Records of Maintenance & Alterations
Twisted-Wrench LLC  Aircraft Maintenance Special Projects
Maintenance and Alterations are similar in compliance standards
and the records by which they are approved for return to service.
43.13   Performance rules (general).

  • (a) Each person performing maintenance, alteration, or preventive maintenance
    on an aircraft, engine, propeller, or appliance shall use the methods, techniques,
    and practices prescribed in the current manufacturer's maintenance manual or
    Instructions for Continued Airworthiness prepared by its manufacturer, or other
    methods, techniques, and practices acceptable to the Administrator, except as
    noted in 43.16. He shall use the tools, equipment, and test apparatus necessary
    to assure completion of the work in accordance with accepted industry
    practices. If special equipment or test apparatus is recommended by the
    manufacturer involved, he must use that equipment or apparatus or its
    equivalent acceptable to the Administrator.

  • (b) Each person maintaining or altering, or performing preventive maintenance,
    shall do that work in such a manner and use materials of such a quality, that the
    condition of the aircraft, airframe, aircraft engine, propeller, or appliance worked
    on will be at least equal to its original or properly altered condition (with regard
    to aerodynamic function, structural strength, resistance to vibration and
    deterioration, and other qualities affecting airworthiness).
43.9   Content, form, and disposition of maintenance, preventive maintenance,
rebuilding, and alteration records (except inspections).

  • (a) Maintenance record entries. Except as provided in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section, each person who maintains,
    performs preventive maintenance, rebuilds, or alters an aircraft, airframe, aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, or component part
    shall make an entry in the maintenance record of that equipment containing the following information:

  • (1) A description (or reference to data acceptable to the Administrator) of work performed.
  • (2) The date of completion of the work performed.
  • (3) The name of the person performing the work if other than the person specified in paragraph
    (a)(4) of this section.
  • (4) If the work performed on the aircraft, airframe, aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, or
    component part has been performed satisfactorily, the signature, certificate number, and kind of
    certificate held by the person approving the work. The signature constitutes the approval for
    return to service only for the work performed.

  • (b) Each holder of an air carrier operating certificate or an operating certificate issued under Part 121 or 135, N/A to Part 91 GA

  • (c) This section does not apply to persons performing inspections - -

  • (d) In addition to the entry required by paragraph (a) of this section, major repairs and major alterations shall be entered on a
    form, and the form disposed of, in the manner prescribed in appendix B, by the person performing the work.
The key part of 43.13 is that using current instructions provided and tooling
recommended by the Manufacturer or the FAA.

If the technician actually performs the task as required, the technician shares
liability with the manufacturer for doing the maintenance or inspection task
recommended data.  

Some maintenance date is just wrong.  
    In this case, the technician should be in communication with the manufacturer,
    if available, to resolve the data errors.  The technician should not move forward
    using data with known errors.  

Using known or suspected bad data may start a whole new chain of errors and may
lead to a falsification issue for the technician.

If there is no manufacturer's engineering/tech pubs group to work with, the
technician may perform the task per industry standards and approved techniques.  
The technician should be very detailed with the maintenance entry.  

Technician:  Do not falsify! FAR 43.12  This is the fastest way to lose your licence!

Owner/operator:  Do not ask a technician to falsify.  Your safety will be negatively
effected.

This will increase the liability for the technician.
The technician should use a general description of the tasks performed with the
manufacturer's manual reference used for the specific details in the maintenance
entry.

If the technician tries to adequately document every step, the record volume will be
huge.

If the there is no Manufacturer's data for a needed task, the maintenance record
should be very detailed including all significant steps, torque values, lubricants
used, etc.

Opinion:  There is a regulatory fail here that leaves out the total time in service at
the time of the return to service.  Please have your maintenance provider add that to
all entries.