Aircraft Pre-Buy Inspection Checklist: What to Review Before You Buy

A good aircraft pre-buy inspection checklist should answer a much bigger question than whether the airplane is airworthy today.

You are trying to understand what you will own the day after closing.

That means reconstructing the maintenance history, inspecting the expensive mechanical areas, operating installed systems, understanding upcoming calendar and hourly events, confirming that modifications are properly documented, and separating ordinary wear from findings that should change the transaction.

There is no single FAA standard defining the scope of a pre-purchase inspection. AOPA notes that a pre-buy can range from a relatively limited examination to something approaching a complete annual inspection. That makes the scope you agree on before the airplane reaches the shop especially important. AOPA publishes a useful aircraft purchase inspection checklist.

Define the Inspection Before the Airplane Moves

The purchase agreement and the inspection scope should work together.

Before repositioning the airplane, buyer and seller should understand:

• Who chooses the inspection facility?
• Who pays for the inspection?
• Who pays to move the airplane to and from the shop?
• How many days does the buyer have to complete the inspection?
• Can the seller elect to repair an airworthiness discrepancy?
• Can the buyer reject the airplane for reasons other than an airworthiness finding?
• What happens to the deposit if the aircraft is rejected?
• Who pays to return the airplane if the transaction does not close?
• What condition must the airplane remain in between technical acceptance and delivery?

Those questions sound transactional rather than mechanical, but they determine what happens when the shop finds something expensive.

A cracked exhaust component, weak cylinder, propeller discrepancy or undocumented repair is much easier to deal with when the rules were established before the inspection started.

Review the Records Before Paying to Inspect the Airplane

The records review should begin before the airplane is flown to the pre-buy facility.

For many aircraft, a preliminary logbook review can eliminate a candidate before anyone spends money on repositioning and shop labor. It can also identify questions that should be resolved before the airplane is sitting in a shop with the inspection clock running.

At minimum, collect and review:

• Airframe logbooks
• Engine logbooks
• Propeller logbooks
• Current registration
• Airworthiness certificate
• Current weight and balance and equipment list
• Applicable operating limitations and POH
• Airworthiness Directive compliance history
• Major repair and alteration documentation, including FAA Form 337 where applicable
• STC documentation for installed modifications
• Annual inspection history
• Engine and propeller installation or overhaul records
• Applicable life-limited component records
• Pitot-static, altimeter and transponder certification dates where applicable

AOPA specifically recommends reviewing the logs for AD compliance, FAA Form 337 records, service information, serial numbers and evidence of previous repair work. AOPA’s guidance on buying used aircraft covers many of these areas.

On a Cirrus, that review can get considerably more specific. In addition to damage and repair history, an experienced records review should look at applicable Airworthiness Directives, manufacturer-designated mandatory Cirrus Service Bulletins, Chapter 4 Airworthiness Limitations, Chapter 5 time limits and maintenance checks, inspections required by the regulations, and the documentation supporting major repairs, alterations and component changes.

These are exactly the kinds of areas where discrepancies can sit unnoticed until a pre-buy brings them to the surface. Sometimes the issue is minor paperwork. Sometimes it changes the maintenance position of the airplane. Either way, it is better to understand it before the transaction is deep into the inspection process.

The objective is continuity.

If the airplane received a new engine in 2018, the records should identify exactly what was installed and when. If the panel was substantially modified, the paperwork should support the equipment physically installed in the airplane. If a propeller was overhauled, you want both the hours and the date.

Missing documentation does not automatically make an airplane a bad purchase. It does mean the uncertainty needs to be understood before the price is finalized.

Use a Shop That Knows the Make and Model

An excellent general A&P may still be the wrong person to inspect a particular airplane.

Type familiarity matters because recurring inspection points are different from fleet to fleet.

A Bonanza specialist knows where to look for problems that would never appear on a Cirrus checklist. A shop accustomed to composite Diamond aircraft approaches structural condition differently from a mechanic who primarily works on aluminum Cessnas. A turbine aircraft adds entirely different maintenance programs, component times and inspection requirements.

Whenever practical, the pre-buy shop should also be independent of the seller and the facility that routinely maintains the airplane. AOPA makes the same recommendation for most transactions.

