Aircraft Records

Are Electronic Aircraft Logbooks FAA Legal?

Updated August 26, 2026By AirLogbooks
Short answer: yes, electronic aircraft records can be acceptable, but the real test is not whether the record is digital. The real test is whether the record is complete, retrievable, trustworthy, and retained or transferred when the rules require it.

People ask this question like there is some magic FAA sentence that says “electronic logbooks are legal” or “electronic logbooks are illegal.” That is not really how the issue works.

The regulations focus on required records, required record entries, retention periods, and the ability to produce and transfer those records when needed. FAA guidance then explains how electronic recordkeeping systems can meet those expectations.

What the regulation actually requires

14 CFR 91.417 requires owners or operators to keep certain maintenance records for the periods specified in the rule. The regulation is about what records must exist and how long they must be kept. It is not written as a paper-only rule.

14 CFR 43.9 governs what has to be included in a maintenance record entry when maintenance, preventive maintenance, rebuilding, or alteration is performed.

What FAA guidance adds

AC 120-78B provides guidance on electronic signatures and electronic recordkeeping systems. While advisory circulars are guidance and not the regulation itself, they are useful because they show how the FAA expects digital record systems to preserve integrity, authenticity, and accessibility.

Where people get sloppy

A pile of scanned PDFs is not automatically a good digital record system. A spreadsheet with missing source records is not automatically a good digital record system either. Digital does not excuse incomplete entries, weak retention, or bad transfer practices.

The useful question is not “Is it digital?” The useful question is “Can this record set stand up to review, maintenance use, resale scrutiny, and transfer?”

What good digital recordkeeping looks like

  • The source records are preserved, not casually discarded.
  • Maintenance entries remain readable and structured.
  • The system can show who signed what and when.
  • Required records can be exported, reviewed, and transferred when needed.

AirLogbooks context

AirLogbooks is designed around the idea that the structured digital record and the historical source material should support each other. That matters because buyers, mechanics, and owners still need confidence in what they are looking at, not just prettier storage.