Special Conditions: VT DRB Aviation Consultants, Airbus Model A330-300 Airplanes; Dynamic Test Requirements for Single-Occupant, Oblique (Side-Facing) Seats With or Without Airbag Devices or 3-Point Restraints, 67828-67830 [2019-26722]
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67828
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 239 / Thursday, December 12, 2019 / Rules and Regulations
of Amendment No. 14 shows that the
use of the damaged fuel isolators and
new heat loads will not impair the
ability of the storage cask to maintain
confinement and subcriticality.
Additionally, the off-site dose rates will
meet the dose requirements in 10 CFR
72.236(d).
As discussed in the environmental
assessment for the direct final rule,
Amendment No. 14 does not reflect a
significant change in design or
fabrication of the cask; therefore, any
resulting occupational exposure or
offsite dose rates would remain well
within the 10 CFR part 20 annual limits
for public and occupational radiological
doses. Additionally, Amendment No. 14
will not result in any radiological or
non-radiological environmental impacts
that significantly differ from the
environmental impacts evaluated in the
environmental assessment supporting
the final rule, ‘‘Storage of Spent Fuel in
NRC-Approved Storage Casks at Power
Reactor Sites’’ (55 FR 29181; July 18,
1990). There will be no significant
change in the types of, or significant
revisions in the amounts of, any effluent
released; no significant increase in the
individual or cumulative radiation
exposures; and no significant increase
in the potential for, or consequences of,
radiological accidents. Therefore, this
direct final rule will become effective as
scheduled.
Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 6th day
of December 2019.
For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Pamela J. Shepherd-Vladimir,
Acting Chief, Regulatory Analysis and
Rulemaking Support Branch, Division of
Rulemaking, Environmental and Financial
Support, Office of Nuclear Material Safety
and Safeguards.
[FR Doc. 2019–26691 Filed 12–11–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7590–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
[Docket No. FAA–2019–0851; Special
Conditions No. 25–763–SC]
Special Conditions: VT DRB Aviation
Consultants, Airbus Model A330–300
Airplanes; Dynamic Test Requirements
for Single-Occupant, Oblique (SideFacing) Seats With or Without Airbag
Devices or 3-Point Restraints
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions; request
for comments.
AGENCY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:05 Dec 11, 2019
Jkt 250001
These special conditions are
issued for the Airbus Model A330–300
airplane. This airplane, as modified by
VT DRB Aviation Consultants (VT DRB),
will have novel or unusual design
features when compared to the state of
technology envisioned in the
airworthiness standards for transportcategory airplanes. This design feature
is single-occupant, oblique (side-facing)
seats with airbag devices or 3-point
restraints. 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 VT
DRB on December 12, 2019. Send
comments on or before January 27,
2020.
SUMMARY:
Send comments identified
by Docket No. FAA–2019–0851 using
any of the following methods:
• Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to
https://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 https://www.regulations.gov/,
including any personal information the
commenter provides. Using the search
function of the docket website, 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).
Docket: Background documents or
comments received may be read at
https://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
ADDRESSES:
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington,
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alan Sinclair, Airframe and Cabin
Safety Section, AIR–675, Transport
Standards Branch, Policy and
Innovation Division, Aircraft
Certification Service, Federal Aviation
Administration, 2200 South 216th
Street, Des Moines, Washington 98198;
telephone and fax 206–231–3215; email
alan.sinclair@faa.gov.
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 published
in the Federal Register for public
comment in several prior instances with
no substantive comments received.
Therefore, the FAA has determined that
prior public notice and comment are
unnecessary, and finds that, for the
same reason, good cause exists for
adopting these special conditions upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Comments Invited
The FAA invites 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.
The FAA will consider all comments
received by the closing date for
comments. The FAA may change these
special conditions based on the
comments received.
Background
On October 12, 2018, VT DRB applied
for a supplemental type certificate for
oblique (side-facing) single-occupant
seats equipped with airbag devices or 3point restraints in Airbus Model A330–
300 airplanes. The Airbus Model A330–
300 airplane is a twin-engine, transportcategory airplane with a maximum
takeoff weight of 533,518 pounds and
seating for 297 passengers.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of title 14, Code
of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.101,
VT DRB must show that the Airbus
Model A330–300 airplane, as changed,
continues to meet the applicable
provisions of the regulations listed in
Type Certificate No. A46NM or the
applicable regulations in effect on the
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 239 / Thursday, December 12, 2019 / Rules and Regulations
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
(e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain
adequate or appropriate safety standards
for the Airbus Model A330–300 airplane
because of a novel or unusual design
feature, special conditions are
prescribed under the provisions of
§ 21.16.
