Aircraft Records Retention Requirements (14 CFR): How Long to Keep Every Record

Last reviewed May 7, 2026 · By Chad Griffith

Aircraft records fall into two retention buckets under 14 CFR. Records of routine maintenance, preventive maintenance, alterations, and required inspections must be kept until that work is repeated or superseded, or for 1 year after it is performed, whichever comes first (14 CFR 91.417(b)(1); 135.439(b)(1) for Part 135). The second bucket -- the aircraft's permanent status records -- must be kept and transferred with the aircraft when it is sold (14 CFR 91.417(b)(2); 135.439(b)(3)): total time in service of the airframe, each engine, propeller, and rotor; the current status of life-limited parts; the time since last overhaul of every item overhauled on a time basis; the current inspection status; the current status of applicable airworthiness directives (AD number, revision date, method of compliance, and next-due time/date if recurring); and copies of the FAA Form 337 for each major alteration. Overhaul and rebuild documentation lives in this permanent bucket -- it is the evidence behind the life-limited-part and time-since-overhaul status, so it stays with the aircraft for its service life. Part 135 operators carry additional retention windows: completed load manifests for at least 30 days (14 CFR 135.63(d)); crewmember and dispatcher records for at least 12 months and the aircraft equipment list for at least 6 months (14 CFR 135.63(b)); and drug and alcohol testing records per 14 CFR Part 120 and 49 CFR 40.333 -- verified positives, refusals, SAP reports, and follow-up tests for 5 years, EBT calibration records for 2 years, and negative/low results for 1 year. Bottom line: maintenance work records can be retired after 1 year or supersession, but life-limited-part, overhaul, inspection, and AD status records must follow the aircraft permanently.

The two retention rules: superseded-or-1-year vs. transferred with the aircraft

Federal aviation recordkeeping is built on a single, often-misread distinction. 14 CFR 91.417 -- the controlling rule for general-aviation aircraft, mirrored for commuter and on-demand operators by 14 CFR 135.439 -- sorts every record into one of two retention categories with very different lifespans.

• Maintenance & inspection work records (91.417(a)(1)) -- short retention. Records of maintenance, preventive maintenance, alteration, and the required or approved inspections (100-hour, annual, progressive, and the like) must be retained until the work is repeated or superseded by other work, or for 1 year after the work is performed, per 14 CFR 91.417(b)(1). For Part 135 aircraft the parallel rule is 14 CFR 135.439(b)(1). In practice the new logbook entry that supersedes a prior one resets the clock; the prior entry can be discarded once superseded, though most operators keep the full history.
• Aircraft status records (91.417(a)(2)) -- permanent retention. The six status records listed below must be retained and transferred with the aircraft at the time the aircraft is sold, per 14 CFR 91.417(b)(2) (Part 135: 14 CFR 135.439(b)(3)). These never time out -- they are the airworthiness pedigree that follows the airframe for its entire service life.

The practical trap: operators apply the 1-year rule to everything and discard records that legally must follow the aircraft -- or they keep mountains of superseded work entries while the actual status records (life-limited part times, AD compliance) are incomplete. The two buckets answer different questions: "what was done" (work records, short) versus "what is the aircraft's current airworthiness status" (status records, permanent).

Maintenance and alteration records: what each entry must contain (14 CFR 43.9)

Retention is only half the obligation -- the record itself has to be complete. 14 CFR 43.9 governs the content, form, and disposition of every maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, and alteration record. Each entry must include:

• A description (or reference to data acceptable to the Administrator) of the work performed;
• The date of completion of the work performed;
• The name of the person who performed the work if other than the person who approves it for return to service; and
• The signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate held by the person approving the work for return to service.

14 CFR 43.9 does not itself set a retention period -- that comes from 91.417(b) (or 135.439(b) for Part 135). Major repairs and major alterations carry the added requirement of an FAA Form 337 prepared under 43.9(d) and Appendix B to Part 43; the operator's copy of that 337 is one of the permanent status records (91.417(a)(2)(vi)) that transfers with the aircraft. Inspection entries (annual, 100-hour, progressive) are made under 14 CFR 43.11 and retained on the same 91.417(b)(1) schedule -- until superseded by the next inspection or 1 year.

Life-limited parts, overhaul and rebuild records: the permanent pedigree (14 CFR 91.417(a)(2))

These are the records that must be retained and transferred with the aircraft on sale (14 CFR 91.417(b)(2); 135.439(b)(3)). 14 CFR 91.417(a)(2) lists them verbatim:

• (i) The total time in service of the airframe, each engine, each propeller, and each rotor;
• (ii) The current status of life-limited parts of each airframe, engine, propeller, rotor, and appliance;
• (iii) The time since last overhaul of all items installed on the aircraft which are required to be overhauled on a specified time basis;
• (iv) The current inspection status of the aircraft, including the time since the last inspection required by the inspection program under which the aircraft and its appliances are maintained;
• (v) The current status of applicable airworthiness directives (AD) including, for each, the method of compliance, the AD number, and revision date -- and, if the AD involves recurring action, the time and date when the next action is required; and
• (vi) Copies of the forms prescribed by 43.9(d) (FAA Form 337) for each major alteration to the airframe and currently installed engines, rotors, propellers, and appliances.

