Characteristic Accountability is the AS9102 requirement that every characteristic on the design documentation is identified, measured on the first article, and its conformance status recorded — with no characteristic left unaddressed.
The term reflects the core discipline of FAI: the supplier is accountable for each and every characteristic on the drawing. There can be no selective sampling or skipping of "difficult" characteristics. Every balloon in the ballooned drawing must have a corresponding measured value in Form 3.
Characteristics are classified by criticality. Critical Characteristics (CC) typically require process capability data (Cpk ≥ 1.67 per AS9103), while Significant Characteristics (SC) may require enhanced inspection. Minor characteristics are inspected and recorded but may not need capability studies.
When a characteristic cannot be measured directly (e.g., a feature accessible only during manufacturing, or requiring destructive testing), the supplier must document why and provide alternative objective evidence of conformance.
Concrete example
A drawing has 200 characteristics, including 12 Critical Characteristics. The FAI is considered complete only when all 200 are measured and recorded, and Cpk data is provided for the 12 CCs.