Who is responsible for assuring compliance with an Airworthiness Directive?

The correct answer is the owner or operator of the aircraft because it is ultimately their responsibility to ensure that the aircraft is in compliance with all relevant regulations, including Airworthiness Directives (ADs). An Airworthiness Directive is a legally enforceable rule issued by the FAA that requires operators to perform certain maintenance actions on an aircraft in order to address safety issues and ensure continued airworthiness.

The owner or operator is the entity that has control over the aircraft and is therefore responsible for ensuring that necessary inspections, repairs, or modifications mandated by an AD are completed in a timely manner. While the pilot in command and maintenance personnel play crucial roles in the operation and maintenance of the aircraft, the accountability for AD compliance rests with the owner or operator, who determines how the maintenance tasks will be executed.

Other roles, such as pilots and maintenance personnel, support compliance efforts, but they do not hold the primary responsibility for ensuring adherence to Airworthiness Directives.