BATE : by lo, 1976
AIIVISORY
CIRCULAR DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ,
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION 4 SUBJECT: PRODUCTION CERTIFICATES ~- ~ 1 0 PURPOSE. This-advisory circular provides hfolnartioa concerning Subpart 0 of Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) Part 21 l d ,etr, f&h acceptable means 9 not the sole means, of compliance with its requireamntr.’ 2 l CANCELLATION. AC 21-M dated July 9, 1971, irr cancelled.
3 l REFERENCE. FAR, Parts Zl, 37, 39, 43, 45 and 183.
4 0 DEFINITIONS AND ABBREVIATIONS. As u8ed here& the follawing definittons and abbreviations apply:
a.
b 0
c.
d 0 Article. A material 9 part9 component, l membly, or appliance which is used in the type certificated product, 4s rpccified in the type design data.
Supplier. *Any person who furnishes 8ervice8 to a holder of a production certificate which affects a type certificated product, or who rupplies articles for iimtallation on a type certificated product, includ.ing articles which were not designed or manufactured by the type certificate holck. The tern “Supplier” as used in thir, circular is rrynonymous with the term “Subsidiary” aa referenced in PAR 21.143.
Red-1 Office. The Engineering and Hmufmturing Branch of the Federal Aviation Adminirtration region hwiag juti8diction over the geographical area in’which the manufwtwer i8 located. (In the Western Region, the Aircraft Engineering Dittirim) District Office. The Ffi &gineeting and l#mufacturin~ Di rtrict Office (EMDO) responsible for evaluation and inrprction of the manufacturer% frcilities. (In the Western Regima, the Ahcraf t Engineering District office (AEDO).)
’ lnitiotd by: AB-180
e. PC, Production CertifieCte (Ref. FAR 21, Subpart c).
f l APL &proved Production Inspection System (Ref. FAR 21, Subpart F).
8 l PMA. Parts Manufacturer App~ovrl (Ref. 21, SUbpart K).
h a TSOA. Technical Standard Order Authortge,tAon (Ref. FM 37).
5 l DISCYSSIOt?. This circulrr cover9 only those rrcctisns oi’ FM 21, Subpart C, wllere further dtrcorsfon( information, and examples WOUM be helpful. The heading of,each of the followin mafn paragraphs refers to b the applicable section of Subpart CL 6 FAR 21,133-ELIG~~I?% An applkation for s prl>dcJction certificate ia * e 12, (OMB-0440078) Application for Type Certffieate, Production Certificate, 01 Supphacntal Type Certificate, which is submitted to the teglmtrl office.
7 l FAR 21.135 REQUIREMENTS FOR ISSUANCE. Upon receipt of a properly executed FkI Form 611ci-12, ancfollowing a dstrkt office preliminary survey and evaluation of the applicant’s q.Jality control data and systea, the FAA will convene a pr>ductlon certification board at the applicant’s facilities to make the final deterlnination for issuance of a productim certifk3te. The applicant will be forlnally advbed 9s ta t’le extent of his assistance needed in the production certification board activities, and of the fiadhgs an3: recwnendatfons of the district o,Lfice / .!
a:ld t,ile product tori board. Where the facilities, equipment, data, 6’ 3 ‘r I . procedures, aad personnel of the applicant are found to meet the requiremerits of FAR 21, Subpart G, a production certificate will be issued, 8 0 FAR 21.1390QUALITY CONTROL, A total quality control aysttm meeting the requirements of FAR 21.139 would prwide control over all phases of manufacture) including control OVCY the manufacture of all rupplierfurnished articles. The control excrciaed by the mmufrcturtr ovtt articles furnished to the manufacturer by a supplier that holds his own FM approval (PC, API& PMA, TSOA) for the article may be limited to tile approval of the mppliet’s material ~cview rystem, design changes, and to the manufacturer’8 usual incoming iualitp control procedures employed after articles are received from an outside source.
