[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 146 (Friday, July 29, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 49869-49871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17845]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2016-6925; Special Conditions No. 25-623-SC]
Special Conditions: Embraer S.A. Model EMB-545 and EMB-550
Airplanes; Installation of an Airbag System To Limit the Axial Rotation
of the Upper Leg on Single- and Multiple-Place Side-Facing Seats
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 Embraer S.A.
(Embraer) Model EMB-545 and EMB-550 series airplanes. These airplanes
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 feature is an airbag system designed to limit
the axial rotation of the upper leg on single-place and multiple-place
side-facing seats. 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 Embraer on July 29, 2016. We must
receive your comments by September 12, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2016-6925
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
[[Page 49870]]
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: Jayson Claar, FAA, Airframe and Cabin
Safety Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft
Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-
3356; telephone 425-227-2194; facsimile 425-227-1320.
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
airplanes.
In addition, the substance of these special conditions has been
subject to the public-comment process in several 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 March 26, 2015, Embraer applied for a type design change for
their new Model EMB-545 and EMB-550 airplanes. These airplanes,
currently approved under type certificate no. TC00062IB, are
conventional configurations with low wing and T-tail empennage. The
primary structure is metal with composite empennage and control
surfaces. The EMB-545 is designed for a maximum of 9 passengers and the
EMB-550 is designed for a maximum of 12 passengers. Both are equipped
with two Honeywell HTF7500-E medium-bypass-ratio turbofan engines
mounted on aft-fuselage pylons.
Both airplane models have an interior configuration that includes
single- and multiple-place side-facing seats (both seating
configurations referred to as side-facing seats) that include an airbag
system in the shoulder belt for these seats, per special conditions no.
25-495-SC; and an airbag system to limit the axial rotation of the
upper leg (femur).
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) 21.101, Embraer must show that the Model EMB-545 and EMB-550
airplanes meet the applicable provisions of the regulations listed in
type certificate no. TC00062IB, or the applicable regulations in effect
on the date of application for the change, except for earlier
amendments as agreed upon by the FAA.
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 EMB-545 and EMB-550
airplanes 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, 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 EMB-545 and EMB-550 airplanes 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 EMB-545 and EMB-550 airplanes will incorporate the
following novel or unusual design features:
An airbag system designed to limit the axial rotation of the upper
leg on single-place and multiple-place side-facing seats.
Discussion
The FAA has developed a methodology to address all fully side-
facing seats (seats positioned in the airplane with the occupant facing
90 degrees to the direction of airplane travel), and documented those
requirements in special conditions 25-495-SC specifically for these
airplanes, including special conditions for the installation of airbag
systems in shoulder belts. Special condition 2(e) of those special
conditions contain safety criteria to address the potential for serious
upper-leg injuries.
Serious leg injuries, such as femur fracture, can occur in aviation
side-facing seats. Such injuries could threaten the occupant's life
directly or eliminate the occupant's ability to evacuate the airplane.
Limiting upper-leg axial rotation to a conservative limit of 35 degrees
(approximately the 50-percentile range of motion) should limit the risk
of serious leg injury. Research suggests that the angle of rotation can
be determined by observing lower-leg flailing in typical high-speed
video of the dynamic tests. Alternately, the anthropomorphic test dummy
could be instrumented to directly measure upper-leg axial rotation.
This requirement complies with the intent of the Sec. 25.562(a) injury
criteria in preventing serious leg injury.
To comply with special condition 2(e) on some seat positions,
Embraer proposes to install leg-flail airbags. This airbag is not
addressed in special conditions 25-495-SC. Therefore, the FAA must
issue new special conditions to address this leg-flail airbag
installation. These special conditions are similar to other special
conditions previously issued for airbags.
The FAA has issued special conditions in the past for airbag
systems on lap belts for some forward-facing seats. These special
conditions for the airbag system in the shoulder belt are based on the
previous special conditions for airbag systems on lap belts with some
changes to address the specific issues of side-facing seats. The
special conditions are not an installation approval. Therefore, while
the special conditions relate to each such system installed, the
overall installation approval is a separate finding, and must consider
the combined effects of all such systems installed.
