Airmen Responsibility For Airworthiness

An airman recently asked me about a situation in which he had operated an aircraft and then shortly after his flight an inspection of the aircraft disclosed that one or more of the aircraft’s systems or components were broken during the airman’s flight. He was concerned regarding the risk of an enforcement action if the FAA ever learned of the situation. Under the FARs, airmen are, for the most part, responsible for the airworthiness of the aircraft they fly. As such, an airman’s operation of an unairworthy aircraft could result in enforcement action by the FAA. However, just because the FAA pursues an enforcement action in this situation, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the FAA will prevail. For a more detailed discussion of this issue, please read my latest article on the subject here.