Special conditions are initially
applicable to the model for which they
are issued. Should the applicant apply
for a supplemental type certificate to
modify any other model included on the
same type certificate to incorporate the
same novel or unusual design feature,
these special conditions would also
apply to the other model under § 21.101.
In addition to the applicable
airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Airbus Model A330–300
airplane must comply with the fuel-vent
and exhaust-emission requirements of
14 CFR part 34, and the noisecertification requirements of 14 CFR
part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as
defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in accordance
with § 11.38, and they become part of
the type certification basis under
§ 21.101.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Airbus Model A330–300 airplane
will incorporate the following novel or
unusual design features:
Single-occupant, oblique (side-facing)
seats with airbag devices or 3-point
restraints.
Discussion
The FAA has been conducting and
sponsoring research on appropriate
injury criteria for oblique (side-facing)
seat installations. However, the FAA
research program is not complete and
the FAA may update these criteria as
the FAA obtains further research results.
To reflect current research findings, the
FAA issued policy statement PS–ANM–
25–03–R1, ‘‘Technical Criteria for
Approving Side-Facing Seats,’’
November 12, 2012 to update injury
criteria for fully side-facing seats, and
policy statement PS–AIR–25–27,
‘‘Technical Criteria for Approving
Oblique Seats,’’ July 11, 2018 to define
injury criteria for oblique (side-facing)
seats. Refer to these policy statements
for definitions of variables used in the
formulae shown in the conditions of
this document.
The installation of these single
occupant, oblique (side-facing) seats is
novel given that the Airbus Model
A330–300 certification basis does not
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:05 Dec 11, 2019
Jkt 250001
adequately address protection of the
occupant’s neck and spine for seat
configurations that are positioned at an
angle greater than 18 degrees from the
airplane centerline.
The installation of passenger seats at
angles of 18 to 45 degrees to the airplane
centerline is unusual in transport
category airplanes due to the seat and
occupant interface with the surrounding
furniture that introduces occupant
alignment and loading concerns with or
without the installation of a 3-point or
airbag restraint system, or both. These
special conditions are necessary to
further address these potential injuries
to the occupant’s neck and spine that
were not contemplated in 14 CFR
25.785.
The FAA-sponsored research
mentioned earlier has found that an
unrestrained flailing of the upper torso,
even when the pelvis and torso are
nearly aligned, can produce serious
spinal and torso injuries. At lower
impact severities, even with significant
misalignment between the torso and
pelvis, these injuries did not occur.
Tests with an FAA H–III
anthropomorphic test device (ATD)
have identified a level of lumbar spinal
tension corresponding to the no-injury
impact severity. This level of tension is
included as a limit in the special
conditions. The spine tension limit
selected is conservative with respect to
other aviation injury criteria because it
corresponds to a no-injury loading
condition.
As noted in the special conditions for
the airbag restraint system, because an
airbag restraint system is essentially a
single-use device, the airbag potentially
could deploy under crash conditions
that are not sufficiently so severe as to
require head-injury protection from the
airbag restraint system. Because an
actual crash is frequently composed of
a series of impacts before the airplane
comes to rest, this could render the
airbag restraint system useless if a larger
impact follows the initial impact. This
situation does not exist with energyabsorbing pads or upper-torso restraints,
which tend to provide protection
according to the severity of the impact.
Therefore, the installation of the airbag
restraint system should be such that the
airbag restraint system will provide
protection when it is required, and will
not expend its protection when it is not
needed.
Because these airbag restraint systems
may or may not activate during various
crash conditions, the injury criteria
listed in the special conditions and in
§ 25.562 must be met in an event that is
slightly below the activation level of the
airbag restraint system.
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67829
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 Airbus
Model A330–300 airplane as modified
by VT DRB. Should VT DRB apply at a
later date for a supplemental type
certificate to modify any other model
included on Type Certificate No.
A46NM to incorporate the same novel
or unusual design feature, these special
conditions would apply to that model as
well.
Conclusion
This action affects only a certain
novel or unusual design feature on one
model of airplane. It is not a rule of
general applicability and affects only
the applicant who applied to the FAA
for approval of these features on the
airplane.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements.
