Lease return inspection checklist: what to verify before redelivery
Every redelivery ends with a list. Here is ours — records, physical condition, QEC and the run — and when to start it.
Records before anything else
- Back-to-birth traceability for every life-limited part, with cycles remaining against the return condition.
- Airworthiness directive and service bulletin status that matches the lease requirements.
- Shop visit reports, repair records with approved data references, and release certificates (FAA 8130-3 / EASA Form 1) for installed components.
- Non-incident / non-accident statements and the "dirty fingerprint" evidence that proves the work in the records was actually done.
Physical condition
- Full borescope of hot and cold sections with video, measured against the engine manual and the lease return condition.
- General visual inspection of externals, cases, mounts, lines and harnesses.
- Max power assurance run witnessed against the EGT margin and other minimums written in the lease.
- Oil consumption, vibration and trend data for the last period of operation.
QEC / EBU inventory against delivery
The engine has to go back with the same quick-engine-change configuration it was delivered with, or with agreed substitutes. A physical count by part number and serial, matched against the delivery inventory, is the only way to know. Missing brackets, lines and harnesses are small parts with long lead times.
Who signs and in what format
Agree the report format with the lessor before the inspection, not after. Our reports are drafted in InspectView and signed by the inspector who was on the engine, with every finding tied to a manual reference. That is the version both sides can accept.
When should a lessee start preparing for redelivery?
Begin 90 to 120 days ahead. That leaves time to correct findings, source QEC parts and close records gaps without delaying the return.
Do you represent the lessor or the lessee?
Either. We are independent; we report what the engine and the records show, and we have worked both sides of redeliveries and engine trades.
Can you do the pre-purchase inspection too?
Yes. The same scope — records, borescope with video, GVI, QEC inventory and MPA witnessing — is what a buyer or investor should demand before closing.
JTech Turbines performs borescope, GVI, QEC, pre-purchase and lease return inspections on site in 30+ countries. Reports are drafted in InspectView and signed by the inspector.