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What buyer doesn’t feel confident about signing that purchase contract after their choice of aircraft gets a great prebuy inspection report? Their potential acquisition is assessed to be mechanically sound and cosmetically pleasing. The report verifies good compressions, working avionics, maintenance history and logbook completeness, airworthiness, and confirms no hidden cosmetic issues. A positive pre-buy inspection report removes all doubt, right? That’s what I thought anyway.
In November 2022, I bought a PA 32 300. One selling point was that the plane had a fresh annual, and the logbooks indicated the airplane was mechanically sound and had a good maintenance history. I liked the idea of not needing an annual for the next 12 months after spending several hundred thousand dollars on the airplane. Additionally, the logbooks and two pre-buy inspections indicated the airplane was sound and in good mechanical condition. This, I told myself, was a good airplane!
During the year that I flew the plane, there were no indications of problems. I’m not mechanical, so problems obvious to others aren’t necessarily obvious to me. There were no oil or brake fluid leaks, and no rough running engine or unusual engine sounds. The plane had power and operated smoothly. Others more mechanically inclined than I also flew the plane with no indication of problems. I flew the plane on several cross-country trips, did spot landings, and put it through some commercial maneuvers to accustom myself to its flight characteristics. That was before I knew the brake line was frayed, almost to the point of rupture and the calipers were locked and damaged.
In November 2023, I dropped the plane off for the first annual as the new owner. Confidently, I assure the A&P that this was a good plane and would ace the annual. Almost immediately, however, problems were found. As the inspection progressed, more serious problems were identified and it was clear that the 2022 annual inspection was very insubstantial—pencil whipped in lowly aviator language. Logbook entries were clearly false and fraudulent. I was stunned, especially since the acquisition team I’d contracted did a second pre-buy and found nothing wrong. That’s when my education began.
Many findings were serious and could have had tragic consequences. Problems such as pieces of the four-year-old(!) crumbling air filter possibly being sucked into the engine; possible fuel leaks onto a hot engine causing fire; an accidental keyless engine start as a result of an ignored airworthiness directive (AD); an inoperable RadioShack stall horn unsecured and hanging only by wires behind the panel; carbon monoxide possibly leaking into the cockpit from exhaust system damage concealed with asbestos wrap; hot wiring behind the panel, etc. are some situations that misleading logbook entries hid. Many ADs were missed or ignored, or signed off when they didn’t apply.
A four-year-old crumbling air filter
An inoperable RadioShack stall horn was found unsecured.
Thankfully, I flew only about 25-30 hours in 2023, much fewer than I usually do, and the thorough inspection found and corrected all of the problems before something happened. AD nonconformance alone made the plane unairworthy, yet signed logbook statements attested to compliance and airworthiness. The annual required two months to complete and to no one’s surprise, wasn’t cheap.
I forwarded the resulting 24-page report including pictures to the FSDO responsible for the location of the maintenance shop conducting the pencil whipped annual. Two months later, an investigator contacted me for an interview and more information. I was assured that problems were so egregious that an investigation would start immediately. My report, pictures, and names listed in logs would go a long way helping investigators uncover compliance problems and take corrective action. The investigator thanked me several times for forwarding the report and pictures and notifying them of the problem. I was assured these were the kinds of problems about which the FAA wants to know.
That was before the FAA decided not to pursue documented problems or those responsible because more than a year had passed since the pencil whipped annual. I never received an explanation for how I was expected to know about problems when annuals are done yearly, and while my annual was scheduled at 12 months, it took an additional month to correct and document all the problems and several more months for the FAA to contact me. I had, in fact, forwarded the report promptly at completion of the annual at the end of December.
I was deeply disappointed in the FAA’s position, as it seems their concern for safety expires one year following the date of an alleged violation. Pencil whipped annuals can get a pilot injured or killed. Not to investigate and take corrective action when sound evidence is provided should not depend on an artificial one-year statute of limitations if the FAA’s mission really includes aviation safety. Allowing those responsible for my plane’s dangerous condition and fraudulent logbook entries to continue to operate is putting more pilots’ lives in danger. How many other annuals have those responsible conducted?
I learned a lesson in all this, though. Basing a major purchase decision on a superficial inspection seems risky and foolish. Pre-buy inspections lasting a few hours or a day or two are essentially useless except for curb appeal factors. They won’t indicate if logbook entries are fraudulent or if maintenance has been done conscientiously. A walk-around will verify curb appeal, and a test flight will confirm the plane can fly and avionics work, but nothing else. Logbooks denote results of maintenance, but won’t indicate accuracy of entries. Without a thorough inspection, the plane’s true condition can’t be known. Pre-buys are strongly recommended by everyone, but why? In my case, two pre-buy inspections indicated a beautiful aircraft was sound and a good investment when in fact, it could have been a death trap.
