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515 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 135.431 

part of its manual containing mainte-
nance information and instructions, in 
whole or in part, in printed form or 
other form, acceptable to the Adminis-
trator, that is retrievable in the 
English language. 

[Doc. No. 16097, 43 FR 46783, Oct. 10, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–66, 62 FR 13257, Mar. 
19, 1997; 69 FR 18472, Apr. 8, 2004; Amdt. 135– 
118, 74 FR 38522, Aug. 4, 2009; Docket FAA– 
2011–1136, Amdt. 135–132, 80 FR 11547, Mar. 4, 
2015] 

§ 135.429 Required inspection per-

sonnel. 

(a) No person may use any person to 

perform required inspections unless the 
person performing the inspection is ap-
propriately certificated, properly 
trained, qualified, and authorized to do 
so. 

(b) No person may allow any person 

to perform a required inspection un-
less, at the time, the person performing 
that inspection is under the super-
vision and control of an inspection 
unit. 

(c) No person may perform a required 

inspection if that person performed the 
item of work required to be inspected. 

(d) In the case of rotorcraft that op-

erate in remote areas or sites, the Ad-
ministrator may approve procedures 
for the performance of required inspec-
tion items by a pilot when no other 
qualified person is available, pro-
vided— 

(1) The pilot is employed by the cer-

tificate holder; 

(2) It can be shown to the satisfaction 

of the Administrator that each pilot 
authorized to perform required inspec-
tions is properly trained and qualified; 

(3) The required inspection is a result 

of a mechanical interruption and is not 
a part of a certificate holder’s contin-
uous airworthiness maintenance pro-
gram; 

(4) Each item is inspected after each 

flight until the item has been inspected 
by an appropriately certificated me-
chanic other than the one who origi-
nally performed the item of work; and 

(5) Each item of work that is a re-

quired inspection item that is part of 
the flight control system shall be flight 
tested and reinspected before the air-
craft is approved for return to service. 

(e) Each certificate holder shall 

maintain, or shall determine that each 
person with whom it arranges to per-
form its required inspections main-
tains, a current listing of persons who 
have been trained, qualified, and au-
thorized to conduct required inspec-
tions. The persons must be identified 
by name, occupational title and the in-
spections that they are authorized to 
perform. The certificate holder (or per-
son with whom it arranges to perform 
its required inspections) shall give 
written information to each person so 
authorized, describing the extent of 
that person’s responsibilities, authori-
ties, and inspectional limitations. The 
list shall be made available for inspec-
tion by the Administrator upon re-
quest. 

[Doc. No. 16097, 43 FR 46783, Oct. 10, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–20, 51 FR 40710, Nov. 7, 
1986] 

§ 135.431 Continuing analysis and sur-

veillance. 

(a) Each certificate holder shall es-

tablish and maintain a system for the 
continuing analysis and surveillance of 
the performance and effectiveness of 
its inspection program and the pro-
gram covering other maintenance, pre-
ventive maintenance, and alterations 
and for the correction of any deficiency 
in those programs, regardless of wheth-
er those programs are carried out by 
the certificate holder or by another 
person. 

(b) Whenever the Administrator finds 

that either or both of the programs de-
scribed in paragraph (a) of this section 
does not contain adequate procedures 
and standards to meet this part, the 
certificate holder shall, after notifica-
tion by the Administrator, make 
changes in those programs requested 
by the Administrator. 

(c) A certificate holder may petition 

the Administrator to reconsider the 
notice to make a change in a program. 
The petition must be filed with the re-
sponsible Flight Standards office with-
in 30 days after the certificate holder 
receives the notice. Except in the case 
of an emergency requiring immediate 
action in the interest of safety, the fil-
ing of the petition stays the notice 

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516 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 135.433 

pending a decision by the Adminis-
trator. 

[Doc. No. 16097, 43 FR 46783, Oct. 10, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–60, 61 FR 2617, Jan. 26, 
1996; Docket FAA–2018–0119, Amdt. 135–139, 83 
FR 9175, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 135.433 Maintenance and preventive 

maintenance training program. 

Each certificate holder or a person 

performing maintenance or preventive 
maintenance functions for it shall have 
a training program to ensure that each 
person (including inspection personnel) 
who determines the adequacy of work 
done is fully informed about procedures 
and techniques and new equipment in 
use and is competent to perform that 
person’s duties. 

§ 135.435 Certificate requirements. 

(a) Except for maintenance, preven-

tive maintenance, alterations, and re-
quired inspections performed by a cer-
tificated repair station that is located 
outside the United States, each person 
who is directly in charge of mainte-
nance, preventive maintenance, or al-
terations, and each person performing 
required inspections must hold an ap-
propriate airman certificate. 

(b) For the purpose of this section, a 

person 

directly in charge 

is each person 

assigned to a position in which that 
person is responsible for the work of a 
shop or station that performs mainte-
nance, preventive maintenance, alter-
ations, or other functions affecting air-
worthiness. A person who is 

directly in 

charge 

need not physically observe and 

direct each worker constantly but 
must be available for consultation and 
decision on matters requiring instruc-
tion or decision from higher authority 
than that of the person performing the 
work. 

[Doc. No. 16097, 43 FR 46783, Oct. 10, 1978, as 
amended by Amdt. 135–82, 66 FR 41117, Aug. 6, 
2001] 

§ 135.437 Authority to perform and ap-

prove maintenance, preventive 

maintenance, and alterations. 

(a) A certificate holder may perform 

or make arrangements with other per-
sons to perform maintenance, preven-
tive maintenance, and alterations as 
provided in its maintenance manual. In 
addition, a certificate holder may per-

form these functions for another cer-
tificate holder as provided in the main-
tenance manual of the other certificate 
holder. 

(b) A certificate holder may approve 

any airframe, aircraft engine, pro-
peller, rotor, or appliance for return to 
service after maintenance, preventive 
maintenance, or alterations that are 
performed under paragraph (a) of this 
section. However, in the case of a 
major repair or alteration, the work 
must have been done in accordance 
with technical data approved by the 
Administrator. 

§ 135.439 Maintenance recording re-

quirements. 

(a) Each certificate holder shall keep 

(using the system specified in the man-
ual required in § 135.427) the following 
records for the periods specified in 
paragraph (b) of this section: 

(1) All the records necessary to show 

that all requirements for the issuance 
of an airworthiness release under 
§ 135.443 have been met. 

(2) Records containing the following 

information: 

(i) The total time in service of the 

airframe, engine, propeller, and rotor. 

(ii) The current status of life-limited 

parts of each airframe, engine, pro-
peller, rotor, and appliance. 

(iii) The time since last overhaul of 

each item installed on the aircraft 
which are required to be overhauled on 
a specified time basis. 

(iv) The identification of the current 

inspection status of the aircraft, in-
cluding the time since the last inspec-
tions required by the inspection pro-
gram under which the aircraft and its 
appliances are maintained. 

(v) The current status of applicable 

airworthiness directives, including the 
date and methods of compliance, and, 
if the airworthiness directive involves 
recurring action, the time and date 
when the next action is required. 

(vi) A list of current major alter-

ations and repairs to each airframe, en-
gine, propeller, rotor, and appliance. 

(b) Each certificate holder shall re-

tain the records required to be kept by 
this section for the following periods: 

(1) Except for the records of the last 

complete overhaul of each airframe, 
engine, propeller, rotor, and appliance