Authority Citation
The authority citation for these
special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 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 Airbus Model
A330–300 airplanes as modified by VT
DRB.
In addition to the requirements of
§ 25.562, passenger seats installed at an
angle between 18 degrees and 45
degrees from the airplane longitudinal
centerline must meet the following:
Side-Facing Seats Special Conditions:
1. Head Injury Criteria:
Compliance with § 25.562(c)(5) is
required, except that, if the ATD has no
apparent contact with the seat/structure
but has contact with an airbag, a headinjury criterion (HIC) unlimited score in
excess of 1000 is acceptable, provided
the HIC15 score (calculated in
accordance with 49 CFR 571.208) for
that contact is less than 700.
2. Body-to-Wall/Furnishing Contact:
If a 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
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 239 / Thursday, December 12, 2019 / Rules and Regulations
additional analysis and tests may be
required to demonstrate that the injury
criteria are met for the area that an
occupant could contact. For example, if
different yaw angles could result in
different airbag performance, then
additional analysis or separate tests may
be necessary to evaluate performance.
3. Neck Injury Criteria:
The seating system must protect the
occupant from experiencing serious
neck injury. The assessment of neck
injury must be conducted with the
airbag device activated, unless there is
reason to also consider that the neckinjury potential would be higher for
impacts below the airbag-device
deployment threshold.
a. The Nij (calculated in accordance
with 49 CFR 571.208) must be below
1.0, where Nij = Fz/Fzc + My/Myc, and Nij
critical values are:
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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 that would produce
concentrated loading on the neck.
4. Spine and Torso Injury Criteria:
a. The lumbar spine tension (Fz)
cannot exceed 1200 lb.
b. Significant concentrated loading on
the occupant’s spine, in the area
between the pelvis and shoulders
during impact, including rebound, is
not acceptable. During this type of
contact, the interval for any rearward (X
direction) acceleration exceeding 20g
must be less than 3 milliseconds as
measured by the thoracic
instrumentation specified in 49 CFR
part 572, subpart E, filtered in
accordance with SAE International
(SAE) recommended practice J211/1,
‘‘Instrumentation for Impact Test–Part
1–Electronic Instrumentation.’’
c. The 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.
5. Pelvis Criteria:
Any part of the load-bearing portion
of the bottom of the ATD pelvis must
not translate beyond the edges of the
seat bottom seat-cushion supporting
structure.
6. Femur Criteria:
Axial rotation of the upper leg (about
the z-axis of the femur per SAE
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16:05 Dec 11, 2019
Jkt 250001
Recommended Practice J211/1) must be
limited to 35 degrees from the nominal
seated position. Evaluation during
rebound does not need to be considered.
7. ATD and Test Conditions:
Longitudinal tests conducted to
measure the injury criteria above must
be performed with the FAA Hybrid III
ATD, as described in SAE 1999–01–
1609, ‘‘A Lumbar Spine Modification to
the Hybrid III ATD for Aircraft Seat
Tests.’’ The tests must be conducted
with an undeformed floor, at the mostcritical yaw cases for injury, and with
all lateral structural supports (e.g.
armrests or walls) installed.
Note: The applicant must demonstrate that
the installation of seats via plinths or pallets
meets all applicable requirements.
Compliance with the guidance contained in
policy memorandum PS–ANM–100–2000–
00123, ‘‘Guidance for Demonstrating
Compliance with Seat Dynamic Testing for
Plinths and Pallets,’’ dated February 2, 2000,
is acceptable to the FAA.
Inflatable Airbag Restraint Systems
Special Conditions:
If inflatable airbag restraint systems
are installed, the airbag systems must
meet the requirements of Airbus Model
A330 special conditions no. 25–395–SC,
‘‘Seats with Inflatable Lapbelts.’’
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on
December 6, 2019.
James E. Wilborn,
Acting Manager, Transport Standards
Branch, Policy and Innovation Division,
Aircraft Certification Service.
by a determination that new or more
restrictive airworthiness limitations are
necessary. This AD requires revising the
existing maintenance or inspection
program, as applicable, to incorporate
new or more restrictive airworthiness
limitations. The FAA is issuing this AD
to address the unsafe condition on these
products.
DATES: This AD is effective January 16,
2020.
