[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 186 (Thursday, September 25, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 57429-57431]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-22781]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 186 / Thursday, September 25, 2014 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 57429]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2014-0667; Special Conditions No. 25-569-SC]
Special Conditions: Boeing Model 777-300ER, Single-Occupant,
Oblique (Side-Facing) Seats With Inflatable Lapbelts
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special condition; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for Boeing Model 777-300ER
airplanes with single-occupant, oblique (side-facing) seats equipped
with inflatable lapbelts. This installation is novel or unusual, and
the applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for occupants of seats installed at an
oblique angle of 30 degrees to the centerline of the airplane or for
inflatable restraint systems. These special conditions contain the
additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary
to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the
existing airworthiness standards.
DATES: The effective date of these special conditions is September 25,
2014. We must receive your comments by November 10, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2014-0667
using any of the following methods:
Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ and
follow the online instructions for sending your comments
electronically.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room W12-140, West
Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket Operations in
Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except federal holidays.
Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Privacy: The FAA will post all comments it receives, without
change, to http://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal
information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the
docket Web site, anyone can find and read the electronic form of all
comments received into any FAA docket, including the name of the
individual sending the comment (or signing the comment for an
association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete Privacy Act
Statement can be found in the Federal Register published on April 11,
2000 (65 FR 19477-19478), as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov./
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
http://www.regulations.gov/ at any time. Follow the online instructions
for accessing the docket or go to the Docket Operations in Room W12-140
of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Shelden, Airframe and Cabin
Safety, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-3356; telephone
425-227-2785; facsimile 425-227-1232; email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has determined that notice of, and
opportunity for prior public comment on, these special conditions are
impracticable because such procedures would significantly delay
issuance of the design approval and thus the delivery of the affected
airplane, and such impracticability was not of the applicant's
creation. The FAA therefore finds that good cause exists for making
these special conditions effective upon publication in the Federal
Register.
Comments Invited
We invite interested people to take part in this rulemaking by
sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the special conditions, explain the
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data.
We will consider all comments we receive by the closing date for
comments. We may change these special conditions based on the comments
we receive.
Background
On July 18, 2014, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707,
Seattle, Washington 98124, applied for a type certificate design change
to type certificate no. T00001SE to install single-occupant seats
installed at an oblique angle to the centerline of the airplane, and
which are equipped with inflatable lapbelts, in Boeing Model 777-300ER
airplanes. The Model 777 series airplane is a swept-wing, conventional-
tail, twin-engine, turbofan- powered, transport-category airplane.
Amendment 25-15 to part 25, dated October 24, 1967, introduced the
subject of side-facing seats and a requirement that each occupant in a
side-facing seat must be protected from head injury by a safety belt
and a cushioned rest that will support the arms, shoulders, head, and
spine.
Subsequently, Amendment 25-20, dated April 23, 1969, clarified the
definition of sideward-facing seats to require that each occupant of a
seat that is positioned at more than an 18-degree angle to the vertical
plane containing the airplane centerline must be protected from head
injury by a safety belt and an energy-absorbing rest that supports the
arms, shoulders, head, and spine; or by a safety belt and shoulder
harness that prevents the head from contacting injurious objects. The
FAA concluded that a maximum 18-degree angle would provide an adequate
level of safety based on tests that were performed at that time, and
thus adopted that standard.
Part 25 was amended June 16, 1988, by Amendment 25-64, to revise
the emergency-landing conditions that must be considered in the design
of the airplane. Amendment 25-64 revised the static-load conditions in
Sec. 25.561, and added a new Sec. 25.562 that required
[[Page 57430]]
dynamic testing for all seats approved for occupancy during takeoff and
landing. The intent of Amendment 25-64 is to provide an improved level
of safety for occupants on transport-category airplanes. Because most
seating is forward-facing on transport-category airplanes, the pass/
fail criteria developed in Amendment 25-64 focused primarily on these
seats. As a result, the FAA issued Policy Memorandums ANM-03-115-30 and
PS-ANM-100-2000-00123 to provide additional guidance to demonstrate the
level of safety required by the regulations for side-facing seats.
To address more recent research findings, the FAA developed a
methodology to address all fully side-facing seats (i.e, seats oriented
in the airplane with the occupant facing 90 degrees to the direction of
airplane travel) and has documented those requirements in a set of
proposed new special conditions. In this regard, the FAA has issued
Policy Statement PS-ANM-25-03-R1, which conveys revised injury criteria
associated with neck and leg injuries.
