Reporting a Squawk

Overview

In aviation, a squawk is any maintenance issue, defect, or discrepancy observed on an aircraft — anything from a sticky fuel cap to an instrument that reads slightly off to a strange sound during runup. The term comes from the logbook tradition of writing up aircraft discrepancies so that nothing gets lost between flights or between pilots.

Reporting squawks promptly is one of the most direct ways a pilot can contribute to fleet safety. When you write up an issue, you are not just helping yourself — you are protecting every pilot who flies that aircraft after you. Small problems that go unreported have a way of becoming serious ones. A squawk filed today is a potential accident prevented tomorrow. Centerline makes reporting fast and frictionless so there is never a good reason to let something slide.

A healthy squawk culture also builds trust within your club. When members know that every issue gets documented and tracked, they fly with more confidence. They can check the squawk list before a flight and know exactly what has been reported, what is being worked on, and what has been resolved. Transparency keeps the whole community safer.

When to Report a Squawk

Report a squawk whenever you notice:

• Mechanical issues or malfunctions
• Damage to the aircraft (even minor)
• Instruments not functioning properly
• Unusual sounds, vibrations, or behaviors during any phase of flight
• Missing or damaged equipment
• Any discrepancy from normal operation
• Anything you would want to know about before flying that aircraft yourself

If you are unsure whether something is worth reporting, report it anyway. Let maintenance decide whether it is significant. Erring on the side of reporting is always the right call.

Steps to Report a Squawk

1. Navigate to Squawks — Click Squawks in the navigation bar.
2. Click New Squawk — The squawk report form opens as a dialog.
3. Select the aircraft — Choose which aircraft has the issue from the dropdown.
4. Enter the occurrence date — When you discovered the issue. This defaults to today.
5. Describe the issue — Write a clear, specific description of what you observed, when it occurred, and any relevant conditions (phase of flight, weather, power setting, etc.).
6. Check Recommend Grounding if appropriate — Check this box if you believe the aircraft should not fly until the issue is addressed. See the section below for guidance.
7. Add comments — Use the Comments field for any additional context that does not fit in the description, such as when the problem started, whether it is intermittent, or steps you already took.
8. Attach files — Drag and drop photos or PDFs, or click Upload files to browse. Images of visible damage, unusual wear, or cockpit indications are extremely helpful for maintenance. Maximum file size is 10 MB per file.
9. Click Add Squawk — Your report is submitted and maintenance personnel are notified automatically.

Grounding Squawks

Check Recommend Grounding if you believe the issue makes the aircraft unsafe or unairworthy to fly. This is a judgment call pilots are expected to make, and it is better to over-apply it than to under-apply it.

When a squawk is marked as grounding:

• A red Recommend Grounding badge appears prominently next to the squawk in the list
• Anyone viewing that aircraft's squawks will see the grounding recommendation clearly
• The aircraft should be treated as grounded until a maintenance-authorized person reviews and resolves the issue

Remember: recommending grounding is not a criticism of the aircraft or the club. It is a professional responsibility. Maintenance personnel may disagree and document why the aircraft is still airworthy — but that conversation should happen explicitly, not by ignoring the report.

Tips

• Report before you leave the flight line. Details are freshest right after the flight. Do not wait until you are home or until your next visit.
• Be specific and descriptive. "Engine ran rough" is less useful than "Engine ran rough during cruise at 2400 RPM, approximately 30 minutes into the flight, smooth on the ground before and after." More detail means faster and more accurate diagnosis.
• Photos are worth a thousand words. For anything visual — a dent, a worn component, a cracked lens — a photo attached to the squawk is far more useful than a written description alone.
• When in doubt, mark it grounding. If you would not feel comfortable sending a friend up in that airplane without warning them first, it is probably a grounding squawk.
• Check existing squawks first. Before your flight, browse open squawks for the aircraft. After your flight, check whether the issue you noticed was already reported before filing a duplicate.
• Members can report squawks too. You do not need a maintenance role to file a squawk — any member can and should report what they observe. Maintenance staff handle the resolution.