EASA to FAA transition
EASA to FAA equipment list records transition review
This review reconciles the equipment list an aircraft carries out of an EASA register against the installation and approval records behind each item, so the configuration reads correctly on the FAA side. It is run for the importing party before the equipment records are handed over. The work checks each listed installation against its release certificate and approval basis, confirms modifications are recorded where the type requires it, and flags equipment whose paperwork will not travel. You receive an evidence map tied to the import questions, a gap list of unsupported entries, and a request set for the release and approval documents still missing.
When this review is needed
- An aircraft is moving to the US register and its equipment list has to reconcile to the installation records on import.
- A cabin or avionics change was embodied under an EASA approval whose FAA standing is unclear.
- A buyer wants the fitted configuration confirmed against paperwork before it takes the tail onto its program.
- The equipment list and the modification history have drifted apart over successive operators.
The problem
The equipment list says what is fitted, but the value on import is whether each listed item traces to a release certificate and an approval the FAA reader accepts. Equipment installed under an EASA change approval, avionics swapped at a shop that documented the work its own way, and cabin items added without a modification record all sit on the list looking identical, while their paperwork ranges from complete to absent. That difference is invisible until someone reconciles the list line by line against the records.
What gets reviewed
- Each equipment-list line reconciled to an installation record and a release certificate
- The approval basis for installed changes checked for FAA acceptability
- Modifications recorded as modifications where the type requires it, not treated as swaps
- Avionics and cabin installations traced to their embodiment and release evidence
- Configuration on the list mapped to the type design and approved modification set
- Equipment whose paperwork will not travel to the FAA side identified and listed
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
- Every listed installation ties to a release certificate for the fitted part
- Each embodied change carries an approval basis appropriate to an FAA-registered aircraft
- Equipment that the type treats as a modification is recorded as one, with its data
- The equipment list reconciles to the modification and effectivity history for the serial number
- Items with no traceable basis are flagged rather than presented as supported
Evidence normally required
- The current equipment list and configuration record
- Installation records and release certificates for the fitted equipment
- Approval and substantiation data for embodied changes
- Modification and STC status with effectivity for the serial number
- The type design or configuration reference for the aircraft
Common discrepancies
- A listed installation with no release certificate for the fitted unit
- An embodied change carrying an approval basis that does not travel to the FAA side
- A cabin or avionics item added without a modification record
- An equipment list that no longer reconciles to the modification history
What is at stake
Listed equipment with no traceable installation or approval record forces a choice at import: reconstruct the basis, remove the item, or carry it as an unsupported entry the receiving operator inherits. An avionics installation whose approval does not carry to the FAA side can hold up the configuration signoff, and a cabin change with no modification record can turn a routine import into a substantiation exercise.
How the work runs
Pull the claimed configuration
Assemble the equipment list and the modification history it should reconcile to.
Reconcile line to record
Tie each listed item to an installation record and a release certificate.
Test the approval basis
Check that embodied changes carry a basis an FAA reader will accept.
List the exceptions
Flag unsupported or mis-recorded entries and request the missing documents.
What the buyer receives
- An evidence map linking each equipment line to its installation and approval record
- A gap list of unsupported or mis-recorded equipment entries
- A request set for the release and approval documents still to be retrieved
Who uses the output
- Continuing-airworthiness teams settling the configuration onto the FAA program
- Acquisition teams pricing the substantiation work an unsupported item implies
- Records staff assembling the equipment package the import will require
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The review reconciles the equipment list before the configuration is signed off on the FAA side, so unsupported entries are known while there is still time to close them. Its gap list drives the document chase, and its evidence map anchors the configuration section of the import package.
Start with a single asset
Confirm the status list matches the underlying evidence.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
An equipment change embodied under an EASA approval does not automatically carry an accepted basis on an FAA-registered aircraft. The review distinguishes items whose approval travels from those the FAA will want re-established, so the importer knows which installations need a fresh basis rather than a translated one.
Regulatory limits
The review reconciles the list to the records and reports the gaps. It does not approve an installation, grant or transfer any approval, or determine that the configuration is airworthy. Acceptance of the configuration rests with the receiving operator and the FAA.
What this review does not cover
- A physical configuration survey of the installed equipment
- Developing or approving new installation or modification data
- Any airworthiness determination on the fitted configuration
Specific to this review
- Every line on an equipment list looks the same, but their paperwork ranges from a full release file to nothing, and only a line-by-line reconciliation shows which is which.
- An EASA change approval behind an installation may not carry an accepted basis on the FAA side, which turns a listed item into a substantiation question.
- Cabin and minor avionics additions are the entries most often fitted without a modification record, because they were treated as routine swaps when they were not.
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. Completion and use of FAA Form 8130-3, Authorized Release Certificate, for new and used parts.
European Union / EASA. Continuing airworthiness, maintenance records, CAMO responsibilities, and the airworthiness review process in the EASA system.
U.S. Government (eCFR). Export airworthiness approval requirements and special requirements of an importing authority.
European Union / EASA. EASA design and production certification, STCs, ETSO authorizations, and EASA Form 1 release.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to a listed item with no traceable approval?
It is flagged as an unsupported entry with the basis it lacks stated plainly. From there the importer can retrieve the missing document, re-establish the basis on the FAA side, or decide to remove the item, but the review does not make that call or approve any installation.
Relevant glossary terms
Related pages
Where this fits
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We will walk through your current state, the records or evidence involved, and a scoped first engagement.
Talk through the aircraft, records, evidence, deadline, and next useful step.