Gear & high-value rotables
Landing-gear records review
A landing-gear records review checks each main and nose gear leg against its overhaul history, hard-time limits, and release evidence so the recorded time and cycle status holds up. It is run for lessors, airlines, and acquisition teams before a redelivery, a sale, or a gear change. It covers overhaul shop reports, life-limited gear parts, dimensional and NDT findings carried forward, and the release certificate that put each leg back on the aircraft. You receive a per-leg status trace, a list of evidence gaps, and the closure path for each one.
When this review is needed
- A gear leg is approaching its overhaul interval and the recorded baseline drives the next due date.
- A redelivery references a gear condition and the outgoing operator's status list has not been checked to source.
- A gear change happened during the lease and the shop report and release need to be tied to the installed serial.
- A buyer wants the gear life and overhaul standard confirmed before pricing the asset.
The problem
Gear status is read off a one-line entry that states time since overhaul and the next interval, but the shop report, the as-found NDT and dimensional results, and the release paperwork sit in separate files assembled by different shops over the life of the leg. When the overhaul standard or the carried-forward findings cannot be matched to the installed serial, the recorded due date stops meaning anything and the leg may have to be treated conservatively.
What gets reviewed
- Each main and nose gear leg by part number and serial number
- Overhaul shop reports with the standard applied and the work scope performed
- Time and cycle accumulation since the last overhaul against the published interval
- Life-limited gear components and their independent life status
- As-found and as-left NDT and dimensional findings carried forward to the next event
- Authorized release certificates for each leg and replaced sub-component
- Installation entries tying the overhauled leg to the recorded aircraft and position
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 overhaul shop report names the standard and revision applied to each leg
- Time and cycles since overhaul reconcile with the airframe accumulation for the same period
- Life-limited gear parts trace to release evidence with consistent life remaining
- Carried-forward NDT and dimensional findings are accounted for and not left open without disposition
- Each leg returned to service on a release certificate appropriate to the jurisdiction and position
- Installed serial numbers match the shop report, the release, and the aircraft logbook entry
Evidence normally required
- Landing-gear status summary by leg and position
- Overhaul shop reports for each leg with work scope and standard
- NDT and dimensional inspection records carried forward from the last visit
- Release certificates for each leg and any replaced life-limited part
- Airframe accumulation history covering the period since overhaul
Common discrepancies
- An overhaul report that does not state the standard or revision used
- Time since overhaul on the status list that disagrees with airframe accumulation
- A life-limited gear part with no release covering its last installation
- Carried-forward NDT findings left open with no disposition recorded
- A leg whose installed serial does not match the shop report it relies on
- A gear change during the lease recorded without the supporting release
What is at stake
A gear leg with an unsupported overhaul baseline can be forced to an early shop visit or rejected at a redelivery gate, and a high-value rotable that cannot prove its standard loses value in a sale. Recovering the evidence after the leg has moved between shops and operators is slow and often incomplete.
Move from findings to resolution
Move from findings to a documented resolution path.
How the work runs
Scope by leg
Identify each main and nose gear leg by serial and position, and pull the overhaul, life, and release files for each.
Reconcile to airframe
Compare time and cycles since overhaul against airframe accumulation and confirm the standard applied to each leg.
Trace findings forward
Account for carried-forward NDT and dimensional results and confirm each life-limited part has supporting release evidence.
Register and map closure
Structure each gap by leg with its source document and a recommended path to close it.
What the buyer receives
- A per-leg status trace covering overhaul, life, and release evidence
- A gap list of missing or inconsistent gear documents by leg and position
- A recommended closure path for each finding with the responsible source identified
Who uses the output
- Asset managers confirming gear status before a redelivery or sale
- Records teams assembling the gear package for a transaction or shop visit
- Engineering deciding how to treat a leg with an incomplete overhaul baseline
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review sits inside a larger redelivery or transaction check and turns a single gear status line into a supported per-leg trace. It feeds the discrepancy register and the gear section of the redelivery binder.
Aircraft-specific considerations
Gear architecture and overhaul intervals differ by aircraft type, and some legs carry their own life-limited parts while others are hard-time only. The review is scoped to the published interval and life structure for the specific type rather than a single portfolio assumption.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms that gear records are complete, consistent, and traceable. It does not set the overhaul interval, determine remaining life on the authority's behalf, certify the leg, or by itself make the gear airworthy.
What this review does not cover
- Physical inspection, measurement, or NDT of the gear itself
- Re-overhaul or re-life of any gear leg or sub-component
- Any airworthiness determination or release decision
Specific to this review
- Gear status is usually a one-line time-since-overhaul entry, while the standard applied and the as-found findings live in separate shop files that are rarely cross-checked.
- Some gear legs carry independent life-limited parts whose status must be traced separately from the leg overhaul clock.
- Carried-forward NDT and dimensional findings set the work scope for the next visit, so an open finding with no disposition is a records gap, not just an inspection note.
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. 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. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
Frequently asked questions
Does a landing-gear records review need the gear off the aircraft?
No. It works from the overhaul reports, status summaries, and release evidence. It is complementary to a physical gear inspection and is often run before one to confirm what the records claim.
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.