What is a maintenance log used for in aviation?

A maintenance log is primarily used to record all maintenance activities performed on an aircraft. This includes detailed entries of inspections, repairs, modifications, and any routine tasks carried out to ensure the aircraft is safe and compliant with aviation regulations and standards. Maintenance logs are crucial for tracking an aircraft's service history, ensuring that timely maintenance is performed, and demonstrating adherence to safety protocols. Proper documentation in the maintenance log is essential for audits, investigations, and regulatory compliance, highlighting the importance of maintaining accurate records throughout the life of the aircraft.

While pre-flight checklists, flight hours, crew details, and inflight incident records are also important in aviation operations, they serve different specific purposes and do not encompass the broader requirements for maintaining an aircraft's serviceability and safety compliance as effectively as a maintenance log does.