The Model 777-300ER China Airlines business-class seat installation
is novel or unusual in that the current airworthiness standards, and
the current Model 777 side-facing-seat special conditions, do not
contain adequate or appropriate safety standards, regarding occupants'
neck and spine, for oblique (side-facing) seat installation that
restricts the occupant's knees/legs from aligning with both the upper
torso and the impact vector during a forward event. As such, the Boeing
Company proposes a revised seating configuration that requires new
special conditions.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of 14 CFR 21.101, Boeing must show that the
777-300ER meets the applicable provisions of 14 CFR part 25, as amended
by Amendments 25-128, except for earlier amendments as agreed upon by
the FAA. These regulations will be incorporated into type certificate
no. T00001SE after type certification approval of the 777-300ER. The
regulations incorporated by reference in T00001SE are as follows:
The type-certification basis for the Model 777-300ER airplane is 14
CFR part 25, effective February 1, 1965, as amended by Amendments 25-1
through 25-98, including special conditions 25-295-SC and 25-187A-SC.
In addition, the certification basis includes certain special
conditions, exemptions, or later amended sections of the applicable
part that are not relevant to these proposed special conditions.
If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness
regulations (i.e., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Boeing Model 777-300ER airplane
because of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are
prescribed under the provisions of Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the type certificate for that model be amended
later to include any other model that incorporates the same novel or
unusual design feature, or should any other model already included on
the same type certificate be modified to incorporate the same novel or
unusual design feature, the special conditions would also apply to the
other model.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Boeing Model 777-300ER airplane must comply with the
fuel-vent and exhaust-emission requirements of 14 CFR part 34, and the
noise-certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in
accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type-
certification basis under Sec. 21.101.
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Boeing Model 777-300ER airplane will incorporate the following
novel or unusual design features:
The seating configuration proposed by Boeing in Certification Plan
No. 13668, ``Installation of B/E Aerospace Business Class Seats on
China Airlines (CHI) WE501,'' which consists of Super Diamond model,
oblique (side-facing), business-class passenger seats, manufactured by
B/E Aerospace, in a Boeing Model 777-300ER airplane. These seats will
also incorporate inflatable restraints.
The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for occupants of seats installed in the
proposed configuration. To provide a level of safety equivalent to that
afforded to occupants of forward- and aft-facing seats, additional
airworthiness standards, in the form of special conditions, are
necessary.
Although special conditions 25-295-SC and 25-187A-SC already apply
to the 777-300ER, these do not directly address the complex occupant-
loading conditions introduced by this oblique (side-facing) seat
configuration. In addition, this seat-angle configuration is not
specifically addressed in Policy Statement PS-ANM-25-03-R1, which is
intended to address fully side-facing seats, i.e., 90-degree
installation angle.
Discussion
Boeing's proposed seating configuration could introduce complex
loading of the occupant. In conjunction with the 30-degree oblique
(side-facing) orientation of the seats, surrounding structure restricts
the occupant's knees and legs, in a forward event, from aligning with
both the upper torso and the impact vector. In addition, the inflatable
lapbelt design, intended to provide occupant restraint and injury
prevention, introduces a significant rebound flail of the head and
neck.
The level of safety intended by current rules is that aircraft
seating configurations protect the occupant from serious injury.
Development testing of the proposed seating configuration has shown
that the inflatable restraint contributes to loading of the head and
neck in the fore and aft directions, and has also produced significant
head twisting. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
regulations specify neck injury criteria for the 50th percentile male
as part of the FMVSS No. 208 alternative test, S13.2. Therefore, we
find that it is appropriate to adopt the same neck-injury criteria used
in the FMVSS 571.208, and measure it using the FAA Hybrid III
anthropomorphic test dummy (ATD). The neck injury criteria, called
``Nij'', imposes critical limits for all four possible modes
of neck loading; tension or compression combined with either flexion
(forward) or extension (rearward) bending moment. The Nij is
defined as the sum of the normalized loads and moments of the neck load
cells installed in the ATD. We will also limit the head rotation based
on existing relevant research literature. Impact of the neck with any
surface could cause serious neck injury from concentrated loading;
therefore these special conditions do not allow such contact.
