Chinese Aerospace Parts: Falsified AS9100 Test Data

What happened

Following investigations by the FAA and Moog Inc., Chinese manufacturers were found to have been supplying aircraft components with falsified test data and quality records, while simultaneously holding valid ISO 9001 and AS9100 certifications from International Accreditation Forum-accredited certification bodies. The certification process was legitimate. The underlying manufacturing records and test data attached to the specific parts were not. The discovery demonstrated that a valid, independently-issued quality certificate can coexist indefinitely with fabricated component-level records. The certificate documents the quality system; the records proving each specific part was inspected and tested to the required standard are controlled by the manufacturer. Standard document audits could distinguish neither the fraudulent records from authentic ones, nor the compliant parts from defective ones. Independent blockchain anchoring of each individual test result and inspection record at the moment of completion would create a tamper-evident chain that no internal document audit could replicate.