Special Conditions: Boeing Model 787-8 Airplane; Overhead Crew-Rest Compartment, 10476-10482 [2011-4223]

Agencies

• Federal Aviation Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 38 (Friday, February 25, 2011)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 10476-10482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4223]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 25

[Docket No. NM412 Special Conditions No. 25-419-SC]


Special Conditions: Boeing Model 787-8 Airplane; Overhead Crew-
Rest Compartment

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final special conditions.

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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Model 787-8 
airplane. This airplane will have novel or unusual design features 
associated with installation of an overhead crew-rest (OCR) 
compartment. 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. 
Additional special conditions will be issued for other novel or unusual 
design features of the Boeing Model 787-8 airplanes.

DATES: Effective Date: March 28, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Gardlin, FAA, Airframe/Cabin 
Safety Branch, ANM-115, Transport Standards Staff, Transport Airplane 
Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., 
Renton, Washington 98055-4056; telephone (425) 227-2136; facsimile 
(425) 227-1320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On March 28, 2003, The Boeing Commercial Airplane Group (hereafter 
referred to as ``Boeing'') applied for an FAA type certificate for its 
new Boeing Model 787-8 passenger airplane. The company applied for an 
extension of time for the type certificate on March 9, 2009, and was 
granted that extension on March 13, 2009. The Boeing Model 787-8 
airplane will be an all-new, two-engine, jet transport airplane with a 
two-aisle cabin. The maximum takeoff weight will be 476,000 pounds, 
with a maximum passenger capacity of 381.

Type Certification Basis

    Under provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 
21.17, Boeing must show that the Boeing Model 787-8 airplane (hereafter 
referred to as ``the 787'') meets the applicable provisions of 14 CFR 
part 25, as amended by Amendments 25-1 through 25-117, 25-120, 25-124, 
25-125 and 25-128, except that Sec.  25.1309 remains at Amendment 25-
117 for cargo-fire protection systems. 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 787 because of 
a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are prescribed 
under the provisions of Sec.  21.16.
    In addition to complying with the applicable airworthiness 
regulations and special conditions, the 787 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. In addition, the 
FAA must issue a finding of regulatory adequacy pursuant to section 611 
of Public Law 92-574, the ``Noise Control Act of 1972.''
    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.  21.17(a)(2).
    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 features, the special conditions would also apply to the 
other model under provisions of Sec.  21.101.

Novel or Unusual Design Features

    Crew-rest compartments have been installed and certificated on 
several Boeing airplane models in locations as varied as the main 
passenger-seating area, the overhead space above the main passenger-
cabin seating area, and below the passenger-cabin seating area within 
the cargo compartment. In each case, the Administrator has determined 
that the applicable regulations (i.e., 14 CFR part 25) did not provide 
all of the necessary requirements because each installation had unique 
features by virtue of its design, location, and use on the airplane. 
The special conditions contain safety standards that the Administrator 
considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that 
established by the existing airworthiness standards.
    Most recently for the Boeing Model 777 series airplanes, the FAA 
has issued Special Conditions No. 25-230-SC, dated April 9, 2003, for 
crew-rest compartments allowed to be occupied by crewmembers and flight 
crewmembers during flight, and Special Conditions No. 25-260-SC, dated 
April 14, 2004, for crew-rest compartments allowed to be occupied by 
crewmembers and flight crewmembers during TT&L, as well as during 
flight.
    The OCR compartment on the 787 identified by Boeing as an overhead 
flight-attendant rest is located above the main passenger cabin, 
adjacent to Door 4, and will be accessed from the main deck by stairs 
through a vestibule. This OCR compartment will contain six private 
berths, an emergency hatch that opens directly into the main passenger-
cabin area, a smoke-detection system, an oxygen system, and various 
occupant amenities. This OCR compartment will only be occupied by 
trained crewmembers in flight. It will not be

[[Page 10477]]

occupied during taxi, takeoff, or landing.
    This 787 OCR compartment is unique to part 25 because of its 
design, location, and use on the airplane.
    Because of the novel or unusual features associated with 
installation of this compartment, special conditions are considered 
necessary to provide a level of safety equal to that established by the 
airworthiness regulations.
    These special conditions do not negate the need to address other 
applicable part 25 regulations.

Discussion of Comments

    Notice of proposed special conditions 25-09-08-SC for the Boeing 
Model 787 series airplanes was published in the Federal Register on 
January 4, 2010. No comments were received, and these special 
conditions are adopted as proposed.