9 0 FAR 21.1430QUALITY CONTROL DATA REQUIREMENTS. -
a. The data required to be maknitted for approval under this regulation should be mabmittad to the dbtrict office at the l ne time the application for a production certificate is wbtnittcd to the regional office.
b 0 In general, the requiraments of FAR 21.143 are aelf-axplanatory and the fallowing paragraphs provide an emmplc of acceptable compliance:
S/10/76
(1) .The mmufactutet'a orgmiutioml structure wcmld I)SWW~ that uty declrriom with regard' to workmnrhip, quality, cmfo rafcty, materials revfew, md carective action are sot unduly influenced by other conaideratioew. TUa cam ba achieved by having the quality control oqpisatioo report directly to top l0aIaagement 0
(2) AZA effective quality control ayotem utilftcra well qualified impectorrr in mfficdant nmber to amafe that all artdlcler, processes, procedures, and the cqleted ptoducte ue inspected for conformity to data, mprciffcatioar, and procedures apecifled in the approved type &rim.
(3) The quality control data would be arraed in aunu~l form, with a ruitable index, and rhould caver each portlam of FAR 21.143.
(4) When geferencee to other campany documentr or data ue utilitod, the manual would briefly summarize the procedure, amthod, of system which ie referenced. by ruch tefereaced material becomes part of the data approved by the FM.
(5) In providtng the description required by FAR 21.143(a)(3), the inclurlon of, or reference to, rupplemeatacy data ruch l ~ the following is considered helpful tn l howtng acceptable compliance:
(a) Copier of all inrpecticm and acceptance forma and checklists for articles and completed producta, toeether with a brief outline of inrtructiana for thegr we.
(b) Imprint8 of the variaar iarpection and proceerr at-a, and their meaning.
(c) A mhedule of inrpection and calibration totervalr for production jigs and ftiturer, pracirian hwpe#%oa toOf8, terrtiag equipmnt, including gauge8 and recording equipment wed %n controlling psocemea.
(d) A listing of manufacturing procesrer which are relied upon to awure quality, conform$ty, aad safety of the coaqleted product.
c. An acceptable manr of compliance with ?AR 21.143(b) would be to provide in the quality control data a deactiption of the ryrrtem used to evaluate, monitor, and cantrof all rupplierr to whom the bolder of a production certificate hm delegated inrpection duties for: controlling canformitp and quality, except that much a Pu 9 Pap 3
description is not required for rupplierr who hold an PM approval for the article being #upplied. Such a dcmctiptfcm would include an up-to-date lirting, either in the UAAILU~ or ti a referenced company documents of all rluch ruppUerr by mm, addram, grnural auaenclature of article8 or l ervfcea, md my other pertineat information, such as:
(1) Reference to the manufrcturrr’r quality CO~~ZOX mmu11 by title ulrd dote.
(2) Delegation of.Uteriol Review Board (MRB) l uthority.
(3) Name snd title of the manufacturer’8 or l pplirr’r quality representativeb) who will make available purchase orders, drawings, and other applicable data.
d 0 Quality Control System Functions. A totally integrated quality control system would include the following major functions:
(1) Technical Data Control,
(a) The usual practice is to maintain a technfcel detr . control system which ensure8 that only applicable FAA - approved drawing@, drawing change notice@, l glneering data, md quality control data are l mllable to production and inrprction peraoanel, and that uneuthori~ed, inappropri8te B md obsolete vdrewingr md data l e prmptly removed fraa production U~AS,
(b) A drawing change control mystem which cmures that prior to final acceptance of product8 or uticler, all changes to the type destgn are either iocorpomted ti the applicable drawings B or described in change notkes attached to such drm&aga.
(2) Hanufacturin8 Proce88cs. ti inspection plennfng 8)s tan that would provide the means for aelecting and controlling procedures goveming methods for:
(a)’ Selection of-appropriate inspection methods and plens for articles to ensure that all chrrrctcristic8 effecting rrfety will be inspected as requited, to ensure conform1 ty to approved design data rnd to l liminrte dirct8pmcies from completed product8 md 8peYe rrticler.
P8ge 4 Pu 9
S/10/76 AC 21-m
(b) Ensuring that any defects which might be in a ILot accepted under a statistical quality control plan will not result in an unsafe conkition in an end product or spare article.
(c) The establishing of appropriate intipection stations and the programing of inspections at each stage of production to ensure that parts, assemblies, processes, and srarembly operations are inspected, and appliceble tests are conducted, in accordance with data, technical materials, and procedures maintalined at the station for that particular stage of production.
(d) Production planning is cwnly achieved through use of fabrication and iarspection instructions, @hop travelers, checklists, or similar media9 which not only provide control over fabrication and aesembly operations, but also ensure that necessary inspections end tests will be conducted in the proper sequence0 when articles and processes are in an inspectable condition. Such a system would provide for inspection and tests appropriate to all phases of the production cycle, from raw materials and related-processes and services to the completed product.
