First Article Inspection (FAI) Guide

What an FAI is

An FAI is a planned, complete, independent and documented check that a part made by the real production process matches its design. It covers every requirement: dimensions, notes, materials, special processes, testing and marking. The result is the First Article Inspection Report (FAIR), the package of forms and evidence that records it.

The point is to prove the process, not just one part. A good FAI shows that:

• the people making the part understood every requirement on the drawing, purchase order and specifications

• the planning, tooling and work instructions can produce a conforming part

• each requirement was actually verified, and the evidence is on file

Two things an FAI is not:

• Not product acceptance. AS9102 Rev C states this outright. A passed FAI does not replace normal inspection of later lots.

• Not a prototype check. The FAI part must come from the first production run, made with the production process, tooling and paperwork that will be used going forward.

The FAIR is a quality record. Customers use it for audits, problem investigations and root-cause work, so it has to be complete and accurate enough for someone else to follow every result back to its requirement.

"Independent" matters. The person who verifies a characteristic shouldn't be the person who produced it, and the verification shouldn't rely on the same equipment used to make it.

When an FAI is required

An FAI is required when the customer's contract or purchase order calls for it, and once required it stays in force for the life of the part. Aerospace customers usually invoke it through quality clauses on the PO or in their supplier quality requirements, so read the PO before anything else.

Full FAI

A full FAI verifies every requirement in the technical data package. It is done:

• on a representative part from the first production run of a new part or assembly

• whenever the customer requires a full FAI rather than a partial one

• in place of a partial FAI, whenever you choose to (a full FAI always satisfies a partial requirement)

In Rev C, Form 1 asks for the reason on a full FAI too, not just a partial one.

Partial (delta) FAI

A partial FAI re-verifies only the characteristics a change affected. It is measured against a baseline: the previous approved FAI part number and revision. All other characteristics must have been conforming on that baseline and still be made the same way.

Redo the FAI, full or partial, for the affected characteristics when any of these happen:

1. A design change that affects design characteristics (a new drawing or part revision, an engineering order).

2. A change in manufacturing source, process, inspection method, tooling, material, or location of manufacture.

3. A change to a numerical control (NC) program, or translating it to another media.

4. A natural or man-made event that could affect the manufacturing process (fire, flood, major equipment damage).

5. Corrective action that was needed to close nonconformances found on an earlier FAI.

6. A lapse in production of two years, for any characteristics the lapse could affect. The two years run from the last production operation to the restart, not from the last shipment.

Rev C changed the test for items 1 and 2. Rev B asked whether a change could affect fit, form or function. Rev C asks whether it invalidates the earlier results or produces characteristics the earlier FAI did not cover. Rev C also requires a documented process for evaluating changes, so the decision to do (or skip) a delta FAI should be on record.

A partial FAI can also be based on a similar part: an approved FAI on identical characteristics of another part made by identical means. Record that part as the baseline.

What is excluded

Unless the contract says otherwise, no FAI is needed for:

• development and prototype parts that are not part of the first production run

• unmodified standard catalogue items (parts fully defined by an industry, national or military standard)

• unmodified COTS items (commercial off-the-shelf parts sold to the public without changes for a specific customer)

• deliverable software, although Rev C requires verifying its revision during planning

Excluded items still appear on the assembly's Form 1 parts index (see Form 1). A modified COTS or standard catalogue item is no longer excluded: it needs an FAI, with the unmodified part number listed on Form 2, and counts as a detail part in an assembly.

A company-designed standard part (a prime contractor's own standards, for example) is not a standard catalogue item, because its definition isn't publicly published. Treat it like any other drawing part.

Older guides also exclude "unique single-run production orders." Rev C removed that exemption.

What goes in an FAIR package

Every FAIR has all three AS9102 forms plus the evidence behind them, even a partial FAI. Customers may use their own form layouts, but they carry the same information.

Rev C also says each item needs its own FAI. An assembly FAIR does not cover the detail parts inside it; each one has its own FAIR, referenced from the assembly's Form 1.

Field categories

Each field on the forms is marked one of three ways:

• Required (R): always filled in.

• Conditionally required (CR): filled in whenever it applies to the part (a serial number, when the part is serialized). The standard allows it to be left blank when it doesn't apply.

