Four words that strike fear in any A&P's heart are "All ADs Complied With".

While it sounds definitive, it actually tells us very little. Unfortunately, "All ADs C/W" takes on different forms throughout the logbooks. Open up any piston aircraft logbook and you're bound to find some version of it. Pick up almost any logbook and you're bound to find some version of it flashing its dark patterns of ambiguity and confusion:

Because AD compliance is maintenance, these versions “All ADs Complied With” is NOT an acceptable entry under the requirements of 43.9 and 91.417(a)(2)(v). Due to pilot and mechanic confusion, we recently outlined some of these issues in our piece, "Mythbusters: Debunking the Top 10 AD Myths", citing the Easter Interpretation, which found that blanket statements such as “All ADs complied with” or “All ADs complied with through revision X/X” DO NOT comply with the requirements of 91.417(a)(2)(v), among others.

Interested parties may also take a look at Administrator vs. Scott (NTSB EA-4030), a case involving the dreaded four words, where the judge went as far to say, "All ADs C/W' is meaningless without some reference to which ADs were applicable to the aircraft and the method of compliance."

To that end, we felt it was finally time to lay these dreaded four words to rest and offer up here a new framework for A&P/IAs to follow that better defines the scope of AD compliance activities and follows the 5 Principles of a Good Entry (Defensibility, Professionalism, Accountability, Repeatability, and Traceability).

The "Scope, Currency, and Result" framework is as follows:

• Scope: applicable ADs for aircraft, engine, propeller & appliances
• Currency: reviewed through FAA Biweekly 2026-XX / or date
• Result: No new or recurring AD compliance actions due at this time (or list all compliance actions taken for initial and/or recurring AD compliance)

Using this framework now, if you are trying to say, "All ADs Complied With - No Actions Taken", you would say:

As you can see, this is much more powerful than saying, "All ADs C/W":

• ‍“Applicable” vs. “All” – reframes to prevent claiming you reviewed every AD ever issued.
• “Aircraft, engine, propeller, and installed appliances” – further specifies the AD categories in scope ‍
• “Reviewed through XX-XX” – establishes the currency/cutoff of your AD research‍
• “No compliance actions were due” – distinguishes research from ACTUALLY accomplishing an AD. ‍
• “New or recurring” –covers both newly applicable ADs and repetitive requirements that might have come due

Using this framework, if you are trying to say, "All ADs Complied With" after taking action on new or recurring, you would say:

Of course, you can change these up to fit your style, but the "Scope, Currency, Result" framework should stay the same. For those interested in a deeper dive into AD compliance documentation best practices, be sure to see our Webinar, "Logbook Do's & Dont's", that covers all aspects of proper AD compliance, including CW, PCW, and N/A, and best practices for robust entries.

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