If I buy another plane in the future, I will not have a prebuy inspection done; I will have a trusted A&P do a thorough annual before I sign a purchase contract. It just may save my life.
- Who needs pre-buy inspections? - July 29, 2024
I can second that. Very similiar thing happend to me. Paid for a pre-buy inspection on a plane with a fresh annual. Pre- stated everthing was in pretty good shape and “all serial numbers checked and matched”. A later annual found that the engine in the airplane didn’t match the logbook entries…..Something that major wasn’t caught.
Major? Unless a purchaser is especially concerned about matching numbers this is not a major item of concern. The prebuy is a condition report, but because a compliant engine model is on the aircraft and in good condition then it should not be a concern. However the total engine time should match the total airframe time — if not that is a concern. Engines and propellers are frequently moved for various reasons.
I don’t think the OP was concerned that it was not the original engine in the original airframe. It seems to me that he was concerned that the current engine in the airframe did not match the current engine referenced in the logbooks. It means that one could have no confidence in the times, maintenance, parts, or condition of the engine that’s now sitting in the airframe. That is, indeed, major.
There is a lot of confusion between a ‘pre-buy’ and an ‘annual’ – they are not one in the same as you are acutely aware of now. To make a very long story short, I recommend Savvy PreBuy which will for a couple of hundred bucks, get an independent shop to comb over the plane and report issues. My club has used them in the past and they do a good job of finding a lot of potential “gotchas” and I suspect would have caught a lot (not all) of the issues you outlined above.
The Savvy $200 review does not help when log books have been falsified. More likely, such a cursory review merely confirms the falsified condition and then who is to blame?
The poster says that she will require a full annual prior to signing a purchase contract……. I was hired to do this and I found many pencil whipped items, which I corrected. The seller, having gotten an honest annual on his plane without his having had to pay for it, then sold it out from under the buyer for a few thousand dollars more. My customer was left gasping and angry but the seller just laughed.
I suggest to any aircraft buyer the following”
a) get a comprehensive purchase agreement between the buyer and seller, clearly showing that the buyer will pay for an annual inspection and that the seller pay for correcting all and any deficiencies;
b) open a file with a title company. Good faith money deposited in escrow with the title company;
c) have the title company record the purchase agreement with the FAA, rather than sending it to the FAA for recording which doesn’t record for a few months. The title company can record a document overnight, and this serves as “constructive notice” to any other purchaser that a prior purchaser has a conditional ownership interest in the aircraft. (Some title companies will not do this so inquire). Be sure to include that, in case of a default by either party, that the prevailing party be entitled to legal fees and costs.(Most folk think this goes without saying …. it does not. Any agreement must have provision for legal fees in a case of default and if the agreement lacks this then he prevailing party must pay all his legal costs).
All good suggestions. I can’t believe anybody would purchase an aircraft without a detailed purchase agreement which clearly identifies each party’s rights and responsibilities in any situation. Your suggestion C is interesting. I didn’t realize you could record a purchase agreement with the FAA. If that’s possible, that’s a great idea.
As to getting the seller to agree to pay for correcting all and any deficiencies, I’ve never met a seller who would agree to that… and I never would as a seller. I think the best scenario is to get the seller to agree to correct all airworthiness issues. Then all non-required repairs become a negotiation. Most sellers aren’t going to give a blank check to fix every little thing that bothers the buyer… torn carpet? Inop ADF? Crazed windows? Just my $0.02.
A “pre-buy” should always be done by the buyer’s AP. Fly him to the airplane and put him up in a hotel for a day or two if you have to. Anything less is not a “pre-buy inspection”.
Exactly right. That would have avoided the entire mess. This is not more complicated than buying a used car. No one should rely on a pre-buy arranged by the seller or anyone who has a stake in completing the sale. I’m surprised adults still makes these mistakes. I hope her judgement has improved because of this.
“… acquisition team I’d contracted did a second pre-buy and found nothing wrong.” This was an acquisition team (NOT a broker!) that I paid to work with me. They were A&Ps and had no stake in selling this plane, but they did have a reputation to protect. They kept in touch with me, but I’m not mechanical. Several times they directed me away from planes in which I was interested after they examined them. I had no reason not to believe them, and I realize they would not have found everything unless they did an annual, which is not what I asked for. Yes, my judgement has improved after this experience. As I said in the article, the next plane I buy will have a detailed annual by a trusted A&P before I sign the purchase contract. The plane is now in excellent condition, exceeds my expectations, is fun to fly, and I look forward to many hours chasing clouds.
