Direct Answer — Parts Provenance in Four Layers
A defensible parts-provenance record answers four separate questions, each anchored in a different rule:
- 1Is the part eligible? 14 CFR 21.9(a) — the part must fall into one of seven categories (type-certificate, FAA production approval such as a PMA, standard part, commercial part, owner/operator-produced, fabricated-and-consumed under part 43, or otherwise FAA-approved).
- 2Is it marked correctly? 14 CFR 45.15 — a PMA article must carry the PMA holder's identification, part number, and the letters "FAA-PMA"; critical parts also carry a unique serial number.
- 3What proves it? An FAA Form 8130-3, a manufacturer's certificate of conformity, a PMA supplier statement, or a maintenance release — the document that ties the physical part to its approval basis.
- 4Was it installed correctly? 14 CFR 43.13 sets the standard (methods per the manufacturer's data; at least equal to original condition) and 14 CFR 43.9(a) requires the installation entry that connects the eligible part to a specific aircraft.
Sources: 14 CFR 21.9, 14 CFR 43.13, 14 CFR 45.15, 14 CFR 43.9. The 8130-3 itself is described in FAA guidance (AC 20-62, FAA Order 8130.21), not mandated for every domestic part by CFR.
"Where did this part come from?" is one of the first questions an FAA inspector or a buyer's pre-purchase team asks — and it is almost never a single-document answer. Parts provenance is a chain: eligibility, marking, the approval document, and the installation record. A break anywhere in that chain turns an otherwise good part into a receiving-inspection rejection or a Suspected Unapproved Part (SUP) finding.
This article walks the chain rule by rule, corrects the most common misconception about the FAA Form 8130-3 (it is not universally required for domestic parts), and shows how the 14 CFR 43.9 installation entry is what actually ties a part with provenance to a specific tail. FAA civil penalties for recordkeeping and unapproved-parts violations under 49 U.S.C. 46301 reach $75,000 per violation under 14 CFR 13.301 (for violations on or after December 30, 2024), but the realistic exposure for most operators is an airworthiness and records problem long before it is a penalty.
The Foundation: The 14 CFR 21.9 Eligibility Test
Before any tag or certificate matters, the part has to be eligible. 14 CFR 21.9(a) is the gate every replacement and modification article passes through.
14 CFR 21.9(a) provides that if a person knows, or should know, that a replacement or modification article is reasonably likely to be installed on a type-certificated product, that person may not produce the article unless it falls into one of seven categories. Every traceability document exists to prove which of these seven a given part belongs to:
- (a)(1)Produced under a type certificate.
- (a)(2)Produced under an FAA production approval (this includes PMA, TSO authorization, and production-certificate parts).
- (a)(3)A standard part (such as a nut or bolt) manufactured in compliance with a government or established industry specification.
- (a)(4)A commercial part as defined in 14 CFR 21.1.
- (a)(5)Produced by an owner or operator for maintaining or altering that owner or operator's product.
- (a)(6)Fabricated by an appropriately rated certificate holder with a quality system, and consumed in the repair or alteration of a product or article in accordance with part 43.
- (a)(7)Produced in any other manner approved by the FAA.
Source: 14 CFR 21.9(a) — eCFR. Paragraphs (b) and (c) add that, with limited exceptions, a person who produces such an article for sale may not represent it as suitable for installation on a type-certificated product.
Where PMA sits in the eligibility scheme
A PMA part is one species of the 14 CFR 21.9(a)(2) category — "produced under an FAA production approval." Part 21, Subpart K is the rulebook for getting and holding that approval. Under 14 CFR 21.301, Subpart K prescribes the procedural requirements for issuing PMAs and the rules governing PMA holders. Under 14 CFR 21.303, a PMA applicant must apply in the form and manner prescribed by the FAA and submit the identity of the product the article installs on, the manufacturing facility, the design (drawings, dimensions, materials, processes), and test reports and computations showing the design meets the airworthiness requirements — and must make all inspections and tests necessary to determine compliance, material conformity, conformity to the approved design, and that manufacturing processes conform.
The practical takeaway: the document in your hand — an 8130-3, a C of C, a PMA statement — is only meaningful if it lets a reader map the part to one of those seven categories. A shipping note that says "widget, qty 1" with no approval reference proves nothing about eligibility. This is the same provenance discipline that runs through life-limited parts records and weight-and-balance after a parts change.
