Nondestructive Testing in the Aerospace Industry
NDT technicians ensure safety and reliability across the full lifecycle of aircraft and spacecraft. From quality assurance in manufacturing to facilitating maintenance, repair, and overhaul, NDT is essential in the highly complex and safety-critical aerospace industry.
Ensuring Aerospace Safety and Reliability from Manufacture to End of Service
Air travel and transport and orbital spacecraft are so common today that most people take for granted our ability to go vast distances in a few hours, get packages overnight, and communicate via satellite. Yet, the aerospace industry is incredibly complex, relying on the expertise and dedication of thousands of skilled people every day.
Failures caused by seemingly minor defects—metal fatigue, stress cracks, or manufacturing defects—can have catastrophic consequences .
2010: Qantas Flight 32 experienced an uncontained engine failure shortly after takeoff. Although the aircraft landed safely with no injuries, the incident was severe.
2018: Engine failure during Southwest Airlines Flight 1380 caused debris to strike the fuselage, decompressing the cabin and resulting in a passenger death.
2021: When an engine failed shortly after takeoff of United Airlines Flight 328, parts of the engine cowling fell into residential areas.
In an industry that’s constantly evolving, high-profile incidents underscore the critical importance of NDT. Effective NDT practices can detect failures such as these before they happen, enhancing the safety and reliability of aircraft operations.
NDT Technicians Are In Demand Across Aerospace Sectors
Aerospace vehicles—including aircraft, spacecraft, rockets, and missiles—encounter tremendous forces during operation, so every step in a vehicle’s lifecycle must be carefully designed, monitored, and maintained to prevent catastrophic structural or systems failures.
NDT is an integral part of:
Aircraft manufacturing: Qualification and testing of raw materials, in-process inspection of individual components, and inspection of the finished product
Aircraft maintenance and repair: Rigorous and regular inspection of structures (e.g., wings, fuselage, landing gear) and systems (e.g., electronics, guidance systems, propulsion, and hydraulics)
NDT in Aircraft Manufacturing
Aircraft are constructed using high-performance materials, and components are precision-crafted to tight tolerances. Across all aerospace sectors, NDT technicians inspect materials before and during the manufacturing process. To ensure the integrity of structures and systems, aircraft and spacecraft manufacturers employ NDT at multiple stages:
Performing NDT on incoming aircraft manufacturing materials reduces the producers’ risk by locating discontinuities that would be potentially rejectable after the machining process.
NDT inspections during the manufacturing process help prevent costly rework, waste, and productivity losses.
Leveraging NDT for inspection of finished parts allows producers to detect discontinuities that could potentially cause a failure during the service life of the part—compromising the safety of the aircraft.
NDT Applications in Aircraft Manufacturing
Material Selection and Validation
Component Fabrication
Assembly Processes
Engine Component Inspections
Propulsion Systems
NDT in Aircraft Maintenance and Repair
Aircraft and spacecraft are built for extended service and grueling conditions—whether in airline and shipping operations or in orbit around the earth. Across aerospace sectors, NDT is embedded into operations at every step.
The digital drivers behind emerging inspection technologies and methods are transforming the speed, accuracy, and detail that NDT can provide. As a result, aviation organizations can continually improve service while experiencing only necessary and minimal downtime.
As the industry and its technologies evolve, rigorous application of NDT in aerospace maintenance is indispensable for:
Ensuring the safety of passengers, crew, and cargo
Reducing costs of operating aircraft
Continuous improvement of systems and processes
NDT Applications for Inspections of In-Service Aircraft
Routine Maintenance Inspections
Damage Assessment
Life Extension Programs
Build Your NDT Career in Aerospace with ASNT
Increasing dependence on the aerospace industry has energized demand for NDT in aviation, spacecraft, and defense. And all these aerospace sectors require rapid and exact inspection results to maintain safe and reliable operations.
NDT technicians in aerospace must be up to date with current NDT methods and in touch with the latest technologies and techniques.
ASNT keeps you informed at every step of your career journey.
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NDT Methods: Technologies and Techniques That Support the Aerospace Industry
The many industry market segments of aerospace require the application of all of the NDT methods that are commonly in use. These NDT methods are integral to maintaining the safety and reliability of aircraft, ensuring that any defects are detected and addressed before they can lead to failure.
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NDT Certification and Training with ASNT
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