[EW]Expert witness practice
Aircraft maintenance and records, explained on the record.
Jet Research provides expert analysis, written reports and testimony in disputes over aircraft condition, maintenance, records and lease return. The named expert is Robert G. Tuck, founder and president of the firm.
Opinions that come from doing the work, not from reading about it.
Most aircraft disputes turn on a small number of technical questions. What condition was the aircraft in. What did the contract require. What do the records prove, and what do they fail to prove.
Jet Research answers those questions for a living. The firm represents lessors, airlines and lenders at lease returns, pre-purchase inspections, repossessions and heavy maintenance events around the world. The same method is applied to a case file: inspect the aircraft where it is available, audit the complete record set, and measure both against the contract and the regulations.
Every engagement begins with a conflict check. The role, consulting or testifying, is agreed in writing before any material is reviewed.
The field work behind the opinions
- 600
- Projects in the firm's log2015 to 2024
- 237
- Lease returnsRedelivery condition
- 97
- Pre-purchase inspectionsCondition at sale
- 81
- Mid-lease inspectionsCondition in service
- 36
- RepossessionsCondition at recovery
- 22
- Records reviewsDocument audit
Fifteen areas. One discipline.
Each area below is one the expert works in directly. Each links to a page on how the question arises in a dispute and how it is analysed.
- [EX-01]Maintenance contractsWhat a maintenance agreement required, what was performed, and where the two differ.
- [EX-02]Maintenance and modificationsScope, sequence and sign off of heavy checks and modification programs on transport aircraft.
- [EX-03]Lease acceptance and return languageHow delivery and redelivery conditions are written, measured and documented at the aircraft.
- [EX-04]Maintenance program bridgingMoving an aircraft between operators and maintenance programs without losing task credit.
- [EX-05]Tooling and tool controlProper use, calibration and control of tooling in a maintenance environment.
- [EX-06]Maintenance trackingHow hours, cycles, life limited parts and recurring tasks are tracked, and how errors arise.
- [EX-07]Federal Aviation RegulationsApplication of the FARs to maintenance, records and airworthiness on a specific aircraft.
- [EX-08]Commercial aircraft maintenanceIndustry practice for line and heavy maintenance across Boeing, Airbus and regional types.
- [EX-09]Commercial aircraft storageStorage, preservation and return to service requirements, and what happens when they are skipped.
- [EX-10]MRO performance and proceduresWhether a repair station followed its own procedures, the task cards and the schedule.
- [EX-11]Regulatory compliance and aircraft recordsWhether the record set supports the airworthiness status the aircraft was represented to have.
- [EX-12]Maintenance documentationCompleteness and accuracy of work orders, task cards, releases and certificates.
- [EX-13]Logbooks and maintenance sign offsWho signed for what, under which authority, and whether the entry meets the rule.
- [EX-14]STCs and major repairsApproval basis, installation data and records for supplemental type certificates and major repairs.
- [EX-15]Structural repairsRepair classification, approved data and documentation for structural damage and repairs.
Where the questions come from.
Lease returns and repossessions, maintenance claims, sale disputes, insurance matters and arbitration.
- [DS-01]Lease return disputesRedelivery condition, records shortfalls, and the cost of bringing an aircraft to return standard.
- [DS-02]Aircraft repossession disputesCondition at recovery, missing records and components, and the work needed to remarket.
- [DS-03]MRO workmanship claimsWhether maintenance was performed and documented to the standard the contract and the rule require.
- [DS-04]Pre-purchase inspection disputesWhat an inspection should have found, and what the records showed at the time of sale.
- [DS-05]Aircraft damage and diminution of valueDamage history, repair quality and the technical basis for a loss in value.
- [DS-06]Records and traceability disputesBack to birth trace on life limited parts and the consequences of a gap.
- [DS-07]Aviation insurance claimsTechnical cause, pre-existing condition and scope of repair on hull and liability claims.
- [DS-08]Unapproved and undocumented partsPart eligibility, certification paperwork and installation records.
- [DS-09]Aircraft storage damageDeterioration in storage and whether the preservation program was followed.
- [DS-10]Business aviation maintenance disputesMaintenance and records questions on privately operated aircraft.
- [DS-11]Maintenance contract and warranty disputesScope, turn time, cost overrun and warranty questions between operators and providers.
- [DS-12]Arbitration supportTechnical analysis and testimony for lease and maintenance arbitrations.
From inspection to testimony.
What counsel receives at each stage of an engagement.
- [WP-01]Aircraft and records inspectionsPhysical inspection of the aircraft and a structured review of its records, documented for the file.
- [WP-02]Expert reportsWritten opinions that state the facts relied on, the method used and the basis for each conclusion.
- [WP-03]Opposing expert reviewTechnical review of the other side's report, with the points of agreement and disagreement set out.
- [WP-04]Deposition and trial testimonyTestimony that explains aircraft maintenance and records in terms a court can use.
Five steps. No surprises.
01
Conflict check
Send the parties, counsel and aircraft involved. Nothing is reviewed until conflicts are cleared.
02
Initial case review
A first look at the pleadings and the key records to confirm the questions fall inside the expert's field.
03
Engagement
Scope, role as consulting or testifying expert, schedule and fee terms set out in writing.
04
Inspection and analysis
Aircraft inspection where it is available, full records review, and analysis against the contract and the regulations.
05
Report and testimony
Written report, review of opposing opinions, and testimony at deposition, arbitration or trial.
Rob Tuck founded Jet Research to serve the owners and operators of leased and traded commercial aircraft. He has worked as a mechanic, planner and maintenance manager, and has spent his career on the questions that decide aircraft disputes: what was done, what was required, and what the records show.
- FAA Airframe and Powerplant certificateHeld since 1989
- Former FAA Designated Airworthiness RepresentativeDAR-T
- U.S. ArmyHelicopter repairer
- Aircraft experienceBoeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer, De Havilland Canada, ATR
- Regulatory experienceFAA, EASA, Canada, Australia, China
Start with a conflict check.
Send the names of the parties and counsel, the aircraft type and serial number, the forum, and any dates already set. Do not send case material until conflicts are cleared.
- Emailinfo@jetresearch.aero
- Telephone770-783-1192
- Office101 TDK Boulevard, Suite E, Peachtree City, GA 30269Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm ET