The Provenance Chain — Five Artifacts, Five Authorities
A complete parts-provenance record is assembled from five documents. Each answers a different question, and each has its own failure mode at receiving inspection.
The part marking on the article itself
14 CFR 45.15The first traceability artifact, stamped or etched on the part. A PMA article carries the PMA holder's identification, part number, and the letters "FAA-PMA" (45.15(a)). A TSO article carries the TSO holder's identification, part number, the TSO number/letter of designation, and a serial number or date of manufacture (45.15(b)). A critical part carries a unique serial number in addition to the rest (45.15(c)). Where a part is too small to mark, the information is attached to the part or its container (45.15(d)).
What a receiving inspector flags
A part number on the paperwork that does not match the part number physically on the article, or a "FAA-PMA" mark that the receiving inspector cannot reconcile against a PMA holder. A mismatch between the tag and the metal is the single most common receiving-inspection rejection.
FAA Form 8130-3 (Authorized Release Certificate)
FAA guidance — AC 20-62, FAA Order 8130.21 (not a CFR mandate)The FAA's airworthiness-approval tag. In FAA practice it is used two ways: by a production approval holder to certify that a new article conforms to its approved design and is in a condition for safe operation, and by an approved maintenance organization to record that a used or repaired article was approved for return to service. Its issuance and use are described in FAA guidance rather than imposed on every domestic part by regulation; on export of a US article it carries additional significance. Treat the 8130-3 as the cleanest evidence of conformity and return-to-service status — not as a universal legal requirement for domestic parts.
What a receiving inspector flags
Block-by-block completeness: that the status block (new / overhauled / repaired / inspected) matches what the part actually is, that the part number and quantity match the article and its marking, and that the authorized signature and approval reference are present. An 8130-3 that is filled out as "new" for a used part, or whose part number does not match the article, does not document anything useful.
Manufacturer's certificate of conformity / PMA supplier statement
14 CFR 21.9, 14 CFR 21.303For many domestic new parts, a certificate of conformity (C of C) from the production approval holder, or a PMA supplier's statement, establishes that the article was produced under an FAA production approval and conforms to its approved design. This maps directly to the 14 CFR 21.9(a)(2) eligibility category (produced under an FAA production approval) and to the PMA holder's obligations that flow from the 14 CFR 21.303 application and approval.
What a receiving inspector flags
A C of C with no reference to the production approval (PMA number, production certificate, or TSO authorization) under which the part was made. The document must let the reader trace the part back to one of the seven 14 CFR 21.9(a) categories — otherwise it is just a shipping note.
The 14 CFR 43.9 installation entry
14 CFR 43.9(a)The maintenance-record entry that ties the physical part to a specific aircraft. Installation is maintenance, so the entry must carry a description (or reference to acceptable data) of the work, the completion date, the performer's name if different from the approver, and the signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate of the person approving the work for return to service. This is the record that turns a part with provenance into an installed part on a known tail.
What a receiving inspector flags
An installation entry that names the part but omits the certificate number of the approving person, or that fails to reference the data (AMM task, ICA, or STC) used for the installation. The entry must connect the eligible part to a compliant installation method under 14 CFR 43.13.
Life-limited-part and back-to-birth trace
14 CFR 91.417(a)(2), 14 CFR 45.15(c)For a life-limited or critical part, the provenance chain must establish current life status — time since new and/or cycles — so the part's remaining life can be tracked under 14 CFR 91.417(a)(2). The unique serial number required by 14 CFR 45.15(c) on a critical part is what allows that history to follow the specific article across removals and reinstallations.
What a receiving inspector flags
A life-limited part arriving with an 8130-3 that does not state time/cycles since new, or a serial number on the tag that does not match the serialized part. Without a continuous trace, the part has to be treated as having zero remaining life or rejected — an expensive outcome that clean records prevent.
The chain only works if every link is retrievable together
The most common real-world failure is not a missing document — it is documents that exist but cannot be produced together on demand. The 8130-3 is in a binder, the marking photo is on someone's phone, the 14 CFR 43.9 entry is in the aircraft logbook, and the life trace is in a spreadsheet. When an inspector or buyer asks for "everything on this part," the operator who can hand over a single linked record wins; the operator who has to reassemble the chain from four systems is the one who gets a finding. See how this plays out in a Part 135 surveillance audit and a Part 145 recordkeeping review.
