Which of the following are considered approved data for maintenance?

• A. Only the manufacturer's data.
• B. Airworthiness Directives alone.
• C. Manufacturer's data and FAA publications such as ADs, TCDS, and ACs.
• D. Maintenance logs.

Answer: (C)

Approved data are the sources used to perform maintenance that the FAA has authorized. These come from the manufacturer’s data (maintenance manuals, instructions, and related documentation) and from FAA publications such as Airworthiness Directives (ADs), Type Certificate Data Sheets (TCDS), and Advisory Circulars (ACs). The ADs mandate specific actions to correct unsafe conditions, the TCDS lists the aircraft’s limitations and approved configurations, and ACs provide guidance on acceptable means of compliance. Maintenance tasks must be carried out in accordance with these approved data. Maintenance logs, while important records of what was done, are not themselves the data used to perform maintenance. So the best answer recognizes both manufacturer data and FAA publications as approved data.