A structured inspection framework for verifying that a newly installed, modified, upgraded, or rehabilitated AGL system is complete, correctly installed, identifiable, test-ready, technically acceptable, documented, and suitable for commissioning/acceptance and eventual handover — spanning runway, taxiway, approach-lighting, PAPI/APAPI, signage, CCR, transformer, cable, earthing, and ALCMS installations, through to final visual acceptance, asset identification, punch-point closure, and handover-condition sign-off.
Core principle — Installation completion does not automatically mean commissioning readiness. The inspection must establish the full chain from installed to handover-ready.
Three states should not be confused — "Installed" ≠ "Commissioning Ready" ≠ "Accepted." Installation Complete means physical works are done. Commissioning Ready means the required pre-commissioning inspection has been passed. Accepted/Handover Ready means inspections, tests, documentation, punch-point closure, and acceptance requirements have all been satisfied. That distinction makes this division a project completion and quality-assurance gate, not just another visual checklist.
Inspection of installed runway lighting fixtures — edge, threshold, runway-end, centreline, touchdown-zone, runway guard, and wing-bar lighting where applicable — against the approved design, including spacing, alignment, elevation, mounting, frangibility, and optical condition.
Inspection of installed taxiway lighting — edge, centreline, clearance bars, exit lighting, intermediate holding-position lighting, and rapid-exit taxiway lighting where applicable — against approved layout, including spacing, alignment, height, frangibility, and the fixture/base/pavement interface.
Overall approach-lighting installation inspection, covering fixtures, structures/crossbars/supports, pole location/orientation/condition, foundations, alignment, elevation, cable routing/installation, transformer installation, connectors, frangibility, and required vegetation/clearance.
Overall inspection of the PAPI/APAPI installation, including unit identification, spacing against approved installation information, azimuth alignment, applicable elevation setting, beam settings, optics/housing, foundation and mounting, electrical interfaces, and availability of required calibration/alignment records.
Overall inspection of installed signs, including correspondence to the approved requirement, message/content, character arrangement and sign face, location and orientation against approved layout, illumination, applicable colour appearance, enclosure, mounting, foundation/interface, electrical connections, and applicable LED modules/drivers/wiring.
Overall inspection of the installed CCR, including identification/rating/associated circuit, physical installation, cabinet/panels/doors/enclosure, power and output connections, control wiring, applicable protective devices, equipment earth, cooling arrangements, local/remote control and communication interfaces, and readiness for required commissioning tests.
Overall isolating-transformer installation inspection, including rating verification against approved design, asset identification, primary and secondary connections, secondary leads, connector installation, pit condition and installation, sealing/water-ingress protection, installation position, and readiness for required transformer tests.
Overall primary-cable installation inspection against approved routing, including identification, installation/support condition, trench and duct condition, joints and terminations, joint sealing, required separation/protection, cable markers, readiness for required cable testing, and the installed secondary connectors — contacts, mating, locking, sealing, cable lead, strain and moisture protection.
Overall inspection of the installed earthing system, including earth electrodes, earth pits, earth conductors, bonding conductors, equipment bonding, base-can bonding, transformer bonding, CCR and sign earthing, applicable lightning/surge protection interfaces, and readiness for required earth testing.
Overall control-system installation inspection, including workstation and HMI installation, PLC/interface equipment, control cabinets and wiring, communication-network infrastructure, CCR communication interfaces, remote-control interfaces, applicable alarm/feedback configuration, system time/date configuration, event-logging readiness, and overall readiness for commissioning tests.
A comprehensive final visual inspection of the completed installation, covering runway, taxiway, approach-lighting, PAPI/APAPI, signage, CCR, transformer, cable-route/interface, accessible earthing/bonding, and control-system installation as a single consolidated pass ahead of acceptance.
Verification of final identification of all installed assets, including equipment tags, fixture IDs where required, transformer IDs, CCR IDs, cable IDs, connector/circuit identification, sign identification, and consistency between physical identification and the asset register.
Verification that identified outstanding items are formally recorded and classified according to applicable project procedure, including critical punch points that could prevent safe commissioning/acceptance, technical, documentation, civil, electrical, and control-system punch points, closure verification of corrective work, and final determination of remaining open items before acceptance.
Overall assessment of whether the installation is ready for handover, including physical-completion, technical-completion, and testing-completion verification, documentation completeness — as-built drawings, circuit diagrams, equipment datasheets, O&M manuals, test/commissioning records, asset register, warranty and spare-parts documentation — punch-point closure, applicable operator/maintenance training records, required spare equipment, and final determination of handover readiness.