The 14 CFR 43.13 Standard — Why Provenance and Method Are Inseparable
An eligible part installed the wrong way is still a non-airworthy installation. 14 CFR 43.13 is the general performance rule that sets the standard the installation must meet, and it is why parts provenance and installation method cannot be treated as separate problems.
14 CFR 43.13(a) — Methods, Techniques, Practices, and Tools
Each person performing maintenance, alteration, or preventive maintenance must use the methods, techniques, and practices prescribed in the current manufacturer's maintenance manual or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness prepared by its manufacturer, or other methods, techniques, and practices acceptable to the Administrator, except as noted in 14 CFR 43.16. That person must use the tools, equipment, and test apparatus necessary to assure completion of the work in accordance with accepted industry practices, and where the manufacturer recommends special equipment, must use that equipment or its equivalent acceptable to the Administrator. The manufacturer's data is also what tells you the correct part number — so the same document set drives both eligibility and method.
14 CFR 43.13(b) — At Least Equal to Original or Properly Altered Condition
The work must be done in such a manner, and use materials of such a quality, that the condition of the aircraft, airframe, aircraft engine, propeller, or appliance worked on will be at least equal to its original or properly altered condition — with regard to aerodynamic function, structural strength, resistance to vibration and deterioration, and other qualities affecting airworthiness. A part with no traceable provenance defeats this standard on its face: if you cannot establish what the part is, you cannot establish that the result is at least equal to original.
14 CFR 43.13(c) — Air Carrier and Commercial Operator Manuals
Unless otherwise notified by the Administrator, the methods, techniques, and practices contained in the maintenance manual or the maintenance part of the manual of a holder of an air carrier or operating certificate under part 121 or 135, and part 129 operators holding operations specifications requiring a continuous airworthiness maintenance and inspection program, constitute acceptable means of compliance with 14 CFR 43.13. For a Part 135 CAMP operator, this is why the approved maintenance manual — and the parts-acceptance procedures inside it — define what acceptable provenance looks like for that certificate.
The two-part test for any installed part
Provenance (14 CFR 21.9 eligibility + 14 CFR 45.15 marking + the approval document) answers "is this the right, approved part?" The 14 CFR 43.13 standard plus the 14 CFR 43.9 installation entry answer "was it installed correctly and documented?" An airworthy installation needs a "yes" to both. Most enforcement and most pre-purchase disputes turn on one of those two halves being undocumented rather than the part actually being bad.
FAA Form 8130-3 — What It Is, and What It Is Not
The FAA Form 8130-3, the Authorized Release Certificate, is the document most people mean when they say "the tag." It is genuinely the cleanest single piece of provenance evidence — and it is also the most over-claimed. The honest framing matters, because over-stating its legal status leads operators to reject perfectly legitimate parts and to misunderstand what the tag actually proves.
What the 8130-3 Is
- The FAA's airworthiness-approval tag, used in FAA practice to evidence that a new article conforms to its approved design and is in a condition for safe operation.
- Also used by an approved maintenance organization to record that a used or repaired article was approved for return to service.
- A document whose form and use are described in FAA guidance — AC 20-62 and FAA Order 8130.21.
- Of particular significance on export of a US article, where it supports the importing authority’s acceptance.
- The cleanest single artifact a receiving inspector can use to reconcile part number, status, quantity, and approval in one place.
What the 8130-3 Is Not
- Not a single CFR-mandated document required for every part on every US-registered aircraft.
- Not the only acceptable provenance — a manufacturer’s certificate of conformity, a PMA supplier statement, an FAA Form 337, or a maintenance-record entry can establish eligibility and return-to-service for many domestic parts.
- Not a substitute for the 14 CFR 43.9 installation entry — the tag proves the part is eligible; it does not document that the part was installed on your aircraft.
- Not self-validating — a tag whose status block, part number, or quantity does not match the physical article documents nothing useful and is a rejection.
- Not a guarantee against a Suspected Unapproved Part finding if the underlying eligibility cannot be traced.
The misconception that causes the most friction
Treating "no 8130-3" as automatically "no good part." For domestic transactions, the regulatory questions are eligibility under 14 CFR 21.9 and a compliant installation record under part 43 — not the presence of a specific tag. A new PMA bracket shipped with a proper certificate of conformity that references the PMA, plus the "FAA-PMA" marking required by 14 CFR 45.15(a), is documentable without an 8130-3. Conversely, an 8130-3 in the binder does not cure a missing or defective 14 CFR 43.9 installation entry. The tag and the install record are different links in the chain.