Operational Evaluations and Approval

    These special conditions outline requirements for OCR-compartment 
design approvals administered by the FAA's Aircraft Certification 
Service. Before operational use of an OCR compartment, the FAA's Flight 
Standards Service must evaluate and approve the ``basic suitability'' 
of the compartment for crew occupation. Additionally, if an operator 
wishes to use an OCR compartment as ``sleeping quarters,'' the 
compartment must undergo an additional evaluation and approval 
(reference 14 CFR 121.485(a), 121.523(b), and 135.269(b)(5)). 
Compliance with these special conditions does not ensure that the 
applicant has demonstrated compliance with the requirements of parts 
121 or 135.
    To obtain an operational evaluation, the type certificate holder 
must contact the appropriate aircraft evaluation group (AEG) in the 
Flight Standards Service and request a ``basic suitability'' evaluation 
or a ``sleeping quarters'' evaluation of its OCR compartment. The 
results of these evaluations should be documented in a 787 flight 
standardization board (FSB) report appendix. Individual operators may 
reference these standardized evaluations in discussions with their FAA 
principal operating inspector (POI) as the basis for an operational 
approval, in lieu of an on-site operational evaluation.
    Any changes to the approved OCR compartment configuration that 
affect crewmember emergency egress, or any other procedures affecting 
safety of the occupying crewmembers or related emergency training, will 
require re-evaluation and approval. The applicant for an OCR 
compartment design change that affects egress, safety procedures, or 
training is responsible for notifying the FAA's AEG that a new 
compartment evaluation is required. The results of a re-evaluation 
should also be documented in a 787 FSB report appendix.
    Procedures must be developed to ensure that a crewmember entering 
the OCR compartment through the stairway/vestibule to fight a fire will 
examine the stairway/vestibule and the adjacent galley or lavatory 
areas (if installed) for the source of the fire before entering the 
remaining areas of the compartment. This is intended to ensure that the 
source of the fire is not between the crewmember and the entrance to 
the OCR compartment. If a fire source is not immediately evident to the 
firefighter, the firefighter should check for potential fire sources at 
areas closest to the OCR compartment entrance first, then proceed to 
check areas in such a manner that the fire source, when found, will not 
be between the firefighter and his or her way to get out of the 
compartment. Procedures describing methods for searching the OCR 
compartment for fire source(s) must be transmitted to operators for 
incorporation into their training programs and appropriate operational 
manuals.

Discussion of Special Conditions

    These special conditions initially apply to an OCR compartment 
installed adjacent to the Door 4 exits on the 787. These special 
conditions supplement 14 CFR part 25. Except as noted below, these 
special conditions for the 787 closely resemble Boeing 777 Special 
Conditions No. 25-230-SC.
    Special Conditions 4 and 14 contain requirements for the exit signs 
that must be provided in the OCR compartment. Symbols that satisfy the 
equivalent level of safety finding established for the 787 may be used 
in lieu of the text required by Sec.  25.812(b)(1)(i). The FAA expects 
that crewmembers will learn the meaning of any symbolic exit sign as a 
part of their training in evacuation procedures.
    Special Condition 13 contains requirements for supplemental oxygen 
systems. Special Conditions No. 25-260-SC, for the overhead flightcrew 
rest compartments, required that each berth be provided with two oxygen 
masks. This was intended to address the case where a person not in a 
berth was moving around in the crew-rest compartment and needed quick 
access to the oxygen. For the designs used in the model 777, this 
requirement was sufficient. However, for the 787, the requirement to 
have two masks per berth may not always meet the objective of having 
masks available to persons who are in transition within the 
compartment. Therefore, the wording of this special condition has been 
modified to better state the objective rather than specify that two 
masks be provided per berth. In addition, the requirement to have 
adequate illumination to retrieve the mask, while implied previously, 
is made explicit in these special conditions.
    Special Condition 17 contains the requirement for materials used in 
the construction of the OCR compartment and states that Sec.  25.853 as 
amended by Amendment 25-116 is the appropriate regulation. Amendment 
25-116 is the latest amendment level for Sec.  25.853.
    Compliance with these special conditions does not relieve the 
applicant from the existing airplane certification-basis requirements. 
One particular area of concern is that installation of OCR compartments 
changes the compartment volume in the overhead area of the airplane. 
The applicant must comply with the pressurized compartment loads 
requirements of Sec.  25.365(e), (f), and (g) for the OCR compartment, 
as well as for any other airplane compartments whose decompression 
characteristics are affected by the installation of an OCR compartment. 
Compliance with Sec.  25.813 emergency exit access requirements must be 
demonstrated for all phases of flight during which occupants will be 
present.
    Section 25.813(e) prohibits installation of interior doors between 
passenger compartments, but the FAA has historically found crew rest-
compartment doors to be acceptable, because crew rests are not 
passenger compartments. Special Conditions 1 and 14 provide 
requirements for crew rest-compartment doors which are considered to 
provide an appropriate level of safety to OCR compartment occupants.
    Sections 25.1443. 25.1445, and 25.1447 describe oxygen requirements 
for flightcrew, passengers, and cabin attendants. Crewmembers occupying 
the OCR compartment are not on duty, and therefore are considered 
passengers in determining compliance with these oxygen regulations.

