14 CFR § 125.3 - Deviation authority.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t14/s125.3"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "14 CFR § 125.3 - Deviation authority."
title_number: 14
title_name: "Aeronautics and Space"
section_number: "125.3"
section_name: "Deviation authority."
chapter_name: "FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION"
subchapter_number: "G"
subchapter_name: "AIR CARRIERS AND OPERATORS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS"
part_number: "125"
part_name: "CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS: AIRCRAFT HAVING A SEATING CAPACITY OF 20 OR MORE PASSENGERS OR A MAXIMUM PAYLOAD CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-04-05"
last_updated: "2026-04-05"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g), 40113, 44701-44702, 44705, 44710-44711, 44713, 44716-44717, 44722."
regulatory_source: "Docket 19779, 45 FR 67235, Oct. 9, 1980, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "125"
---


# 125.3 Deviation authority.

(a) The Administrator may, upon consideration of the circumstances of a particular operation, issue deviation authority providing relief from specified sections of part 125. This deviation authority will be issued as a Letter of Deviation Authority.

(b) A Letter of Deviation Authority may be terminated or amended at any time by the Administrator.

(c) A request for deviation authority must be submitted to the responsible Flight Standards office, not less than 60 days prior to the date of intended operations. A request for deviation authority must contain a complete statement of the circumstances and justification for the deviation requested.

(d) After February 2, 2012, no deviation authority from the flight data recorder requirements of this part will be granted. Any previously issued deviation from the flight data recorder requirements of this part is no longer valid.

[Docket 19779, 45 FR 67235, Oct. 9, 1980, as amended by Amdt. 125-13, 54 FR 39294, Sept. 25, 1989; Amdt. 125-56, 73 FR 73179, Dec. 2, 2008; Docket FAA-2018-0119, Amdt. 125-68, 83 FR 9173, Mar. 5, 2018]