FAA Requirements for Experimental Aircraft Condition Inspections

The requirement to inspect an experimental amateur-built (E-AB) aircraft does not come from a single tidy regulation. It comes from the interaction of a Part 91 exemption, the aircraft's operating limitations, and a Part 43 inspection scope. Here is how those pieces fit together.

1. Part 91 hands the job to the operating limitations

14 CFR 91.409(e) states that the annual and 100-hour inspection requirements of 91.409(a) through (d) do not apply to an aircraft holding an experimental certificate, "unless the administrator finds and notifies the holder … otherwise." In their place, the section directs that each experimental aircraft be inspected as prescribed in its operating limitations.

2. The operating limitations set the interval and scope

Operating limitations are issued under 14 CFR 91.319 and accompany the special airworthiness certificate. For E-AB aircraft they require, in substance, a condition inspection at least once every 12 calendar months, performed to the scope and detail of Appendix D to Part 43, and that the aircraft be found to be in a condition for safe operation. Your specific operating limitations are the controlling document - read the copy issued with your airworthiness certificate, because wording has changed across the years of FAA Order 8130.2 revisions.

3. Appendix D defines what to inspect

Appendix D to Part 43 lists the areas an annual or 100-hour inspection must cover - fuselage and hull, cabin and cockpit, engine and nacelle, landing gear, wings and empennage, propeller, and the various systems. The condition inspection borrows this scope. It is the natural backbone of a checklist, which is why this app's default template is organized around the same areas.

4. The recording statement closes it out

The inspection is not legally complete until it is recorded in the maintenance records. The operating limitations prescribe a statement substantially in the form:

"I certify that this aircraft has been inspected on [date] in accordance with the scope and detail of Appendix D to Part 43 and was found to be in a condition for safe operation." - followed by the aircraft total time in service, and the signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate held by the person performing the inspection.

Confirm the exact wording in your own operating limitations. The app captures the date, total time, and credentials at sign-off and assembles the corresponding airframe log entry for you.

Who is authorized

The condition inspection may be performed by the holder of a repairman certificate (experimental aircraft builder) for that aircraft, or by an A&P mechanic - no Inspection Authorization is required. See who can perform a condition inspection for eligibility detail, and the light-sport article for how this differs for E-LSA and S-LSA aircraft.

Airworthiness directives are a separate question

Whether airworthiness directives apply to an experimental aircraft - and to the type-certificated engine, propeller, or appliances installed on it - is a genuinely debated topic that the condition inspection does not settle on its own. We treat it carefully in tracking ADs and Service Bulletins.