AS9102 First Article Report Review Checklist

Updated October 13, 2026

How to use this FAI review checklist

Use it line by line against the supplier's AS9102 first article inspection report (FAIR) before you sign Form 1 field 24. Every item is numbered so your team can write "FAI checklist item 17 not met" on a rejection notice instead of a paragraph of explanation.

The checklist follows the Revision C forms. SAE AS9102C was released in June 2023, and the form changes from Rev B are mostly on Form 1: field 14 became "Reason for Full / Partial FAI" and is required on every FAI, field 17 became "Part Type", field 18 became "FAIR Identifier", field 19 now asks whether the FAIR contains a documented nonconformance, and fields 20 and 22 are the reviewer and the approver, who should not be the same person. The signature blocks on Forms 2 and 3 were removed. Field numbers below follow the Rev C forms as described in published prime and supplier training; if your copy of the standard differs, the standard governs. Confirm the current revision on SAE before you adopt this.

For what an FAI is and when one is required, read our AS9102 first article inspection guide. This page assumes you know that and goes field by field. Two rules frame the whole review:

• An FAI is not product acceptance. It verifies the production process. Each lot is still inspected and accepted.
• Your PO decides scope. Prime clauses add to AS9102. Lockheed Martin Aeronautics quality clause Q2A Rev 17 (released 25 August 2025), for example, says it takes precedence over AS9102 where they conflict and must be read with it. Check the clauses you flowed down, at the revision on your PO.

Before you open the forms: package completeness

Reject an incomplete package before you review any numbers. A Form 3 you cannot check against a ballooned drawing is not reviewable.

Form 1: part number accountability

Form 1 tells you what was inspected, at what configuration, and why. Most rejected FAIRs fail here, because the part number, revision or FAIR identifier does not match across the three forms.

Form 2: materials, special processes and functional tests

Form 2 lists every raw material, special process and functional test the drawing or PO requires, each tied to a certificate or report. A Form 2 line with a spec and no certificate number is a claim, not evidence.

For reading the mill certs behind items 22 and 26, see material certs and traceability. For NDT callouts, see nondestructive testing.

Form 3: characteristic accountability

Form 3 must have one line for every balloon, with an actual result and the method used. Count balloons and count Form 3 lines first. If the numbers differ, return the FAIR.

Measurement method choice is covered in our inspection and metrology reference.

Full, partial and delta FAI: what triggers each

A full FAI covers every characteristic of a new part from a new source. A partial or delta FAI covers only what a change affects, and must reference the baseline FAIR it updates. Check field 14 against what actually changed.

Published prime and supplier FAI material lists these triggers for a new full or partial FAI:

Prime clauses add conditions. Under Q2A Rev 17, the seller notifies the buyer's SQE in writing at least five business days before starting FAI planning, before inspecting the first production run, and before implementing any change that triggers a partial or re-accomplished FAI (para 4.A). FAI by similarity needs prior written approval and is never allowed for interchangeable-replaceable or critical items (para 4.E). An FAI the seller performed for another customer is accepted if it meets AS9102 and Q2A and is within two years of the PO, or older with evidence of continuous production to the same configuration (para 4.B). Q2A also lets the buyer require a new FAI for lost records or a nonconformance showing a characteristic was never accounted for (para 4.H). Unless the PO says otherwise, Q2A excludes metallic and non-metallic raw material, items returned for repair or rework, and tooling (para 1.E).

COTS items and standard catalog hardware normally do not get their own FAIR, but they belong in the Form 1 index. If the supplier modifies a COTS item to your requirements, the modification needs an FAI.

Common reasons to reject an FAIR

Reject, or return for correction, when the report cannot prove that every requirement was verified on a production part. These are the failures most often named in published supplier FAI training and prime clauses.

1. Balloon count does not match Form 3 line count, usually missing drawing notes.
2. Part number, revision or FAIR identifier differs between forms.
3. Results recorded as "OK", "conforms" or a check mark where a value could be measured.
4. Form 2 lists a spec with no certificate number, or a cert that is not attached.
5. Spec revision on Form 2 differs from the drawing with no approved change in field 8.
6. A partial FAI with no baseline FAIR identified, or with a reason that does not match the characteristics inspected.
7. The FAI was run on a prototype, a hand-built part or residual inventory instead of the first production run.
8. Measurement method too coarse for the tolerance, or gauges past their calibration due date.
9. Nonconformance on Form 3 with no NCR number, or Form 1 field 19 marked No.
10. Sub-assembly or outside process FAIRs missing for items listed on Form 1.
11. Reviewer and approver are the same person.
12. Special process done by a source not on your approved list.

