Why an AS9102 FAI gets rejected
An FAI package is usually returned for a handful of recurring reasons, and nearly all of them are visible before the package is sent. This page lists the eight that come up most often, each tied to a specific field or form so you can check it in a few minutes rather than after a rejection.
The eight causes
1. A drawing characteristic never made it onto Form 3
Form 3 has to account for every characteristic on the drawing. The gaps are rarely the obvious dimensions; they are the general notes, the flag notes, the finish callout, the thread specification, or a characteristic carried on a second sheet. A reviewer with the drawing open counts rows against callouts, and one missing callout stops the review there.
Check: read the drawing note block line by line and confirm each note that creates a requirement has a row.
2. The nominal was overwritten with the measured value
The nominal is the drawing value. If the drawing says 12.70 and the part measured 12.66, the nominal column stays 12.70 and the actual column holds 12.66. When both columns carry the same number, the reviewer cannot tell whether the part was measured at all or the tolerance was simply back-filled.
3. A bilateral tolerance was written as a single number
Plus and minus are separate columns for a reason. A tolerance of plus 0.20 over minus 0.05 cannot be represented as 0.20, and a one-sided callout such as plus 0.05 over zero is not the same as plus 0.05 over minus 0.05. Collapsing them changes which parts are acceptable.
4. General-note tolerances were not applied
Every untoleranced dimension inherits the title-block note, and that inherited tolerance still has to appear in the row. A row with a nominal and no tolerance is an incomplete measurement, not a dimension without limits. The trap is the size-banded note, where the tolerance depends on the nominal.
See: general tolerances on Form 3.
5. A failure has no record
A row marked fail with an empty NC code and an empty disposition reads as an unfinished report. The result is what the process is for; what happens next is what makes it a record. A rework, a use-as-is with an approval reference, or a scrap decision all count. Nothing at all does not.
6. A partial FAI was not declared as partial
When only some characteristics are being reported — a partial FAI covering a change to one feature, for example — Form 1 has to say so and identify what is excluded. A package that is partial in fact but complete in appearance is the most expensive kind of rejection, because the buyer may have accepted the part on the strength of it.
7. Special processes appear without a certification reference
Form 2 covers material and special processes. A heat treat, a plating, an anodise or a passivation that appears on Form 2 with no certificate number, no supplier and no specification reference is not accounted for. The certificate is the evidence; the form row is only the index to it.
8. Rows cannot be traced back to the drawing
If the balloon numbers in the report do not match the ballooned drawing that was supplied, or if the drawing revision on Form 1 is not the revision that was measured, the reviewer has to rebuild the mapping themselves. This one is quiet: every row can be individually correct and the package still be untraceable.
Pre-submission check
| Check | Where it lives |
|---|---|
| Every callout has a row | Form 3, counted against the ballooned drawing |
| Nominal equals the drawing value | Form 3, nominal column |
| No tolerance is blank | Form 3, both tolerance columns |
| Every fail has an NC and a disposition | Form 3, last columns of the failed row |
| Partial is declared, or complete | Form 1 |
| Special processes carry certificates | Form 2 |
| Revision and balloon numbers match | Form 1 against the drawing supplied |
| Gage IDs are filled | Form 3, gage column |
The pattern behind the list
None of the eight is a statistical or technical failure. They are all completeness and traceability failures, which is why they can be caught by a checklist rather than by re-measuring anything. The expensive part of a rejection is not the rework; it is the days between submission and the answer.
Frequently asked questions
Does AS9102 say exactly how Form 3 must be laid out?
The standard defines the content Form 3 must carry. The layout is yours to choose, but the fields, the traceability to the drawing and the record of nonconformances are not optional.
Who decides whether an FAI is accepted?
Your customer, or their designated representative. The standard describes the report; the acceptance decision sits with the buyer or with the authority their contract names.
Can a failed characteristic be accepted?
A nonconformance can be dispositioned, for example as rework or as use-as-is with the right approval. The point of the form is that the decision is recorded and traceable, not that every row says pass.
How long should an FAI package take to check?
With a fillable spreadsheet and a checklist, minutes for a normal part. The reason packages go out unchecked is usually that the report was assembled from several sources by hand at the end of the job.
Sources
- IAQG — AS9102 forms and supporting form instructions
- SAE International — AS9102C, Aerospace First Article Inspection
- Connect981 — When first article inspection is required
Standards are revised. Always work from the current published edition of AS9102 from SAE International. This page is orientation only and is not a substitute for the standard.