Use a checklist to assign evidence and professional responsibilities. Confirm what was inspected, tested, reviewed or excluded, then resolve technical and transaction questions through the actual scope, records and agreement.
Use a checklist to define evidence, not certify the aircraft yourself
An aircraft pre-purchase checklist should connect each question to an agreed task, a responsible professional and usable evidence. A checked box without its scope is ambiguous: was the component physically evaluated, was a record reviewed, or was the item only mentioned in the listing? This guide is a buyer's discussion and reporting checklist. It is not a maintenance manual or permission for an owner to perform work or flight testing.
Start with the exact aircraft identity, installed equipment, intended operation and records available. Agree what the inspector will inspect, test, photograph or exclude. Our first-aircraft buying guide supplies the wider purchase sequence, while the inspection and financing guide addresses coordination with the lender. A checklist is most useful when it supports those decisions rather than promising that nothing can escape examination.
Select the inspector and establish the engagement
Ask about relevant type experience, technical information, tools, facility capability and capacity to evaluate the proposed aircraft. Discuss the team's relationship with the seller and prior work on the aircraft. Establish the qualifications and authorizations required for any regulated inspection, maintenance or return-to-service approval included in the engagement. Do not assume that one certificate or an advertised specialty establishes authority for every proposed task.
Use a written scope identifying inspection areas, document review, tests, report deliverables, photographs, access and exclusions. Identify subcontractors and the process for obtaining consent to extra work. AOPA's scope discussion makes clear why the label pre-buy does not itself define a universal evaluation. The engagement should state what the buyer will actually receive. AOPA Finance: define the aircraft pre-buy scope
Ask who controls the aircraft while work is in progress, who can authorize repairs and what reassembly or storage obligations arise if the transaction stops. Obtain a dated quotation separating the basic evaluation, transport, specialist work, travel and taxes or other applicable charges. Unsupported class-wide price ranges do not replace a quote for the particular work.
Airframe, interior and corrosion review
Discuss the areas to be examined for evidence of damage, corrosion, repairs, deterioration or insecure attachment. Relevant areas can include skin, wing and tail structure, attachment points, landing gear, windows, firewall areas and accessible interior structure. The actual scope depends on aircraft construction, applicable technical information and access authorized by the owner.
Include the cabin and cockpit in the discussion: seats, rails or other attachments, restraints, loose equipment, floors, windows and accessible systems. Ask which coverings or access panels will be removed and which areas will remain inaccessible. A new interior or paint finish does not, by itself, explain what is beneath it. Request photographs and a statement of the inspected areas rather than inferring a structural conclusion from cosmetics.
FAA Appendix D to Part 43 describes the applicable scope of annual and 100-hour inspection items, including fuselage, cabin, engine, landing gear, wings, empennage, propeller and radio groups. It provides useful context, but it does not automatically turn a separately contracted buyer's evaluation into a completed required inspection. Its applicability and the actual work must be identified. 14 CFR Part 43 Appendix D: annual and 100-hour inspection scope
Engine, propeller and evidence quality
For each installed engine and propeller, request identity and relevant time, maintenance, repair and continuing-status records. Discuss the proposed evaluation of leaks, exhaust, mounts, hoses, lines, controls, ignition and installed accessories. Ask which observations require further investigation and which tasks were not included. A summary of total hours does not describe all of those questions.
For a reciprocating engine, discuss the applicable compression-test method, equipment, conditions and interpretation with the responsible mechanic. Do not apply an online universal 70/80 pass mark or assume that every lower result has the same cause. Section 43.13 addresses the current manufacturer methods or other acceptable practices and appropriate equipment used for covered maintenance. The actual installed engine and governing information matter. 14 CFR 43.13: technical methods and equipment for maintenance
Clarify whether borescope evaluation, oil or filter examination, sample analysis and review of available trends are included. Record the date, method, evidence and limitations. A single sample cannot supply a missing history, and a borescope image without qualified interpretation should not be presented as a remaining-life guarantee. Review calendar and configuration questions as well as hours; Lycoming's current TBO instruction illustrates the importance of conditions and applicability without supplying one interval for every engine. Lycoming: Service Instruction 1009BF, July 2026
Avionics, electrical and fuel systems
Inventory the installed navigation, communication, audio, transponder, ADS-B and autopilot equipment. Ask which functions will be demonstrated or tested and which specialist evaluations are excluded. Distinguish database status, installation documentation, operational capability and an actual test result. A powered display or a named avionics package in an advertisement does not settle all four.
Discuss batteries, charging equipment, wiring, circuit protection and lighting within the agreed scope. For the fuel system, identify the proposed evaluation of tanks, caps, selectors, drains, lines, pumps and evidence of contamination or leakage. The buyer's role is to request documented scope and findings, not to improvise electrical or fuel-system test procedures.
Use a report field for each excluded function or inaccessible area. For example, a ground demonstration may not establish an autopilot function under the intended flight conditions. That gap should remain visible until an appropriately planned evaluation resolves it; it should not be marked satisfactory merely because another function operated.