Applicability

    As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the 
787. 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 features, these special conditions would apply to that 
model as well.

[[Page 10478]]

Conclusion

    This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features 
of the 787. It is not a rule of general applicability.

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, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes the 
following special conditions as part of the type certification basis 
for the Boeing Model 787-8 airplanes with an overhead crew-rest (OCR) 
compartment installed above the main passenger cabin adjacent to an 
exit door.
    1. Occupancy of the OCR compartment is limited to the total number 
of installed bunks and seats in each compartment. An approved seat or 
berth, able to withstand the maximum flight loads when occupied for 
each occupant permitted in the OCR compartment, must be available. 
Maximum occupancy in the OCR compartment is six crewmembers during 
flight.
    (a) Appropriate placards must be located inside and outside each 
entrance to the OCR compartment to indicate:
    (1) The maximum number of occupants allowed during flight.
    (2) Occupancy is restricted to crewmembers who are trained in the 
evacuation procedures for the OCR compartment.
    (3) Occupancy is prohibited during taxi, take-off, and landing.
    (4) Smoking is prohibited in the OCR compartment.
    (5) Stowage in the OCR compartment area is limited to crew personal 
luggage. The stowage of cargo or passenger baggage is not allowed.
    (b) At least one ashtray must be located on both the inside and the 
outside of any entrance to the OCR compartment.
    (c) A limitation in the airplane flight manual must be established 
to restrict occupancy to crewmembers the pilot in command has 
determined to be both trained in the emergency procedures for the OCR 
compartment and able to rapidly use the evacuation routes of the OCR 
compartment.
    (d) A means must be in place for any door installed between the OCR 
compartment and the passenger cabin to be quickly opened from inside 
the compartment, even when crowding occurs at each side of the door.
    (e) For all doors installed in the OCR compartment, a means must be 
in place to preclude anyone from being trapped inside the OCR 
compartment. If a locking mechanism is installed, it must be capable of 
being unlocked from the outside without the aid of special tools. The 
lock must not prevent opening from the inside of the OCR compartment at 
any time.
    (f) The means of opening doors and hatches to the OCR compartment 
must be simple and obvious. The OFCR compartment doors and hatches must 
be able to be closed from the main passenger cabin. Doors or hatches 
that separate the overhead crew-rest compartment from the main deck 
must not adversely affect evacuation of occupants on the main deck 
(slowing evacuation by encroaching into aisles, for example) or cause 
injury to those occupants during opening or while opened.
    2. At least two emergency evacuation routes must be available and 
which could be used by each occupant of the OCR compartment to rapidly 
evacuate to the main cabin. These evacuation routes must be able to be 
closed from the main passenger cabin after evacuation. In addition--
    (a) The routes must be located with sufficient separation within 
the OCR compartment to minimize the possibility of an event either 
inside or outside of the crew-rest compartment rendering both routes 
inoperative.
    Compliance with requirements of Special Condition 2(a) may be shown 
by inspection or by analysis. Regardless of which method is used, the 
maximum acceptable distance between crew-rest compartment outlets is 60 
feet.

Compliance by Inspection

    Inspection may be used to show compliance with Special Condition 
2(a). An inspection finding that an OCR compartment has evacuation 
routes located so that each occupant of the seats and berths has an 
unobstructed route to at least one of the crew-rest compartment 
outlets, regardless of the location of a fire, would be reason for a 
finding of compliance. A fire within a berth that only blocks the 
occupant of that berth from exiting the berth need not be considered. 
Therefore, crew rest-compartment outlets that are located at absolute 
opposite ends (i.e., adjacent to opposite end walls) of the OCR 
compartment would require no further review or analysis with regard to 
exit separation.