I think you did everything right. Some folks let you down on protecting your interests – either intentionally or unintentionally. On your next purchase, I would suggest crafting your purchase agreement to stipulate that you will buy the airplane upon:
1) Completion of an annual inspection by your chosen A&P IA. Tell them to hit the easy stuff first – stuff that doesn’t require tearing the airplane down (logbooks, confirming serial numbers on accessories, compressions, bore scope, test flight to check avionics, systems and wastegate operation and pressurization at altitude, AD compliance, etc. (you may need to fly them to the plane, as most owners aren’t willing to chance having their plane held captive at a far away airport), and
2) seller will pay to correct all airworthiness issues.
This has always worked for me.
Unfortunately a lot of FSDOs kind of enforce what they want. We had an incident of a DPE damaging an airplane during a multi engine ride (pulled prop to feather while engine was at full power. Cracked engine truss mount among other damages). We truly felt he was not qualified to do checkrides in our plane and should have his authorization for that model revoked. We got a lot of lip service from FSDO.
As for pre buys, it’s sort of a mixed bag. I’ve been fortunate on two purchases that major things were trapped while they did miss some minor items. Problem is the good shops are booked weeks in advance and can’t get you in. In my 2nd buy I ended up having to hire a local A&P who was good but didn’t have specific type experience.
Unfortunately this is all to common. Although two different inspection and both were positive? Strange…..
I am a CFI/IA and flying the plane by a mechanic who is also an instructor will reveal more problems then a pre-buy or Annual by a shop that does not actually operate the aircraft.
I fly with the owner for insurance reasons and observe how they operate the aircraft during pre-purchase inspections. If the aircraft is out of annual then a flag goes up! IMO….A long time on the ground? another flag….Low time owners …..Another flag!
The more systems an aircraft has the more problems the aircraft can have, An example would be with turbo-charged aircraft. Is the owner rough with the throttle?
rapid throttle movement is bad for turbo-charged aircraft. Does the owner super cool the engine by reducing the throttle to idle on very cold says rapidly and then applies power rapidly….A no no for turbo aircraft…..The pilot IMO is a hack and needs training on proper operation
Flying technique is important. An example is VA……does the owner handle the controls roughly and to use a term, rack the aircraft over in turns above VA. Gear speeds and flap operation ….Does the owner follow proper operation for gear and flaps….at the correct speeds….
It all adds up to problems, Hard lands and hard breaking can damage breaks. Actually aircraft breaks should be used sparingly and applied properly. I call them slow down devices…..Look at the tires!! are there flat spots or uneven wear ?
I could keep going here, but as a CFI I can tell a lot of how an aircraft will be mechanically by the why the owner flies it…..
So spend the money get a CFI/IA, if you can and it would be worth the money and the
horrors new owners will discover later on will be minimal……
Thanks and safe flying
You are a CFI and know don’t the difference between brakes and breaks? The first stops the vehicle, the brakes won’t work if a part breaks.
The extent of a pre buy is defined by you. On a simple aircraft such as this should almost be the same as an annual..might as well do an annual. When i do a pre buy and find problems I keep in touch with my client to see if they want me to continue. You did not properly define the pre buy to those that did it…or you did not use a competent party to do the pre buy
Yes …for sure. find problems early can end the pre-buy and not go forward with an annual.
Fresh annuals many times are what they are. An owner had it done and had little done, because the owner was selling the plane.
I have had problems with some shops that worked for the owner. They can be antagonistic toward me as the big shot coming in to check on them. Nothing could be farther from the truth here!
The aircraft has to be in a neutral shop……
When I fly the plane I will find problems or yes the aircraft is as advertised and a good aircraft to buy and the owner is and was qualified to fly the aircraft.
It gets dangerous the more complicated the aircraft is, such as twins…….and large turbo charged six place singles….throw in /pressurization and it can get very expensive for the new owner…..
