What Is NADCAP Accreditation, and How Do You Prepare?

NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) is an industry-managed accreditation program that verifies special processes — like nondestructive testing, welding, heat treating, and coatings — meet consistent, audited quality standards across the aerospace supply chain.

For manufacturers and repair stations, NADCAP accreditation is often a contractual requirement from aerospace primes and OEMs, not just a nice-to-have. Losing it, or failing to obtain it, can mean losing supply chain access entirely.

What auditors look for. NADCAP audits focus on whether your documented procedures match what actually happens on the floor — equipment calibration records, personnel certification, process control documentation, and traceability all get scrutinized in detail.

How to prepare. The organizations that pass cleanly are the ones that treat NADCAP prep as an ongoing discipline, not a pre-audit scramble: regular internal audits, a documented gap analysis against the applicable checklist, and a mock audit close enough to the real thing to surface issues while there's still time to fix them.

Where Lion NDT fits in. We provide gap analysis, documentation support, staff training on NADCAP standards, mock audits, and corrective action planning — whether you're pursuing accreditation for the first time or working to clear findings from your last audit.