Nonconformances found during the FAI are dispositioned under your normal nonconformance process. Q2A Rev 17 para 4.I points to AS9102 and Appendix QX for that, and delivery of nonconforming product needs an approved variance. See corrective action and SCAR when a rejection points to a systemic cause.

Records to keep after you approve

Keep the approved FAIR, every attachment and your review record for the retention period in your contract, and require the supplier to do the same. The FAIR is the baseline every later partial FAI points back to, so losing it can force a full FAI.

• Your file: the signed Form 1, the full package as received, your checklist with item numbers marked, any rejection notices and the supplier responses.
• Supplier retention: state a period on the PO. Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control quality PO notes, for example, include a note setting 7 years for inspection and test records and 3 years for calibration records unless the purchasing requirements say otherwise, and L3Harris (Aerojet Rocketdyne) AR2 requires the buyer's written approval before any records are destroyed.
• Change trail: link each partial FAI to its baseline and to the engineering order or process change behind it. Our records and change control reference covers the wider system.

If your supplier holds Nadcap accreditation for first article inspection, note it. Q2A Rev 17 para 1.G makes sellers accredited to AC7150 and the Lockheed Martin supplement eligible for FAI acceptance delegation on Lockheed Martin designed product.

What to put on the PO or RFQ about FAI

Say exactly what you will review, so the supplier prices it and builds the package to this list the first time.

1. "First article inspection required to SAE AS9102 at the revision in effect on the PO date, on the first production run."
2. Full or partial, and for a partial, the baseline FAIR identifier.
3. Submission before shipment, and how long you need to review.
4. Package contents: Forms 1 to 3, ballooned drawing, inspection reports, material and process certs, sub-tier FAIRs, test data.
5. Your customer's clause by number and revision, for example "Lockheed Martin Q2A Rev 17 applies" when it flows to you.
6. Advance notice of planning, inspection start and changes, with your lead time.
7. Approved special process sources.
8. Record retention period.

The RFQ builder and the aerospace RFQ checklist put this next to drawings, material and export classification. Pair this checklist with our certificate of conformance and trace package template for the paperwork that ships with every lot after the FAI.

How to adapt this checklist

Copy the numbered items into your own receiving or supplier quality procedure, then add your customer's clauses on top. Delete items that do not apply to your commodity and add commodity items, for example layer-by-layer data for printed circuit boards or weld maps for welded assemblies.

Keep the numbering stable once suppliers start seeing it, so "item 30" means the same thing next year. Review the checklist against each new revision of AS9102 and of the prime clauses you flow down. This template is a starting point and must be reviewed by your own contracts and quality teams before use. We do not give legal advice, and the standard and your contract govern where they differ from this page.

Get parts delivered with an FAIR that passes this review

Send the drawing, your quality clauses and this checklist through the inspection quote request. A person replies within 1 business day. We flow your AS9102 and clause requirements down to the supplier, review the FAIR against them before anything ships, and send every order with a certificate of conformance plus the other certs your request requires. If the drawing is export controlled, read confidentiality and controlled programs first.

Questions

Related

• Certificate of Conformance Template and Trace Package Checklist
• Inspection and Metrology for Aerospace Parts
• What Prime Supplier Quality Clauses Require
• Receiving Inspection: What Buyers Check and Why Parts Get Held

Sources

• Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, Quality Clause Q2A First Article Inspection, Revision 17 (released 25 August 2025)
• HEICO Sunshine Avionics Manufacturing Division, Supplier AS9102C FAI Training, Revision Original (March 2024)
• SAE International, AS9102C Aerospace First Article Inspection Requirement
• BSI Knowledge, Aerospace series: First article inspection requirements (SAE AS9102C listing)
• Net-Inspect, AS9102 First Article Inspection Report Rev B vs Rev C (June 30, 2023)
• IAQG, webinar on 9102 First Article Inspection and SCMH Section 3.2 guidance (April 2024)
• Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Quality PO Notes (Procedure QC 524 Rev AG)
• L3Harris (Aerojet Rocketdyne), AR2 Quality Requirements for Distributors (effective 11/5/2025)