Kind of agree. First airplane I bought was fresh out of annual from the shop that did our flight school plane. Year later have an annual done and found all sorts of things missed. Kind of made me wonder about the flight school planes
I have purchased quite a few airplanes. I just expect that I will have to do boatloads of work to make them really airworthy. Even though I am not an A&P, I have done enough wrenching on airplanes (including overhauling engines — with a qualified A&P looking over my shoulder) that I can do a good enough job on a pre-buy, and then I assume that, over the following year, I will end up fixing a lot of things that have been let go. Behind the panel of an older airplane is usually a nightmare. I can’t tell you how many hours I have spent on my back, removing no-longer-used and dangerous wiring that does not conform to AC 43-13. I just assume that will be the case then I am not disappointed when it turns out to be. In the immortal words of Benjamin Disraeli, “I am prepared for the worst, but hope for the best.” When you get a used airplane, that is pretty much all you can hope for.
One thing you can do is to treat it like a joke. Pictures to trusted IA friends are good for a laugh. “Can you believe that they actually DID this?” Then you make it right.
Looks like a big dent in the cowl under “Piper”.
I can see it from here !
No, there’s no dent in the plane. It’s the camera angle and sun. Cosmetically, the plane is quite good.
Well, dear, we all think we’re entitled to perfection now but all we’re entitled to is know our little journey through this world will indeed come to an end someday despite how much money or screaming resistance we throw at it. I’m sorry your experience of buying your dream bird is marred. Let’s look at it and decide if it was ‘that bad.’
The Radio Shack item. Would it surprise many to learn that the same company that makes the device for Radio Shack probably made it for the supplier for Piper when the airplane was certified? One was labeled and ‘approved.’ Maybe the other one was not. Can all of us be expected to know that?
The air filter. Yes, definitely should not have been in there. Maybe older than the stated 4 years! Would that have been fairly easy to check in advance? Don’t know. Depending on the availability, mechanics, scope of inspection allowed, timing, etc. Paying a max price for the airplane, probably the theory was ‘no stone left unturned in the pre-buy’ in all respects. Such demand for perfection can and often does lead to disappointment.
Buying airplanes. At some point, if any airplane is $1, you just buy the thing because you want it. You can spend money and time and pour out lots of love to most endeavors and get what you put into it. In your case, I expect and my Spider Sense from childhood points to the fact that you paid “all the money” – i.e., full market value at the time and maybe MORE for this bird. You put your heart into it followed soon by a massive bank account drain. You did everything right that you knew how to do. You looked, you found, but you did not overly trust. You trusted some. The rest was controlled by desire. You purchased based on what you believed to be a sound aircraft, you had the inspections of the paperwork and the airplane done by so-called professionals. Somebody or more let you down in this process. Some of it your fault, some by the SCPs. Some maybe by the owner. Owners unfortunately are all regarded into a category of suspicion for obvious reasons. One cannot know their true motivations for selling, only clues and established facts. However buyers should be included too. Buyers are ‘liars’ to quote an old friend who has a lifetime of buying and selling airplanes. We could go on. Don’t get angry at my comments. Bottom line, no matter who is doing the Pre-Buy, whether it is someone or some company with a big brand name recognition now, or doing a lot of horror stories on YouTube etc., things can be missed, things hidden, problems may exist that cannot be detected. In the end it comes down to some of us as bang for the buck. That has to be balanced against safety of operation, right? That’s your call. Remember you can buy a brand spanking new bird and still have a problem or two. Just like the expensive cars and trucks of today. But we feel secure because of a so-called warranty. All that costs money. The more security you demand, the more you are going to fork out. Period. Is it real security or imagined. I’m here to tell you after 35 years lawyering, with the scars to prove it and the spoils of victory lined up on the walls, but having learned lessons that I did not particularly enjoy being taught at the time, that there are warranties not worth a penny.
So, I say to all of us: be your own boss, use common sense, don’t blindly rely on expensive services promising the best pre-buys and inspections. Don’t fall back on thinking you’ve got a warranty. You don’t. All you have is yourself. Your two hands. Just like when you are in the air. Who is responsible? You. You are PIC. You don’t blindly listen to ATC right? No. You don’t make that turn into the mountainside when instructed in error. Because it can happen. Has happened. You keep a healthy questioning skepticism running in the background. Your life and others depends on it.
Conclusion: I’m betting my Vega$ dollar on the table that you paid too much for the dream bird, and you expected something close to perfection, you paid for protection. You did not get your expected measure in any category. What are you left with, junk? No. Like all of us, you just paid too much. You can correct and probably have by now all the discoverable known issues. You are likely safe. You should have more confidence in the airplane now. What’s THAT worth? Let’s say no dollar value because that’s it. Priceless. Put it behind you, thank the Lord God Almighty above that nothing bad has happened and you are allowed to wake up this morning and read this amazement I am sharing. Sharing because I want to. So your beautiful bird is perfectly fine. As airplanes none are perfect. True owners and enthusiasts ‘work on’ the darn things all the time. Ask me how I know.