(e) Production areas would be arramgcd to provide segregation of manufacturing processes or operations which may adversely affect other operations; f&r mmmplc, separation of precision inspection from each area where grinding, cutting, sanding, or painting operations are performed.
(3) Special Processes. The integrity of processes and services utilized in the cons traction of articles and products is dependent upon the ski 11 with which the work ia perf omed, the capabilities of the equipment used, and the close control of temperatures, solutions, curing time, or other critical factors.
A system td control all processes and aenrices, such.as welding, brazing, heat treatment, plating, etc., ensurea that each process is performed by trained and qualified personnel and in bccordance with approved specification8 containing definitive standards of quality, and that periodic inspection of gauges, solutions, or any critical equipment is controlled and documented.
(4) Inspection/Identification. Identifying articles or controlling documentation with appropriate stamps or marrltrr traceable to the individual inspector, is a means of ensuring that only those articles and processes which have been accepted and found to conform to FM - approved design data are used in the product.
Par 9 Page 5
AC 21-18 S/10/76 For example: Articler rajected aa being unurrble would be conrpicuou,ly identified and rubrcqucntly controlled to preclude abrolutely either their inrtrllation on tha product ,or their we 88 apare atticleo.
(5) Nondertructive Inspection.
w
(b) (4 W W (0 (I) Operator r rhould be qualified by the manufacturer in rccordance with the maIlUfaCtW8r'~ SpeCifiCatiOlL Operatore’ qualificationr rhould be kept current.
Inrpection procedure8 In rpecificotiono rhould be approved aa part of quality control data.
wuipment rhould be inopected and calibrated periodically to amare l ccurecy.
halirtic acceptance criteria ohould be l rtablirhed.
Inspection acceptance criteria -rhould be kept current with derign data.
&cord@ rhauld be maintained to accurately reflect that the rpecification requirmentr are conrtantly atet.
(6) Tool and Cwnc Control.
(a) Adequate Pmnufecturi~ facilitier, equipment, and tooliw vaald &va the capability aad reliability to l nture production of uniforlr duplfcata utlchr mad productr coafoming to the qptoved type deriga data.
$b) To preclude l cceptmce of DOncOnformlng articles, or rejections due to improperly controlled tool8 end gtugtr, e quality controlyrtem l hould incorporate a rcbtdule for inrp%ctioa and calibration, to certified aati~nal mmrurement rtaddardr , of all i~@ptctiort toola, gauger, and ttrting tquipmtnt, aa well 88 production jig,, fixturtr, I tamplattr, etc., whichamdtptnded upon a8 wdie for inrptction. An rcctptable l chtdule would have the - inrptction interval8 trtabli8htd on the bari that ruch toblr and g8ugtr would be inrpected prior to their . becoming inaccurett, or requiring l djurtamnt, rtplectmtnt, or rtpeir.
Page 6 Par 9
b/10/76 AC n-3;“!
.(c) A recordkeeping eyotem would emwre that uch piece of ’ equipment or container gin checked prior to ffrrt wage md at the proper perfodk intewr8, and markad to indicate the da tc that the next inrpectioa ir due, and ia rnnrrrved from inspection .and ahop area@ or mnsp%cuourly identified to prohibit wage after iratioa of the iarrpection due date.
(7) Supplier Control, The holder of a production certifdcate is primarily responsible under the roquirmmntc of MR 21.16S for each article used in his product; therefore, he rrhould ertablfsh a system to ensure conformity to the type deli@ of all articlea or services obtained from rupplfars, Such a ayatem would ensure that:
(a) Inspections and tests are extended to include rupplicr’s inspection and tests of articles BY a~enrices which cannot or will not be completely inspected upon receipt by the holder of a production certificate at his approved facilities.
(b) Provisions are made for the evaluation and/or surveillance of suppliers by the holder of a production certificate when he relies to any degrae upon a mapplier’s quality control system, or has delegated inspection duties to the supplier. Minimal a~ource rruwoillance by the production certificate holder fs customarily an acceptable means of control when the supplier providerr a certification of conformance that includes report8 of quality measurement data which show objective rvidenca that quality standard8 have been met.