Compliance by Analysis

    Analysis must show that the OCR compartment configuration and 
interior features allow all occupants of the OCR compartment to escape 
the compartment in the event of a hazard inside or outside of the 
compartment. Elements to consider in this evaluation are as follows:
    (1) Fire inside or outside the OCR compartment, considered 
separately, and the design elements used to reduce the available fuel 
for the fire.
    (2) Design elements used to reduce fire-ignition sources in the OCR 
compartment.
    (3) Distribution and quantity of emergency equipment within the OCR 
compartment.
    (4) Structural failure or deformation of components that could 
block access to the available evacuation routes (e.g., seats, folding 
berths, contents of stowage compartments, etc.).
    (5) An incapacitated person blocking the evacuation routes.
    (6) Any other foreseeable hazard not identified above that could 
cause the evacuation routes to be compromised.
    Analysis must consider design features affecting access to the 
evacuation routes. Possibilities for design components affecting 
evacuation that should be considered include, but are not limited to, 
seat-back break-over, rigid structure that reduces access from one part 
of the compartment to another, and items known to be the cause of 
potential hazards. Factors that also should be considered are 
availability of emergency equipment to address fire hazards; 
availability of communications equipment; supplemental restraint 
devices to retain items of mass that, if broken loose, could hinder 
evacuation; and load-path isolation between components containing 
evacuation routes.
    Analysis of fire threats should be used in determining placement of 
required fire extinguishers and protective breathing equipment (PBE). 
This analysis should consider the possibility of fire in any location 
in the OCR compartment. The location and quantity of PBE equipment and 
fire extinguishers should allow occupants located in any approved seats 
or berths access to the equipment necessary to fight a fire in the OCR 
compartment.
    The intent of this special condition is to provide sufficient exit-
route separation. Therefore, the exit-separation analysis described 
above should not be used to approve OCR-compartment outlets that have 
less physical separation (measured between the centroid of each exit 
opening) than the minimums prescribed below, unless compensating 
features are identified and submitted to the FAA for evaluation and 
approval.

[[Page 10479]]

