FAA Advisory Circular 43.13-1B
Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices
Aircraft Inspection and Repair
AC 43.13-1B | 5. Nondestructive Inspection (NDI) | 1. General | 5-7. Types of Inspections
AC 43.13-1B
9/8/98
(6) Part accessibility or portability; and
(7) The number of parts to be inspected.
c. Degree of Inspection. The degree of
inspection sensitivity required is an important
factor in selecting the NDI method. Critical
parts that cannot withstand small defects and
could cause catastrophic failure require the use
of the more sensitive NDI methods. Less criti-
cal parts and general hardware generally re-
quire less-sensitive NDI methods.
d. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
The various materials used in NDI may contain
chemicals, that if improperly used, can be haz-
ardous to the health and safety of operators and
the safety of the environment, aircraft, and en-
gines. Information on safe handling of materi-
als is provided in MSDS. MSDS, conforming
to Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(29 CFR), part 1910, section 1200, or its
equivalent, must be provided by the material
supplier to any user and must be prepared ac-
cording to FED-STD-313.
the manufacturer or the FAA has not specified
a particular NDI method to be used.
5-7. TYPES OF INSPECTIONS. Nonde-
structive testing methods are techniques used
both in the production and in-service environ-
ments without damage or destruction of the
item under investigation. Examples of NDI
methods are as follows:
a. Visual inspection
b. Magnetic particle
c. Penetrants
d. Eddy current
e. Radiography
f. Ultrasonic
g. Acoustic emission
h. Thermography
e. Advantages and Disadvantages. Ta-
ble 5-1 provides a list of the advantages and
disadvantages of common NDI methods. Ta-
ble 5-1, in conjunction with other information
in the AC, may be used as a guide for evaluat-
ing the most appropriate NDI method when
i. Holography
j. Shearography
k. Tap testing
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