A typical pilot is concerned with aircraft maintenance only to a limited degree. He or she often lacks any ability to perform or approve maintenance at the same time they’re responsible for pre-flight inspections and ensuring the paperwork demonstrates airworthiness. And although the FARs make the owner/operator responsible for ensuring inspections and maintenance have been conducted, many pilots have no choice but to place a measure of faith in the technicians doing the work.
That’s especially true as complexity and capability of the aircraft increase. A pilot may not even know the details of what work is performed, or the sort of questions to ask of a maintenance shop. When the only feedback is something like a logbook entry stating “inspection completed in accordance with” a manufacturer’s guidance, the pilot/owner has to trust the information is correct and that no corners were cut. We’re also relying on the maintainer’s understanding of that guidance. And therein lies a huge opportunity for important things to get overlooked, as we see in this month’s Accident Probe.