• Optional (O): filled in when available, or when the customer asks.

Customers often upgrade optional fields to required, so check their requirements.

General rules

• Fields 1 to 4 repeat on every form (part number, part name, serial number, FAIR identifier) and must match exactly. If one changes, change it everywhere.

• Consider N/A instead of blanks. The standard allows blanks in fields that don't apply, but many customers and company procedures require "N/A" so a reviewer can see each field was considered. In a column, one N/A at the top is usually enough.

• No ditto marks or arrows down a column. Write each entry out.

• Attachments are fine if every result stays traceable. You can reference a CMM report, wire list or test report on the forms, provided each characteristic number links clearly to its result in the attachment.

• Use the drawing's units. Record requirements and results in the units the drawing uses unless the customer approves otherwise.

The standard also says:

• Other form layouts are allowed (customer forms, software output) if they contain all required and conditionally required information under the same field numbers.

• Complete forms electronically or in permanent ink, in English unless the customer specifies another language.

• Keep the FAIR as a quality record for as long as the part is in production, and at least as long as customer or regulatory retention rules require, whichever is longer.

Form 1: Part Number Accountability

Form 1 identifies the FAI part, says what kind of FAI it is, lists everything that goes into an assembly, and carries the sign-offs. Field numbers below are Rev C; see the Rev A/B section for the older numbering.

The two signatures do different jobs. Field 20 says the FAIR was checked and every characteristic is accounted for. Field 22 is the independent second look at the whole package before it is released. Electronic signatures are acceptable for both.

Form 2: Product Accountability

Form 2 traces every material, special process and functional test the design calls for to a certificate or report. List one material or process per line. If the part has none, fill the fields with N/A; the form is still part of the package.

Rev C removed the signature and date fields from Form 2; Form 1 carries the sign-offs for the whole package.

Things to check on every Form 2:

• A "No" in field 9 is a nonconformance. Write it up like any other failed characteristic.

• Every referenced cert is in the package, and it matches what the line says: same specification, class, condition and lot.

• Raw material counts. Include the "make from" stock, weld or braze filler, and anything else the drawing or parts list specifies.

• Special processors may use a detailed C of C. Rev C lets a special process supplier meet FAI requirements with a certificate that lists the characteristics and results, in place of a full FAIR.

Form 3: Characteristic Accountability

Form 3 lists every design characteristic, what it requires, and what was actually found. One balloon number on the drawing equals one line on Form 3.

Rev C removed Form 3's signature and date, like Form 2's.

Recording results

The rule underneath everything: if the requirement has numbers, the result has numbers. Recording "Accept" for a toleranced dimension is one of the most common reasons an FAIR is rejected. Everything else depends on how the characteristic was verified:

A few more rules:

• Pass/fail can't stand in for a measurement by choice. Rev C only allows attribute results for a toleranced characteristic when no measuring method is practical and a go/no-go gauge is the established check.

• A failed attribute characteristic gets "Reject" and an NCR number in field 11, just like a failed dimension.

• Features you can't measure on the finished part (an internal bore after assembly) are verified during manufacturing, at a step after which nothing changes them. Record that result, and say where it came from.

• Measuring equipment must be in calibration. Many customers want its ID recorded in a column added to field 12.

Example

Ballooning

Ballooning means putting a unique number on every design characteristic in the design documents, so each one can be traced to a line on Form 3. Rev C defines the FAIR as including every ballooned design characteristic, so the ballooned documents are part of the package. A missed balloon is a missed requirement, and it is one of the most common reasons an FAIR comes back.

What to balloon

• Every dimension, including angles, radii, chamfers and thread callouts.

• Every geometric tolerance (each feature control frame).

• Every note, general and flag notes alike. A note with several separate requirements may need several balloons.

• Title block requirements: material, finish, default tolerances that apply to untoleranced dimensions, surface finish, weight, part marking.

• Parts list entries for assemblies, and any other document the drawing points to that carries requirements, such as a wire list, a separate parts list, a data sheet, or requirements on the purchase order.

• Specifications called out on the drawing, especially processes such as plating, heat treat or painting.

• Characteristics in a 3D model that aren't shown on a 2D sheet. When the design is a digital product definition, the needed characteristics are extracted from the model and ballooned on a document like any other.