The Director of the Federal Register
approved the incorporation by reference
of a certain publication listed in this AD
as of January 16, 2020.
ADDRESSES: For service information
identified in this final rule, contact
Bombardier, Inc., 400 Coˆte-Vertu Road
West, Dorval, Que´bec H4S 1Y9, Canada;
phone: 514–855–5000; fax: 514–855–
7401; email: thd.crj@
aero.bombardier.com; internet: https://
www.bombardier.com. You may view
this service information at the FAA,
Transport Standards Branch, 2200
South 216th St., Des Moines, WA. For
information on the availability of this
material at the FAA, call 206–231–3195.
It is also available on the internet at
https://www.regulations.gov by
searching for and locating Docket No.
FAA–2019–0584.
AGENCY:
Examining the AD Docket
You may examine the AD docket on
the internet at https://
www.regulations.gov by searching for
and locating Docket No. FAA–2019–
0584; or in person at Docket Operations
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
The AD docket contains this final rule,
the regulatory evaluation, any
comments received, and other
information. The address for Docket
Operations is U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M–
30, West Building Ground Floor, Room
W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Andrea Jimenez, Aerospace Engineer,
Airframe and Propulsion Section, FAA,
New York ACO Branch, 1600 Stewart
Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY
11590; telephone: 516–228–7330; fax:
516–794–5531; email: 9-avs-nyaco-cos@
faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The FAA is adopting a new
airworthiness directive (AD) for certain
Airbus Canada Limited Partnership
Model BD–500–1A10 and BD–500–
1A11 airplanes. This AD was prompted
Discussion
Transport Canada Civil Aviation
(TCCA), which is the aviation authority
for Canada, has issued Canadian AD
CF–2019–14R1, dated September 11,
2019 (‘‘AD CF–2019–14R1’’) (also
referred to as the Mandatory Continuing
Airworthiness Information, or ‘‘the
[FR Doc. 2019–26722 Filed 12–11–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA–2019–0584; Product
Identifier 2019–NM–096–AD; Amendment
39–19809; AD 2019–23–15]
RIN 2120–AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Airbus
Canada Limited Partnership (Type
Certificate Previously Held by C Series
Aircraft Limited Partnership (CSALP);
Bombardier, Inc.) Airplanes
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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12DER1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 239 (Thursday, December 12, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 67828-67830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26722]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2019-0851; Special Conditions No. 25-763-SC]
Special Conditions: VT DRB Aviation Consultants, Airbus Model
A330-300 Airplanes; Dynamic Test Requirements for Single-Occupant,
Oblique (Side-Facing) Seats With or Without Airbag Devices or 3-Point
Restraints
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Airbus Model A330-
300 airplane. This airplane, as modified by VT DRB Aviation Consultants
(VT DRB), will have novel or unusual design features when compared to
the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for
transport-category airplanes. This design feature is single-occupant,
oblique (side-facing) seats with airbag devices or 3-point restraints.
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 VT DRB on December 12, 2019. Send
comments on or before January 27, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2019-0851 using
any of the following methods:
Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to https://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 https://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal
information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the
docket website, 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).
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
https://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: Alan Sinclair, Airframe and Cabin
Safety Section, AIR-675, Transport Standards Branch, Policy and
Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation
Administration, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, Washington 98198;
telephone and fax 206-231-3215; email [email protected].
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
published in the Federal Register for public comment in several prior
instances with no substantive comments received. Therefore, the FAA has
determined that prior public notice and comment are unnecessary, and
finds that, for the same reason, good cause exists for adopting these
special conditions upon publication in the Federal Register.
Comments Invited
The FAA invites 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.
The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date for
comments. The FAA may change these special conditions based on the
comments received.
Background
On October 12, 2018, VT DRB applied for a supplemental type
certificate for oblique (side-facing) single-occupant seats equipped
with airbag devices or 3-point restraints in Airbus Model A330-300
airplanes. The Airbus Model A330-300 airplane is a twin-engine,
transport-category airplane with a maximum takeoff weight of 533,518
pounds and seating for 297 passengers.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) 21.101, VT DRB must show that the Airbus Model A330-300 airplane,
as changed, continues to meet the applicable provisions of the
regulations listed in Type Certificate No. A46NM or the applicable
regulations in effect on the
[[Page 67829]]
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 (e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Airbus Model A330-300 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 applicant apply for a supplemental type
certificate to modify any other model included on the same type
certificate 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 Airbus Model A330-300 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 Airbus Model A330-300 airplane will incorporate the following
novel or unusual design features:
Single-occupant, oblique (side-facing) seats with airbag devices or
3-point restraints.