    For an OCR compartment with one outlet located near the forward or 
aft end of the compartment (as measured by having the centroid of the 
exit opening within 20 percent of the forward or aft end of the total 
OCR-compartment length), the outlet separation from one outlet to the 
other should not be less than 50 percent of the total OCR-compartment 
length.
    For OCR compartments with neither required OCR-compartment outlet 
located near the forward or aft end of the compartment (as measured by 
not having the centroid of either outlet opening within 20 percent of 
the forward or aft end of the total OCR-compartment length), the outlet 
separation from one outlet to the other should not be less than 30 
percent of the total OCR-compartment length.
    (b) The routes must be designed to minimize the possibility of 
blockage, which might result from fire, mechanical or structural 
failure, or persons standing below or against the crew-rest compartment 
outlets. One of the two OCR evacuation routes should not be located 
where, during times when occupancy is allowed, normal movement by 
passengers occurs (i.e., main aisle, cross aisle or galley complex, for 
example) that would impede egress from the OCR compartment. If an 
evacuation route is in an area where normal movement of passengers 
occurs, it must be demonstrated that passengers would not impede egress 
to the main deck. If low headroom is at or near the evacuation route, 
provisions must be made to prevent or to protect occupants of the OCR 
compartment from head injury. Use of evacuation routes must not depend 
on any powered device. If an OCR-compartment outlet is over an area of 
passenger seats, a maximum of five passengers may be displaced from 
their seats temporarily during the process of evacuating an 
incapacitated person(s). If such an evacuation procedure involves the 
evacuee stepping on seats, the seats must not be damaged to the extent 
that they would not be acceptable for occupancy during an emergency 
landing.
    (c) Emergency evacuation procedures, including procedures for 
emergency evacuation of an incapacitated occupant from the OCR 
compartment, must be established. The applicant must transmit all of 
these procedures to the operator for incorporation into its training 
programs and appropriate operational manuals.
    (d) A limitation must be included in the airplane flight manual or 
other suitable means to require that crewmembers are trained in the use 
of the OCR-compartment evacuation routes.
    3. A means must be available for evacuating an incapacitated person 
(representative of a 95th percentile male) from the OCR compartment to 
the passenger cabin floor.
    (a) Such an evacuation must be demonstrated for all evacuation 
routes. A crewmember (a total of one assistant within the OCR 
compartment) may provide assistance in the evacuation. Additional 
assistance may be provided by up to three persons in the main passenger 
compartment. These additional assistants must be standing on the floor 
while providing assistance. For evacuation routes with stairways, the 
additional assistants may ascend up to one half the elevation change 
from the main deck to the OCR compartment, or to the first landing, 
whichever is lower.
    4. The following signs and placards must be provided in the OCR 
compartment and they must meet the following criteria:
    (a) At least one exit sign, located near each OCR compartment 
outlet, meeting the emergency lighting requirements of Sec.  
25.812(b)(1)(i). One allowable exception would be a sign with reduced 
background area of no less than 5.3 square inches (excluding the 
letters), provided that it is installed so that the material 
surrounding the exit sign is light in color (white, cream, light beige, 
for example). If the material surrounding the exit sign is not light in 
color, a sign with a minimum of a one-inch-wide background border 
around the letters would be acceptable. Another allowable exception is 
a sign with a symbol that the FAA has determined to be equivalent for 
use as an exit sign in an OCR compartment.
    (b) An appropriate placard located conspicuously on or near each 
OCR-compartment door or hatch that defines the location and the 
operating instructions for access to and operation of the outlet door 
or hatch.
    (c) Placards must be readable from a distance of 30 inches under 
emergency lighting conditions.
    (d) The door or hatch handles and operating-instruction placards 
required by Special Condition 4(b) of these special conditions must be 
illuminated to at least 160 microlamberts under emergency lighting 
conditions.
    5. A means must be available, in the event of failure of the 
aircraft's main power system, or of the normal OCR compartment lighting 
system, for emergency illumination to be automatically provided for the 
OCR compartment.
    (a) This emergency illumination must be independent of the main 
lighting system.
    (b) The sources of general cabin illumination may be common to both 
the emergency and the main lighting systems if the power supply to the 
emergency lighting system is independent of the power supply to the 
main lighting system.
    (c) The illumination level must be sufficient to allow occupants of 
the OCR compartment to locate and move to the main passenger cabin 
floor by means of each evacuation route.
    (d) The illumination level must be sufficient, with the privacy 
curtains in the closed position, for each occupant of the OCR 
compartment to locate a deployed oxygen mask.
    6. A means must be available for two-way voice communications 
between crewmembers on the flight deck and occupants of the OCR 
compartment. Two-way communications must also be available between 
occupants of the OCR compartment and each flight attendant station in 
the passenger cabin required per Sec.  25.1423(g) to have a public-
address-system microphone. In addition, the public-address system must 
include provisions to provide only the relevant information to the 
crewmembers in the OCR compartment (e.g., fire in flight, aircraft 
depressurization, preparation of the compartment occupants for landing, 
etc.).
    7. A means must be available for manual activation of an aural 
emergency alarm system, audible during normal and emergency conditions, 
to enable crewmembers on the flight deck and at each pair of required 
floor-level emergency exits to alert occupants of the OCR compartment 
of an emergency situation. Use of a public address or crew interphone 
system will be acceptable, provided an adequate means of 
differentiating between normal and emergency communications is 
incorporated. The system must be powered in flight, after the shutdown 
or failure of all engines and auxiliary power units, for a period of at 
least ten minutes.
    8. A means, readily detectable by seated or standing occupants of 
the OCR compartment, must be in place to indicate when seat belts 
should be fastened. If the OCR compartment has no seats, at least one 
means must be provided to cover anticipated turbulence (e.g., 
sufficient handholds). Seatbelt-type restraints must be provided for 
berths and must be compatible for the sleeping position during cruise 
conditions. A placard on each berth must require that these

[[Page 10480]]

restraints be fastened when occupied. If compliance with any of the 
other requirements of these special conditions is predicated on 
specific head position, a placard must identify that head position.
    9. In lieu of the requirements specified in Sec.  25.1439(a) 
pertaining to isolated compartments, and to provide a level of safety 
equivalent to that provided to occupants of an isolated galley, the 
following equipment must be provided in the OCR compartment:
    (a) At least one approved hand-held fire extinguisher appropriate 
for the kinds of fires likely to occur.
    (b) Two PBE devices suitable for firefighting, or one PBE for each 
hand-held fire extinguisher, whichever is greater. All PBE devices must 
be approved to Technical Standard Order (TSO)-C116 or equivalent.
    (c) One flashlight.