The buyer is paying for an independent assessment, not another annual from the same set of eyes.

Do the Expensive Inspection Work First

There is little reason to spend hours documenting worn carpet if the engine inspection is about to reveal a deal-changing problem.

A thoughtful aircraft pre-buy inspection checklist should be sequenced so potentially expensive findings come early.

Savvy Aviation takes this approach in its published Cirrus SR2x checklist. Phase 1 covers the operational check, engine, propeller and maintenance records. Only after those findings are reported does the checklist proceed into the rest of the airplane. Savvy estimates approximately eight labor hours for its full normally aspirated SR2x inspection and ten for a turbocharged airplane.

The exact hours will vary by aircraft and inspection scope, but the strategy is sound.

Find the big problems first.

A Compression Test Is Only the Beginning of an Engine Inspection

Piston aircraft buyers tend to focus heavily on compression numbers because they are simple and familiar.

They are useful. They are also incomplete.

A stronger engine assessment considers:

• Hot differential compression results
• Master-orifice reading where applicable
• Where the cylinder is leaking
• Borescope condition
• Oil-filter contents
• Oil consumption
• Oil-analysis trends, if available
• Cylinder replacement history
• Crankcase condition
• Oil and fuel leaks
• Baffle condition
• Induction system condition
• Exhaust condition
• Engine-monitor history
• Recent utilization and extended periods of inactivity

A type-specific inspection gets much more precise.

For the Continental engines found in Cirrus SR22s, for example, Savvy’s SR2x pre-buy checklist calls for hot compressions with the master-orifice reading and leakage location reported. It also specifies borescope examination for asymmetric exhaust-valve heating, loss of cylinder-wall crosshatch, vertical scoring, excessive oil and aluminum smearing around the 3 or 9 o’clock positions that can indicate piston-pin plug contact.

It also calls for cutting open the oil filter and examining any metal found, including determining whether significant particles are ferrous or non-ferrous.

That is much more informative than writing “compressions good” on a discrepancy sheet.

Turbocharged Aircraft Add Their Own Inspection Points

Turbocharging adds components that deserve direct attention.

Again, the exact checklist depends on the installation.

The Tornado Alley turbonormalizing system installed on some Cirrus SR22s is a good example of what “type-specific” really means.

Savvy’s checklist calls for checking the wastegate interconnect and slave-wastegate clevis pin, inspecting the V-band clamps, intercooler mount flanges, turbo support rods and brackets, return check valves, tailpipe supports, exhaust reinforcement tabs and the breather connection for coking. The checklist notes that applicable TAT V-band clamps can have life limits in the 350 to 450 hour range, depending on the installation and governing Instructions for Continued Airworthiness.

Those details would be irrelevant on a normally aspirated airplane.

On the right airplane, they matter a great deal.

The Propeller Needs More Than a Blade Inspection

The propeller deserves its own review.

Look for:

• Hub leaks
• Blade nicks and corrosion
• Evidence of excessive dressing or filing
• Spinner cracks
• Spinner-backplate cracks
• Current overhaul or installation date
• Hours since overhaul or installation
• Applicable calendar limits
• Applicable ADs
• Governor condition and history where relevant

Propeller calendar age is particularly easy to miss when a listing emphasizes low hours.

An airplane that flies only 75 or 100 hours per year can reach a calendar overhaul recommendation while the propeller still appears “low time.”

Look at the Airframe the Way That Aircraft Fails

Generic walk-around language does not add much value to a pre-buy scope.

The checklist should reflect the actual construction and known inspection areas of the aircraft.

On a retractable airplane, landing gear condition may deserve substantial attention.

On an older aluminum airframe, corrosion history and previous structural repairs may dominate the inspection.

On a composite airplane, repair documentation, bonding and evidence of impact require different expertise.

The Cirrus SR2x provides a useful example of how detailed a type-specific list can become. Savvy calls for checking nose-gear pivot bushings for play, rebound bumpers and pucks for cracking, the nose strut for cracks, main-gear grommets for splitting or migration, brake calipers for leakage or overheating and brake hoses for condition and date codes.

