Examination Records for Nadcap NDT / AC7114
Nadcap NDT / AC7114 names this requirement as "Personnel certification packages: training records, experience, latest written and practical examinations, vision and colour-perception records". The employer's Level III owns it, and a contracted Level III can author and sign it.
The finding auditors record against this document is: Near-vision examination not repeated annually, colour perception not repeated at least every five years, or the exam administered by someone not designated in writing by the Responsible Level 3 (questions 5.4.6, 5.4.7). AC7114 is the base checklist of the Nadcap NDT programme, and it audits the NDT quality system rather than any one method. It covers customer requirement flowdown and the sequencing of NDT operations, procurement control over sub-tier calibration and cleaning/etching facilities, an annual internal NDT audit, control and traceability of inspection status identifiers, inspection and traveller records, and calibration including interval extension. Section 5 audits people: the written practice, certification packages, vision records, the Responsible Level 3, outside Level 3 agencies and training course outlines. AC7114 is never used alone — every accredited method adds a slash sheet, and each prime may add a supplemental question set. The general quality system is covered by AS9100/EN9100, AC7004, or ISO/IEC 17025 for test houses.
Source: AC7114 Rev L (Issued 1997-07, Revised 21-SEP-2017, superseding Rev K, to be used on audits starting on or after 31-DEC-2017) read in full for question numbering and Compliance Assessment Guidance. Current revisions confirmed from PRI-issued Nadcap NDT certificates and Scopes of Accreditation: AC7114 Rev S (audits on/after 19-May-2024) and AC7114S Rev R (on/after 10-Nov-2024) on 2025-dated certificates; AC7114 Rev R and AC7114S Rev Q on a certificate expiring 31 May 2026; AC7114 Rev P and AC7114S Rev O on a certificate expiring 31 May 2023. PRI Nadcap FAQ (accreditation length wording) and Getting Started pages, accessed 21 Aug 2026.
| Item | What applies | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Regime | Nadcap Audit Criteria for NonDestructive Testing (NDT) Auditees Accreditation Program — AC7114 | Enforced by Performance Review Institute (PRI), a not-for-profit affiliate of SAE International, administering Nadcap on behalf of the Nadcap NDT Task Group and its subscribing primes |
| Document | Examination Records | the general, specific and practical examination papers and results behind each certification |
| Owner | the employer's Level III | The signature an auditor traces back |
| Where it is checked | PRI's NDT staff engineer compiles the audit pack; the NDT Task Group, made up of the subscribing primes,. | Usually against a sampled job, not in isolation |
| Common failure | Self-audit uploaded late, performed against a superseded checklist revision, or not including one compliance job per method (AC7114 question 4) | The gap between the manual and the job file |
What must a examination records contain under Nadcap NDT / AC7114?
It has to satisfy Nadcap NDT / AC7114 as Performance Review Institute (PRI), a not-for-profit affiliate of SAE International, administering Nadcap on behalf of the Nadcap NDT Task Group and its subscribing primes enforces it: the general, specific and practical examination papers and results behind each certification. The test is not completeness on paper but traceability — an auditor picks a finished job and works backwards to this document, so anything it claims must be demonstrable on that job.
Who signs the examination records for Nadcap NDT / AC7114?
The employer's Level III. Because this regime accepts employer-based certification, that role can be filled by a contracted Level III rather than a staff appointment, provided they are qualified in the methods they sign for.
How does a Nadcap NDT / AC7114 auditor test this document?
By sampling. They take a completed job, find the technicians and equipment used, and trace each back through this document to the evidence behind it. A document that reads well but cannot survive that trace is the most common finding across every regime, not just this one.
How long must Nadcap NDT / AC7114 records be kept?
Initial accreditation is 12 months. PRI states it can be extended to 18 months based on audit performance after three audits, and to 24 months after five audits, under the Supplier Merit Program. Both lengths appear on real certificates: an 18-month accreditation expiring 31 May 2023 and a 24-month accreditation expiring 31 May 2026 and 28 February 2027. Major NCRs, non-sustaining corrective actions and accumulated delinquency days cost a site its merit interval. Retention is set by the regime and by the client contract above it, and the longer of the two governs. Firms that set one retention period for everything and document it fare better at audit than firms tracking different periods per record type and losing track.
Does a generic template satisfy Nadcap NDT / AC7114?
No. A downloaded template describes a generic firm, and the first question an auditor asks is whether the document describes THIS firm — its methods, its equipment, its people, its actual workflow. Templates are a starting structure; the content has to be the firm's own or the trace fails immediately.
What happens if this document is missing at a Nadcap NDT / AC7114 audit?
It is a finding, and depending on the regime it can suspend the certificate rather than merely generate a corrective action. The related finding auditors record most often is: Self-audit uploaded late, performed against a superseded checklist revision, or not including one compliance job per method (AC7114 question 4)
Where this sits in the Nadcap NDT / AC7114 evidence pack
- Completed self-audit checklists — AC7114 plus every applicable slash sheet and supplement — uploaded to eAuditNet no less than 30 days before the scheduled audit, with the procedure and paragraph referenced for each question
- NDT written practice for qualification and certification of personnel, approved by the Responsible Level 3
- NDT method process procedures, plus the work instructions known in industry as technique sheets or data cards
- List of Approved NDT Personnel including Level 3's, on attachment AC7114-A
- NDT material and equipment list for each method on attachments AC7114/1A through AC7114/9A
- Subscriber Matrix of Nadcap Subscribers that have approved the supplier for NDT — inaccuracy here is stated cause for a follow-up audit
- Personnel certification packages: training records, experience, latest written and practical examinations, vision and colour-perception records
- Annual internal NDT audit records, and the documented annual maintenance (technical proficiency) review for each certified individual in each method
- Calibration certificates providing traceability to the unit of measure, and documented justification where a calibration interval has been extended
- Proof on file of NAS 410 / EN 4179 certification for any outside-agency or corporate Level 3 used for examinations, procedure or technique approval, hardware inspection, or as Responsible Level 3
Personnel certification context
Employer-based. AC7114 audits the supplier's own written practice built to AIA/NAS 410 (EN 4179 in Europe); PRI certifies no individuals. Crucially the checklist explicitly contemplates an outsourced Level 3. Question 5.5.1 lets the employer designate either an Internal or an External Responsible Level 3 — a corporate Level 3 not stationed at the site counts as external. 5.5.2 requires every audited method to be covered by a Level 3, internal or external. 5.5.3 asks whether outside agencies provide Level 3 services and 5.5.4 requires documentation on file proving that outside Level 3 is certified to NAS 410/EN 4179. The employer, not the contractor, still signs the certifications.
Related: the Nadcap NDT / AC7114 overview, outsourced ASNT Level III cover, written practice development, NDT procedure development, a programme gap assessment, interim Level III cover.