    Note: Additional PBE devices and fire extinguishers in specific 
locations, beyond the minimum numbers prescribed in Special 
Condition 9, may be required as a result of the egress analysis 
accomplished to satisfy Special Condition 2(a).

    10. A smoke- or fire-detection system (or systems) must be provided 
that monitors each occupiable area within the OCR compartment, 
including those areas partitioned by curtains or doors. Flight tests 
must be conducted to show compliance with this requirement. If a fire 
occurs, each system (or systems) must provide:
    (a) A visual indication to the flightdeck within one minute after 
the start of a fire.
    (b) An aural warning in the OCR compartment.
    (c) A warning in the main passenger cabin. This warning must be 
readily detectable by a flight attendant, taking into consideration the 
locations of flight attendants throughout the main passenger 
compartment during various phases of flight.
    11. A means to fight a fire must be provided. This can be either a 
built-in extinguishing system or a manual, hand-held extinguishing 
system.
    (a) For a built-in extinguishing system:
    (1) The system must have adequate capacity to suppress a fire 
considering the fire threat, volume of the compartment, and the 
ventilation rate. The system must have sufficient extinguishing agent 
to provide an initial knockdown and suppression environment per the 
minimum performance standards that have been established for the agent 
being used. In addition, certification flight testing will verify the 
acceptable duration that the suppression environment can be maintained.
    (2) If the capacity of the extinguishing system does not provide 
effective fire suppression that will last for the duration of flight 
from the farthest point in route to the nearest suitable landing site 
expected in service, an additional manual firefighting procedure must 
be established. For the built-in extinguishing system, the time 
duration for effective fire suppression must be established and 
documented in the firefighting procedures in the airplane flight 
manual. If the duration of time for demonstrated effective fire 
suppression provided by the built-in extinguishing agent will be 
exceeded, the firefighting procedures must instruct the crew to:
    (i) Enter the OCR compartment at the time that demonstrated fire 
suppression effectiveness will be exceeded.
    (ii) Check for and extinguish any residual fire.
    (iii) Confirm that the fire is out.
    (b) For a manual, hand-held extinguishing system (designed as the 
sole means to fight a fire or to supplement a built-in extinguishing 
system of limited suppression duration) for the OCR:
    (1) A limitation must be included in the airplane flight manual or 
other suitable means requiring that crewmembers be trained in the 
firefighting procedures.
    (2) The compartment design must allow crewmembers equipped for 
firefighting to have unrestricted access to all parts of the 
compartment.
    (3) The time for a crewmember on the main deck to react to the fire 
alarm, don the firefighting equipment, and gain access to the OCR 
compartment must not exceed the time it would take for the compartment 
to become filled with smoke, thus making it difficult to locate the 
fire source.
    (4) Approved procedures describing methods for searching the OCR 
compartment for fire source(s) must be established. These procedures 
must be transmitted to the operator for incorporation into its training 
programs and appropriate operational manuals.
    12. A means must be provided to prevent hazardous quantities of 
smoke or extinguishing agent originating in the OCR compartment from 
entering any other occupiable compartment.
    (a) Small quantities of smoke may penetrate from the OCR 
compartment into other occupied areas during the one-minute smoke 
detection time.
    (b) A provision in the firefighting procedures must ensure that all 
doors and hatches at the OCR compartment outlets are closed after 
evacuation of the compartment and during firefighting to minimize smoke 
and extinguishing agent entering other occupiable compartments.
    (c) Smoke entering any occupiable compartment when access to the 
OFCR compartment is open for evacuation must dissipate within five 
minutes after the access to the OFCR compartment is closed.
    (d) Hazardous quantities of smoke may not enter any occupied 
compartment during access to manually fight a fire in the OCR 
compartment. The amount of smoke entrained by a firefighter exiting the 
OCR compartment is not considered hazardous.
    (e) Flight tests must be conducted to show compliance with this 
requirement.
    13. A supplemental oxygen system within the OCR compartment must 
provide the following:
    (a) At least one mask for each seat and berth in the OCR 
compartment.
    (b) If a destination area (such as a changing area) is provided in 
the OCR compartment, an oxygen mask must be readily available for each 
occupant who can reasonably be expected to be in the destination area 
(with the maximum number of required masks within the destination area 
being limited to the placarded maximum occupancy of the OFCR 
compartment).
    (c) An oxygen mask must be readily accessible to each occupant who 
can reasonably be expected to be moving from the main cabin into the 
OCR compartment, moving around within the OCR compartment, or moving 
from the OCR compartment to the main cabin.
    (d) The system must provide an aural and visual alert to warn 
occupants of the OCR compartment to don oxygen masks in the event of 
decompression. The aural and visual alerts must activate concurrently 
with deployment of the oxygen masks in the passenger cabin. To 
compensate for sleeping occupants, the aural alert must be heard in 
each section of the OCR compartment and must sound continuously for a 
minimum of five minutes or until a reset switch within the OCR 
compartment is activated. A visual alert that informs occupants that 
they must don an oxygen mask must be visible in each section.
    (e) A means must be in place by which oxygen masks can be manually 
deployed from the flight deck.
    (f) Approved procedures must be established for OCR occupants in 
the event of decompression. These procedures must be transmitted to the 
operator for incorporation into its training programs and appropriate 
operational manuals.
    (g) The supplemental oxygen system for the OCR compartment must 
meet the

