Definition
Required aircraft inspections — such as the annual, 100-hour, transponder, pitot-static, or airworthiness directive (AD) inspections mandated by the FAA — that have passed their due date or hour limit without being completed. An aircraft with an overdue inspection is generally not legally airworthy and may not be flown until the inspection is brought current and properly logged.
Plain English
An inspection the aircraft was supposed to have by a certain date or flight-hour total, but didn't. Until it's done and signed off, the airplane usually can't legally fly.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight review of aircraft records, rental aircraft dispatch, maintenance log checks, and instructor risk decisions before a lesson.
Why Pilots Care
An aircraft with overdue inspections is not airworthy and may not be flown legally under FAA regulations.
Intuition Check
Do not treat overdue inspections as just late paperwork. In aviation, an overdue required inspection can mean the aircraft is not approved to fly until the inspection is completed and recorded.
Example Sentence 1
During the logbook review, the pilot discovered the annual inspection was three weeks overdue and grounded the aircraft until a mechanic could complete it.
Example Sentence 2
Before accepting the aircraft for the lesson, the instructor confirmed there were no overdue inspections listed in the maintenance records.