Preliminary results from FAA-sponsored oblique-seat research
indicate that unrestricted flailing of the upper torso during forward
impacts can produce significant injuries. Although specific injury
criteria to predict these injuries is not yet available, limiting the
amount of forward flailing has been observed to reduce the magnitude
and duration of spinal loading. Therefore, these special conditions
require that seat designs limit the forward flail of the upper body to
reduce the risk of these injuries.
These special conditions contain the additional safety standards
that the Administrator considers necessary to
[[Page 57431]]
establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the
existing airworthiness standards.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the
Boeing Model 777-300ER airplane. Should Boeing apply at a later date
for a change to the type certificate to include another model
incorporating the same novel or unusual design feature, the special
conditions would apply to that model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features
on one model of airplane. It is not a rule of general applicability.
Under standard practice, the effective date of final special
conditions would be 30 days after the date of publication in the
Federal Register; however, as the certification date for the Boeing
Model 777-300ER airplane is imminent, the FAA finds that good cause
exists to make these special conditions effective upon publication in
the Federal Register.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, 44704.
The Special Conditions
Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part of
the type-certification basis for Boeing Model 777-300ER airplanes.
Inflatable Lapbelt Special Conditions
The inflatable lapbelts must meet the criteria of Special
Conditions 25-187A-SC.
Single-Occupant, Oblique (side-facing) Seats Special Conditions
1. Longitudinal (16g) occupant injury test(s), must be performed
with the FAA Hybrid III ATD, undeformed floor, most critical yaw
case(s) for injury, and with all lateral structural supports (armrests/
walls). The criteria for the pass/fail injury assessments are listed in
special conditions 2 through 5 in this section.
2. Existing Criteria: All injury protection criteria of Sec.
25.562(c)(1) through (c)(6) apply to the occupant of an oblique (side-
facing) seat. Head injury criterion (HIC) assessments are only required
for head contact with the seat and/or adjacent structures. If there is
no apparent contact with seat/structure but there is contact with an
inflatable restraint, the HIC15 score for that contact must be less
than 700.
3. Body-to-Wall/Furnishing Contact Criteria: If an oblique (side-
facing) seat is installed aft of structure (e.g., an interior wall or
furnishing) that does not provide a homogenous contact surface for the
expected range of occupants and yaw angles, then additional analysis
and/or test(s) may be required to demonstrate that the injury criteria
are met for the area which an occupant could contact. For example, if
difference yaw angles could result in different inflatable restraint
performance then additional analysis or separate test(s) may be
necessary to evaluate.
4. Neck-Injury Criteria:
a. In demonstrating that the design meets the criteria of FMVSS
571.208, the applicant must show the Nij to be below 1.0,
where Nij =Fz/Fzc + My/
Myc, and Nij intercepts limited to:
i. Fzc = 1530 lb for tension
ii. Fzc = 1385 lb for compression
iii. Myc = 229 lb-ft in flexion
iv. Myc = 100 lb-ft in extension
b. In addition, peak Fz must be below 937 lb in tension
and 899 lb in compression.
c. Rotation of the head about its vertical axis relative to the
torso is limited to 105 degrees in either direction from forward-
facing.
d. The neck must not impact any surface.
5. Spine and Torso Injury Criteria:
a. The shoulders must remain aligned with the hips throughout the
impact sequence, or support for the upper torso must be provided to
prevent forward or lateral flailing beyond 45 degrees from the vertical
during significant spinal loading.
b. Occupant must not interact with the armrest or other seat
components in any manner significantly different than would be expected
for a forward-facing seat installation.
6. One longitudinal (16g) structural test must be performed with
the Hybrid II ATD or FAA Hybrid III, deformed floor, with 10 degrees
yaw, and with all lateral structural supports (armrests/walls). Use
existing structural pass/fail criteria from Sec. 25.562.
7. One vertical (14g) test must be conducted with Hybrid II ATDs or
FAA Hybrid III. Use existing pass/fail structural and injury criteria
from Sec. 25.562.
Note: The applicant must demonstrate that the installation of
seats via plinths or pallets meets all applicable requirements.
Compliance with the guidance contained in FAA Policy Memorandum PS-
ANM-100-2000-00123, dated February 2, 2000, titled ``Guidance for
Demonstrating Compliance with Seat Dynamic Testing for Plinths and
Pallets,'' is acceptable to the FAA.
Issued in Renton, Washington September 19, 2014.
Michael Kaszycki,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-22781 Filed 9-24-14; 8:45 am]
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