[[Page 10481]]

same 14 CFR part 25 regulations as the supplemental oxygen system for 
the passenger cabin occupants except for the 10 percent additional 
masks requirement of 14 CFR 25.1447(c)(1).
    (h) The illumination level of the normal OCR compartment-lighting 
system must automatically be sufficient for each occupant of the 
compartment to locate a deployed oxygen mask.
    14. The following additional requirements apply to OCR compartments 
that are divided into several sections by the installation of curtains 
or partitions:
    (a) A placard is required adjacent to each curtain that visually 
divides or separates, for privacy purposes, the OCR compartment into 
small sections. The placard must require that the curtain(s) remains 
open when the private section it creates is unoccupied. The vestibule 
section adjacent to the stairway is not considered a private area and, 
therefore, does not require a placard.
    (b) For each section of the OCR compartment created by the 
installation of a curtain, the following requirements of these special 
conditions must be met with the curtain open or closed:
    (1) No-smoking placard requirement (Special Condition 1).
    (2) Emergency illumination requirement (Special Condition 5).
    (3) Emergency alarm-system requirement (Special Condition 7).
    (4) Seatbelt-fasten signal or return-to-seat signal as applicable 
requirement (Special Condition 8).
    (5) Smoke- or fire-detection system requirement (Special Condition 
10).
    (6) Oxygen-system requirement (Special Condition 13).
    (c) OCR compartments that are visually divided to the extent that 
evacuation could be affected must have exit signs directing occupants 
to the primary stairway outlet. The exit signs must be provided in each 
separate section of the OCR compartment, except for curtained bunks, 
and must meet requirements of Sec.  25.812(b)(1)(i). An exit sign with 
reduced background area or a symbolic exit sign, as described in 
Special Condition 4(a), may be used to meet this requirement.
    (d) For sections within an OCR compartment created by the 
installation of a rigid partition with a door physically separating the 
sections, the following requirements of these special conditions must 
be met with the door open or closed:
    (1) A secondary evacuation route from each section to the main 
deck, or alternatively, the applicant must show that any door between 
the sections has been designed to preclude anyone from being trapped 
inside a section of the compartment. Removal of an incapacitated 
occupant from within this area must be considered. A secondary 
evacuation route from a small room designed for only one occupant for a 
short time duration, such as a changing area or lavatory, is not 
required, but removal of an incapacitated occupant from within such a 
small room must be considered.
    (2) Any door between the sections must be shown to be openable when 
crowded against, even when crowding occurs at each side of the door.
    (3) No more than one door may be located between any seat or berth 
and the primary stairway door.
    (4) In each section, exit signs meeting requirements of Sec.  
25.812(b)(1)(i), or shown to have an equivalent level of safety, must 
direct occupants to the primary stairway outlet. An exit sign with 
reduced background area or a symbolic exit sign, as described in 
Special Condition 4(a), may be used to meet this requirement.
    (5) Special Conditions 1 (no-smoking placards), 5 (emergency 
illumination), 7 (emergency alarm system), 8 (fasten-seatbelt signal or 
return-to-seat signal as applicable), 10 (smoke- or fire-detection 
system), and 13 (oxygen system) must be met with the door open or 
closed.
    (6) Special Conditions 6 (two-way voice communication) and 9 
(emergency firefighting and protective equipment) must be met 
independently for each separate section except for lavatories or other 
small areas that are not intended to be occupied for extended periods 
of time.
    15. If a waste-disposal receptacle is fitted in the OCR 
compartment, it must be equipped with an automatic fire extinguisher 
that meets the performance requirements of Sec.  25.854(b).
    16. Materials (including finishes or decorative surfaces applied to 
the materials) must comply with flammability requirements of Sec.  
25.853(a) as amended by Amendment 25-116. Seat cushions and mattresses 
must comply with the flammability requirements of Sec.  25.853(c) as 
amended by Amendment 25-116 and the test requirements of part 25, 
appendix F, part II, or other equivalent methods.
    17. The addition of a lavatory within the OCR compartment would 
require the lavatory to meet the same requirements as those for a 
lavatory installed on the main deck except with regard to Special 
Condition 10 for smoke detection.
    18. Each stowage compartment in the OCR compartment, except for 
underseat compartments for occupant convenience, must be completely 
enclosed. All enclosed stowage compartments within the OCR compartment 
that are not limited to stowage of emergency equipment or airplane-
supplied equipment (i.e., bedding) must meet the design criteria 
described in the table below. Enclosed stowage compartments greater 
than 200 ft\3\ in interior volume are not addressed by this special 
condition. The in-flight accessibility of very large, enclosed, stowage 
compartments and the subsequent impact on the crewmembers' ability to 
effectively reach any part of the compartment with the contents of a 
hand-held fire-extinguishing system will require additional fire-
protection considerations similar to those required for inaccessible 
compartments such as Class C cargo compartments.

