Direct Answer — Preventive Maintenance in One Paragraph
Preventive maintenance is defined in 14 CFR §1.1 as simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations. The exact scope is the enumerated list in Appendix A to Part 43, paragraph (c) — if a task is not on that list, it is maintenance, not preventive maintenance. Under §43.3(g), the holder of a Part 61 pilot certificate (except a sport pilot) may perform preventive maintenance on any aircraft owned or operated by that pilot which is not used under Part 121, 129, or 135. A pilot may then approve that aircraft for return to service under §43.7(f). The work must be recorded under §43.9 — the same entry rule that governs all maintenance.
- Definition: §1.1 — “simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations.”
- Scope: the enumerated items in Appendix A to Part 43, paragraph (c) — not a feel-test.
- Who may perform (Part 91): §43.3(g) — a Part 61 pilot (except sport pilot) on an aircraft they own or operate, not used under Part 121, 129, or 135.
- Part 135 exception: §43.3(h) — only rotorcraft in a remote area, through an Administrator-approved certificate holder, limited to Appendix A(c) items.
- Return to service: §43.7(f) — at least a private pilot certificate, for preventive maintenance performed under §43.3(g).
- The record: §43.9 — description, date, performer name (if different from approver), and the approver's signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate.
Sources: 14 CFR §1.1, §43.3, §43.7, §43.9, and Appendix A to Part 43 (eCFR).
“Preventive maintenance” is one of the most useful — and most misunderstood — privileges in 14 CFR. It is the reason a private pilot can legally change their own spark plugs, repack a wheel bearing, or replace a landing light without an A&P signature. But the privilege is bounded by an exact list, restricted by who the pilot is and how the aircraft is operated, and — critically for compliance records — it still requires a documented §43.9 maintenance record entry. Treating a task as preventive maintenance when it falls outside the Appendix A(c) list, or signing it off without the certificate authority §43.7 requires, turns a routine task into an unauthorized-maintenance and defective-record problem.
This article separates the four questions operators conflate: what preventive maintenance is (§1.1 plus Appendix A(c)), who may perform it (§43.3), who may approve return to service (§43.7), and how it is recorded (§43.9). It is a companion to the dedicated §43.9 record-entry explainer — that post breaks down the entry itself; this one focuses on the scope and the who-may.
What Counts as Preventive Maintenance — §1.1 and the Appendix A(c) Boundary
The definition is short, but the operative scope lives in the list, not the definition.
14 CFR §1.1 defines preventive maintenance as simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations. The same section defines maintenance as inspection, overhaul, repair, preservation, and the replacement of parts — but expressly excludes preventive maintenance from that definition. The two are mutually exclusive categories: a task is either preventive maintenance or it is maintenance, and the line between them is not drawn by intuition about how minor the work feels.
Preventive maintenance (§1.1)
Simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations. Scope is set by Appendix A to Part 43, paragraph (c).
Maintenance (§1.1)
Inspection, overhaul, repair, preservation, and the replacement of parts — but excludes preventive maintenance. Requires the broader §43.3 authority and, for return to service, a mechanic, IA, or repair station under §43.7.
The list is the law — not your assessment of difficulty
Appendix A to Part 43, paragraph (c) opens by stating that preventive maintenance is limited to the work it then lists, provided it does not involve complex assembly operations. That “limited to” is doing real work: a task that seems trivially simple but is not enumerated is still maintenance. Conversely, an item is only preventive maintenance if performing it does not cross into a complex assembly operation — the same task can fall on either side depending on what it actually requires on a given aircraft. When in doubt, treat the task as maintenance and route it to a certificated mechanic.
This boundary matters far beyond owner-operators. It also defines the outer edge of what a §43.3(d) person-under-supervision is doing, what the §43.3(h) remote-area rotorcraft pilot is limited to, and what an Part 145 repair station records as preventive maintenance versus maintenance in its work orders. Every downstream record — the Part 91 aircraft records, the retention schedule — inherits this classification.
Who May Perform Preventive Maintenance — §43.3
§43.3 lists the persons authorized to perform maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, and alterations. Two paragraphs — (g) and (h) — are specific to preventive maintenance and the most commonly misread.
§43.3(g) — The Part 61 Pilot-Owner Privilege
14 CFR §43.3(g)Except for holders of a sport pilot certificate, the holder of a pilot certificate issued under Part 61 may perform preventive maintenance on any aircraft owned or operated by that pilot which is not used under Part 121, 129, or 135 of the chapter. Three conditions all have to hold: the person holds a Part 61 pilot certificate (other than sport pilot); the aircraft is owned or operated by that pilot; and the aircraft is not used under Part 121, 129, or 135. A private, commercial, or ATP certificate is sufficient — there is no requirement for any maintenance rating to perform the Appendix A(c) items on one's own Part 91 aircraft.
