FAR 91.1071 — Crewmember Tests and Checks
FAR 91.1071 explains the grace month for crewmember tests and checks, retesting failed maneuvers, and notification rules under Part 91 Subpart K fractional ops.
In Plain English
FAR 91.1071 governs how recurrent tests and flight checks work for crewmembers in Subpart K (fractional ownership) operations. It addresses two practical situations every fractional pilot will face: timing flexibility and what happens if you bust a check.
- Grace month rule: If you complete a required test or flight check in the month before or the month after the month it's actually due, you're treated as if you completed it in the required month. This preserves your currency window without penalizing early or slightly late completion.
- Failed maneuvers: If you fail any required maneuver during a check, the check airman may provide additional training during the check itself and may require you to repeat the failed maneuver — plus any other maneuvers needed to verify proficiency.
- Unsatisfactory performance: If you can't demonstrate satisfactory performance, the program manager may not use you and you may not serve as a flight crewmember under Subpart K until you successfully complete the check.
- Notification duty: If the failing pilot is also employed under Part 121, 125, or 135, the pilot must notify that certificate holder of the unsatisfactory performance.
This matters operationally because it ties together currency, retraining, and cross-employer transparency for safety.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 91.1071§ 91.1071 Crewmember: Tests and checks, grace provisions, training to accepted standards.
(a) If a crewmember who is required to take a test or a flight check under this subpart, completes the test or flight check in the month before or after the month in which it is required, that crewmember is considered to have completed the test or check in the month in which it is required.
(b) If a pilot being checked under this subpart fails any of the required maneuvers, the person giving the check may give additional training to the pilot during the course of the check. In addition to repeating the maneuvers failed, the person giving the check may require the pilot being checked to repeat any other maneuvers that are necessary to determine the pilot's proficiency. If the pilot being checked is unable to demonstrate satisfactory performance to the person conducting the check, the program manager may not use the pilot, nor may the pilot serve, as a flight crewmember in operations under this subpart until the pilot has satisfactorily completed the check. If a pilot who demonstrates unsatisfactory performance is employed as a pilot for a certificate holder operating under part 121, 125, or 135 of this chapter, he or she must notify that certificate holder of the unsatisfactory performance.
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1If your recurrent flight check is due in June but you complete it in May, when are you considered to have taken it?
Under FAR 91.1071(a), completing the check in the month before or after the required month counts as completion in the required month — so a May check satisfies a June requirement.
Q2What happens during a Subpart K check if you fail a required maneuver?
Per FAR 91.1071(b), the check airman may give additional training during the check and require you to repeat the failed maneuver, plus any other maneuvers needed to confirm proficiency.
Q3If you fail a Subpart K check and also fly for a Part 135 operator, what must you do?
FAR 91.1071(b) requires you to notify your Part 121, 125, or 135 certificate holder of the unsatisfactory performance, and you may not serve as a Subpart K crewmember until you pass the check.
Studying for a checkride?
Related Sections in Part 91