Airworthy PrepApproval for return to service is the signed statement, made by a person the regulations allow to make it, that an aircraft, engine, propeller, appliance or part that has been worked on can go back into use. Under 14 CFR 43.5, nobody may give it until the maintenance record entry has been made and any required repair or alteration form has been executed. Under 14 CFR 43.7, only the Administrator and the certificate holders the rule lists may give it (14 CFR 43.5 and 14 CFR 43.7).
The three conditions in 43.5
14 CFR 43.5 applies to any aircraft, airframe, aircraft engine, propeller or appliance that has undergone maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding or alteration. No person may approve it for return to service unless:
- The maintenance record entry required by 43.9 or 43.11, as appropriate, has been made (43.5(a)).
- The repair or alteration form authorized or furnished by the Administrator has been executed in the manner the Administrator prescribes (43.5(b)).
- If a repair or alteration changes the operating limitations or flight data in the approved aircraft flight manual, those limitations or data have been revised and set forth as 91.9 prescribes (43.5(c)).
In plain terms: the paperwork comes first, and the signature is what makes the paperwork count. For the record entry itself, see 14 CFR 43.9 vs 43.11 record entries. For the form, see how to fill out FAA Form 337.
Who may approve: the 43.7 list
The starting rule is 43.7(a): except as provided in 43.7 and 43.17, no person other than the Administrator may approve an item for return to service after maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding or alteration. The exceptions are the rest of the section (14 CFR 43.7):
| Who | What the rule says | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanic or inspection authorization holder | May approve “as provided in Part 65” | 43.7(b) |
| Repair station | May approve as provided in part 145 | 43.7(c) |
| Manufacturer | May approve products it has worked on under 43.3(j). Except for minor alterations, the work must follow technical data approved by the Administrator | 43.7(d) |
| Part 121 or 135 operator, or air carrier operating certificate holder | May approve as provided in part 121 or 135 | 43.7(e) |
| Holder of at least a private pilot certificate | May approve an aircraft after performing preventive maintenance under 43.3(g) | 43.7(f) |
| Repairman (light-sport aircraft) with a maintenance rating | May approve a light-sport category aircraft as provided in part 65 | 43.7(g) |
| Holder of at least a sport pilot certificate | May approve a light-sport category aircraft owned or operated by that pilot after preventive maintenance under 43.3(g) | 43.7(h) |
Two details to notice. The pilot privilege in 43.7(f) points to 43.3(g), which lets a part 61 pilot certificate holder do preventive maintenance on an aircraft the pilot owns or operates that is not used under part 121, 129 or 135 (14 CFR 43.3(g)). And 43.17 covers certain Canadian persons, who may approve work done under that section within its limits, but a Canadian Aircraft Maintenance Engineer may not approve a major repair or major alteration (43.17(e)(1)).
What a mechanic certificate allows (part 65)
43.7(b) sends you to part 65 for the details. They differ by rating.
Airframe rating. A mechanic with an airframe rating may approve for return to service an airframe, or any related part or appliance, after performing, supervising or inspecting its maintenance or alteration, “excluding major repairs and major alterations” (14 CFR 65.85(a)). 65.85(b) adds a narrow exception for light-sport category aircraft. The same mechanic may perform the 100-hour inspection on an airframe, or any related part or appliance, and approve it for return to service (65.85(a)).
Powerplant rating. The same wording applies to a powerplant or propeller or any related part or appliance (14 CFR 65.87(a)).
General limits. A mechanic may work on an aircraft or appliance “for which that person is rated,” but major repairs to and major alterations of propellers, and any repair to or alteration of instruments, are excluded (14 CFR 65.81(a)). Also under 65.81(a), a mechanic may not supervise or approve for return to service work unless that mechanic has satisfactorily performed that work at an earlier date, or shows the ability by doing it to the Administrator’s satisfaction or under the direct supervision of an appropriately rated mechanic or certificated repairman with previous experience in that operation. And a mechanic may not use the certificate’s privileges unless he or she understands the manufacturer’s current instructions and maintenance manuals for the specific operation (65.81(b)).
Inspection authorization (IA). An IA holder may inspect and approve for return to service any aircraft or related part or appliance after a major repair or major alteration, if the work was done in accordance with technical data approved by the Administrator. Aircraft maintained under a part 121 continuous airworthiness program are excepted (14 CFR 65.95(a)(1)). An IA holder may also perform an annual, or perform or supervise a progressive inspection (65.95(a)(2)).
So a mechanic alone cannot approve a major repair or major alteration for return to service. That is a common test point. The repair station route is in part 145, which 43.7(c) points to but this guide does not cover.
How the signature works in the record
For maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding or alteration, the 43.9 entry includes, if the work was done satisfactorily, the signature, certificate number and kind of certificate of the person approving the work. The rule then says: “The signature constitutes the approval for return to service only for the work performed.” (14 CFR 43.9(a)(4)). That is why a signature on one job does not clear the whole aircraft.