(c) Effective control is exercired to ensure conformity to approved design data of all articles obta‘ined from suppliers who hold an FM approve1 (PC, APE, PM, TSOA) for the article involved, Pm 9
(d) Suppliers to the holder of a production certificate would be focally advised that their facilities’ syrtan, data, equipment, personnel, and articlm being supplied are subject to evaluation and inrpection by the production certificate holder and the FAA since, in effect, such 8upplicr’s facilities comtitute extenrriom of the facilities of the holder of a production certificate.
; ~2~ WC/76
(e) Articles obtained fran foreign suppliers are under the same degree of control that is exercised over domestic suppliers.
In general, WI undue burden may exist whenever the type certificate holder performs, or he has mxppliers perfom, any of his regulated functions outside the United States, Under such circumstances, the evaluation and approval cf design changes and the evaludion, approval and subsequent surveillance of manufacturers, including the supenrision of desipees performing outside the United States may create a burden on the FAA fn administering the FARs. In accordance with FARs 21.43 and 21.137, the detemination of whether or not an undue burden eldsts must be made by the FAA in each case. FAA sumeillance of materials, parts, and appliances is not considered to be an undue burden when:
1 The manufacturer cmpletely inspects such articles for
- conformity snd condition won receipt in the United States, and such inspections are programed in his FA&- approved quality control data; or 2 h agreement is negotiated between FAA, the foreign civil
- air authorities md the U.S./fore* mamrfacturers whereby the foreign civil afr authority agrees to perform Inspections and sumeU.hnce on behalf of the FAA, and certifies to the FAA that each article cQinforms to the FAA-approved desiw and is ti a condition for safe operation; or J, The foreign civil air authority at the country of manufacture certifies that the article meets U.S.
requirements in accordance with FAR 2l.502.
(f) An effective puschasing and receiving kmpection system precludes release to production of noncanfondng m unsafe articles procured fian outside murces. Such a system would ensure that:
1 Purchase orders provide rrpecifications or other &sip data ti the detail nedkssary to ensure procurement of articles or servicea which meet the kquirements of the approved type &sign.
2 All tic&g articles ccmfonn to apprwwi type desie data prim to their acceptance mdzelease to production.
2 Articles which we not desiped or manufactured by the producticm certificate holder are of the same deei@ configuration as vcified in the approved type design data.
4 Records are maintained of all impectioasa and tarts performed by or for the holdm of a production certi- . ficate in controllathe &SW caafiguratiool and conformity of all 8upplier fwni8hed article& fi Inspection/test records are utiliwd, a8 apprqriate, to document, as evidence of rcca@iskment, AU rued inspection& te8t8, rework, or q)ectim.
(8) Testiq. The manufacturer shad establi8h and cm@y with test procedures applicable to the wticle~ OF pro&ct8.
( 1 a 09 ( 1 C
(d) Test equipment should be controlled md calibrated to assure their accuracy. .
Articlw or products Objected to ad$astmmt cw reworked after impection acceptance should be sMemted to qvprcmd test procedhrres. \ where sampling in8pectioa t08t8 are utilieed, other inspections and test8 should be implkented as required to amme acceptance of conforming and 8afe pPoduct8 or articles.
Records of all te8ts conducted 8hauld be maintained.
(9) Materials Review. A material8 review 8y8tem prmi&s theheans to :
(a) Control the identification, rewark, and use of nonconfonnine articles, including the iSO&ktiOn and Sb?~ing of unusable articles.
(b) Ensure the submittal of all materal rwiew actim, which result in a major nmcunfomity of the product or a mador change in the type desie data, to FM for engineerjrrg approval prior to final acceptance ar &livery of affected pro&cts or article8. Thematerial8review8ystemi8 a method acceptable to the kMni8tratiafor the approval of minor changes lntgpe d881@‘h in lieu of mibmittingto the Admini8trator aqy mUtanti&* or dsscriptive data (Ref. FAR 21.95) includbg manufacturing emam
(c) Proddo fx corrective action wi th regard to discrepancies in manufacturing procedures, processes, designs, or any other condition which caused the nonconforming articles, to ensure that all affected and subsequent products will be in conformity with the type design.
(d) H1intrin charts OY records to show the effectiveness of the corrective action program and to reveal problem areas as they arise.
(10) Storage and Issuance, A storage and irrurnce rystem would ensure:
(a) That only those articles which @re identified AS having passed company inspection are received into stoyes.
(b) Identification, l gregation, md protection of articles in storage.
(c) Periodic reinspection and disposition of materials subject to deterioration from prolonged storege.