Sport pilots — a separate, narrower path
A sport pilot is excepted from the §43.3(g) general privilege. The sport-pilot/light-sport preventive-maintenance and approval framework is handled through the light-sport provisions (including §43.3(h) and §43.7(h) for special light-sport aircraft), which are distinct from the Part 61 pilot-owner privilege described here. Verify the specific light-sport pathway against current text before relying on it.
§43.3(h) — Part 135 Rotorcraft in a Remote Area (Narrow Exception)
14 CFR §43.3(h)Notwithstanding paragraph (g), the Administrator may approve a certificate holder under Part 135 operating rotorcraft in a remote area to allow a pilot to perform specific preventive maintenance items, subject to the conditions the rule states. Those conditions include that the items be limited to the preventive maintenance listed in Appendix A, paragraph (c); that the pilot have satisfactorily completed approved training and be authorized in writing by the certificate holder; and that the certificate holder have procedures to evaluate the airworthiness of the action. This is the only place §43.3 reaches into Part 135 preventive maintenance by a pilot — and it is tightly scoped to rotorcraft, remote-area operations, and an Administrator-approved certificate-holder program.
Do not over-read §43.3(h). It is not a general “Part 135 pilots may do preventive maintenance” rule. It is rotorcraft-specific, remote-area-specific, requires Administrator approval through the certificate holder, demands documented pilot training and written authorization, and is bounded by Appendix A(c). For ordinary Part 135 maintenance, the work is performed and released under the operator's program — see what records a Part 135 operator must keep.
The Other §43.3 Performers
§43.3(b), (c), (d) and Part 145- §43.3(b) — Certificated mechanic. A&P mechanics perform maintenance and preventive maintenance within the scope of their Airframe and/or Powerplant ratings under Part 65, Subpart D.
- §43.3(c) — Certificated repairman. A repairman performs work within the scope of the repairman certificate.
- §43.3(d) — Person under supervision. A person working under the supervision of a holder of a mechanic or repairman certificate may perform the work that person is authorized to do, under the limits the rule sets — but that supervised person is not the one approving the aircraft for return to service.
- Part 145 repair station. A certificated repair station performs and releases preventive maintenance within its ratings — its recordkeeping system captures the §43.9-equivalent data on the work order and maintenance release.
The Appendix A(c) List — Representative Enumerated Items
Appendix A to Part 43, paragraph (c) opens by stating that preventive maintenance is limited to the listed work, provided it does not involve complex assembly operations. Below are representative items from the current list (numbered as in the regulation). This is a sample to illustrate the kind of work that qualifies — always confirm a specific task against the full, current Appendix A(c) text.
Removal, installation, and repair of landing gear tires.
Servicing landing gear shock struts by adding oil, air, or both.
Servicing landing gear wheel bearings, such as cleaning and greasing.
Replacing defective safety wiring or cotter keys.
Lubrication not requiring disassembly other than removal of nonstructural items such as cover plates, cowlings, and fairings.
Replenishing hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic reservoir.
Replacing safety belts.
Replacing seats or seat parts with replacement parts approved for the aircraft, not involving disassembly of any primary structure or operating system.
Replacing bulbs, reflectors, and lenses of position and landing lights.
Replacing or cleaning spark plugs and setting of spark plug gap clearance.
Replacing prefabricated fuel lines.
Cleaning or replacing fuel and oil strainers or filter elements.
Replacing and servicing batteries.
Removing, checking, and replacing magnetic chip detectors.
This is a representative sample, not the complete list
Appendix A to Part 43, paragraph (c) contains a longer enumerated list than is shown here, and it includes balloon-, glider-, and primary-category-aircraft-specific items as well as a provision for removing and replacing certain self-contained, front instrument-panel-mounted navigation and communication devices that use tray-mounted connectors (with stated exclusions). The list is amended over time. Treat the regulation text — not any third-party summary, including this one — as the authority for whether a given task qualifies. The numbering above mirrors the regulation so you can find each item quickly in the source.
Notice the pattern: the qualifying items are bounded, replaceable, and standard-part-oriented — tires, belts, bulbs, spark plugs, prefabricated fuel lines, batteries, chip detectors, filter elements. The moment a task requires disassembling primary structure, an operating system, or a complex assembly, it leaves the list and becomes maintenance. That is why “replacing seats or seat parts” qualifies only when it does not involve disassembly of primary structure or an operating system, and why interior and decorative work qualifies but structural fabric repair requiring rib stitching does not.