Leave out nothing because it is "obvious." Edge breaks, deburr notes and marking requirements are characteristics too.

Good ballooning practice

• One number, one requirement. Never give the same characteristic two balloons, on the same document or across two documents. The duplicate makes reviewers ask which result counts.

• Number in a clear order, for example sheet by sheet, left to right, top to bottom, so a reviewer can find each balloon.

• Put the balloon right beside what it covers, with a leader if the area is crowded.

• Account for excluded characteristics. If the PO says the part ships without a feature (to be finished by the customer, for example), balloon it anyway and note why it isn't inspected.

• Balloon reference dimensions only if you want to. Rev C counts basic dimensions as reference characteristics too. If you balloon them, their result is N/A.

• Check the ballooned documents match the revision on Form 1 fields 5–7, sheet for sheet.

Ballooning software can number characteristics and build Form 3 automatically. It is still your job to check that nothing was skipped and nothing was counted twice.

Assemblies, harnesses and wire lists

An assembly FAI verifies what the assembly drawing adds, and accounts for everything that went into it. The parts inside are covered by their own FAIRs or certificates, referenced from the assembly's Form 1.

The parts index (Form 1, fields 15–18)

List every item on the bill of materials: detail parts, sub-assemblies, hardware, COTS parts and software. Materials traced on Form 2, such as wire, sleeving or adhesive, don't need repeating on Form 1. For each one, give its part type and a traceable reference:

• Detail parts and sub-assemblies you or a supplier made to a drawing: their own FAIR identifier.

• Standard catalogue and COTS items: no FAIR needed. Many customers want a C of C, PO or lot reference so the item can be traced.

• Materials: trace them on Form 2, with their certs.

Check that the BOM revision you worked from matches the drawing revision on fields 5–7, and that nothing on the BOM is missing from the index.

Detail part features created or changed during assembly (holes drilled at assembly, for example) can be verified on the assembly FAI. Everything else about a detail part belongs on its own FAIR, which the assembly FAIR can reference.

Harness and wire-list FAIs

Wire harnesses and cable assemblies carry most of their requirements in tables: a parts list of wire types and a wire list (or run list) of every connection. The ballooning rules still apply. Every requirement gets one unique number, and nothing is counted twice.

A typical setup, and how to balloon it:

1. The drawing callout. Drawings often say only "install items 100 thru 154 per wire list." Give that note one balloon. Its result points to the wire list balloons, for example: "Accept, see chars 40 thru 94."

2. The wire list. Balloon each run once, on the wire list. That one balloon covers the whole row: the wire's find number, the from and to terminations, and any length, color, gauge or marking the row specifies. Write all of it into the Form 3 requirement: "Find No. 112, J1-3 to P2-7, 18.0 in."

3. The parts list. Balloon each wire type on the parts list. These verify the material: the right wire specification, gauge and color, with its cert on Form 2.

4. Test results. Continuity, insulation resistance or hi-pot tests the drawing calls for go on Form 2 as functional tests, with the test report attached.

Don't balloon each run again on the drawing when the drawing doesn't show run detail. That gives each wire two numbers, and a reviewer will ask which result counts.

When a wire is wrong, list that run on its own Form 3 line with what was found, like any other nonconforming characteristic.

AS9102 doesn't address wire lists specifically, and customers' requirements vary. Some want every run on Form 3; others accept a referenced wire list or test report with per-run results. Check the customer's requirements first.

Nonconformances

A failed characteristic doesn't stop you from finishing the FAIR, but it has to be documented and then fixed. A FAIR with an open nonconformance has not proven the process.

When something fails during the FAI:

1. Record it on Form 3 on its own line, with the actual measured value.

2. Open a nonconformance report (NCR) under your normal nonconforming product procedure, and enter its number in Form 3, field 11.

3. Check "Yes" on Form 1, field 19.

4. Contain the parts. Other parts in the lot may have the same problem; hold and inspect them before anything ships.

5. Disposition the NCR. AS9102 doesn't cover disposition; your nonconforming product procedure does. On customer-designed parts, a "use as is" or "repair" decision usually needs the customer's approval.

6. Fix the cause. Correct the process, tooling, program or paperwork that produced the failure.

7. Re-verify. Do a partial FAI on a conforming part for the characteristics that failed (and any the fix could affect), using the original FAI as the baseline. A full FAI is also acceptable.

