155 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 21.137 

§ 21.133

Application. 

Each applicant must apply for a pro-

duction certificate in a form and man-
ner prescribed by the FAA. 

§ 21.135

Organization. 

(a) Each applicant for or holder of a 

production certificate must provide the 
FAA with a document— 

(1) Describing how its organization 

will ensure compliance with the provi-
sions of this subpart; 

(2) Describing assigned responsibil-

ities, delegated authorities, and the 
functional relationship of those respon-
sible for quality to management and 
other organizational components; and 

(3) Identifying an accountable man-

ager. 

(b) The accountable manager speci-

fied in paragraph (a) of this section 
must be responsible within the appli-
cant’s or production approval holder’s 
organization for, and have authority 
over, all production operations con-
ducted under this part. The account-
able manager must confirm that the 
procedures described in the quality 
manual required by § 21.138 are in place 
and that the production approval hold-
er satisfies the requirements of the ap-
plicable regulations of subchapter C, 
Aircraft. The accountable manager 
must serve as the primary contact with 
the FAA. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2013–0933, Amdt. 21–98, 80 FR 
59031, Oct. 1, 2015] 

§ 21.137

Quality system. 

Each applicant for or holder of a pro-

duction certificate must establish and 
describe in writing a quality system 
that ensures that each product and ar-
ticle conforms to its approved design 
and is in a condition for safe operation. 
This quality system must include: 

(a) 

Design data control. Procedures for 

controlling design data and subsequent 
changes to ensure that only current, 
correct, and approved data is used. 

(b) 

Document control. Procedures for 

controlling quality system documents 
and data and subsequent changes to en-
sure that only current, correct, and ap-
proved documents and data are used. 

(c) 

Supplier control. Procedures that— 

(1) Ensure that each supplier-pro-

vided product, article, or service con-

forms to the production approval hold-
er’s requirements; and 

(2) Establish a supplier-reporting 

process for products, articles, or serv-
ices that have been released from or 
provided by the supplier and subse-
quently found not to conform to the 
production approval holder’s require-
ments. 

(d) 

Manufacturing process control. Pro-

cedures for controlling manufacturing 
processes to ensure that each product 
and article conforms to its approved 
design. 

(e) 

Inspecting and testing. Procedures 

for inspections and tests used to ensure 
that each product and article conforms 
to its approved design. These proce-
dures must include the following, as 
applicable: 

(1) A flight test of each aircraft pro-

duced unless that aircraft will be ex-
ported as an unassembled aircraft. 

(2) A functional test of each aircraft 

engine and each propeller produced. 

(f) 

Inspection, measuring, and test 

equipment control. Procedures to ensure 
calibration and control of all inspec-
tion, measuring, and test equipment 
used in determining conformity of each 
product and article to its approved de-
sign. Each calibration standard must 
be traceable to a standard acceptable 
to the FAA. 

(g) 

Inspection and test status. Proce-

dures for documenting the inspection 
and test status of products and articles 
supplied or manufactured to the ap-
proved design. 

(h) 

Nonconforming product and article 

control.  (1) Procedures to ensure that 
only products or articles that conform 
to their approved design are installed 
on a type-certificated product. These 
procedures must provide for the identi-
fication, documentation, evaluation, 
segregation, and disposition of noncon-
forming products and articles. Only au-
thorized individuals may make disposi-
tion determinations. 

(2) Procedures to ensure that dis-

carded articles are rendered unusable. 

(i) 

Corrective and preventive actions. 

Procedures for implementing correc-
tive and preventive actions to elimi-
nate the causes of an actual or poten-
tial nonconformity to the approved de-
sign or noncompliance with the ap-
proved quality system. 

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156 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 21.138 

(j) 

Handling and storage. Procedures 

to prevent damage and deterioration of 
each product and article during han-
dling, storage, preservation, and pack-
aging. 

(k) 

Control of quality records. Proce-

dures for identifying, storing, pro-
tecting, retrieving, and retaining qual-
ity records. A production approval 
holder must retain these records for at 
least 5 years for the products and arti-
cles manufactured under the approval 
and at least 10 years for critical compo-
nents identified under § 45.15(c) of this 
chapter. 

(l) 

Internal audits. Procedures for 

planning, conducting, and documenting 
internal audits to ensure compliance 
with the approved quality system. The 
procedures must include reporting re-
sults of internal audits to the manager 
responsible for implementing correc-
tive and preventive actions. 

(m) 

In-service feedback. Procedures for 

receiving and processing feedback on 
in-service failures, malfunctions, and 
defects. These procedures must include 
a process for assisting the design ap-
proval holder to— 

(1) Address any in-service problem in-

volving design changes; and 

(2) Determine if any changes to the 

Instructions for Continued Airworthi-
ness are necessary. 

(n) 

Quality escapes. Procedures for 

identifying, analyzing, and initiating 
appropriate corrective action for prod-
ucts or articles that have been released 
from the quality system and that do 
not conform to the applicable design 
data or quality system requirements. 

(o) 

Issuing authorized release docu-

ments.  Procedures for issuing author-
ized release documents for aircraft en-
gines, propellers, and articles if the 
production approval holder intends to 
issue those documents. These proce-
dures must provide for the selection, 
appointment, training, management, 
and removal of individuals authorized 
by the production approval holder to 
issue authorized release documents. 
Authorized release documents may be 
issued for new aircraft engines, propel-
lers, and articles manufactured by the 
production approval holder; and for 
used aircraft engines, propellers, and 
articles when rebuilt, or altered, in ac-
cordance with § 43.3(j) of this chapter. 

When a production approval holder 
issues an authorized release document 
for the purpose of export, the produc-
tion approval holder must comply with 
the procedures applicable to the export 
of new and used aircraft engines, pro-
pellers, and articles specified in § 21.331 
and the responsibilities of exporters 
specified in § 21.335. 

[Docket No. FAA–2006–25877, Amdt. 21–92, 74 
FR 53387, Oct. 16, 2009, as amended by Doc. 
No. FAA–2013–0933, Amdt. 21–98, 80 FR 59031, 
Oct. 1, 2015; Amdt. 21–98A, 80 FR 59031, Dec. 
17, 2015] 

§ 21.138

Quality manual. 

Each applicant for or holder of a pro-

duction certificate must provide a 
manual describing its quality system 
to the FAA for approval. The manual 
must be in the English language and 
retrievable in a form acceptable to the 
FAA. 

§ 21.139

Location of or change to man-

ufacturing facilities. 

(a) An applicant may obtain a pro-

duction certificate for manufacturing 
facilities located outside of the United 
States if the FAA finds no undue bur-
den in administering the applicable re-
quirements of Title 49 U.S.C. and this 
subchapter. 

(b) The production certificate holder 

must obtain FAA approval before mak-
ing any changes to the location of any 
of its manufacturing facilities. 

(c) The production certificate holder 

must immediately notify the FAA, in 
writing, of any change to the manufac-
turing facilities that may affect the in-
spection, conformity, or airworthiness 
of its product or article. 

§ 21.140

Inspections and tests. 

Each applicant for or holder of a pro-

duction certificate must allow the FAA 
to inspect its quality system, facilities, 
technical data, and any manufactured 
products or articles and witness any 
tests, including any inspections or 
tests at a supplier facility, necessary 
to determine compliance with this sub-
chapter. 

§ 21.141

Issuance. 

The FAA issues a production certifi-

cate after finding that the applicant 

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