The same checklist calls for inspecting the tail tiedown and aft vertical spar for evidence of a tail strike, checking beneath the wings around the fuel senders for staining, looking for flap chafing and measuring electrical resistance from the tailpipes to the fuel caps, with a specified maximum of 100 ohms.

That level of detail is why make-and-model experience matters.

If you are specifically evaluating an SR22, our Used Cirrus SR22 Buyer’s Guide covers the generation, avionics, FIKI, turbo, CAPS, engine and propeller differences that should be understood before the airplane reaches the pre-buy stage.

Installed Equipment Should Actually Be Operated

An equipment list tells you what is supposed to be in the airplane.

The pre-buy needs to determine whether it works.

• If the aircraft has air conditioning, run it.
• If it has oxygen, inspect and test it appropriately.
• If it has TKS or another ice-protection system, operate it according to the applicable procedure.
• If it has electrically operated seats, cabin systems, lighting or other equipment, use them.

For a Cirrus with TKS, a proper inspection goes beyond turning on the pump and seeing fluid somewhere on the wing. Savvy’s checklist calls for checking for leaks beneath the aft seats and floor near the TKS pump, inspecting the propeller area for chafing from TKS tubing and verifying proper operation and full panel saturation over the length of the porous panels.

A box checked on an equipment list has little value if the system requires immediate repair after closing.

Test the Avionics as an Integrated System

Modernized airplanes often contain equipment installed across several different periods.

The question is not simply whether each screen turns on.

If the airplane has a navigator, PFD and autopilot, confirm that the selected navigation source actually drives the displays and autopilot correctly.

Exercise the equipment you intend to rely on:

• GPS navigation
• VOR and ILS where installed
• Approach loading and sequencing
• Autopilot heading, navigation, altitude and approach modes
• GPSS where applicable
• ADS-B Out status
• ADS-B traffic and weather reception
• Audio panel and intercom
• Transponder
• Backup instruments
• Engine monitoring
• Terrain and synthetic vision if installed
• Database status
• Cabin and panel lighting

If practical and appropriate to the inspection agreement, some of this is best verified on a test flight.

A panel containing expensive equipment can still have integration problems, configuration issues or undocumented modifications that are not obvious from photographs.

Do Not Ignore the Weight and Balance

The pre-buy is also an opportunity to verify that the paperwork describing the airplane matches the airplane sitting in the shop.

Compare the current equipment list and weight-and-balance record with what is actually installed.

Aircraft accumulate modifications over time.

A GPS is replaced. An old instrument is removed. A new autopilot goes in. Air conditioning is added. A different propeller is installed.

Each properly executed change should flow through the aircraft records and, where applicable, the weight-and-balance documentation.

The arithmetic matters because useful load matters.

This is especially important on aircraft where equipment configuration can materially change payload.

Damage History Requires More Than Asking “Any Damage?”

A binary yes-or-no question about damage history is not very useful.

The event, the resulting condition, the repair and the documentation all matter.

A propeller strike is a good example. The fact that a prop strike occurred tells you to investigate further, not to stop reading the records. Was the engine subjected to the appropriate sudden-stoppage inspection? Was the propeller repaired, overhauled or replaced? Was the nose gear involved? Was there firewall or other structural damage? Were any major repairs documented on FAA Form 337? On a Cirrus, was a factory Field Repair Authorization involved?

The same applies to a tail strike. If the records document the event, the required inspection was performed and no damage or repair was found, that is materially different from an airplane that sustained structural damage and required repair.

Cosmetic events need context too. A repaired wheel pant, replaced fairing or minor hangar rash should not automatically be treated the same way as structural repair history.

Even apparently significant component replacement can have an explanation that has little to do with an accident. For example, an aircraft might show replacement flight controls and substantial paint work in its records. On the surface, that deserves investigation. If the documentation shows that the manufacturer performed the work under warranty to address an early paint or corrosion issue, that tells a very different story from impact damage.

That is why a good records review asks more than whether there is “damage history.”

