Aerospace Prime Supplier Quality Requirements: AS9100D NCR and CAPA Documentation Audits
What aerospace and defence prime contractor supplier quality teams actually check during vendor audits — and the exact AS9100D NCR and CAPA records you must have ready.
Aerospace Prime Supplier Quality Audits: What They Are Really Checking
Major aerospace and defence prime contractors operate among the most rigorous supplier quality assessment programmes in the industry. Vendors supplying machined components, sub-assemblies, or special process services are subject to:
The 8 Things Prime Contractor Quality Teams Check on Every Audit
1. Your NCR Register Currency
Is every known nonconformance logged? Auditors cross-reference your production travellers with your NCR register and flag unlogged discrepancies as evidence of an inadequate identification system.
2. Customer NCR Cross-Reference Completeness
Every customer-issued discrepancy or nonconformance reference number issued to your aerospace facility must be traceable in your internal register. Missing cross-references are a direct major finding.
3. Containment Timeliness
The containment action must be documented within 24–48 hours of detection. An NCR opened on Monday with containment recorded on Friday raises immediate questions about uncontrolled nonconforming product release.
4. MRB Disposition Completeness
Every NCR requires a formal MRB disposition. An NCR sitting at "Open" status for more than 14 days without a disposition decision is a finding.
5. Engineering Design Authority Sign-offs
For Use As-Is and Repair dispositions: who authorised? What is their designation? Is the sign-off dated? Verbal authorisations are not compliant.
6. Customer Concession Traceability
If the prime customer issued a formal concession (waiver) number for a Use As-Is disposition on their drawing, that concession reference (e.g., PRIME-CONC-2026-0044) must appear in your NCR record.
7. CAPA Root Cause Documentation
Root cause must be specific and supported by data — not "operator was retrained." Human factors must be evaluated per AS9100D Clause 10.2.
8. Verification of Effectiveness with Objective Evidence
This is the single most common finding at sub-tier suppliers. The CAPA cannot be closed without a documented effectiveness check against subsequent production lots — signed by the Quality Manager with dates of inspection.
How to Prepare Your Shop for a Prime Customer Audit in 48 Hours
If you receive an audit notification with short lead time:
1. Run a status check on all open NCRs — close or disposition anything older than 30 days
2. Verify all Use As-Is dispositions have engineering sign-off attached
3. Confirm all open CAPAs have documented root causes and verification evidence
4. Generate a current NCR register extract with status column
5. Prepare a CAPA aging report showing no NCRs older than 90 days without a closed CAPA
With POVRIS, steps 1 through 5 take less than 5 minutes. Without purpose-built software, this process consumes 2–3 working days of manual spreadsheet and email hunting.