C172 instructor and trainee had an FAA ramp check.

Attributes
ACN	459820
Time
Date	200001
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : oak.airport
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	general aviation : instructional
Make Model Name	Skyhawk 172/Cutlass 172
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	ground : parked
Person 1
Affiliation	other
Function	flight crew : single pilot instruction : trainee
Qualification	pilot : private
Experience	flight time total : 77
ASRS Report	459820
Person 2
Affiliation	other
Function	instruction : instructor oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial pilot : cfi
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : 3
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	faa : investigated
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Maintenance Human Performance FAA
Primary Problem	Ambiguous

Narrative:

I attend a professional flight academy. I have been at the school for just over 4 months, and earned my private pilot certificate at the beginning of dec/99. After returning from a training flight, my instructor and I were met at the fuel truck (our school's truck) by FAA inspectors conducting a standard ramp check. They were very professional and courteous. They found all of our paperwork to be current and in order. On inspecting the plane, a few items were questioned. However, not being experts on C172's, they felt they could say only that the items 'might' constitute an airworthiness problem. They encouraged us that in the future anything we saw during preflight that we were unsure of, we should question with maintenance. Other than that, they said we checked out ok. The next day it came to my attention, and I verified it personally, that the inspectors had returned to the plane later, after we had parked it and tied it down, and did in fact squawk a number of items. Again, these were items they felt 'might' be airworthiness issues, but were not certain.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C172 INSTRUCTOR AND TRAINEE HAD AN FAA RAMP CHK.

Narrative: I ATTEND A PROFESSIONAL FLT ACADEMY. I HAVE BEEN AT THE SCHOOL FOR JUST OVER 4 MONTHS, AND EARNED MY PVT PLT CERTIFICATE AT THE BEGINNING OF DEC/99. AFTER RETURNING FROM A TRAINING FLT, MY INSTRUCTOR AND I WERE MET AT THE FUEL TRUCK (OUR SCHOOL'S TRUCK) BY FAA INSPECTORS CONDUCTING A STANDARD RAMP CHK. THEY WERE VERY PROFESSIONAL AND COURTEOUS. THEY FOUND ALL OF OUR PAPERWORK TO BE CURRENT AND IN ORDER. ON INSPECTING THE PLANE, A FEW ITEMS WERE QUESTIONED. HOWEVER, NOT BEING EXPERTS ON C172'S, THEY FELT THEY COULD SAY ONLY THAT THE ITEMS 'MIGHT' CONSTITUTE AN AIRWORTHINESS PROB. THEY ENCOURAGED US THAT IN THE FUTURE ANYTHING WE SAW DURING PREFLT THAT WE WERE UNSURE OF, WE SHOULD QUESTION WITH MAINT. OTHER THAN THAT, THEY SAID WE CHKED OUT OK. THE NEXT DAY IT CAME TO MY ATTN, AND I VERIFIED IT PERSONALLY, THAT THE INSPECTORS HAD RETURNED TO THE PLANE LATER, AFTER WE HAD PARKED IT AND TIED IT DOWN, AND DID IN FACT SQUAWK A NUMBER OF ITEMS. AGAIN, THESE WERE ITEMS THEY FELT 'MIGHT' BE AIRWORTHINESS ISSUES, BUT WERE NOT CERTAIN.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.