Because the form's use is set out in FAA guidance rather than a single rule, the right place to confirm current expectations is the applicable advisory circular and order, plus your own certificate's approved procedures. We describe the 8130-3 here as FAA practice and guidance — not as a CFR requirement — precisely because mis-citing it as a universal mandate is a recurring error. For the receiving-inspection workflow that sits around it, see our companion guide on what inspectors ask for in a Part 145 audit binder, and for the major-repair paperwork that often travels with a modified part, see the FAA Form 337 records guide.
Can you produce the whole provenance chain for any part — in under a minute?
FileFlo classifies aviation parts documents — 8130-3 tags, certificates of conformity, PMA statements, 14 CFR 43.9 installation entries, and life-limited-part traces — links them to the tail and the part, and generates an inspector-format binder on demand. See the full Aviation compliance coverage.
How Long Parts-Provenance and Installation Records Must Be Kept
Provenance documents do not have their own retention rule in Part 21. Retention attaches through the maintenance record: the aircraft owner or operator keeps records under 14 CFR 91.417(b), and a Part 145 repair station keeps records under 14 CFR 145.219.
14 CFR 91.417(a)(1) Records
Retention: until repeated or superseded, or 1 year
Most maintenance and alteration entries — including the routine 14 CFR 43.9 entry installing a part — must be retained until the work is repeated or superseded by other work, or for one year after the work is performed. Many operators keep the underlying provenance paperwork longer for resale continuity.
14 CFR 91.417(a)(2) Records
Retention: life of aircraft + transfer on sale
Current status of life-limited parts, time since last overhaul of overhaul-required items, current AD status, and copies of the FAA Form 337 for major alterations must be retained for the life of the aircraft and transferred to the buyer on sale. A serialized, life-limited part's trace lives in this tier.
Part 145 Repair Station Retention (14 CFR 145.219)
A Part 145 repair station must retain maintenance records for at least two years after the article is approved for return to service, keep them in a format acceptable to the FAA, and make them available to the FAA and the NTSB; the owner or operator is entitled to a copy of the maintenance release. For a repair station, the receiving-inspection record proving a part's eligibility on intake and the maintenance release issued on the work performed are both subject to this obligation — see the Part 145 recordkeeping requirements for the full picture.
The practical rule operators actually follow: keep the entire provenance chain for the life of the part, not the minimum statutory window. The moment you remove a part to sell or to reinstall on another aircraft, the buyer or the next install requires you to re-establish its history — and a part whose 8130-3 or conformity certificate was discarded after a year is worth a fraction of one with a continuous trace. The full matrix is in our aviation records-retention schedule.
Related parts, maintenance, and records resources
- 14 CFR 43.9 — what a maintenance record entry must contain (the installation record)
- Life-Limited Parts Records — back-to-birth trace and current life status
- FAA Form 337 — major repair and alteration records that travel with modified parts
- Airworthiness Directive Compliance Records — AD-mandated parts and inspections
- Engine & Propeller Overhaul Time Tracking — time-since-overhaul provenance
- 14 CFR 145.219 — Part 145 repair station recordkeeping and 2-year retention
- Part 91 Aircraft Records — the 91.417 maintenance-record framework
- MEL / CDL Records — when a deferred part affects airworthiness
Who Owns the Provenance Chain — and Where the Risk Concentrates
Parts provenance is a shared obligation that passes hands as a part moves from manufacture to installation. The compliance risk concentrates differently at each handoff.
PMA Holders and Production Approval Holders
The obligation begins at production. A PMA holder must produce the article under the approval issued through the 14 CFR 21.303 application process, mark it per 14 CFR 45.15(a) with its identification, part number, and "FAA-PMA," and provide accompanying documentation (a C of C, a PMA statement, or an 8130-3) that lets a downstream buyer trace eligibility. A part that ships without the marking or without a document referencing the production approval starts the chain broken.
Part 145 Repair Stations and Distributors
Receiving inspection is where most chains are caught or broken. The repair station's approved procedures define acceptable provenance, and the risk concentrates on reconciling the tag to the metal — part number, status, quantity, marking, and life data — and on retaining that intake record for the 14 CFR 145.219 two-year window. Systemically accepting parts on incomplete paperwork produces a systemic finding across many work orders, the same way a thin audit binder does.
