wants the evidence behind the recommendation confirmed before relying on the certificate.
The problem
An airworthiness review results in a certificate, but the certificate sits on a review that examined records and may have recorded findings before recommending issue. A finding can be left open with no closure record, the recommendation can rest on records the file no longer holds, or the certificate can be near expiry with the next review unprepared. A current certificate can give comfort that the review behind it does not fully support.
What gets reviewed
- The airworthiness review certificate, its validity, and its expiry
- The review that issued the certificate and what it examined
- Findings the review recorded and the closure evidence for each
- The records the recommendation relied on and whether they are still held
- Items deferred or conditioned at the review and their current status
- The interval to the next review and the state of preparation for it
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 certificate is valid and its expiry is identified against the review interval
- Each finding the review recorded has a closure record behind it
- The recommendation traces to records the file still holds
- Conditioned or deferred items from the review are tracked and current
- Open items from the review are captured rather than carried silently
Evidence normally required
- The airworthiness review certificate and its issue and expiry record
- The airworthiness review report and the findings it recorded
- The closure records for each finding
- The records the review and recommendation relied on
- The continuing-airworthiness status the next review will examine
Common discrepancies
- A review finding left open with no closure record
- A recommendation that relied on records the file no longer holds
- A conditioned item from the review that was never tracked
- A certificate near expiry with no preparation for the next review
- A deferred item from the review carried silently into operation
What is at stake
A finding recorded by the review and never closed is an open item carried under a certificate that assumed closure. A recommendation that cannot point to the records it relied on weakens the basis for the certificate, and on a registry change the receiving authority will look to the review and its findings, so an unsupported review slows the move.
Move from findings to resolution
Move from findings to a documented resolution path.
How the work runs
Locate certificate and review
Identify the airworthiness review certificate, its validity and expiry, and the review report that recommended its issue.
Close out recorded findings
For each finding the review recorded, confirm a closure record exists and that conditioned or deferred items reached tracking.
Test the recommendation basis
Check that the recommendation traces to records the file still holds rather than evidence that has since left it.
Prepare for the next review
List open or unsupported findings and set a closure path so the continuing-airworthiness status is ready for the next review.
What the buyer receives
- A review-and-certificate record tying the certificate to its findings and evidence
- A list of open or unsupported findings and conditioned items
- A recommended closure path for each gap ahead of the next review
Who uses the output
- Continuing-airworthiness teams confirming the review basis holds
- Records teams preparing for the next review or a registry change
- Acquisition and asset teams confirming the certificate is supported
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review supports a pre-purchase, a redelivery, or a registry change by confirming the certificate rests on a supported review. It builds on the AD-status and return-to-service work and feeds the preparation for the next review.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
An airworthiness review certificate is issued within a specific authority's system and is not directly portable to another. Where a registry change is planned, the review identifies what the receiving authority will require to establish continuing airworthiness on its own basis.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms that the airworthiness review records are complete, consistent, and traceable to their findings and evidence. It does not perform an airworthiness review, issue or extend a certificate, or make an airworthiness determination.
What this review does not cover
- Performing an airworthiness review or issuing a recommendation
- Issuing, extending, or revoking any certificate
- Any airworthiness determination on the aircraft
Specific to this review
- A certificate rests on a review that may have recorded findings, so a current certificate does not by itself mean every finding behind it was closed.
- A recommendation is only as strong as the records it relied on, and those records sometimes leave the file before the next review needs them.
- An airworthiness review certificate is tied to its issuing authority, so a registry change forces the receiving authority to establish continuing airworthiness on its own terms.
Sources
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
International Civil Aviation Organization. International standards for the airworthiness of aircraft and the framework states use for type and continuing airworthiness.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Does a valid certificate mean the records are complete?
Not on its own. The certificate reflects the review at the time it was issued. This review checks whether the findings it recorded were closed and whether the evidence behind the recommendation is still held.
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.
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