Announcement NANDTB 2022-2024

The 2020-2022 Board has retired and as per the NANDTB procedures a new Board has formed from the industry sector nominations received.

The new Board will be engaged for the period 01st April 2022, to 31st March 2024.

Member                                                            Industry Sector

Garry Bowden (NDT& Quality Resources).      Manufacturing.
Shane Norman (ATTAR).                                  Training
Ron Quirk (AP Aero).                                        Training
Frank Simmer (Qantas, Jetstar, QantasLink).  Major Airlines
Steve Swift (Steve Swift).                                 Design Organisations
Rodd Smith (BAE Systems).                             AMO
Scott Newcomb (Aerospace NDI).                   General Aviation
Jason Maitland (AIS).                                       Regional Airlines
Shane Wilson (Southern NDT).                        Manufacturing
WOFF Greg Wilson,                                          ADF appointment
SQNLDR Johnathan Anderson,                        ADF observer (non voting)
David Punshon                                                 CASA observer (non voting)

Board Members

August 2017 update

The Board has rationalised its procedures and introduced a Not-for–Profit model management system which has;

  • Consolidated individual procedures into a more coherent management document
  • Brought risk management into the overall management process
  • Reflected good business practice and aligned with the Corporations Act
  • Clarified member’s roles and responsibilities
  • Demonstrated the professionalism of the NANDTB
  • Facilitated the Board’s audit obligations, and
  • Rationalised the number of required Board procedures

Other work which has progressed in the period has been the;

  • Finalising of penetrant and magnetic particle inspection procedures suitable for use as maintenance data when none is specified;
  • CASR Part 145 and Part 42 regulatory familiarisation training for Board members;
  • Publishing on the web site a standardized guidance for the assessment and reporting of persons wishing to renew their CASA NDT Maintenance Authority;
  • Offering of an Inspection and Maintenance Seminar in Sydney in October. Full details elsewhere on the site.

One task which has been elusive is the up-dating of AS3669 to better align with the EN 4179 and NAS 410 standards. The Board is continuing to work with Standards Australia and their processes for the revision of standards. The work is ongoing and a successful outcome is expected. The Board welcomes input through its contact page on the web site www.ndtboard.com.

The purpose of the NANDTB is to assist the aerospace industry and the Regulator. Its your Board. Please use it.

Level 3 Recognition

The NANDTB has been recognizing the qualifications of Level 3 NDT personnel since late 2009. Over time the recognition procedure has evolved as the Board gained a better understanding of its role in relation to its support of the Regulator, CASA, and adapting to the new suite of maintenance regulations in force by 2013. What follows reports the current application of the NA-019 procedure, which has been recently revised.

CASA nominate Australian Standard AS3669 Non-destructive Testing – Qualification and Approval of Personnel – Aerospace, as the standard for training and qualification of NDT inspection personnel in the Australian aviation industry. It will also consider similar standards. AS3669 is aligned to the European and US standards, and like those it describes an employer based personnel certification system. It is the responsibility of the employer to certify (in terms of the standard) its NDT employees that meet the requirements of the standard, and to do this in accordance with its own Written Practice. Employers should note that recognition by the NANDTB is not a certification or approval of any kind.

The Australian aviation regulatory environment asks aircraft and component maintenance organisations (AMO) appointing a Responsible Level 3, to have that person recognized by the Australian NANDTB. Neither the US nor European regulators require such recognition. The revision to the NA-019 or NA-024 procedure clarifies that the recognition of a person’s Level 3 technical qualifications supports the Australian Regulator’s advisory material. If the AMO chooses an alternate means of regulatory compliance then the NA-019/ NA-024 procedures would not apply.

For AMOs appointing a Responsible NDT Level 3 who has been recognized by the NANDTB, the AMO should still ensure that the person has sufficient and appropriate experience, has passed specific examinations in the NDT methods he/she is to be certified in, and if he/she is to inspect and accept product has completed a Level 2 practical examination within the previous 5 years.

For Level 3 recognition renewals, the personnel qualification and approval standard permits a pathway of renewal by practical and specific examination, or by an aggregated credit points system. As is the case  with the initial recognition process, the renewal submission must be valid, and it is worth noting that for those who wish to use the credit points system, the Board will be seeking documentary evidence to support the credit points claimed.

Finally, another change is that the successful applicant receives a letter of recognition whereas previously a only a certificate was issued. This was decided because the limited information possible on the certificate could lead to a misunderstanding that it was a certification or approval by the NANDTB, which it is not.

Enquiries can be emailed to the Board through the “Contact us’ links on this site.