Operators, A&P Mechanics, and IAs
At installation, the obligation crystallizes into the 14 CFR 43.9 entry and the 14 CFR 43.13 standard. The mechanic or IA must install per the manufacturer's data and make a compliant entry that references the part and the data used. For a Part 135 CAMP operator, the airworthiness release ties back to those entries; for a certificate holder, the operator carries the records exposure on inspection even when a vendor did the work. This is the link between a clean parts room and a clean surveillance audit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is an FAA Form 8130-3 required for every part installed on a US-registered aircraft?
No. There is no single CFR section that requires an FAA Form 8130-3 (Authorized Release Certificate) for every part. Form 8130-3 is the FAA's airworthiness-approval tag, and its use is described in FAA guidance (notably AC 20-62 and FAA Order 8130.21) rather than mandated for all domestic parts by regulation. In practice, an 8130-3 (or an equivalent approved-for-return-to-service record) is the cleanest way to document that a new part conforms to its approved design and that a maintenance article was approved for return to service, and it is commonly required by air carrier and repair station receiving-inspection procedures and on export. But many domestic parts move legitimately on other documentation — a manufacturer's certificate of conformity, a PMA supplier's statement, a Form 337, or a maintenance-record entry. The regulatory question is whether the article is an eligible part under 14 CFR 21.9 and whether installation is documented under part 43; the 8130-3 is one common way to evidence that, not a universal legal prerequisite.
What is a PMA part and how is it different from an OEM part?
A PMA part is a replacement or modification article produced under a Parts Manufacturer Approval. 14 CFR Part 21, Subpart K governs PMAs: per 14 CFR 21.301 the subpart prescribes the procedural requirements for issuing PMAs and the rules governing PMA holders. An applicant for a PMA must apply in the form and manner prescribed by the FAA and submit the items in 14 CFR 21.303(a) — the identity of the product on which the article is installed, the manufacturing facility, the design (drawings, dimensions, materials, processes), and test reports and computations showing the design meets the airworthiness requirements. An OEM part is produced under the original type-certificate or production-certificate holder. Both are eligible parts; the difference is the approval basis under which each was produced. Under 14 CFR 45.15(a) a PMA article must be permanently and legibly marked with the PMA holder's identification and part number and the letters "FAA-PMA" — the marking on the part itself is the first traceability artifact a receiving inspector checks.
What does 14 CFR 21.9 actually require for replacement and modification parts?
14 CFR 21.9(a) states that if a person knows, or should know, that a replacement or modification article is reasonably likely to be installed on a type-certificated product, the person may not produce that article unless it is one of seven things: (1) produced under a type certificate; (2) produced under an FAA production approval; (3) a standard part (such as a nut or bolt) manufactured in compliance with a government or established industry specification; (4) a commercial part as defined in 14 CFR 21.1; (5) produced by an owner or operator for maintaining or altering that owner or operator's product; (6) fabricated by an appropriately rated certificate holder with a quality system and consumed in the repair or alteration of a product or article in accordance with part 43; or (7) produced in any other manner approved by the FAA. This is the foundation of parts eligibility: a part is an approved part because it fits one of those seven categories. Traceability records exist to prove which category a given part falls into.
What is the 14 CFR 43.13 standard and how does it relate to parts installation?
14 CFR 43.13 is the general performance rule for maintenance. Under 14 CFR 43.13(a), each person performing maintenance, alteration, or preventive maintenance must use the methods, techniques, and practices prescribed in the current manufacturer's maintenance manual or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness prepared by its manufacturer, or other methods, techniques, and practices acceptable to the Administrator, except as noted in 14 CFR 43.16; and must use the tools, equipment, and test apparatus necessary to assure completion of the work in accordance with accepted industry practices. Under 14 CFR 43.13(b), the work must be done so that the condition of the article worked on will be at least equal to its original or properly altered condition with regard to aerodynamic function, structural strength, resistance to vibration and deterioration, and other qualities affecting airworthiness. Parts provenance feeds 43.13 in two ways: the manufacturer's data tells you the correct method and part number, and only an eligible part installed per that data can meet the at-least-equal standard.
How do I document that a part was actually installed?
