Damage History

Damage history is any record of prior structural or major damage and its repair. Even a properly repaired aircraft typically carries a value discount and takes longer to sell, so damage history is a standard pre-purchase check and a genuine negotiating point.

Why it matters: damage history follows an aircraft for life. Even a properly repaired incident affects market perception, and therefore price — the market discounts damaged aircraft because some future buyer will discount them too. What determines how much is the severity, the quality and documentation of the repair, and the transparency around it.

The critical distinction is between damage repaired correctly under approved data with complete records, and damage repaired informally or disclosed vaguely. The first is a pricing conversation; the second is a walk-away signal. Sellers who disclose early and document fully consistently achieve better outcomes than those whose history surfaces during inspection.