Which statement best describes the difference between major and minor alterations and their impact on airworthiness records?

• A. Minor alterations require full certification; major alterations do not have to be recorded.
• B. Alterations do not need to be documented in configuration records.
• C. Major alterations require certification and reflect in configuration records; minor alterations are routine and documented with less stringent approval; both must be recorded in configuration records.
• D. Major alterations only affect maintenance logs, not configuration records.

Answer: (C)

Understanding how alterations are categorized and recorded is essential for keeping an aircraft airworthy. Major alterations involve significant changes to the aircraft and require formal certification from the appropriate authority before installation. Because they alter the aircraft’s certified state, these changes must be reflected in the configuration records so the exact, approved configuration is known and traceable.

Minor alterations are routine, lower-risk changes that don’t significantly affect airworthiness. They are typically approved through standard processes with lighter requirements, but they still must be documented in the configuration records to preserve an accurate history of what is installed.

Both types must appear in the configuration records, ensuring the aircraft’s current configuration and certification basis are auditable. The other options misstate the requirements: minor alterations don’t require full certification, all alterations should be documented, and major alterations do impact configuration records rather than only maintenance logs.