Required inspection personnel

This regulation establishes who can perform required inspections on Part 121 aircraft and how they must be supervised.

Anyone performing required inspections must be properly certificated, trained, qualified, and authorized. They must work under the supervision and control of an inspection unit—they can't operate independently. Critically, the same person who performed maintenance work cannot inspect that same work, ensuring independent verification.

Certificate holders must maintain a current list of authorized inspection personnel, identifying each person by name, job title, and which specific inspections they're authorized to perform. Each inspector must receive written documentation explaining their responsibilities, authorities, and limitations. This list must be available for FAA review.

In practice, this creates a system of checks and balances: maintenance work gets independent review, inspectors have clear boundaries on their authority, and the FAA can verify that only qualified personnel are performing safety-critical inspections on airline aircraft.

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*