[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 217 (Tuesday, November 10, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 69567-69569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28568]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2015-4086; Special Conditions No. 25-605-SC]
Special Conditions: Boeing Model 787-9 Airplane; Structure-
Mounted Airbags
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Model 787-9
airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature
when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the
airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design
feature is airbags mounted to structure to prevent serious injury. The
applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for this design feature. 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: This action is effective on Boeing on November 10, 2015. We must
receive your comments by December 28, 2015 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 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: Jeff Gardlin, FAA, Airframe and Cabin
Safety Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft
Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-
3356; telephone 425-227-2136; facsimile 425-227-1232.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has determined that notice of, and
opportunity for prior public comment on, these special conditions is
impracticable because these procedures would significantly delay
issuance of the design approval and thus delivery of the affected
airplane.
In addition, the substance of these special conditions has been
subject to the public comment process in prior instances with no
substantive comments received. 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 5, 2009, The Boeing Company applied for a change to type
certificate no. T00021SE for structure-mounted airbags in the Model
787-9 airplane. The Model 787-9 airplane, which is a derivative of the
Model 787 series currently approved under type certificate no.
T00021SE, has a maximum passenger capacity of 420 passengers and a
maximum takeoff weight of 557,000 lbs.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) 21.101, The Boeing Company must show that the 787-9, as changed,
continues to meet the applicable provisions of the regulations
reference listed in type certificate no. T00021SE or the applicable
regulations in effect on the date of application for the change, except
for earlier amendments as agreed upon by the FAA.
The certification basis includes certain special conditions,
exemptions, or later amended sections of the applicable part that are
not relevant to these 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 Model 787-9 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
[[Page 69568]]
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, these special
conditions would also apply to the other model under Sec. 21.101.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Model 787-9 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 Model 787-9 airplane will incorporate the following novel or
unusual design feature: Airbags mounted to structure to prevent head
injury.
Discussion
Boeing proposes to install structure-mounted airbags instead of
inflatable lap belts as a means to protect each occupant from serious
injury in the event of an emergency landing, as required by Sec.
25.562(c)(5), on 787-9 airplanes equipped with B/E Aerospace Super-
Diamond Model business-class passenger seats.
Such use of airbags to provide injury protection for the occupant
is a novel or unusual feature for this airplane model, and the
applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or
appropriate airworthiness standards for these design features.
Therefore, special conditions are needed to address requirements
particular to installation of airbags in this manner.
Special conditions exist for airbags installed on seat belts, known
as inflatable lap belts, which have been installed on Boeing passenger
seats. Structure-mounted airbags, although a novel design, were first
introduced on Jetstream Aircraft Limited Model 4100 series airplanes,
which resulted in issuance of Special Conditions 25-ANM-127 on May 14,
1997. These special conditions supplemented 14 CFR part 25 and, more
specifically, Sec. Sec. 25.562 and 25.785.
The structure-mounted airbag, similar to the inflatable lap belt,
is designed to limit occupant forward excursion in the event of an
emergency landing. These airbags will reduce the potential for serious
injury, including reducing the head injury criterion (HIC) measurement
defined in part 25. However, structure-mounted airbags function
similarly as automotive airbags, where the airbag deploys from the
furniture that is in front of the passenger, relative to the airplane's
direction of flight, forming a barrier between the structure and
occupant. Also, unlike the inflatable lap belt, the structure-mounted
airbag does not move with the occupant. To account for out-of-position
and brace-position occupants, the airbag is designed to conform to the
curvature of the exposed structure in the head-strike zone.
Because the airbag system is essentially a single-use device, it
could deploy under crash conditions that are not sufficiently so severe
as to require the injury protection the airbag system provides. Because
an actual crash is frequently composed of a series of impacts before
the airplane comes to rest, a larger impact following the initial
impact could render the airbag system unavailable. This potential
situation does not exist with standard upper-torso restraints, which
tend to provide continuous protection regardless of impact severity, or
number of impacts, in a crash event. Therefore, the airbag-system
installation should be such that it provides protection, when it is
required, by not expending its protection when it is not required. If
the airbag deployment threshold is unnecessarily low, the airbag would
need to continue to provide protection when an impact requiring
protection occurs.