Overhaul and rebuild documentation belongs to this permanent bucket. An overhaul or rebuild record is the underlying evidence for items (ii) and (iii) -- it substantiates the current life-limited-part status and the time-since-overhaul figure -- so it is retained for the service life of the part or aircraft, not discarded after a year. When the part is removed or scrapped, its life history still has to reconcile against the airframe records a buyer or inspector reviews. Losing these records does not just create a paperwork gap; it can ground an otherwise airworthy aircraft until the status is reconstructed.

Airworthiness directive (AD) records and AD compliance status (14 CFR 91.417(a)(2)(v))

AD compliance is recorded twice. The act of complying is a maintenance entry under 43.9 (retained until superseded or 1 year). But the current status of every applicable AD is a permanent status record under 14 CFR 91.417(a)(2)(v): for each AD, the record must show the method of compliance, the AD number and revision date, and -- for recurring ADs -- the time and date the next action is due. This status record transfers with the aircraft (91.417(b)(2)). Most operators maintain a running AD compliance record (an "AD status sheet" or equivalent) precisely because the individual maintenance entries can be superseded while the status summary must persist. A missing or stale AD status record is one of the most common general-aviation and Part 135 inspection findings, because a recurring AD that is overdue makes the aircraft unairworthy regardless of how well the rest of the file is kept.

Part 135 operator records: crew, dispatch, and the 30-day load manifest (14 CFR 135.63)

Commuter and on-demand (Part 135) certificate holders carry recordkeeping duties beyond the maintenance file, set out in 14 CFR 135.63. The certificate holder must keep, at its principal business office, the operating certificate and operations specifications, a current aircraft equipment list, and individual records for each crewmember and aircraft dispatcher. Retention windows differ by record:

• Aircraft equipment / record list -- at least 6 months (14 CFR 135.63(b), for the 135.63(a)(3) records).
• Crewmember and dispatcher qualification, training, currency, and duty/flight-time records -- at least 12 months (14 CFR 135.63(b), for the 135.63(a)(4) and (a)(5) records).
• Completed load manifests -- at least 30 days. 14 CFR 135.63(d) states: the certificate holder shall keep copies of completed load manifests for at least 30 days at its principal operations base, or at another location used by it and approved by the Administrator. The load manifest itself must be prepared before each takeoff and contain the weight-and-balance and loading information for the flight.

These are floors, not ceilings -- many operators retain crew and training records far longer to support enforcement defense, insurance, and personnel actions. But 30 days is the minimum the FAA will hold you to for a load manifest, and 12 months for crew records.

Drug and alcohol testing records: 1 to 5 years (14 CFR Part 120 / 49 CFR 40.333)

Part 135 operators (and other DOT-regulated aviation employers) run a drug and alcohol testing program under 14 CFR Part 120, which incorporates the testing procedures of 49 CFR Part 40. Record retention is set by 49 CFR 40.333 and tiered by record type:

• 5 years -- verified positive drug test results; alcohol test results of 0.02 or greater; documented refusals to test (including adulterated or substituted specimens); Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) reports; and all follow-up test records and schedules. Under 14 CFR 120.219, records of FAA annual reports and notifications of alcohol-misuse violations are likewise kept a minimum of 5 years.
• 3 years -- drug and alcohol testing information obtained from an employee's previous employers.
• 2 years -- records of the inspection, maintenance, and calibration of evidential breath testing devices (EBTs).
• 1 year -- negative and cancelled drug test results, and alcohol test results below 0.02.

14 CFR 120.219 also requires that, in addition to the records mandated by 49 CFR Part 40, employers maintain their testing records in a secure location with controlled access. Because these records contain protected medical and personnel information, retention has to be paired with access control -- a point inspectors and auditors check alongside the dates.

Aircraft records retention at a glance (record type, period, CFR cite)

Periods above are regulatory minimums. Operators frequently retain longer to support enforcement defense, resale, and insurance -- but never shorter.

How FileFlo tracks aircraft records retention and proves it to an inspector

The retention rules are simple to state and hard to operate, because the dates live across logbooks, AD status sheets, training files, and manifest binders -- and the penalty for a gap is an unairworthy aircraft or a finding, not a fine you can pay later. FileFlo is the records and proof layer for that problem. It is not your maintenance-tracking program, your dispatch/FOS system, or your safety management system -- it reads the documents you already generate and keeps the evidence audit-ready.

• Classifies each document to its CFR citation -- a logbook entry, a Form 337, an AD compliance sheet, a load manifest, a training certificate, a drug-test record -- so every file is tagged to the rule that governs it.
• Tracks the retention window per record type -- the 1-year/superseded clock on work records, the permanent "transfers with the aircraft" flag on 91.417(a)(2) status records, the 30-day load-manifest minimum, and the 1/2/3/5-year drug-and-alcohol tiers -- and flags records before they fall out of compliance.
• Surfaces missing records -- a recurring AD with no next-due entry, a life-limited part with no current status, a crew file short of the 12-month set -- so gaps are caught before an inspector finds them.
• Exports an inspector-ready audit binder -- the right records, organized by CFR cite, on demand for an FAA records review, an insurance audit, or an aircraft sale's records due-diligence.

FileFlo is $89/mo (Starter) or $299/mo (Professional) with a 5-day free trial. It keeps the retention windows and the proof straight; you keep flying.

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