Work cards & non-routines
Task-card records review
A task-card records review checks the signed work cards from a maintenance check for completion, correct sign-off, and linkage to the non-routines they generated, so the check is supported card by card rather than only at the package summary. It is used by lessors, airlines, and acquisition teams before a return, a transaction, or a check close-out review. It covers routine task cards, the non-routine cards raised against them, sign-offs and inspection stamps, and the reference each card works to. You receive a card-level completion status, a list of cards that do not close, and what each one needs.
When this review is needed
- A check package was accepted at summary level and the underlying cards have not been read.
- A return condition references the most recent checks and the work cards must support them.
- Non-routines were raised during a check and their resolution cards need tracing.
- A buyer wants the last heavy check confirmed at card level before relying on it.
The problem
A check is signed off at the package level, but the assurance lives in the cards: a routine card that was opened and never signed, a step left blank where an inspection stamp is required, a non-routine raised against a task with no resolution card behind it. A package that looks closed at summary can still hold open or unsupported cards underneath.
What gets reviewed
- Routine task cards in the check package and their completion state
- Non-routine cards raised against routine tasks and their resolution
- Sign-offs and required inspection stamps on each card
- The reference or task each card works to and its revision
- Deferred items and their carry-forward into the records
- The link between the card set and the package or check summary
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
- Each routine card is completed and carries the required sign-off
- Every non-routine card traces to the routine task that raised it
- Steps requiring an inspection stamp show that stamp rather than a blank
- Each card references the correct task and revision it works to
- Deferred items are recorded and carried forward consistently
- The card set reconciles with the package or check summary it rolls up to
Evidence normally required
- Routine task cards from the check package
- Non-routine cards raised during the check
- Work package or check summary the cards roll up to
- Deferral and carry-forward records associated with the check
- The task reference list and revisions the cards work to
Common discrepancies
- A routine card opened but never signed off
- A non-routine raised with no resolution card behind it
- A step that requires an inspection stamp left blank
- A card referencing a superseded task revision
- A deferred item with no consistent carry-forward in the records
- A package summary that closes while cards underneath remain open
What is at stake
Open or unsigned cards under a closed package can surface at a return gate, force re-inspection or re-accomplishment, or undermine reliance on the whole check at a transaction. Once the work team has dispersed, confirming or re-creating a card's completion is difficult.
Move from findings to resolution
Move from findings to a documented resolution path.
How the work runs
Pull the package
Gather the routine and non-routine cards for the check along with the summary they roll up to.
Check completion
Confirm each routine card is signed and each required inspection stamp is present rather than blank.
Trace non-routines
Link every non-routine card to the routine task that raised it and confirm a resolution card exists.
Reconcile to summary
Match the card set against the package summary and list any card that does not close.
What the buyer receives
- A card-level completion status across the check package
- A list of cards that do not close and the reason for each
- A recommended path to re-accomplish, re-sign, or otherwise close each item
Who uses the output
- Quality teams confirming a check closes at card level
- Records teams reconciling the package against its cards
- Asset and acquisition teams relying on the last heavy check
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review sits under a return or transaction check and confirms the maintenance package is supported card by card, not just at summary. It feeds the card-level findings into the discrepancy register.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
Sign-off and inspection-stamp expectations follow the operator's program and the governing authority. Where a check was accomplished under one authority and relied on under another, the review notes where the recording or release practice would need to be reconciled rather than assumed equivalent.
Regulatory limits
The review confirms that task cards are complete, signed, and linked to their non-routines. It does not sign off any card, re-accomplish work, or make an airworthiness determination on the check.
What this review does not cover
- Signing off, re-accomplishing, or stamping any task card
- Physical re-inspection of the work the cards record
- Any airworthiness determination on the maintenance check
Specific to this review
- A package signed off at summary level can still hold cards that were opened and never closed underneath it.
- Every non-routine card should trace to the routine task that raised it, so an orphan non-routine with no parent task is a finding.
- A step requiring an inspection stamp is not complete with a blank, even when the surrounding card is fully signed.
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. FAA guidance on making and keeping maintenance records and acceptable recordkeeping practices.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
U.S. Government (eCFR). Air carrier maintenance recordkeeping and retention requirements under Part 121.
Frequently asked questions
Why review task cards if the check is already signed off?
A package-level sign-off summarizes the check, but the supporting assurance lives in the individual cards. The review confirms each card is complete, signed, and linked to its non-routines, which a summary alone does not show.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
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