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.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the
Boeing Model 787-9 airplane. Should The Boeing Company apply at a later
date for a change to the type certificate to include another model
incorporating the same novel or unusual design feature, these special
conditions would apply to that model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features
on one model series 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 787-9 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.
0
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 787-9 airplanes.
1. The applicant must demonstrate by test that the structure-
mounted airbag will deploy and provide protection under crash
conditions where it is necessary to prevent serious injury to a 50th
percentile occupant, as specified in Sec. 25.562. The means of
protection must provide a consistent approach to energy absorption for
a range of occupants, from a two-year-old child to a 95th percentile
male.
2. The structure-mounted airbag must provide adequate protection
for each occupant regardless of the number of occupants of the seat
assembly.
3. The structure-mounted airbag system must not be susceptible to
inadvertent deployment as a result of wear and tear, or inertial loads
resulting from in-flight or ground maneuvers (including gusts and hard
landings) likely to be experienced in service.
4. Deployment of the structure-mounted airbag must not introduce
hazards or injury mechanisms to the seated occupant, including
occupants in the brace position. Deployment of the structure-mounted
airbag must also not result in injuries that could impede rapid exit
from the airplane.
5. The applicant must demonstrate that an inadvertent deployment
that could cause injury to a standing or sitting person is improbable.
Inadvertent deployment must not cause injury to anyone who may be
positioned close to the structure-mounted airbag (e.g., seated in an
adjacent seat, or standing adjacent to the airbag installation or the
subject seat). Cases where a structure-mounted airbag is inadvertently
deployed near a seated occupant or an empty seat must be considered.
6. Effects of the deflection and deformation of the structure to
which the airbag is attached must be taken into account when evaluating
deployment and location of the inflated airbag. The effect of loads
imposed by airbag
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deployment, or stowed components where applicable, must also be taken
into account.
7. Inadvertent deployment of the structure-mounted airbag during
the most critical part of flight will either not cause a hazard to the
airplane or is extremely improbable.
8. The applicant must demonstrate that the structure-mounted
airbag, when deployed, does not impair access to the seatbelt- or
harness-release means, and must not hinder evacuation. This will
include consideration of adjacent seat places and the aisle.
9. The airbag, once deployed, must not adversely affect the
emergency-lighting system, and must not block escape-path lighting to
the extent that the light(s) no longer meet their intended function.
10. The structure-mounted airbag must not impede occupants' rapid
exit from the airplane 10 seconds after its deployment.
11. Where structure-mounted airbag systems are installed in or
close to passenger evacuation routes (other than for the passenger seat
for which the airbag is installed), possibility of impact on emergency
evacuation (e.g., hanging in the aisle, potential trip hazard, etc.)
must be evaluated.
12. The airbag electronic system must be designed to be protected
from lightning per 14 CFR 25.1316(b), and high-intensity radiated
fields (HIRF) per 14 CFR 25.1317(c).
13. The structure-mounted airbag system must not contain or release
hazardous quantities of gas or particulate matter into the cabin.
14. The structure-mounted airbag installation must be protected
from the effects of fire such that no hazard to occupants will result.
15. The inflatable bag material must meet the 2.5-inches-per-minute
horizontal flammability test defined in 14 CFR part 25, appendix F,
part I, paragraph (a)(1)(iv).
16. The design of the structure-mounted airbag system must protect
the mechanisms and controls from external contamination associated with
that which could occur on or around passenger seating.
17. The structure-mounted airbag system must have a means to verify
the integrity of the structure-mounted airbag activation system.
18. The applicant must provide installation limitations to ensure
installation compatibility between the seat design and opposing
monument or structure.
Issued in Renton, Washington, on October 30, 2015.
Michael Kaszycki,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-28568 Filed 11-9-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P