Who Approves Return to Service — §43.7 (a Separate Question)
Performing the work and approving the aircraft for return to service are two different privileges, governed by two different rules. §43.3 says who may perform preventive maintenance; 14 CFR §43.7 says who may approve the aircraft, airframe, engine, propeller, appliance, or component part for return to service afterward. The two do not always sit with the same person — a §43.3(d) supervised person performs work that the supervising mechanic approves; a technician on a repair-station floor performs work that the repair station releases.
§43.7(f) — The Pilot Return-to-Service Privilege
A person holding at least a private pilot certificate may approve an aircraft for return to service after performing preventive maintenance under the provisions of §43.3(g). This is the matched bookend to the §43.3(g) performance privilege: the pilot who performs the preventive maintenance on their own Part 91 aircraft is also the person who returns it to service — and whose signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate go into the §43.9 entry. The certificate floor is “at least a private pilot certificate.”
Mechanics, repairmen, and repair stations also have return-to-service authority for preventive maintenance under the other paragraphs of §43.7. The point of §43.7(f) is that the Part 91 pilot-owner does not need a mechanic to close out the Appendix A(c) work they are authorized to perform.
If the task was not §43.3(g) preventive maintenance, §43.7(f) does not authorize the release
§43.7(f) is keyed specifically to preventive maintenance performed under §43.3(g). If a pilot performs a task that is not on the Appendix A(c) list — or that crossed into a complex assembly operation — it was never §43.3(g) preventive maintenance, so the §43.7(f) approval does not cover it. The aircraft would then require return-to-service approval by a person with the appropriate certificate (a mechanic, IA, or repair station), and a pilot signature alone would leave the record defective on its face.
The Record — §43.9 Applies to Preventive Maintenance Too
Preventive maintenance is recorded under the same rule as all other maintenance: 14 CFR §43.9. There is no lighter recordkeeping standard for preventive maintenance — the §43.3(g) privilege to perform it does not come with a waiver of the §43.9 entry obligation. Per §43.9(a), each person who maintains, performs preventive maintenance, rebuilds, or alters an aircraft (other than work covered by §43.11 inspections) must make the entry. For a complete breakdown of the entry, see the dedicated §43.9 record-entry explainer; the four required content items are summarized here.
Description of work performed
§43.9(a)(1)A description (or reference to data acceptable to the Administrator) of the work performed. For preventive maintenance, name the Appendix A(c) item performed and the relevant manufacturer data or part — e.g., "Replaced both main landing gear tires and tubes per AMM; serviced wheel bearings."
Date of completion
§43.9(a)(2)The date of completion of the work performed. This date starts the §91.417 retention clock for the entry.
Name of person performing the work
§43.9(a)(3)The name of the person performing the work if other than the person specified in paragraph (a)(4). For a pilot-owner who performs and approves the work themselves, the approving signature block covers it; if a different person did the work, that person must be named.
Signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate of the approver
§43.9(a)(4)If the work was performed satisfactorily, the signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate held by the person approving the work. For a pilot-owner releasing under §43.7(f), the kind of certificate is the pilot certificate held (e.g., "Private Pilot"), and the certificate number is the airman certificate number.
Compliant Pilot-Owner Preventive-Maintenance Entry
[Date] June 9, 2026
[Work Description] Performed preventive maintenance per 14 CFR §43.3(g) and Appendix A to Part 43, ¶(c): replaced and cleaned all spark plugs and set gap clearance to manufacturer spec (item 20); serviced main landing gear wheel bearings (item 4); replaced left landing light bulb and lens (item 17). Engine run-up performed; magneto drop within limits. Aircraft approved for return to service.
[Approved by — signature] J. Carter
[Certificate No.] 3456789
[Kind of Certificate] Private Pilot (return to service per 14 CFR §43.7(f))
- Each task tied to a specific Appendix A(c) item number
- Date of completion present (starts §91.417 clock)
- Performer and approver are the same pilot-owner — no separate (a)(3) name needed
- Signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate all present
- §43.7(f) authority cited for the release
Once that entry is made in the aircraft maintenance records, it becomes part of the owner record governed by 14 CFR §91.417, and retention follows the §91.417(a)(1)/(a)(2) tiers covered in the aviation records retention schedule. Preventive-maintenance entries also matter for airworthiness directive continuity and for an aircraft's resale value: a clean, complete logbook history is part of the records package a buyer inherits.