Once every nonconformance has been corrected and verified, Rev C says to check "No" in Form 1, field 19. Characteristics the nonconformance didn't affect stay valid, even if the FAI part itself is scrapped. Someone reading the records should be able to follow the trail from the failure, to the NCR, to the FAI that proved the fix.

A "No" in Form 2, field 9 (an unapproved source where approval is required) is a nonconformance too, handled the same way.

Reviewing an FAIR

Reviewing an FAIR means checking the paperwork as carefully as the part. Most FAIR problems are in the documents: a missed note, a cert that doesn't match, a revision that isn't the one on the PO. Hold your own FAIRs and supplier FAIRs to the same standard.

Reviewer's checklist

Start with the paperwork

• Read the PO and its quality clauses: is an FAI required, and does the customer add any requirements?
• Confirm the drawing, parts list and other design documents are the revisions the PO calls for
• Check for engineering orders, deviations or waivers that should appear in Form 1, field 8

Form 1

• Part number, name, revision and drawing revision match the PO and the drawing
• FAIR identifier is filled in and the same on all three forms
• Detail/assembly and full/partial are checked; a reason is given; a partial FAI names its baseline
• For assemblies, every BOM item is in the index with a part type and a traceable reference
• Field 19 matches Form 3: "Yes" if any characteristic failed
• Fields 20 and 22 are signed and dated by two different people

Form 2

• Every material, special process and functional test on the drawing, parts list and PO is listed
• Each line has a cert or report, and the cert matches the spec, class, condition and lot
• Special process sources are approved where the customer requires it

Form 3 and the ballooned drawing

• Every dimension, note and title block requirement has a balloon, and every balloon has a Form 3 line
• No characteristic is ballooned twice
• Requirements include their tolerances
• Variable data has measured values, not just "accept"
• Every result is within its tolerance; anything out has its own line and an NCR number

The package

• All three forms are present
• Every referenced cert, report and sub-tier FAIR is attached
• Everything is legible

Common reasons FAIRs are rejected

Customer guides list much the same problems again and again:

• missing FAIRs or test reports for sub-assemblies and detail parts

• characteristics not accounted for: an unballooned note, a missed title block requirement

• "Accept" or "Pass" recorded for a dimension with numerical limits

• tolerances missing from Form 3

• certs not included, or not matching what Form 2 says

• special processor name, address or approval missing from Form 2

• missing signatures or dates

• the customer's added requirements not followed

• a missing form, or entries that can't be read

Rev A/B vs Rev C numbering

AS9102 Rev C was published in June 2023 and renumbered the end of Form 1. Many customer guides, training slides and older forms still use Rev A/B numbers, so "Box 19" can mean two different things. Always check which revision a form or instruction is written to.

Form 1

Fields 1–16 keep their numbers. From 17 on:

Other Form 1 changes in Rev C: field 4 (FAIR identifier) became required, and field 14 now needs a reason for a full FAI as well as a partial one.

Forms 2 and 3

• Form 2: the "prepared by" signature and date at the bottom were removed. Field 4 became required.

• Form 3: the signature and date were removed, and the comments column became field 12 (it was 14). Field 4 became required, and field 8 now covers software part numbers and revisions.

In Rev C, Form 1 alone carries the sign-offs for the whole package.

Glossary

Official sources and further reading

The standard itself is the final word. Buy a copy for anyone who prepares or approves FAIRs.

• SAE AS9102C (2023), Aerospace Series – First Article Inspection Requirements: the standard, sold by SAE through ANSI and other distributors

• IAQG 9102 standard page: IAQG's page for the standard, with links to its guidance

• IAQG: 9102 key changes from Rev B to Rev C: the official list of what changed, field by field

• IAQG: 9102 frequently asked questions: written for Rev B; IAQG says the guidance has since been folded into Rev C and the SCMH

• Net-Inspect: AS9102 Rev B vs Rev C and DISCUS: AS9102 Rev C, what you need to know: two software vendors' summaries of the Rev C changes

The IAQG Supply Chain Management Handbook (SCMH) section on 9102 has further guidance, including the FAI report completion guide. Customers' own supplier FAI requirements, usually linked from their supplier portals, add to all of the above.