FAR 21.190 — Light-Sport Airworthiness Certificate
FAR 21.190 explains how the FAA issues a special airworthiness certificate for light-sport aircraft, including required documents and manufacturer compliance.
In Plain English
FAR 21.190 sets out how the FAA issues a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category for an LSA (other than a gyroplane). This is the paperwork that legally allows your light-sport aircraft to fly.
To qualify, the applicant must give the FAA:
- The aircraft's operating instructions
- The aircraft's maintenance and inspection procedures
- The manufacturer's statement of compliance
- The aircraft's flight training supplement
In addition, the aircraft:
- Must never have held a standard, primary, restricted, limited, or provisional certificate (U.S. or foreign equivalent), and
- Must be inspected by the FAA and found in a condition for safe operation.
The manufacturer's statement of compliance must identify the aircraft, name the consensus standard used (typically ASTM), and confirm the manufacturer built the aircraft to that standard, ground- and flight-tested it, monitors safety through safety directives, and will give the FAA access to its facilities.
For foreign-built LSAs, the country of manufacture must have a Bilateral Airworthiness Agreement with the U.S., and the aircraft must already be eligible for certification there. This matters operationally because flying without a valid airworthiness certificate violates FAR 91.203 and voids legal flight.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 21.190§ 21.190 Issue of a special airworthiness certificate for a light-sport category aircraft.
(a)The FAA issues a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category to operate a light-sport aircraft, other than a gyroplane.
(b)To be eligible for a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category:
(1) An applicant must provide the FAA with—
(i) The aircraft's operating instructions;
(ii) The aircraft's maintenance and inspection procedures;
(iii) The manufacturer's statement of compliance as described in paragraph (c) of this section; and
(iv) The aircraft's flight training supplement.
(2) The aircraft must not have been previously issued a standard, primary, restricted, limited, or provisional airworthiness certificate, or an equivalent airworthiness certificate issued by a foreign civil aviation authority.
(3) The aircraft must be inspected by the FAA and found to be in a condition for safe operation.
(c)The manufacturer's statement of compliance required in paragraph (b)(1)(iii) of this section must—
(1) Identify the aircraft by make and model, serial number, class, date of manufacture, and consensus standard used;
(2) State that the aircraft meets the provisions of the identified consensus standard;
(3) State that the aircraft conforms to the manufacturer's design data, using the manufacturer's quality assurance system that meets the identified consensus standard;
(4) State that the manufacturer will make available to any interested person the following documents that meet the identified consensus standard:
(i) The aircraft's operating instructions.
(ii) The aircraft's maintenance and inspection procedures.
(iii) The aircraft's flight training supplement.
(5) State that the manufacturer will monitor and correct safety-of-flight issues through the issuance of safety directives and a continued airworthiness system that meets the identified consensus standard;
(6) State that at the request of the FAA, the manufacturer will provide unrestricted access to its facilities; and
(7) State that the manufacturer, in accordance with a production acceptance test procedure that meets an applicable consensus standard has—
(i) Ground and flight tested the aircraft;
(ii) Found the aircraft performance acceptable; and
(iii) Determined that the aircraft is in a condition for safe operation.
(d)For aircraft manufactured outside of the United States to be eligible for a special airworthiness certificate in the light-sport category, an applicant must meet the requirements of paragraph (b) of this section and provide to the FAA evidence that—
(1) The aircraft was manufactured in a country with which the United States has a Bilateral Airworthiness Agreement concerning airplanes or Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement with associated Implementation Procedures for Airworthiness concerning airplanes, or an equivalent airworthiness agreement; and
(2) The aircraft is eligible for an airworthiness certificate, flight authorization, or other similar certification in its country of manufacture.
[Amdt. 21-85, 69 FR 44862, July 27, 2004]
Link to an amendment published at 90 FR 35206, July 24, 2025.
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What documents must an applicant provide to the FAA to get a special airworthiness certificate for a light-sport aircraft?
Per FAR 21.190(b)(1), the applicant must provide the aircraft's operating instructions, maintenance and inspection procedures, the manufacturer's statement of compliance, and the flight training supplement.
Q2Can an aircraft that previously held a standard airworthiness certificate be issued a light-sport special airworthiness certificate?
No. FAR 21.190(b)(2) prohibits this — the aircraft must not have previously held a standard, primary, restricted, limited, or provisional certificate, or an equivalent foreign certificate.
Q3What additional requirements apply to a foreign-manufactured light-sport aircraft seeking a U.S. special airworthiness certificate?
Under FAR 21.190(d), the aircraft must come from a country that has a Bilateral Airworthiness Agreement (or equivalent) with the U.S., and it must already be eligible for an airworthiness certificate or similar certification in its country of manufacture.
Studying for a checkride?
Related Sections in Part 21