For an inspection under part 91, 125, 135.411(a)(1) or 135.419, the person approving or disapproving the item for return to service makes the 43.11 entry instead (14 CFR 43.11(a), and 43.9(c) excludes those inspections from 43.9).
If the job is a major repair or major alteration, 43.9(d) adds a form on top of the entry, which 43.5(b) then requires to be executed before approval.
Sample wording (all made up)
These examples are original. The names, aircraft, dates and certificate numbers are invented. Check them against 43.9(a) item by item.
Example 1: a mechanic approves their own minor work
November 1, 2026. Replaced the left main tire and tube per the made-up Example Aircraft Co. Maintenance Manual, chapter 32. Installation checked for correct torque and no leaks.
Signed: Alex Example, A&P 0000000
The entry has a description or reference (43.9(a)(1)), the completion date (43.9(a)(2)), and the signature, certificate number and kind of certificate (43.9(a)(4)). The person who did the work is also the approver, so no separate name is needed (43.9(a)(3)).
Example 2: someone else did the work, a mechanic approves it
November 1, 2026. Replaced the propeller governor oil seal per the made-up engine overhaul manual, section 14. Work performed by Sam Placeholder under the supervision of the signer, who inspected the completed installation.
Signed: Jordan Sample, A&P 0000000
The 65.87(a) powerplant privilege covers a mechanic who has “performed, supervised, or inspected” the work, so supervising and inspecting is enough for the approver. The performer is named because they are not the approver (43.9(a)(3)).
Example 3: a pilot with preventive maintenance
November 1, 2026. Replenished hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic reservoir, a preventive maintenance item listed in part 43, appendix A. Aircraft owned and operated by the signer.
Signed: Pat Placeholder, PP 0000000
Pilots may use “PP,” “CP” or “ATP” to show a private, commercial or airline transport pilot certificate (AC 43-9D, para 9.2). Which jobs count as preventive maintenance is listed in part 43, appendix A, covered in the major vs minor guide.
Common mistakes
- Signing before the paperwork exists. 43.5(a) and (b) put the entry and form ahead of the approval.
- Assuming any mechanic can sign off anything. Major repairs and major alterations are excluded for A&P approval under 65.85(a) and 65.87(a) (with a narrow light-sport exception in 65.85(b) and 65.87(b)). Under 65.81(a), a mechanic’s privileges also exclude major propeller repairs and alterations and any instrument repair or alteration.
- Signing for work you never did and cannot show you can do. 65.81(a) has a prior-experience condition.
- Treating one signature as clearing the aircraft. It covers “only the work performed” (43.9(a)(4)).
- Confusing an inspection sign-off with a maintenance sign-off. Part 91 inspections use 43.11, not 43.9 (43.9(c)).
Try one (an original question)
A certificated mechanic with only an airframe rating replaces a damaged elevator trim tab hinge (a minor repair) and supervises a helper doing the work. Which statement is correct?
A. The mechanic may not approve it, because only an IA holder can approve return to service.
B. The mechanic may approve it for return to service after supervising or inspecting the work, and makes the 43.9 entry.
C. The mechanic may approve it only if the repair is major.
Answer: B. 65.85(a) lets an airframe-rated mechanic approve an airframe or related part after performing, supervising or inspecting its maintenance or alteration, excluding major repairs and major alterations. A is wrong because the IA is needed for approving major work with approved data (65.95(a)(1)), not minor work. C reverses the rule.
Study plan
- Read 14 CFR 43.5 and 43.7 in full. They are short.
- Read 65.81, 65.85, 65.87 and 65.95(a), and write one sentence on what each allows.
- Write your own entries for a minor repair and a pilot’s preventive maintenance and check each against 43.9(a).
- Practice on the Regulations, Maintenance Forms, Records, and Publications topic page, and see the A&P General written test guide.
Common questions
Who can approve an aircraft for return to service?
The Administrator, and the people 43.7 lists: mechanic and IA holders (as part 65 allows), repair stations, manufacturers, part 121 and 135 operators, pilots after their own preventive maintenance, and certain light-sport repairmen and sport pilots (14 CFR 43.7(a) to (h)).
Can an A&P approve a major repair for return to service?
An A&P mechanic’s airframe and powerplant privileges exclude major repairs and major alterations, apart from a narrow light-sport aircraft exception (14 CFR 65.85 and 65.87). An IA holder may approve them if the work followed technical data approved by the Administrator (14 CFR 65.95(a)(1)).
Does the record entry have to say “returned to service”?
43.9(a) does not list those words. It requires the signature, certificate number and kind of certificate of the approver, and the signature is the approval for the work performed (14 CFR 43.9(a)(4)).
Can a pilot approve their own aircraft for return to service?
Only after preventive maintenance the pilot performed under 43.3(g), on an aircraft the pilot owns or operates that is not used under part 121, 129 or 135 (14 CFR 43.7(f), 43.3(g)).