Log Entry

[mocfly]

Roger,

I know that there was some discussion about the preferred way to enter information into both the engine and airframe logs.

 

How about examples of the correct way to log the following.

 

1. Tire changes

2. Tube install with and without new tires

3. Replenishment of fluids other than oil

4. Oil change

5. Any other items that the owner can initiate.

 

Thank you.

 

 

[Roger Lee]

I have to go finish a hose change and annual today on an Atec. I'll try and remember and post some when I get home.

 

Logs aren't hard to generate. Just write down exactly what you did and don't cut corners.

It's like writing about and incident you may have seen and you want to paint a picture for someone else to read. If you leave parts of the story out they don't see or understand what you saw. Just write it down in order that it was done and in detail. The logbook entry then writes itself. You are only a secretary.

Don't use IAW (in accordance with) as a catch all, it is the most over used comment in logbooks and you have no idea what was really done and half the time half the things were never done. If you use the term then still document in detail. Using IAW doesn't absolve you from documenting. Don't use it as your logbook entry to cover everything. It's a lazy mans cop out.

 

When I was in the medical field good documentation was a must for personal injury and criminal court proceedings and it is the only thing that protected you. Now I write logbook entries and nothing has changed. It's just cardiac arrhythmias are now fuel pump pressure problems.

[Anticept]

IAW should not be left out either. Speaking from 4 A&P instructors who have 150 years collective experience, IAW is a way to cover your butt if someone ends up a crater. It is one of the things FAA inspectors do when following an accident, they review the logs and WILL ask questions on why you did what you did. Having references cited right there in the entires takes heat off. Document what you did, and use IAW as a reference to tell people on who's authority you did it.

[Roger Lee]

I have no problem with IAW although I personally prefer to spell it out, but IAW without the detail included is worthless. I see logbook after logbook with 2-3 sentences for an entire annual. Then I sometimes call the A&P and find out he didn't do half the things and didn't even know what to do nor did they bother to look it up. That happens way too often. So then his accordance with is junk. Yesterday I finally saw a one line annual logbook entry. Unbelievable and that has to be the of epidemy laziness.

[Anticept]

I have no problem with IAW although I personally prefer to spell it out, but IAW without the detail included is worthless. I see logbook after logbook with 2-3 sentences for an entire annual. Then I sometimes call the A&P and find out he didn't do half the things and didn't even know what to do nor did they bother to look it up. That happens way too often. So then his accordance with is junk. Yesterday I finally saw a one line annual logbook entry. Unbelievable and that has to be the of epidemy laziness.

 

I'm just saying don't leave it out when addressing what maintenance you did. If a plane you haven't seen for 5 years comes back because of work you did brought the plane down, you have a written record of what you used so you can cover your butt and tell the authorities "I did it according to what the manufacturer said, page xx-yy, in the maintenance manual, revision zzz, as written right there on that logbook page".

 

This is particularly true of helicopters and corporate/larger aircraft, the manuals revise so quickly that you always need to pop it open and make sure the methods haven't changed. The hughes 500 series helicopters went through about 4 dozen manual revisions, then they reissued the maintenance manual (I've never seen that before!), then revised it another dozen. Having that manual revision can be pretty important!

[Doug G.]

I am only doing this for my own plane, but I use the FD and Rotax lists for inspection and make notes on them and keep them in a file. I also try to make my logbook entries as detailed as is practical.

[Roger Lee]

Hi Doug,

 

Here, here