Logbooks, maintenance records and documentation
What this domain tests
This domain tests the documentary trail: aircraft and component logbooks, maintenance records, work cards, certificates and retention. The exam expects you to know what must be recorded, who may sign, and why traceability matters.
Core rules and records
- Maintenance records must identify the work performed, the approved data used, the parts or materials installed, the date, and the person certifying the work. The entry must be clear, permanent and traceable.
- Aircraft logbooks record chronological aircraft history; engine, propeller and component logbooks record life and maintenance history. Maintenance records and work packages support the release to service and later inspections.
- Entries must be signed and dated by the authorised person. Corrections must not obscure the original entry; use a dated, signed correction that leaves the original readable.
- Records must be retained for the periods required by the rules and made available to the CAA and authorised persons. Electronic records are acceptable only where the system provides integrity, backup and a clear audit trail.
- The records must link to AD compliance, modifications, repairs and life-limited parts so that continuing airworthiness can be demonstrated.
Worked example
An AME notices that a previous entry records a repair but omits the approved data reference. Rather than writing over the entry, the AME adds a dated, signed note identifying the data used and cross-referencing the work card. The original entry remains legible. This preserves the audit trail and makes the certification defensible. If the missing information cannot be established, the record should not be invented; the matter should be raised through the organisation's quality system.
Traps
Pencil entries, blank signatures, undated corrections, missing part traceability and missing AD references are common. Another trap is assuming a logbook entry is only for the owner: it is an airworthiness record that may be inspected and relied on by others. Retention failures also cost marks, because the record must still exist when the CAA or an auditor asks for it.