How to Prevent AOG Events Caused by Counterfeit Aircraft Parts

The problem

Bogus parts are components that are counterfeit, not approved for use, or fraudulently re-marked to appear as something they are not. In aviation they are a documented and deadly threat: a single undetected component in an engine, a hydraulic system or an avionics stack can cause catastrophic failure.

Short of that, they cause AOG events — Aircraft on Ground — among the costliest disruptions an operator faces. Either way the discovery happens after installation, which is the worst possible time to learn that a part was not what its paperwork said.

Why paperwork and inspection are not enough

Aviation already has traceability documentation, approved supplier programs and incoming inspection. Bogus parts get through anyway, because every one of those controls verifies something other than the part in your hand.

• Certification paperwork can be forged alongside the part it accompanies.
• An approved-supplier list confirms the channel, not the individual component that arrived.
• Visual inspection is defeated by competent re-marking.
• No approved-supplier list, visual inspection or X-ray achieves zero false positives.

A better approach: authenticate before the wrench turns

FeaturePrint gives each genuine part an identity read from its own surface at enrollment. Before installation, a technician photographs the part and the system confirms whether it is the exact enrolled component — not a counterfeit, a PMA substitute or a grey-market part.

It applies across the parts that matter: PCBAs, structural parts, hydraulic components, avionics and vessel filters. Accuracy is greater than 99.9% with zero false positives.

Built for MRO conditions, not just factory conditions

Parts in maintenance, repair and overhaul are not pristine. FeaturePrint is designed to work with the surface damage, contamination and wear that occur through normal use and storage, compensating for those changes while maintaining greater than 99.9% accuracy.

In MRO workflows this means a part's provenance, service history and authenticity can all be confirmed from a standard camera before a wrench turns.

Compliance records as a by-product

Every authentication creates a logged, timestamped record. That produces an audit trail suitable for DFARS 252.246-7007, FAA AC 00-56B and AS9100 counterfeit part avoidance requirements — generated by the checking process itself rather than assembled afterwards.

How it works in three steps

1. Enroll the genuine part with one photograph, at manufacture or at an authorized source.
2. FeaturePrint records its surface signature. Nothing is marked, etched or attached to the part.
3. Photograph the part again before installation to confirm it is the enrolled component.