Preventive maintenance vs inspections — different record rule
§43.9 governs maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, and alteration entries. Inspections performed under Part 91, Part 125, §135.411(a)(1), or §135.419 — annual, 100-hour, and progressive inspections — are recorded under §43.11 instead, not §43.9. A pilot-owner does not perform those inspections under the §43.3(g) preventive-maintenance privilege; an annual inspection requires an IA, and the entry follows §43.11. Keep the two record rules distinct in your filing.
Make sure every preventive-maintenance entry is complete before an inspector reads it
FileFlo classifies aviation maintenance documents against the governing CFR — including whether a §43.9 entry carries the description, date, performer name, signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate — and surfaces gaps in your logbook history. It is the document and proof layer; it does not perform maintenance or release the aircraft. See the full Aviation compliance coverage.
Where Preventive Maintenance Fits in the Wider Records Picture
For a Part 91 pilot-owner, the §43.3(g) privilege is most of the maintenance story. For operators, preventive maintenance is one classification among many that has to be filed, tracked, and proven — and getting the classification right upstream keeps the downstream records clean.
Part 91 pilot-owners
The §43.3(g)/§43.7(f) pairing is the core privilege. The discipline that protects you is simple: confirm the task against Appendix A(c) before treating it as preventive maintenance, log it under §43.9, and keep it with the rest of your Part 91 aircraft records. The same logbook discipline supports annual inspection continuity and AD compliance records.
Part 135 operators and Part 145 repair stations
For most Part 135 work, the §43.3(g) pilot privilege does not apply — maintenance is performed and released under the operator program, and only the narrow §43.3(h) rotorcraft-remote-area exception lets a pilot touch preventive maintenance. Repair stations record preventive maintenance through their recordkeeping system, and the work surfaces in a Part 145 audit binder. Classifying maintenance vs preventive maintenance correctly is also part of the CAMP recordkeeping discipline.
The proof layer at audit time
Whether the entry was made by a pilot-owner or a repair station, it has to be findable and complete when an FAA surveillance audit or a buyer's pre-purchase review reaches it. A missing date or certificate number in a preventive-maintenance entry is the same kind of defect as in any other §43.9 entry — and the retention rules apply identically.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "preventive maintenance" under 14 CFR §1.1?
Preventive maintenance is defined in 14 CFR §1.1 as simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations. It is a distinct category from "maintenance," which §1.1 defines as inspection, overhaul, repair, preservation, and the replacement of parts, but expressly excludes preventive maintenance. The exact scope of what counts as preventive maintenance is then enumerated in Appendix A to Part 43, paragraph (c) — that list, not a judgment call about what feels minor, is what governs. If a task is not on the Appendix A(c) list, it is maintenance, not preventive maintenance, regardless of how simple it appears.
Who may perform preventive maintenance on an aircraft?
Per 14 CFR §43.3, several categories may perform preventive maintenance: a certificated mechanic (§43.3(b)); a certificated repairman within the scope of the repairman certificate (§43.3(c)); a person working under the supervision of a certificated mechanic or repairman (§43.3(d)); a certificated repair station under Part 145; and — the provision most relevant to owner-operators — under §43.3(g), the holder of a pilot certificate issued under Part 61 (except a sport pilot) may perform preventive maintenance on any aircraft owned or operated by that pilot which is not used under Part 121, 129, or 135. The §43.3(g) pilot privilege is the key carve-out: a private, commercial, or ATP certificate holder can legally perform the Appendix A(c) items on their own Part 91 aircraft.
Can a Part 135 pilot perform preventive maintenance on the aircraft they fly?
Generally no — the §43.3(g) pilot privilege expressly excludes aircraft used under Part 121, 129, or 135, so a pilot cannot rely on it for a Part 135 aircraft. There is one narrow exception: under §43.3(h), notwithstanding paragraph (g), the Administrator may approve a Part 135 certificate holder operating rotorcraft in a remote area to allow a pilot to perform specific preventive maintenance items, subject to conditions the rule lists — including that the items be limited to those in Appendix A, paragraph (c), that the pilot have received approved training, and that the certificate holder have procedures to evaluate the airworthiness of the action. This is a rotorcraft-in-remote-area provision approved through the certificate holder, not a general Part 135 pilot privilege. For most Part 135 work the maintenance is performed and released under the operator program, not by the line pilot.
Is changing the oil or replacing spark plugs considered preventive maintenance?
