AS9102 Form 1, field by field.

What is AS9102 Form 1?

AS9102 Form 1 is the Part Number Accountability form: the first of the three forms in an AS9102 first article inspection report. A first article inspection (FAI) is a complete, documented check that your production process makes a part meeting every design requirement. The first article inspection report (FAIR) is the paperwork that records it.

The FAIR has three forms. Form 1 identifies the part and the report. Form 2 covers materials, special processes and functional tests. Form 3 covers every ballooned characteristic. Forms 2 and 3 repeat the first four fields of Form 1 in their headers, so all three pages tie back to one part and one report.

Form 1 is short, but it carries the decisions a reviewer checks first: right drawing revision, full or partial and why, any nonconformance, two signatures. A wrong answer here sends the whole package back.

Field numbers here follow AS9102 Rev C. If a customer still asks for Rev B, fields 1–18 keep the same numbers, but Rev C relabels three of them: 14 (the reason now covers full as well as partial FAIs), 17 (Part Type, was Part Serial Number) and 18 (FAIR Identifier, was FAIR Number). From 19 on the two revisions differ: in Rev B, 19 is the signature with "FAI complete / not complete" boxes, 21 is reviewed by and 23 is customer approval. This is a working guide, not the standard. AS9102 is published by SAE International, and the standard has the authoritative field definitions.

What are the fields on AS9102 Form 1?

AS9102 Rev C Form 1 has 26 numbered fields, which fall into five blocks.

What goes in fields 1–12 of Form 1?

Fields 1–12 identify the part and the report: part number, part name, serial number, FAIR identifier, part and drawing revisions, additional changes, manufacturing process reference, your organization, your supplier code and the PO number.

Field 9 is the one people skimp on. The FAI proves a process; if the router revision changes later, field 9 tells you whether the FAI still applies. See full vs partial FAI for the change events that call for a new one.

What goes in fields 13 and 14: FAI type and reason?

Field 13 says whether the report is a detail FAI or an assembly FAI. Field 14 says whether it is a full or partial FAI, names the baseline FAI for a partial, and in Rev C always gives the reason.

Field 13 is detail FAI or assembly FAI. A detail FAI is a single part you make. An assembly FAI covers a part made from other parts, and it's the one that uses the index below.

Field 14 is full FAI or partial FAI. A full FAI verifies every design characteristic. A partial FAI (often called a delta FAI) re-verifies only the characteristics a change could affect, building on an earlier full FAI. For a partial, give the baseline part number and revision of the full FAI it builds on. Then give the reason. In Rev B the reason box was only for partials. In Rev C you give a reason for a full FAI too. "New part, first production run" is a reason. So is "two-year lapse in production", a trigger AS9102 names; some customers, such as Lockheed Martin in its Q2A clause, set their own rule for it.

Be specific. "Drawing Rev B to C, ECN 0412: hole 3 tolerance tightened" beats "revision change". For a process change, name what moved: fixture, program revision, machine, site.

What goes in fields 15–18, and what is Part Type?

Fields 15–18 are the index of every part that goes into the assembly named in field 1. Each row gives the item's part number, part name, Part Type and the FAIR identifier of that item's own FAI. Part Type, field 17, is new in Rev C.

• 15, Part number of the item.
• 16, Part name.
• 17, Part Type. New in Rev C. Say whether the item is a detail part, a sub-assembly, software, a standard catalogue item, or COTS. COTS means commercial off-the-shelf: an item sold commercially and bought as-is, not built to your customer's design. In Rev B this field held the part serial number.
• 18, FAIR identifier. The identifier of that item's own FAI, so the reviewer can find it.

The Rev C standard says every item on the assembly's bill of materials goes on this index, even though the form itself doesn't spell it out, COTS and standard hardware included. A rivet or a bushing bought from a distributor has no FAIR, but it still gets a row, with its Part Type stated.

Field 18 for a COTS item varies. COTS items don't need their own FAIR, and Paradygm's Rev C training says field 18 can be blank for them and isn't meant for certificate of conformance (C of C) numbers. Net-Inspect expects some customers to ask for a C of C number there anyway. Ask your customer once and write the answer into your procedure. Parts the customer supplies get a row too, with "customer furnished" noted in field 18; you don't need the customer's own FAIR for them.

What goes in fields 19–26: nonconformance, signatures, customer approval?

Field 19 is a yes/no answer to "does the FAIR contain documented nonconformances?". Fields 20–23 are two sign-offs with dates, fields 24–25 are the customer's approval and date, and field 26 is comments.

Field 19 is the big Rev C change on this form. Rev B had a box for "FAI complete" or "not complete". Rev C asks the question a reviewer actually cares about: is there a nonconformance in here? Answer it from Form 3, after the last result is in.

Fields 20 and 22 should be two different people. AS9102 Rev C says the field 22 person should not be the field 20 person, which is a recommendation rather than a strict requirement. Paradygm's training notes allow one person in a small organization with no second qualified employee. Some customers require two, so check their flow-downs. Spell out the month in dates (14 Oct 2026), so nobody has to guess between day-month and month-day.

