(a) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, no person may
operate an aircraft unless, within the preceding 12 calendar months, it
has had --
(1) An annual inspection in accordance with part 43 of this chapter and
has been approved for return to service by a person authorized by §43.7 of
this chapter; or
(2) An inspection for the issuance of an airworthiness certificate in
accordance with part 21 of this chapter.
No inspection performed under paragraph (b) of this section may be
substituted for any inspection required by this paragraph unless it is
performed by a person authorized to perform annual inspections and is
entered as an "annual" inspection in the required maintenance records.
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this section, no person may
operate an aircraft carrying any person (other than a crewmember) for
hire, and no person may give flight instruction for hire in an aircraft
which that person provides, unless within the preceding 100 hours of time
in service the aircraft has received an annual or 100-hour inspection and
been approved for return to service in accordance with part 43 of this
chapter or has received an inspection for the issuance of an airworthiness
certificate in accordance with part 21 of this chapter. The 100-hour
limitation may be exceeded by not more than 10 hours while en route to
reach a place where the inspection can be done. The excess time used to
reach a place where the inspection can be done must be included in
computing the next 100 hours of time in service.
(c) Paragraphs (a) and (b) of this section do not apply to --
(1) An aircraft that carries a special flight permit, a current
experimental certificate, or a provisional airworthiness certificate;
(2) An aircraft inspected in accordance with an approved aircraft
inspection program under part 125 or 135 of this chapter and so identified
by the registration number in the operations specifications of the
certificate holder having the approved inspection program;
(3) An aircraft subject to the requirements of paragraph (d) or (e) of
this section; or
(4) Turbine-powered rotorcraft when the operator elects to inspect that
rotorcraft in accordance with paragraph (e) of this section.
(d) Progressive inspection. Each registered owner or operator of
an aircraft desiring to use a progressive inspection program must submit a
written request to the FAA Flight Standards district office having
jurisdiction over the area in which the applicant is located, and shall
provide --
(1) A certificated mechanic holding an inspection authorization, a
certificated airframe repair station, or the manufacturer of the aircraft
to supervise or conduct the progressive inspection;
(2) A current inspection procedures manual available and readily
understandable to pilot and maintenance personnel containing, in detail --
(i) An explanation of the progressive inspection, including the
continuity of inspection responsibility, the making of reports, and the
keeping of records and technical reference material;
(ii) An inspection schedule, specifying the intervals in hours or days
when routine and detailed inspections will be performed and including
instructions for exceeding an inspection interval by not more than 10
hours while en route and for changing an inspection interval because of
service experience;
(iii) Sample routine and detailed inspection forms and instructions for
their use; and
(iv) Sample reports and records and instructions for their use;
(3) Enough housing and equipment for necessary disassembly and proper
inspection of the aircraft; and
(4) Appropriate current technical information for the aircraft.
The frequency and detail of the progressive inspection shall provide
for the complete inspection of the aircraft within each 12 calendar months
and be consistent with the manufacturer's recommendations, field service
experience, and the kind of operation in which the aircraft is engaged.
The progressive inspection schedule must ensure that the aircraft, at all
times, will be airworthy and will conform to all applicable FAA aircraft
specifications, type certificate data sheets, airworthiness directives,
and other approved data. If the progressive inspection is discontinued,
the owner or operator shall immediately notify the local FAA Flight
Standards district office, in writing, of the discontinuance. After the
discontinuance, the first annual inspection under §91.409(a)(1) is due
within 12 calendar months after the last complete inspection of the
aircraft under the progressive inspection. The 100-hour inspection under
§91.409(b) is due within 100 hours after that complete inspection. A
complete inspection of the aircraft, for the purpose of determining when
the annual and 100-hour inspections are due, requires a detailed
inspection of the aircraft and all its components in accordance with the
progressive inspection. A routine inspection of the aircraft and a
detailed inspection of several components is not considered to be a
complete inspection.
(e) Large airplanes (to which part 125 is not applicable), turbojet
multiengine airplanes, turbopropeller-powered multiengine airplanes, and
turbine-powered rotorcraft. No person may operate a large airplane,
turbojet multiengine airplane, turbopropeller-powered multiengine
airplane, or turbine-powered rotorcraft unless the replacement times for
life-limited parts specified in the aircraft specifications, type data
sheets, or other documents approved by the Administrator are complied with
and the airplane or turbine-powered rotorcraft, including the airframe,
engines, propellers, rotors, appliances, survival equipment, and emergency
equipment, is inspected in accordance with an inspection program selected
under the provisions of paragraph (f) of this section, except that, the
owner or operator of a turbine-powered rotorcraft may elect to use the
inspection provisions of §91.409(a), (b), (c), or (d) in lieu of an
inspection option of §91.409(f).
(f) Selection of inspection program under paragraph (e) of this
section. The registered owner or operator of each airplane or
turbine-powered rotorcraft described in paragraph (e) of this section must
select, identify in the aircraft maintenance records, and use one of the
following programs for the inspection of the aircraft:
(1) A continuous airworthiness inspection program that is part of a
continuous airworthiness maintenance program currently in use by a person
holding an air carrier operating certificate or an operating certificate
issued under part 121 or 135 of this chapter and operating that make and
model aircraft under part 121 of this chapter or operating that make and
model under part 135 of this chapter and maintaining it under
§135.411(a)(2) of this chapter.
(2) An approved aircraft inspection program approved under §135.419 of
this chapter and currently in use by a person holding an operating
certificate issued under part 135 of this chapter.
(3) A current inspection program recommended by the manufacturer.
(4) Any other inspection program established by the registered owner or
operator of that airplane or turbine-powered rotorcraft and approved by
the Administrator under paragraph (g) of this section. However, the
Administrator may require revision of this inspection program in
accordance with the provisions of §91.415.
Each operator shall include in the selected program the name and
address of the person responsible for scheduling the inspections required
by the program and make a copy of that program available to the person
performing inspections on the aircraft and, upon request, to the
Administrator.
(g) Inspection program approved under paragraph (e) of this section.
Each operator of an airplane or turbine-powered rotorcraft desiring to
establish or change an approved inspection program under paragraph (f)(4)
of this section must submit the program for approval to the local FAA
Flight Standards district office having jurisdiction over the area in
which the aircraft is based. The program must be in writing and include at
least the following information:
(1) Instructions and procedures for the conduct of inspections for the
particular make and model airplane or turbine-powered rotorcraft,
including necessary tests and checks. The instructions and procedures must
set forth in detail the parts and areas of the airframe, engines,
propellers, rotors, and appliances, including survival and emergency
equipment required to be inspected.
(2) A schedule for performing the inspections that must be performed
under the program expressed in terms of the time in service, calendar
time, number of system operations, or any combination of these.
(h) Changes from one inspection program to another. When an
operator changes from one inspection program under paragraph (f) of this
section to another, the time in service, calendar times, or cycles of
operation accumulated under the previous program must be applied in
determining inspection due times under the new program.
(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control
number 2120-0005)