Overhaul Requirements for Aircraft Components

I am completing an annual inspection on a turbine powered, single-engine aircraft which weighs less than 12,500 lbs. The aircraft is operated under FAR Part 91 rules.

The manufacturer lists special inspection items in Chapter 5 of the maintenance manual. Among them is a 6-year overhaul requirement listed for crew oxygen masks. Since the aircraft is not a large aircraft and is not operated under FAR Part 135, is the owner obligated by law to have these overhauls complied with?

ANSWER: Yes. The aircraft manufacturer most likely arrived at that 6-year interval based on the recommendations of the crew oxygen mask manufacturer.

Even though the aircraft is operated under FAR Part 91, the rule governing the maintenance and inspections performed on aircraft is FAR Part 43.

FAR 43.13(a) states that each person performing maintenance, alteration, or preventive maintenance on an aircraft, engine, propeller, or appliance shall use the methods, techniques, and practices prescribed in the current manufacturer's maintenance manual or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness prepared by its manufacturer.

Note: The term maintenance as defined in FAR 1.1 “means inspection, overhaul, repair, preservation, and the replacement of parts, but excludes preventive maintenance.”