Flight controls, instruments and any flight evaluation
Discuss the control system, trim, flaps and applicable landing-gear operation with the inspector. Relevant questions include condition, installation, attachments, travel and whether the agreed scope includes the tests needed to evaluate the particular equipment. Avoid substituting a generic cable-tension value or a buyer-operated gear cycle for the applicable technical procedure.
Identify the instrument and associated-system scope, including applicable engine instruments, flight instruments, pitot-static equipment, compass information and any installed vacuum system. Request the relevant test and maintenance evidence for the equipment and proposed operation. Not every aircraft has the same instruments or system architecture, and a visual inspection does not replace a required test.
If a flight evaluation is proposed, establish who is qualified and authorized to conduct it, the aircraft's status, insurance, owner permission and an appropriate plan. Ask which reported performance or functions the evaluation can meaningfully assess under the conditions. Do not instruct a buyer to conduct stalls, unusual maneuvers or system tests based on this checklist. Record results, conditions, unresolved squawks and any subsequent technical follow-up.
Records, directives and inspection status
Reconcile the physical aircraft with the records for identity, installed equipment, maintenance, repairs and alterations. Review applicable directive status, recurring actions and life-limited-component information with a qualified professional. Ask for the supporting document behind a compliance claim and how the next applicable action is determined. A missing record is an unresolved evidence issue, not proof that the task was unnecessary.
Section 91.417 separates certain work records from continuing-status categories and describes retention and sale-transfer provisions. Section 43.9 addresses records for covered maintenance, while Section 43.11 addresses covered inspection entries. A buyer should obtain the applicable evidence without claiming that every record has the same retention period or that a seller's registration file contains the complete maintenance history. 14 CFR 91.417: maintenance record categories and sale transfer 14 CFR 43.9: work records and scope of approval 14 CFR 43.11: covered inspection entries and discrepancy records
Check the applicable inspection program and its status, relevant repair or alteration documentation, equipment records, weight-and-balance information and applicable emergency-equipment evidence. Ask about relevant altimeter/transponder testing and ELT or battery status for the actual aircraft and operation. Do not apply an undifferentiated expiration rule to every installed item. The inspector should identify which requirement and evidence apply.
Build a finding register that supports a decision
For each finding, record the evidence, affected component, technical implication, next action, responsible party and estimate status. Separate items requiring a technical determination, work proposed before closing, future planned spending and buyer preferences. A buyer's budget category does not authorize operation or override a qualified airworthiness determination.
| Field | Question it should answer |
|---|---|
| Evidence and scope | What was observed or documented, by whom and under which agreed task? |
| Technical status | What conclusion is supported, and what investigation remains unresolved? |
| Work and estimate | What is included, excluded and conditional in the written proposal? |
| Transaction response | Which party must agree the proposed resolution, by which deadline? |
| Closure evidence | What record, confirmation or further evaluation establishes completion? |
For an original estimate example, assume fictional quoted work of $3,600 for one item and $5,400 for another, with a separate $1,000 further investigation. The selected amount is $10,000, but the investigation may change the work scope. If a seller agrees a $6,000 price concession, the remaining modeled funding difference is $4,000. That arithmetic does not establish that the concession is owed, the estimates are complete or the aircraft can be operated with unresolved issues.
Pre-purchase checklist questions
How long does a pre-purchase inspection take?
Obtain a schedule for the actual records, access, physical work, specialist tasks and reporting. Findings, parts or additional investigation can extend the process. Align the contract's inspection and notice deadlines with the proposed scope rather than relying on a universal number of days.
Should I attend the pre-buy inspection?
Discuss useful participation with the inspection facility and respect its safety and work requirements. Attendance or a structured remote review can help explain observations and exclusions. Neither substitutes for appropriate expertise or the written report; agree how questions and significant findings will be communicated.
What if inspection reveals major problems?
Pause the relevant acceptance decision, obtain the technical assessment and review the actual contract. Potential responses include further investigation, an agreed repair or price change, or termination where permitted. Do not assume that every purchase agreement supplies the same contingency or that a repair allowance resolves airworthiness.
Can I use the seller's annual inspection instead of pre-buy?
Review what the annual actually covered, its timing, the supporting records and the buyer's remaining questions. An existing signoff does not automatically answer a separately defined buyer evaluation. The actual lender may accept particular evidence under its own policy, but that does not decide the buyer's entire diligence scope.
How much should I negotiate based on inspection findings?
Use supported findings, written work scope and the actual transaction terms. There is no universal dollar-for-dollar entitlement or substantiated 50-to-75-percent discount for discretionary items. A proposed concession requires agreement, and the buyer should retain funds for exclusions and uncertainty that remain after the negotiated change.
Close the checklist with records and responsibilities
Have the actual purchase agreement reviewed for inspection access, decisions, notices, deposit treatment and any written changes. AOPA's legal guidance treats sample provisions as a starting point for transaction-specific advice, not an automatic remedy. AOPA Legal Services: inspection rights and transaction-specific agreements Keep the completed report, supporting evidence and outstanding-item register available for the relevant lender, insurer and closing professionals. Contact Jaken Aviation with the financing request and identify what has been established versus what still needs confirmation.