Part 5 safety management systems
Get your Part 5 SMS running before May 28, 2027.
Every Part 135 operator and every § 91.147 air tour operator needs a working SMS and a signed declaration of compliance by the deadline. Check where you stand in five minutes, then let us help you get there in 30 days.
Free 4-page brief, no sign-up: download the PDF. Plans can be paid by card online.
Two things by the deadline
An SMS that is running
Not just a manual. The FAA expects to see the processes in use: hazards reported and assessed, risks accepted at the right level, audits done and findings closed, and management reviewing safety performance. You keep it running for as long as you hold the certificate or LOA.
A declaration of compliance
A signed letter to your responsible Flight Standards office with your name, certificate number (air tour: Operator Designator Code), address and a statement that your SMS meets Part 5, signed by the accountable executive or another senior manager. Part 135 operators don't submit an implementation plan, and there's no separate approval step: the FAA checks through surveillance.
Readiness checklist
How ready is your SMS?
Tick what you already have in place. Your score and what's left update as you go, and your answers stay in this browser so you can come back to them. Each item shows where Avistrata covers it.
SMS in 30 days
Guided setup: your SMS running in four weeks
We set up the Safety (SMS) module with you, using your own people, aircraft and procedures, so the evidence an inspector looks for starts building from week one.
Policy and people
- Accountable executive and safety officer named
- Safety policy drafted, signed and published for read & sign
- Confidential reporting and emergency response plan on file
Hazards and risk
- Hazard reporting live in the app for everyone
- Risk register seeded with your known hazards and controls
- FRAT and risk acceptance levels set
Assurance
- Safety performance indicators with targets
- Audit programme and first internal audit scheduled
- Investigations, findings and corrective actions set up
Promotion and declaration
- SMS training assigned and recorded
- First safety bulletin sent with read & sign
- Declaration of compliance letter drafted, ready for your accountable executive to sign
What we do
- Set up the SMS module, roles and workflows
- Load your hazards, policies and manuals
- Meet with your safety officer every week
- Review your evidence against each Part 5 requirement before you sign
What you do
- Name your accountable executive and safety officer
- Share your current manuals, reports and known hazards
- Make the safety decisions: risk acceptance, targets, the policy itself
- Sign the policy and, when it is true, the declaration
Your SMS, in the same system as your flights and maintenance
The Safety (SMS) module is built around Part 5. Its dashboard checks each requirement against your live records and shows what's in place, what's due and what's late.
Safety policy
Policy revisions signed by the accountable executive and published through read & sign, so you can see who has read them. Emergency response plan on file.
Confidential reporting
Pilots and staff file hazard reports from the app, optionally confidential: only the safety officer sees who filed it.
Risk register and FRATs
Hazards, risks and controls with owners and due dates, accepted at the level you set. Management of change. FRATs on every release, with high scores routed to your approver.
Audits and corrective action
Audit programme and checklists; findings with root cause, corrective and preventive actions and effectiveness checks; audit report PDFs.
Performance and reviews
Investigations, safety indicators with targets counted from your own data, and management reviews signed by the accountable executive.
Training and records
SMS training tracked per person; bulletins acknowledged through read & sign; every change recorded with who and when.
Questions
Common questions
What does it cost?
The Safety (SMS) module is part of Avistrata. Current plans are on our Pricing page and can be paid by card online. Guided setup is quoted on request, depending on the size of your operation.
We fly single-pilot. Does Part 5 apply to us?
Yes. Part 5 covers single-pilot Part 135 operators too, but § 5.9 excuses them from some requirements meant for larger organizations. Avistrata works for a one-person operation: the same person can report, assess and sign.
We already have an SMS on paper or in another system.
Keep what works. We bring your policy, hazard log and past reports into Avistrata during setup, so your history stays with your records and the inspector sees one trail.
How long does setup take?
Guided setup runs over four weeks. Collecting evidence takes longer, which is why starting now matters: the FAA expects an SMS that is running, not one that started the week before the deadline.
What is the declaration of compliance?
A signed letter to your Flight Standards office, due by May 28, 2027 (§ 5.9(a)): your name and certificate number, your address, a statement that your SMS meets Part 5, and the accountable executive's signature. There is no plan to submit and no approval step. The FAA checks through surveillance afterwards, so sign it only when it is true.
The deadline is close. Start your SMS this month.
Try Avistrata free, or let us set up your SMS with you in 30 days.
The four components and what an inspector will look for
| Component | What you need | Evidence to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| Safety policy§§ 5.21–5.27 | Objectives and commitment, a safety reporting policy, unacceptable behavior, an emergency response plan and a code of ethics; an accountable executive, named SMS managers, and who may accept each level of risk. | Signed safety policy communicated to staff; emergency response plan; SMS roles. |
| Safety risk management§§ 5.51–5.55 | Identify hazards in new systems, changes and procedures; assess risk; put controls in place and confirm the risk is acceptable with them. | Risk register; management-of-change records; FRATs with approvals. |
| Safety assurance§§ 5.71–5.75 | Monitor operations; audit processes and systems; evaluate the SMS; investigate incidents and non-compliance; run a confidential employee reporting system; review performance and fix what's found. | Audits, findings and corrective actions; investigations; hazard reports; indicators; signed management reviews. |
| Safety promotion§§ 5.91–5.93 | SMS training for everyone with a role; communication about hazards, safety actions and changed procedures. | Training records; safety bulletins; read-and-acknowledge records. |
Electronic signatures that hold up
An SMS runs on signatures: the accountable executive signs the policy and management reviews, managers accept risk, approvers sign off high-risk FRATs, and staff acknowledge procedure changes. If they live in software, the FAA's AC 120-78B is what the system is measured against. For required records, a Part 135 operator's system is accepted through OpSpec A025.
- Unique to the signer, who is identified and authenticated
- Under the signer's sole control: their own login
- Made with intent to sign
- Can't be denied later, and signed content can't change without a new signature
- Safeguards against uncontrolled access
- Records stay unaltered and protected from corruption
- Backups equal to the primary records
- Records provided to the FAA or NTSB on request
More on how sign-offs work in Avistrata: electronic signatures and audit trail.
Sources: 14 CFR Part 5 (eCFR); FAA Notices N 8900.700 and N 8900.737; FAA AC 120-78B; FAA AC 120-92D. A summary as of October 2026, not legal advice.