Standard parameters, the pre-commissioning decision gate, classification, minimum record content, and the three-state distinction that governs acceptance across all installed AGL subsystems.
| Parameter | Inspection Status |
|---|---|
| Installation Complete | Yes / No |
| Approved Drawings Available | Yes / No |
| Equipment Identification | Verified / Not Verified |
| Asset Location | Verified / Not Verified |
| Fixture Installation | Acceptable / Defective |
| Fixture Alignment | Correct / Incorrect |
| Fixture Elevation | Correct / Incorrect / N/A |
| Fixture Spacing | Correct / Incorrect / N/A |
| Cable Installation | Acceptable / Defective |
| Cable Identification | Verified / Not Verified |
| Cable Joints | Acceptable / Defective |
| Transformers | Acceptable / Defective |
| Connectors | Acceptable / Defective |
| CCR | Acceptable / Defective |
| Earthing/Bonding | Acceptable / Defective |
| Signs | Acceptable / Defective |
| PAPI | Acceptable / Defective / N/A |
| Approach Lighting | Acceptable / Defective / N/A |
| ALCMS | Acceptable / Defective / N/A |
| Testing Complete | Yes / No / Pending |
| Calibration Evidence | Complete / Incomplete |
| Photometry Evidence | Complete / Incomplete / N/A |
| As-Built Documentation | Complete / Incomplete |
| Asset Register | Complete / Incomplete |
| Punch Points | None / Open |
| Critical Punch Points | None / Present |
| Handover Documents | Complete / Incomplete |
| Final Condition | Acceptable / Defective |
| Commissioning Readiness | Ready / Not Ready |
| Handover Readiness | Ready / Not Ready |
A strong control for Division 23 is passing through ten sequential gates before handover:
Is everything physically installed according to the approved design?
Can every major asset be positively identified and traced?
Are cables, transformers, connectors, earthing, and electrical interfaces complete?
Are runway, taxiway, approach, PAPI, signs, CCR, and control equipment correctly installed?
Is the system ready for formal testing and commissioning?
Have required test results and calibration records been verified?
Are critical punch points absent or formally resolved?
Are as-built drawings, asset records, manuals, and acceptance documents complete?
Does the completed installation meet the applicable acceptance requirements?
Is the system ready for formal handover/operational use?
Every observation should be assigned an appropriate status:
Normal / AcceptableEquipment/condition satisfactory and installed as expected.
DefectiveAbnormality or defect identified but does not require immediate withdrawal.
UnserviceableEquipment or system is not available for its intended function.
Immediate Action RequiredCondition presents an operational, electrical, safety, or airside risk requiring immediate escalation/action.
Commissioning / Handover ReadyRequired inspections, tests, punch-point closure, and documentation have been satisfied — or, if not, "Not Ready" pending closure.
Each pre-commissioning/acceptance inspection record should include:
1. Installation CompleteThe physical installation has been completed.
2. Commissioning ReadyThe installation has passed the required pre-commissioning inspection and is ready for commissioning/testing.
3. Accepted / Handover ReadyRequired inspections, tests, documentation, punch-point closure, and acceptance requirements have all been satisfied.
Therefore: "Installed" ≠ "Commissioning Ready" ≠ "Accepted." That distinction makes Division 23 a project completion and quality-assurance gate, rather than simply another visual inspection checklist.
Quick answers about pre-commissioning & acceptance inspection in the AGL Inspection Handbook.
Division 23 contains 14 published topics in 18 sections (A–R). It is a structured framework for verifying that a newly installed, modified, upgraded or rehabilitated AGL system is complete, correctly installed, identifiable, test-ready, technically acceptable and documented, and suitable for commissioning, acceptance and eventual handover.
It spans runway, taxiway, approach-lighting, PAPI/APAPI, signage, CCR, transformer, cable, earthing and ALCMS installations, through to final visual acceptance, asset identification, punch-point closure and handover-document verification.
Installation Complete means the physical installation is finished. Commissioning Ready means the installation has passed the required pre-commissioning inspection and is ready for commissioning and testing. Accepted / Handover Ready means all required inspections, tests, documentation, punch-point closure and acceptance requirements are satisfied. Installed is not the same as Commissioning Ready, and neither is the same as Accepted.
It is a sequence of ten gates before handover: installation, identification, electrical, equipment, test-ready, test evidence, defects, documentation, final acceptance and handover. Each gate asks a question, such as whether everything is installed according to the approved design or whether critical punch points are absent or formally resolved.
It includes the project or contract reference, the asset or subsystem inspected, observations, status classification per parameter, punch-point description and classification (critical, technical, civil, electrical, control or documentation), corrective-action reference, test and calibration evidence reference, documentation reference, and closure date and time with sign-off.
This division uses Normal / Acceptable, Defective, Unserviceable and Immediate Action Required, together with a Commissioning / Handover Ready status meaning that required inspections, tests, punch-point closure and documentation have been satisfied, or otherwise Not Ready pending closure.
Yes. This handbook is an uncontrolled educational reference, not an approved procedure. The airport's approved inspection schedule, SMS procedures, ATC instructions, NOTAM procedures and local aerodrome regulations always take precedence, and the current revision of any official document should be verified before use.
Yes. Each inspection topic has a Download as Word option that produces an uncontrolled Word checklist template (description, a tick-box inspection table and an inspector sign-off block) for personal reference and internal training, to be reviewed and adopted under the user’s own document control.
Pre-commissioning and acceptance inspection is where design-conformance and readiness-for-service condition awareness begins. Go beyond identifying defects and build the technical knowledge to understand why abnormalities occur, how they affect system serviceability, and when further testing, troubleshooting, maintenance or corrective action is required.
Develop structured knowledge across:
Learn to connect the inspection process with the wider AGL engineering lifecycle.
Inspect with purpose. Understand the system. Act with technical confidence.
Please read before relying on any content on this page or on any record downloaded from it.