Import acceptance
AD status review for aircraft import acceptance
An import acceptance AD status review confirms that the aircraft's AD compliance position will meet the importing authority's requirements as the aircraft enters its register. It is run for the team preparing the import, before the acceptance review, and it re-derives applicability under the importing authority's recognized AD sources rather than relying on the outgoing status. The work checks accomplishment evidence, the method of compliance, and how the importing authority's mandatory directives apply to the serial number. You receive an AD evidence view keyed to the status list, a gap list ranked by import-acceptance risk, and a request set for the accomplishment evidence still to be recovered.
When this review is needed
- An aircraft is being imported and the importing authority will re-examine AD compliance under its own mandatory directives.
- The importing register recognizes AD sources the aircraft was not tracked against on the way in.
- The AD status list was maintained under the exporting authority and has never been mapped to the importing one.
- An acceptance review is scheduled and the team needs to know which AD lines carry evidence risk on the new register.
The problem
Import acceptance judges the AD position against the importing authority's mandatory set, not the one the aircraft was maintained under, and the two rarely line up cleanly. A directive complied with on the exporting side may have an importing-authority counterpart that was never tracked, and a line closed on trust abroad becomes a question the importing authority is entitled to ask. The team preparing the import has to re-derive the applicable set and prove each line before acceptance, not during it.
What gets reviewed
- Applicability re-derived under the importing authority's recognized AD sources for the serial number
- Accomplishment evidence located for every directive shown complied with
- Method of compliance checked against the importing authority's applicable directive revision
- Importing-authority mandatory directives without a counterpart on the outgoing list identified
- Recurring and open AD next-due data reconciled to current time and cycle status
- Directives dispositioned as not applicable tested against the importing authority's basis
Scope this review
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What gets validated
- Each directive on the importing authority's applicable set is addressed on the status list
- Every AD marked complied with points to a dated accomplishment record
- The method of compliance matches an approved option in the importing authority's directive revision
- Recurring AD next-due data reconciles to current hours and cycles without an overrun
- Not-applicable dispositions hold under the importing authority's applicability basis
Evidence normally required
- The AD status list as maintained under the exporting authority
- Accomplishment records and task cards behind the closed directives
- The importing authority's mandatory AD set and recognized sources
- Configuration and modification status driving AD applicability
- Current total time and cycles for recurring-directive next-due calculation
Common discrepancies
- An importing-authority mandatory directive with no counterpart tracked on the exporting list
- A directive closed abroad with no accomplishment record retrievable behind it
- A method of compliance that the importing authority's revision does not accept
- A not-applicable disposition that does not hold under the importing authority's basis
What is at stake
An AD line the importing authority cannot verify holds the aircraft off its register until the accomplishment evidence is recovered or the directive is re-accomplished. A missed importing-authority directive can require compliance work before acceptance, turning a documentation gap into a maintenance event on the acceptance timeline.
How the work runs
Map to the importing set
Re-derive the applicable AD set under the importing authority's sources for the serial number.
Trace closures to evidence
Locate accomplishment records behind each complied-with directive and check the method against the importing revision.
Find the counterparts
Identify importing-authority mandatory directives with no counterpart tracked on the outgoing list.
Rank and request
Rank the gaps by acceptance risk and request the evidence or accomplishment each needs.
What the buyer receives
Who uses the output
- Continuing-airworthiness leads presenting a defensible AD position to the importing authority
- Asset managers tracking which directives could delay import acceptance
- Records teams recovering accomplishment evidence and closing importing-authority directives
How the work fits into the transaction or program
The AD review runs alongside the release document and LLP strands of the import package and sets the compliance position the importing authority scrutinizes closely. Its gap list often uncovers importing-authority directives that need accomplishment, which is why it is worked early enough to absorb any maintenance the acceptance timeline cannot.
Start with a single asset
Confirm the status list matches the underlying evidence.
Jurisdiction-specific considerations
The importing authority applies its own mandatory AD set and recognized sources, so an aircraft compliant under the exporting register can carry unaddressed importing-authority directives. The review maps the outgoing status onto the importing authority's set and flags the directives with no counterpart tracked.
Regulatory limits
The review reads the AD record and maps it against the importing authority's requirements. It does not determine airworthiness, close a directive, accomplish AD compliance, or bind the importing authority to accept the aircraft onto its register.
What this review does not cover
- Performing or signing off any outstanding AD accomplishment
- Issuing an airworthiness determination or import acceptance
- Corresponding with the importing authority on the operator's behalf
Specific to this review
- Import acceptance measures against the importing authority's mandatory set, so a directive with no counterpart on the outgoing list is the most common surprise.
- A method of compliance accepted abroad can fall outside the importing authority's approved options for the same directive revision.
- An unaddressed importing-authority directive turns into accomplishment work, so those lines are surfaced early enough to fit the acceptance timeline.
Sources
U.S. Government (eCFR). The legal basis for issuing and enforcing Airworthiness Directives on U.S.-registered products.
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.
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
If the aircraft was AD-compliant on export, why re-check for import?
The importing authority applies its own mandatory AD set and recognized sources. A directive complied with abroad may have an importing-authority counterpart that was never tracked, and a method accepted on export may fall outside the importing revision's options. The review maps the status onto the importing set so those gaps are found before acceptance.
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.
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