If an aircraft has a repair or event history, establish:

• What happened?
• Which structure or components were affected?
• Was damage actually found?
• Who performed the inspection or repair?
• Which approved repair data were used?
• Are the logbook entries complete?
• Was a Form 337 required and, if so, is it present?
• Are there photographs or supporting records?
• Does the physical inspection agree with the documentation?
• How does the event or repair affect buyer acceptance, insurance, financing and eventual resale?

A properly repaired aircraft may be a perfectly reasonable purchase.

What creates risk is poorly understood history.

Separate Airworthiness From Economics

The final discrepancy list should not be one undifferentiated pile.

At a minimum, findings should be separated into:

Airworthiness discrepancies
Items that must be addressed before the aircraft can legally or safely be returned to service.

Near-term maintenance
Items that may be serviceable today but are likely to require attention soon.

Lifecycle events
Engine, propeller, landing gear, parachute, hot-section, hoses or other components approaching an hourly or calendar event.

Documentation discrepancies
Missing records, incomplete STC paperwork, unclear component history or inconsistent weight-and-balance information.

Cosmetic items
Paint, interior and other condition issues that influence value without necessarily affecting airworthiness.

Then attach a realistic repair or correction estimate to the significant findings.

Savvy’s published pre-buy process specifically asks the inspecting facility to provide the completed discrepancy list together with detailed repair estimates.

That turns the inspection into information the buyer can actually use in the transaction.

Decide in Advance Which Findings Trigger Renegotiation

A pre-buy can produce a long list of imperfections on an otherwise good airplane.

Trying to renegotiate every worn screw and cosmetic defect is usually not productive.

The purchase agreement should make clear how serious findings are handled.

Depending on the transaction, the outcome might be:

• Seller repairs the discrepancy before closing
• Seller provides a credit
• Purchase price is renegotiated
• Buyer accepts the condition as-is
• Buyer rejects the aircraft under the agreement

The correct response depends on the contract, the finding and the agreed condition of the aircraft.

The mechanic identifies condition.

The transaction parties decide what that condition means to the deal.

Mechanical Condition and Clear Title Are Different Problems

A perfect pre-buy does not establish clean ownership.

FAA aircraft records can contain recorded security agreements, liens and releases, but the FAA Aircraft Registration Branch does not perform title searches for buyers. The FAA specifically advises buyers to review the records themselves or use an attorney or aircraft title company. FAA guidance explains aircraft title and recorded liens.

Title and escrow work should therefore begin while the mechanical due diligence is underway.

Do not wait until the airplane passes inspection to discover that an old lien, ownership issue or missing release is holding up the transaction.

Do a Final Acceptance Check Before the Money Moves

The pre-buy may occur days or weeks before closing.

The airplane should still be in the agreed condition when the buyer accepts delivery.

Before funds and closing documents are released, confirm that agreed discrepancies have been corrected or credited, required paperwork has been delivered, the aircraft has not suffered new damage and the equipment expected with the airplane is still present.

If repairs were performed after the pre-buy, review the corresponding logbook entries and invoices.

This is especially important when the airplane was flown after the inspection.

AOPA treats the discrepancy punch list, technical acceptance, escrow and closing as separate stages of the acquisition process for good reason. AOPA’s purchase and delivery checklist walks through those stages.

What a Good Aircraft Pre-Buy Inspection Should Give You

The result should be more useful than “the airplane passed.”

A strong pre-buy should leave you with a clear understanding of:

• The aircraft’s documented maintenance history
• Its current mechanical condition
• The condition of the engine and propeller
• The status of major installed systems
• Whether the avionics operate together correctly
• Known repair or damage history
• Upcoming hourly and calendar maintenance
• Significant discrepancies and estimated correction costs
• Any documentation that still needs to be resolved
• The condition you are agreeing to accept at closing

There will always be uncertainty in buying a used aircraft. The purpose of due diligence is to reduce the avoidable part of it.

Aerista’s aircraft acquisition services are structured around that entire process, from defining the mission and evaluating the market through aircraft search, inspection, negotiation and closing. We are not the mechanic performing the pre-buy. Our role is to make sure the right airplane gets inspected by the right people, that the findings are understood in the context of the transaction and that a buyer knows what they are agreeing to own before the deal closes.