(d) Protecti on from damage of articles being delivered to fabrication OY shipping areas OY while stored in these areas prior to use.
(e) Incorporation of applicable design changes prior to Y of 8tored articles for installation in the product.
(11) Airworthiness Certification.
(a). The usual practice is to record all inspections and tests required to be conducted during manufacture of the articles/ final product, and to retain tho8e rignifica?nt records attesting to the conformity and rrfcty of the completed article/product for a period of at ler8t two years.
(b) The effectiveness of the control exercised throughout the manufacturing cycle to ensure that quality objectives have been met i8 ultimately determined by the final assembly md teat Inspections. h Acceptable quality Control rystem would, therefort, incorporate final rsrcrnbly md test pro- %edure8 to L1IIIUYt that:
PAge 10 1 bch completed product is rubjected to l final inspection
- for eOWleteness, adjustments, safety calibration, markings, placards, etc., in rccordance with the l pplicable’configuration of the Approved design data for the product and model involved. Also, *that each PIY 9
2 Tht mtms pxovidtd for levtling an aircraft art l ccurattly instrlltd, and that the empty wtight and ctnttr of gravity of each completed eircraf t wu accurattly dtttmiatd. Tht holdtr of a production cmtificate my suhit, for ?M considttation, a proposal based on a rtbiabft statistical plan and svidtnct of product uniformity, if he dtsiriks to utilizt an avtrap tmpty weight am! center of gravity, in Lftu of weighing trch aircrsf t.
3 The aircraft tquipmtnt list and, whtn applicablt, loading charts and itastmctfom are accuratt.
(c) Functional ttsts of each completed product art conducted to dtttmint whtthtr the optrating characttristics mutt the l pprovtd design provlsbons. l$xamplts of tht type of ttsts gtntrally found to be acctptablt art as follows:
1 Each compltttd aircraft would bt subjtcttd to a flight ttst in l ccordanct with flight ttst proctdurts and chtckoff lists dtvtloped from optration characttristics and data which wtrt found to comply with tht applicable airworthiness regulations during tht typt ttst tvaluation program, and approvtd as a part of tht quality control data.
2 Exctpt as noted in subparagraph d btlow, each compltttd. tngine would bt rubjtct;h to a ttst run, including:
& Brtak-in to determint that engine operating paramtttrs m as sptcifi’td in tht typt dtsign data.
b Inttmal inspection fe atctssary to dettmine that
- tht engine is in condition fbr shaft operation. Tht degrtt of such lnsptction mry be bastd on a statistical sampling plan, tvidtirct of product uniformity, a satlsfactery history of prtvious internal inspections, and stmict txperitnct.
c Dett’rarination of ttst instrrsanintation and power/
- thrust absorption dtvkts, toltran&s and correction to tnsurt that no production tngint can bt dtlivcrtd with less than its type ctrtificatcd rated power/ thrust.
Par 9 Page 11
AC 214B Ii/lo/76 2 Test fbrfng of 8 sufficient number of rocket engines, selected from production lots in rccordrncc with .rtrtisticrl aunpllng plans included in the mrnufrcturcr’r quality control data, which, together with the clore control of mrtcrirls l d pxmcesses, would enswe that each enginc’ln the lot functions properly and developed its rated thrust for the time specified in the approved type dtsign data.
e Each completed variable pitch propeller would be functionally tested to determine that it operates freely and smoothly throughout the normal range of operation, with maximum rnd minimum operating forces alternately applied, accordhg to design and installrtion requirements.
3 A system to control the packing, preservation, and condition of spare articles incorporates procedures which ensure that:
Spare articles conform to applicable type design data and hwe not exceeded their shelf-life limits.
PY~OY to shipment of spare articles, all required :
modifications are rccomplished In accordance with ’ applicable design changes.
Spare articles rre lubricated, preserved, and packed in a manner to preclude corrosion OY damage in shipment, especially internal damage not readily detectable by fnspection for condition * upon receipt.
4 Hajor assemblies and components, comprising a complete
- rfrcrrft, mnufrctured under (L production certificate may be exported plcior to final rssembly, inspection, end flight test in rccorduxc with FAR 21.325(b), providing the holder of the production certificate has estrbl%shed FM-approved assembly and flight test procedures; and the extent of disassembly is the 8-e as an aircraft which has been disassembled for l hipmcnt pamposes.
Page 12 Par 9