What to do now? That’s easy. Put back on your eyes of contentment. Discard the eyes of suspicion and blight. Go see your new bird as you have not seen it today. Just be grateful that you have it! Be grateful that right now, for today, you can get it and go wherever you want to. You can even fly to northwest GA or southeast, middle Tennessee and I will ease the cost of ownership by buying you a decent meal and I will contribute 5 gallons of premium quality aviation fuel. : )
You look at the airplane today with different eyes. Put the crap behind you in the circular bin and do not let ruin another moment of your amazing life. Do this and you will be feel at least a wee bit better. Maybe even GREAT !
Oh I could go on, and good Lord willing, I will go on. To the next project.
But I can tell you this: I dread putting up an airplane up for sale. I really do. : )
All the problems have been corrected and I’ve upgraded and added the avionics I want. It’s totally my plane now, it exceeds my expectations, and I’m quite comfortable flying it. The freedom that flying offers is priceless to me, and this experience (and the comments!) taught me a few lessons. I enjoyed your comments and agree – the experience is history, my plane is safe and set up the way I want, and I’m looking forward to many hours of flying. Heads Up! I may just show up someday in NW GA or SE middle TN for a free lunch and 5 gallons of fuel!
Glad you wrote about it and have obtained fixes for everything needed. We learn from others!
I have bought and sold a few planes (about 25) over the years, all without a pre- buy. I have never been disappointed nor discouraged and they all ended up being good airplanes to own. All of them required some work; some a little, some a lot. You can have Savvy or anyone else you want inspect a 40 plus year old airplane and never find all the problems until you have lived with it for a year or two; kind of like marriage.
In this case, the Radio Shack stall warning horn would have been a big red flag causing me to expect the worst elsewhere.
I was lucky…had a pre-buy done on a Mooney a long time ago. It flew in for the inspection. But when we pulled the cowling, it was pretty messy….not good. Pulled a plug and did a compression test. 55? Closed it back up and started looking for another plane.
Hi: A pre-buy should be different from an annual. An annual looks at the airworthiness of the aircraft. A prebuy should look at airworthiness, of course, but should also look at how much money you’ll need to sink into the airplane in the next few years. Low but “passing” compression is a good example. The engine is airworthy, but you may need cylinders or valves soon.
Two rules:
1. Use a mechanic that you select and pay for–not the seller’s mechanic.
2. Have your mechanic do what is necessary to assure the airplane is airworthy (ADs, paperwork) and access the condition of the aircraft and engine for future work. For example: you probably don’t need to change the oil, but taking an oil sample would be a good idea.
Glad it worked out and nobody got hurt. I don’t understand the FAA’s policy either.
Best
Vince
I really like the idea of a prebuy providing an idea of how much money I may want/have to spend in the future. I never thought of it that way. After reading all the comments, I think I’ve learned a few things. “Good judgment comes from experience,” said the early aviators, “and experience comes from poor judgment.” I’m taking all the comments to heart!
I’m not a lawyer, but I would ask one to give your seller a call and work out your expenses. FAA should not let this slide… but.
Glad your cowl is not dented. As a former IA, I recall the FAA top official Bill O’Brien always said the annual inspection is valid only until the ink dries. After that it is in the custody of the owner. In those 12 months after the IA is gone anything can happen, and frequently owners don’t sign logs for work they did. Best to ask the IA for a list of discrepancies as the law requires, and review the list with the IA and get a second opinion, if needed, before the work is done.
I have my own personal set of rules:
1. If I did not personally inspect it (no matter what it is) I cannot be sure of the condition. The air filter, oil filter, spark plugs and many other items are all legally serviced/inspected by the owner.
2. The most dangerous time to fly an airplane is right after the annual has been performed (or any maintenance for that matter). I check all of the work that was done and I am mentally prepared for anything on the first flight after maintenance. I do this flight by myself (no passengers). I do not do this flight at night or in instrument conditions.
3. Since I own and operate a decades old piece of equipment that can easily cause my demise I understand how it works and I directly participate in Maintenance and repairs. (I take the cowling off every couple of flights and look at/touch everything that I can see). I crawl around on the ground and look at brakes and landing gear and anything else I can see.
4. Hands on maintenance/checking is no different than learning how to program the GPS or operate the auto pilot or practicing flight maneuvers. If I don’t practice, I can expect poor results.