AMC-ELA No 1 to 21.A.239(b) Design assurance system –Independent checking function    

CAA ORS9 Decision No. 1

The design assurance system (DAS) defines methods to ensure there is an independent verification of the compliance demonstration on the basis of which the organisation submits compliance statements and associated documentation to CAA.

Compliance verification therefore means the approval of all those compliance documents that are necessary for the verification of compliance with the applicable type-certification basis, the applicable operational suitability data certification basis and the environmental protection requirements, as defined in the certification programme. This shall include all the relevant aspects that ultimately lead to the showing of compliance, and therefore, for example, it may need to be extended to test programmes or data analysis reports if the higher-level compliance report itself does not adequately cover all the necessary levels of detail.

Compliance verification is provided by the approval of documented information by a person who did not create the approved data, and who acts as a compliance verification engineer (CVE). Approval is given after the completeness and technical accuracy of the report and the correctness of the derived statement of compliance have been verified. The approval must be documented in such a way that the date and the person who gives approval can be identified.

CVEs are nominated for specific scopes of responsibility. The structure of these scopes is defined by the applicant, and it should follow a logical structure, commensurate with the type of product, such as, for example, by disciplines (e.g. structures, flight, electrical system, etc.), by a set of CS requirements (Subpart B, Subpart C, etc.), by a (set of) ATA chapters (ATA 27 Flight Controls, ATA 32

Landing Gear, ATA 51 Structures, etc.), or by any other appropriate logic. For the kind of product addressed by this AMC, it is explicitly acceptable for the scope of the CVE to be broken down into only a few different disciplines, commensurate with the kind of product.

Compliance verification as part of the DAS is the only task within the DOA in which the creation and the CVE check of documents is mandatorily performed by different persons. It is acceptable for one person to hold multiple CVE nominations. For small companies, it is acceptable for persons who hold other functions, such as the CE, HDO and HOA, to also be nominated as design engineers and CVEs, provided they have the proper competence.