Importing a Stored Turboprop: Registration and Airworthiness
A Pakistani cargo operator has purchased a 2014 Beechcraft 1900D from a European lessor and intends to place it on the Pakistan register as AP-BXX. The aircraft holds an EASA certificate of airworthiness, a valid export certificate of airworthiness and a deregistration certificate. It has been in storage in Cyprus for 18 months; its last heavy maintenance was 14 months ago. The maintenance records show that compliance with two airworthiness directives is not documented, and there are no storage preservation records. The nose gear door was repaired under a foreign repair station's work order, but the approved data reference is missing. The aircraft arrives at Karachi and the operator wants a Pakistani certificate of airworthiness and commercial operations within 30 days. A PCAA inspector says the export certificate is enough because it was issued recently.
1. Can PCAA rely on the EASA export certificate of airworthiness to register the aircraft and issue a Pakistani certificate of airworthiness?
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No. Registration and airworthiness are separate. The export certificate supports the aircraft's export from the previous state; it does not make the aircraft airworthy under Pakistani law. PCAA may register AP-BXX after checking ownership or lease, deregistration, the export certificate, eligibility and markings, but a Pakistani C of A requires PCAA to be satisfied that the aircraft conforms to an accepted type design and is maintained under an approved arrangement. The recent export certificate is evidence, not a substitute. The missing approved data for the nose gear door repair is a conformity issue that must be resolved before a C of A can be issued.
2. How should the missing AD compliance and storage records be resolved before any commercial flight?
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The missing AD records must be reconstructed from the type certificate holder, the previous authority or an approved inspection; a statement from the seller is not enough. The two ADs may require repetitive inspections or modifications. The 18-month storage means the manufacturer's storage preservation and return-to-service checks must be completed, including engine preservation, control surface checks, avionics and fuel system checks. An approved maintenance organisation should issue a maintenance release only after those items are closed. The operator should expect an import inspection and possibly a check flight.
3. What may the operator do between registration and issue of the Pakistani C of A?
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Between registration and C of A issue, the aircraft may be positioned for maintenance or inspection only under an appropriate ferry or special flight permit, not commercial operations. It cannot carry passengers or cargo for reward until the Pakistani C of A is issued and the AOC lists the type. The operator should also confirm that its AOC and maintenance arrangements cover the type.