   Design Criteria for Enclosed Stowage Compartments Not Limited to Stowage of Emergency or Airplane-Supplied
                                                    Equipment
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Applicability of fire protection requirements by interior volume
                                      --------------------------------------------------------------------------
       Fire protection features                                  25 cubic feet to less     57 cubic feet to 200
                                       Less than 25 cubic feet     than 57 cubic feet           cubic feet
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compliant Materials of Construction    Yes....................  Yes....................  Yes.
 \1\.
Smoke or Fire Detectors \2\..........  No.....................  Yes....................  Yes.
Liner \3\............................  No.....................  Conditional............  Yes.

[[Page 10482]]

 
Fire Location Detector \4\...........  No.....................  Yes....................  Yes.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Compliant Materials of Construction: The material used in constructing each enclosed stowage compartment
  must at least be fire resistant and must meet the flammability standards established for interior components
  (i.e., 14 CFR part 25 Appendix F, Parts I, IV, and V) per the requirements of Sec.   25.853. For compartments
  less than 25 ft.\3\ in interior volume, the design must ensure the ability to contain a fire likely to occur
  within the compartment under normal use.
\2\ Smoke or Fire Detectors: Enclosed stowage compartments equal to or exceeding 25 ft.\3\ in interior volume
  must be provided with a smoke- or fire-detection system to ensure that a fire can be detected within a one-
  minute detection time. Flight tests must be conducted to show compliance with this requirement. Each system
  (or systems) must provide:
(a) A visual indication in the flight deck within one minute after the start of a fire.
(b) An aural warning in the OFCR compartment.
(c) A warning in the main passenger cabin. This warning must be readily detectable by a flight attendant, taking
  into consideration the locations of flight attendants throughout the main passenger compartment during various
  phases of flight.
\3\ Liner: If material used in constructing the stowage compartment can be shown to meet the flammability
  requirements of a liner for a Class B cargo compartment (i.e., Sec.   25.855 at Amendment 25-116, and Appendix
  F, part I, paragraph (a)(2)(ii)), then no liner would be required for enclosed stowage compartments equal to
  or greater than 25 ft.\3\ but less than 57 ft.\3\ in interior volume. For all enclosed stowage compartments
  equal to or greater than 57 ft.\3\ in interior volume but less than or equal to 200 ft.\3\, a liner must be
  provided that meets the requirements of Sec.   25.855 for a Class B cargo compartment.
\4\ Fire Location Detector: If an OFCR compartment has enclosed stowage compartments exceeding 25 ft.\3\
  interior volume that are located separately from the other stowage compartments (located, for example, away
  from one central location, such as the entry to the OFCR compartment or a common area within the OFCR
  compartment, where the other stowage compartments are), that OFCR compartment would require additional fire-
  protection features and/or devices to assist the firefighter in determining the location of a fire.


    Issued in Renton, Washington, on February 15, 2011.
K.C. Yanamura,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-4223 Filed 2-24-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P