Replacing or cleaning spark plugs and setting spark plug gap clearance is item (20) on the Appendix A to Part 43 paragraph (c) list, so it is preventive maintenance. Oil service is more nuanced: Appendix A(c) lists items such as servicing landing gear shock struts by adding oil or air (item 3), replenishing hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic reservoir (item 8), and cleaning or replacing fuel and oil strainers or filter elements (item 23). A routine engine oil-and-filter change is commonly performed by §43.3(g) pilot-owners under the preventive-maintenance umbrella, but because the precise wording of the list controls, verify the specific task against the current Appendix A(c) text rather than assuming. Anything not on the list — or anything that crosses into a complex assembly operation — is maintenance, not preventive maintenance.
Who may approve an aircraft for return to service after preventive maintenance?
Return-to-service approval is governed by 14 CFR §43.7, which is a separate question from who may perform the work. Under §43.7(f), a person holding at least a private pilot certificate may approve an aircraft for return to service after performing preventive maintenance under the provisions of §43.3(g). Certificated mechanics and repair stations may also approve preventive maintenance for return to service under the other paragraphs of §43.7. The performance privilege (§43.3) and the return-to-service approval privilege (§43.7) are distinct — a person working under supervision under §43.3(d), for instance, may perform the work but is not the person approving it for return to service. The approving person is the one whose signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate go in the §43.9 record.
What must the §43.9 record entry for preventive maintenance contain?
The record entry for preventive maintenance is made under 14 CFR §43.9, the same rule that governs maintenance, rebuilding, and alteration entries. Per §43.9(a), the entry must contain: (1) a description (or reference to data acceptable to the Administrator) of work performed; (2) the date of completion of the work performed; (3) the name of the person performing the work if other than the person specified in paragraph (a)(4); and (4) if the work was performed satisfactorily, the signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate held by the person approving the work. For a pilot-owner performing and approving their own preventive maintenance, the kind of certificate is the pilot certificate held (for example, "Private Pilot"). A separate FileFlo explainer covers the §43.9 entry in full detail.
Does a pilot-owner need to log preventive maintenance in the aircraft records?
Yes. The §43.3(g) privilege to perform preventive maintenance does not waive the recordkeeping obligation — a §43.9 entry is required for the work to be properly documented, and the absence of an entry leaves an undocumented maintenance action in the aircraft history. Once entered in the aircraft maintenance records, the entry becomes part of the owner record governed by 14 CFR §91.417, with retention determined by whether it is a §91.417(a)(1) record (kept until superseded or for 1 year) or an (a)(2) life-of-aircraft record. A pilot-owner who performs an Appendix A(c) item and signs it off under §43.7(f) but never makes the §43.9 entry has performed the work legally but failed the documentation half of the obligation.
What happens if a task that is actually "maintenance" is performed as "preventive maintenance" by a pilot?
If a pilot performs a task under the §43.3(g) preventive-maintenance privilege that is not on the Appendix A to Part 43 paragraph (c) list — or that involves a complex assembly operation the definition excludes — the work was performed outside the pilot privilege and the §43.7(f) return-to-service approval is not valid for it. That exposes both an unauthorized-maintenance issue and a defective record, because the approving person did not hold the certificate authority appropriate to that category of work. Civil penalties under 49 U.S.C. §46301 reach $75,000 per violation (with a lower cap for an individual or small business) under 14 CFR §13.301. The structural safeguard is simple: confirm the task is on the Appendix A(c) list before treating it as preventive maintenance, and have a certificated mechanic perform and release anything that is not.
Related Aviation Compliance Reading
What a 14 CFR §43.9 Maintenance Record Entry Must Contain
The full breakdown of the entry this post references
Part 91 Aircraft Records Requirements
§91.417 maintenance records and where PM entries live
Part 91.409 Annual Inspection Requirements
What requires an IA and the §43.11 record, distinct from PM
Airworthiness Directive Compliance Records
§43.9 entries for AD-mandated work and continuity
Aviation Records Retention Schedule
How long PM and maintenance entries must be kept under §91.417
What Records a Part 135 Operator Must Keep
Why the pilot-owner PM privilege does not apply to Part 135
Keep your preventive-maintenance records §43.9 clean and audit-ready
FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform that classifies aviation maintenance records against the governing CFR — §43.9 entry completeness for maintenance and preventive maintenance, §43.11 inspection records, §91.417 retention clocks, and Part 145 work-order requirements. It tracks expirations, builds inspector-format audit binders, and surfaces recordkeeping gaps before an FSDO review. It is the document and proof layer — it does not perform maintenance, hold a certificate, or release an aircraft. Starter $89/month · Professional $299/month · 5-day free trial, no credit card required.