Aircraft Squawk Report Template (Free Download)
Maintenance · Free template
A squawk report is how a pilot hands a discrepancy to whoever maintains the aircraft. Done well, it captures enough that a mechanic can act without a phone call and the next pilot knows the airplane's status. Done badly — a sticky note, a half-remembered text — it's how a known defect ends up airborne. This template gives you a consistent, complete report every time.
What a good squawk report captures
The goal is a report the reporting pilot can complete in under a minute and a mechanic can act on without follow-up. That means: which aircraft, when, who saw it, exactly what the discrepancy is (and when it shows up — on run-up, in climb, only when hot), how severe it is, and whether the aircraft is safe to fly in the meantime.
The severity call is the part people get wrong. "Grounding" means the aircraft comes off the line until a qualified person clears it. "Monitor" means it's flyable but everyone should know. When in doubt, a pilot should be able to down the airplane — it's far cheaper to ground a good airplane than to fly a bad one.
How to use it
Keep blank copies in the aircraft and at dispatch. When a pilot writes one up, it goes to the person responsible for maintenance and the aircraft's status is updated so the next pilot sees it before they preflight. Close the loop: when the fix is done, record what was done and who returned the aircraft to service.
The template
Aircraft & report
- Aircraft (tail number) ______________________
- Date ______________________
- Tach / Hobbs at report ______________________
- Reported by ______________________
- Contact (phone / email) ______________________
Discrepancy
Be specific — what, and when it happens.
- Description of the discrepancy ______________________
- When it occurs (run-up / climb / cruise / cold / hot / always) ______________________
- System affected (engine / avionics / airframe / gear / other) ______________________
Severity & status
- Severity (Grounding / Monitor / Minor) ______________________
- Is the aircraft safe to fly? (Yes — with note / No — grounded) ______________________
- If grounded: placard placed? (Yes / No) ______________________
Maintenance disposition (office use)
- Assigned to ______________________
- Action taken ______________________
- Parts / cost ______________________
- Date completed ______________________
- Returned to service by (A&P / IA) ______________________
- Tach / Hobbs at return ______________________
Or skip the paperwork.
FlightBoard's squawk board does this digitally — shared across your whole club, always up to date, on any device. Free forever for individual owners.
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