REGULATION — LEGALLY BINDING

§ 91.407 Operation after maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration

14 CFR Part 91 — Subpart E—Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations

Official text — 14 CFR § 91.407

REGULATION — LEGALLY BINDING

(a) No person may operate any aircraft that has undergone maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration unless—

(1) It has been approved for return to service by a person authorized under § 43.7 of this chapter; and

(2) The maintenance record entry required by § 43.9 or § 43.11, as applicable, of this chapter has been made.

(b) No person may carry any person (other than crewmembers) in an aircraft that has been maintained, rebuilt, or altered in a manner that may have appreciably changed its flight characteristics or substantially affected its operation in flight until an appropriately rated pilot with at least a private pilot certificate flies the aircraft, makes an operational check of the maintenance performed or alteration made, and logs the flight in the aircraft records.

(c) The aircraft does not have to be flown as required by paragraph (b) of this section if, prior to flight, ground tests, inspection, or both show conclusively that the maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration has not appreciably changed the flight characteristics or substantially affected the flight operation of the aircraft.

Reproduced from the eCFR. Text as amended through 2026-07-31. Verify against the official source before relying on it operationally.

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Text published in the Code of Federal Regulations. Regulations are legally binding on pilots and operators.

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