Regulation (EU) No 748/2012, Annex I (Part 21), Subpart B
21.A.15(b): the certification programme
Point 21.A.15(b) lists what an application for a type certificate must contain: descriptive data, the intended use, and a certification programme with seven elements, from the description of the type design to the project schedule. The programme is the document a certification project is managed from, and the compliance matrix is its fifth element.
The text
Verbatim, with the point markers of the source. Page furniture and footnotes are left out.
(b) An application for a type-certificate or restricted type-certificate shall include, as a minimum, preliminary descriptive data of the product, the intended use of the product and the kind of operations for which certification is requested. In addition, it shall include, or be supplemented after the initial application by, a certification programme for the demonstration of compliance in accordance with point 21.A.20, consisting of:
1. a detailed description of the type design, including all the configurations to be certified;
2. the proposed operating characteristics and limitations;
3. the intended use of the product and the kind of operations for which certification is requested;
4. a proposal for the initial type-certification basis, operational suitability data certification basis and environmental protection requirements, prepared in accordance with the requirements and options specified in points 21.B.80, 21.B.82 and 21.B.85;
5. a proposal for a breakdown of the certification programme into meaningful groups of compliance demonstration activities and data, including a proposal for the means of compliance and related compliance documents;
6. a proposal for the assessment of the meaningful groups of compliance demonstration activities and data, addressing the likelihood of an unidentified non-compliance with the type-certification basis, operational suitability data certification basis or environmental protection requirements and the potential impact of that non-compliance on product safety or environmental protection. The proposed assessment shall take into account at least the elements set out in subpoints (1) to (4) of point 21.B.100(a). Based on this assessment, the application shall include a proposal for the Agency's involvement in the verification of the compliance demonstration activities and data; and
7. a project schedule including major milestones.
The certification programme is a document that allows the applicant and EASA to manage and control the evolving product type design or OSD, as well as the process of compliance demonstration by the applicant and its verification by EASA when required. The certification programme may be based on modules that may be updated independently. The level of detail in the certification programme depends on the complexity of the product and its intended use.
In particular, the following information should typically be expected:
General
— Identification of the relevant personnel who make decisions affecting airworthiness, operational suitability and environmental protection, and who will interface with EASA, unless otherwise identified to EASA (e.g. within the DOA procedures).
— A project schedule including major milestones.
— Subcontracting arrangements for design, operational suitability, environmental protection and/or production as well as design organisation approval (DOA) responsibility sharing.
| Type of compliance | Means of compliance | Associated compliance documents |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering evaluation | MC0: (a) compliance statement, (b) reference to design data, (c) election of methods, factors, etc., (d) definitions; MC1: design review; MC2: calculation/analysis; MC3: safety assessment | (a) Design data; (b) Recorded statements; (c) Descriptions; (d) Drawings; (e) Substantiation reports; (f) Safety analysis |
| Tests | MC4: laboratory tests; MC5: ground tests on related product(s); MC6: flight tests; MC8: simulation | (g) Test programmes; (h) Test reports; (i) Test interpretations |
| Inspection | MC7: design inspection/audit | (j) Inspection or audit reports |
| Equipment qualification | MC9: equipment qualification | Note: Equipment qualification is a process that may include all previous means of compliance at equipment level. |
What it means in practice
The seven elements are, in the order of the point: the type design with every configuration to be certified; the operating characteristics and limitations; the intended use and kind of operations; the proposed certification basis, prepared under points 21.B.80, 21.B.82 and 21.B.85; the breakdown of the programme into meaningful groups of compliance demonstration activities and data, with the means of compliance and the compliance documents; the assessment of those groups, which leads to a proposal for the Agency's involvement; and the schedule. Point (c) requires the programme to be updated whenever a change affects any of them.
Element 5 is where the compliance matrix lives. For each requirement of the certification basis it names the means of compliance, coded MC0 to MC9 in Appendix A, and the compliance document that will carry the evidence. The AMC allows a modular programme and lets the level of detail follow the complexity of the product.
Element 6 is the risk-based part: the applicant assesses, for each group, the likelihood of an unidentified non-compliance and its potential impact on safety, taking into account the elements of point 21.B.100(a), and proposes the Agency's level of involvement on that basis.
Once accepted, the programme becomes the yardstick for point 21.A.20: compliance is demonstrated and later declared "following the certification programme as accepted by the Agency". A weak programme is therefore a weak certification project from the first day.
Where Wingman360 Teammate uses it
The compliance-matrix guide shows how the AI teammate drafts element 5 from a certification basis, row by row, with the MC code and the compliance document for each requirement. The compliance verification engineer reviews and signs; the teammate signs nothing.
Sources
- Easy Access Rules for Initial Airworthiness and Environmental Protection (Regulation (EU) No 748/2012), July 2024 revisionEuropean Union Aviation Safety Agency. Point 21.A.15, AMC 21.A.15(b) and Appendix A quoted from the consolidated text, pages 111 to 116; checked 2026-09-20
EU regulation text is free to reproduce. EASA AMC and GM are reproduced under EASA's terms, with the source acknowledged above. United States federal regulation text is in the public domain. The full register is at /sources.