Fields 24 and 25 are often blank: many customers approve in a portal instead. See uploading an FAI to Net-Inspect.

What does a filled-in AS9102 Form 1 look like?

Here is AS9102 Form 1 filled in for a small assembly: a machined aluminium bracket body with a bushing pressed in. Every company, person, part and number below is invented for this example. The shop is "Ridgeback Machine" and the customer is "Anvil Aero".

The body has its own detail FAI, where field 13 says detail and 15–18 are blank. The assembly points to it in field 18 and doesn't repeat it. The assembly's Form 3 covers only what assembly creates: the bore after pressing, the flange seated, the markings.

How do you handle assemblies on Form 1?

The assembly FAI verifies what the assembly step makes, and points to the FAIs of everything below it. In practice:

1. List every item on the parts list in fields 15–18, one row each. Detail parts, sub-assemblies, standard hardware, COTS, software, customer-furnished items.
2. For a multi-level bill of materials, list the next level down. A sub-assembly row points to the sub-assembly's FAIR, and that FAIR has its own index for the level below. You don't flatten the whole tree onto one page.
3. Make sure every FAIR you reference exists and is accepted. An index row pointing to a detail FAI that's still open is an incomplete report.
4. Re-check detail features the assembly can change. A press fit can close up a bore. Welding or bonding can move a hole. If assembly could affect a detail characteristic, verify it again at assembly level on Form 3.
5. Put assembly-level materials and processes on the assembly's Form 2: the sealant, the adhesive, the torque or press-fit test. Materials of the detail parts stay on the detail FAIs.

An assembly can answer No in field 19 when every assembly-level characteristic conforms, even if a detail part had a nonconformance on its own FAI. That one lives on the detail report.

What Form 1 mistakes do reviewers catch?

Reviewers send Form 1 back for identity mismatches, missing reasons, incomplete indexes and a field 19 answer that contradicts Form 3. The usual ones:

• Drawing revision doesn't match the PO. The costliest one: usually found after the parts are made.
• Header fields 1–4 differ between forms. One typo in the FAIR identifier on Form 3 and the reviewer starts checking everything.
• No reason on a full FAI. Fine under Rev B. Not under Rev C.
• COTS left off the index. Rev C wants every BOM item listed.
• Field 19 says No, Form 3 has an NCR. Answer 19 last.
• One person in both signature fields when the customer's flow-downs require two.
• Rev B template, Rev C customer. See what changed in Rev C.

More of these, across all three forms, in why FAI reports get rejected.

AS9102 Form 1 questions

What is AS9102 Form 1 called?

AS9102 Form 1 is called Part Number Accountability. It is the cover sheet of the first article inspection report. It identifies the part, the drawing and its revision, the organization that made it, the PO, whether the FAI is detail or assembly, full or partial and why, the parts that make up an assembly, and who verified and approved the report.

Do I fill in fields 15 to 18 for a detail part?

No. Fields 15 to 18 are the index of parts that go into an assembly, so a detail FAI on a single machined part leaves them blank and goes straight to field 19. For an assembly FAI, list every item on the parts list, including standard catalogue items and COTS, each with its part number, name, Part Type and FAIR identifier.

What goes in Part Type on AS9102 Form 1?

Part Type is field 17 in AS9102 Rev C. For each item on the assembly index, state whether it is a detail part, a sub-assembly, software, a standard catalogue item or COTS (commercial off-the-shelf). In Rev B the same field number held the part serial number, so a Rev B template will show the wrong heading.

Can the same person sign field 20 and field 22?

AS9102 Rev C says the person in field 22 should not be the same as the person in field 20. That is a recommendation, not a strict requirement, and training material such as Paradygm's allows one person in a small organization with no second qualified employee. Some customers require two people, so check their flow-downs before relying on one.

What if the FAI has a nonconformance?

Answer Yes in field 19, "Does the FAIR contain documented nonconformance(s)?". Record the failing characteristic on Form 3 with its measured value and the NCR number. A nonconformance that was later dispositioned use-as-is is still documented, so the answer stays Yes. After the cause is fixed, a partial FAI re-verifies the characteristics that failed.

Where software helps

Most Form 1 errors come from typing the same facts three times. Deburr fills fields 1–4 once and carries them onto Forms 2 and 3. It answers field 19 from the results you recorded on Form 3, and it takes two signatures, each with re-authentication. The forms follow the AS9102 Rev C layout and field numbering. People still decide and sign everything. It starts from a ballooned drawing, which you can try for free with the AI ballooner.

Related: AS9102 Form 3 explained · AS9102 Form 2 explained · First article inspection checklist · How to balloon a drawing · Non-conformance report example

Sources

1. AS9102C, Aerospace First Article Inspection Requirement, SAE International (the standard itself; field definitions are in its forms appendix)
2. AS9102C Form 1 details, Paradygm training
3. AS9102 Rev C training: summary of changes, Paradygm
4. AS9102 First Article Inspection Report: Rev B vs Rev C, Net-Inspect
5. AS9102B FAIR form QF 4.1.302, Kaman (shows Rev B field numbering)
6. Quality clause Q2A, first article inspection, Lockheed Martin (example of a customer's lapse-in-production rule)