Installation of a part is maintenance, so the maintenance record entry is governed by 14 CFR 43.9(a). The entry must contain: a description (or reference to data acceptable to the Administrator) of the work performed; the date of completion; the name of the person performing the work if other than the approving person; and the signature, certificate number, and kind of certificate held by the person approving the work for return to service. Note that inspections performed under part 91, part 125, 14 CFR 135.411(a)(1), or 14 CFR 135.419 are excluded from 43.9 and are recorded under 14 CFR 43.11 instead. The installation entry is what ties the physical part — and its provenance paperwork (8130-3, certificate of conformity, or PMA statement) — to a specific aircraft, a specific date, and a certificated person who approved it. The provenance document proves the part was eligible; the 43.9 entry proves it was installed correctly.
What does the marking on a PMA part have to say?
Under 14 CFR 45.15(a), the manufacturer of a PMA article must permanently and legibly mark each PMA article with the PMA holder's name, trademark, symbol, or other FAA-approved identification and part number, and with the letters "FAA-PMA". Under 14 CFR 45.15(b), TSO articles carry the TSO holder's identification, part number, the TSO number and letter of designation, and (unless the TSO specifies otherwise) the serial number or date of manufacture. Under 14 CFR 45.15(c), critical parts — those for which a replacement time, inspection interval, or related procedure is specified in the Airworthiness Limitations section of a manufacturer's maintenance manual or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness — must be permanently and legibly marked with a serial number (or equivalent) unique to that part, in addition to the other marking requirements. Under 14 CFR 45.15(d), if the FAA finds a part too small or otherwise impractical to mark, the manufacturer must attach that information to the part or its container.
How long do parts-provenance and installation records have to be kept?
Retention for the aircraft owner or operator is governed by 14 CFR 91.417(b), not by Part 21 or Part 43. Records made under 14 CFR 43.9 generally split into two tiers: 14 CFR 91.417(a)(1) records (most maintenance and alteration entries) must be kept until the work is repeated or superseded by other work, or for one year after the work is performed; 14 CFR 91.417(a)(2) records — including the current status of life-limited parts, time since last overhaul of items requiring overhaul, current AD status, and copies of the FAA Form 337 for major alterations — must be retained for the life of the aircraft and transferred to the buyer on sale. For a Part 145 repair station, 14 CFR 145.219 requires retention of maintenance records for at least two years after the article is approved for return to service. In practice, operators keep the underlying provenance paperwork (the 8130-3, the conformity certificate, the life-limited-part trace) for the life of the part because removing and reselling that part later requires re-establishing its history — see our aviation records-retention schedule for the full matrix.
What happens if a part has no traceable provenance — a so-called bogus or SUP part?
A part with no traceable provenance cannot be shown to be an eligible part under 14 CFR 21.9, and installing it cannot meet the at-least-equal-to-original standard of 14 CFR 43.13(b) because there is no data establishing what the part is. The FAA uses the term Suspected Unapproved Part (SUP) for an article whose conformity to an approved design or eligibility for installation is in question. The practical exposure is twofold: an airworthiness problem (the aircraft may not be in an airworthy condition) and a records problem (the 14 CFR 43.9 installation entry references a part that cannot be substantiated). FAA civil penalties for recordkeeping and unapproved-parts violations under 49 U.S.C. 46301 reach $75,000 per violation under 14 CFR 13.301 for violations occurring on or after December 30, 2024 (with a lower maximum for an individual or small business). The defense is a clean, retrievable provenance chain for every part — which is a document-management problem long before it is an enforcement problem.
Related Aviation Compliance Reading
Part 135 Maintenance Recordkeeping (CAMP)
How an approved program defines acceptable parts provenance
Airworthiness Directive Compliance Records
AD-mandated parts, the 43.9 entry, and 91.417 AD status
Life-Limited Parts Records Requirements
Back-to-birth trace and 45.15(c) unique serial marking
Part 91 Aircraft Records Requirements
The 91.417 retention framework for the owner/operator
Part 145 Repair Station Recordkeeping
145.219 retention, maintenance release, and receiving records
FAA Form 337 Major Repair & Alteration Records
The 337 paperwork that travels with a modified part
Prove every part's provenance before an inspector or a buyer asks
FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform that classifies aviation parts documents — FAA Form 8130-3 tags, certificates of conformity, PMA supplier statements, 14 CFR 43.9 installation entries, FAA Form 337s, and life-limited-part traces — against the governing CFR. It links each document to the part and the tail, tracks expirations and life status, surfaces gaps in the provenance chain, and generates an inspector-format audit binder on demand. It is the document and proof layer; it does not perform receiving inspection, make airworthiness determinations, or replace your maintenance program. Starter $89/month · Professional $299/month · 5-day free trial, no credit card required.