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
Model EMB-545 and EMB-550 airplanes. Should Embraer apply at a later
date for
[[Page 49871]]
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 airplanes. It is not a rule of general
applicability.
The substance of these special conditions has been subjected to the
notice and comment period in several prior instances and has been
derived without substantive change from those previously issued. It is
unlikely that prior public comment would result in a significant change
from the substance contained herein. Therefore, because a delay would
significantly affect the certification of the airplane, the FAA has
determined that prior public notice and comment are unnecessary and
impracticable, and good cause exists for adopting these special
conditions upon publication in the Federal Register. The FAA is
requesting comments to allow interested persons to submit views that
may not have been submitted in response to the prior opportunities for
comment described above.
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 Embraer Model EMB-550 and Model-545
series airplanes.
In addition to the requirements of Sec. Sec. 25.562 and 25.785,
and special conditions no. 25-495-SC, the following special conditions
are part of the type certification basis for the Embraer Model EMB-545
and EMB-550 series airplanes with leg-flail airbags installed on side-
facing seats.
1. For seats with a leg-flail airbag system, the system must deploy
and provide protection under crash conditions where it is necessary to
prevent serious injury. The means of protection must take into
consideration a range of stature from a 2-year-old child to a 95th-
percentile male. At some buttock popliteal length and effective seat-
bottom depth, the lower legs will not be able to form a 90-degree angle
relative to the upper leg; at this point, the lower leg flail would not
occur. The leg-flail airbag system must provide a consistent approach
to prevention of leg flail throughout that range of occupants whose
lower legs can form a 90-degree angle relative to the upper legs when
seated upright in the seat. Items that need to be considered include,
but are not limited to, the range of occupants' popliteal height, the
range of occupants' buttock popliteal length, the design of the seat
effective height above the floor, and the effective depth of the seat-
bottom cushion.
2. The leg-flail airbag system must provide adequate protection for
each occupant regardless of the number of occupants of the seat
assembly, considering that unoccupied seats may have an active leg-
flail airbag system.
3. The leg-flail 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), and other operating and environmental conditions
(vibrations, moisture, etc.) likely to occur in service.
4. Deployment of the leg-flail airbag system must not introduce
injury mechanisms to the seated occupant, or result in injuries that
could impede rapid egress.
5. Inadvertent deployment of the leg-flail airbag system, during
the most critical part of the flight, must either meet the requirement
of Sec. 25.1309(b), or not cause a hazard to the airplane or its
occupants.
6. The leg-flail airbag system must not impede rapid egress of
occupants from the airplane 10 seconds after airbag deployment.
7. The leg-flail airbag system must be protected from lightning and
high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF). The threats to the airplane
specified in existing regulations regarding lightning (Sec. 25.1316)
and HIRF (Sec. 25.1317) are incorporated by reference for the purpose
of measuring lightning and HIRF protection.
8. The leg-flail airbag system must function properly after loss of
normal airplane electrical power, and after a transverse separation of
the fuselage at the most critical location. A separation at the
location of the leg-flail airbag system does not have to be considered.
9. The leg-flail airbag system must not release hazardous
quantities of gas or particulate matter into the cabin.
10. The leg-flail airbag system installation must be protected from
the effects of fire such that no hazard to occupants will result.
11. A means must be available to verify the integrity of the leg-
flail airbag system's activation system prior to each flight, or the
leg-flail airbag system's activation system must reliably operate
between inspection intervals. The FAA considers that the loss of the
leg-flail airbag system's deployment function alone (i.e., independent
of the conditional event that requires the leg-flail airbag system's
deployment) is a major-failure condition.
12. The airbag inflatable material may not have an average burn
rate of greater than 2.5 inches per minute when tested using the
horizontal flammability test defined in part 25, appendix F, part I,
paragraph (b)(5).
13. The leg-flail airbag system, once deployed, must not adversely
affect the emergency-lighting system (i.e., block floor-proximity
lights to the extent that the lights no longer meet their intended
function).
Issued in Renton, Washington, on July 21, 2016.
Michael Kaszycki,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-17845 Filed 7-28-16; 8:45 am]
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