Discussion
The FAA has been conducting and sponsoring research on appropriate
injury criteria for oblique (side-facing) seat installations. However,
the FAA research program is not complete and the FAA may update these
criteria as the FAA obtains further research results. To reflect
current research findings, the FAA issued policy statement PS-ANM-25-
03-R1, ``Technical Criteria for Approving Side-Facing Seats,'' November
12, 2012 to update injury criteria for fully side-facing seats, and
policy statement PS-AIR-25-27, ``Technical Criteria for Approving
Oblique Seats,'' July 11, 2018 to define injury criteria for oblique
(side-facing) seats. Refer to these policy statements for definitions
of variables used in the formulae shown in the conditions of this
document.
The installation of these single occupant, oblique (side-facing)
seats is novel given that the Airbus Model A330-300 certification basis
does not adequately address protection of the occupant's neck and spine
for seat configurations that are positioned at an angle greater than 18
degrees from the airplane centerline.
The installation of passenger seats at angles of 18 to 45 degrees
to the airplane centerline is unusual in transport category airplanes
due to the seat and occupant interface with the surrounding furniture
that introduces occupant alignment and loading concerns with or without
the installation of a 3-point or airbag restraint system, or both.
These special conditions are necessary to further address these
potential injuries to the occupant's neck and spine that were not
contemplated in 14 CFR 25.785.
The FAA-sponsored research mentioned earlier has found that an
unrestrained flailing of the upper torso, even when the pelvis and
torso are nearly aligned, can produce serious spinal and torso
injuries. At lower impact severities, even with significant
misalignment between the torso and pelvis, these injuries did not
occur. Tests with an FAA H-III anthropomorphic test device (ATD) have
identified a level of lumbar spinal tension corresponding to the no-
injury impact severity. This level of tension is included as a limit in
the special conditions. The spine tension limit selected is
conservative with respect to other aviation injury criteria because it
corresponds to a no-injury loading condition.
As noted in the special conditions for the airbag restraint system,
because an airbag restraint system is essentially a single-use device,
the airbag potentially could deploy under crash conditions that are not
sufficiently so severe as to require head-injury protection from the
airbag restraint system. Because an actual crash is frequently composed
of a series of impacts before the airplane comes to rest, this could
render the airbag restraint system useless if a larger impact follows
the initial impact. This situation does not exist with energy-absorbing
pads or upper-torso restraints, which tend to provide protection
according to the severity of the impact. Therefore, the installation of
the airbag restraint system should be such that the airbag restraint
system will provide protection when it is required, and will not expend
its protection when it is not needed.
Because these airbag restraint systems may or may not activate
during various crash conditions, the injury criteria listed in the
special conditions and in Sec. 25.562 must be met in an event that is
slightly below the activation level of the airbag restraint system.
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
Airbus Model A330-300 airplane as modified by VT DRB. Should VT DRB
apply at a later date for a supplemental type certificate to modify any
other model included on Type Certificate No. A46NM to incorporate the
same novel or unusual design feature, these special conditions would
apply to that model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only a certain novel or unusual design feature
on one model of airplane. It is not a rule of general applicability and
affects only the applicant who applied to the FAA for approval of these
features on the airplane.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority Citation
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 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 Airbus Model A330-300 airplanes as
modified by VT DRB.
In addition to the requirements of Sec. 25.562, passenger seats
installed at an angle between 18 degrees and 45 degrees from the
airplane longitudinal centerline must meet the following:
Side-Facing Seats Special Conditions:
1. Head Injury Criteria:
Compliance with Sec. 25.562(c)(5) is required, except that, if the
ATD has no apparent contact with the seat/structure but has contact
with an airbag, a head-injury criterion (HIC) unlimited score in excess
of 1000 is acceptable, provided the HIC15 score (calculated in
accordance with 49 CFR 571.208) for that contact is less than 700.
2. Body-to-Wall/Furnishing Contact:
If a 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
[[Page 67830]]
additional analysis and tests may be required to demonstrate that the
injury criteria are met for the area that an occupant could contact.
For example, if different yaw angles could result in different airbag
performance, then additional analysis or separate tests may be
necessary to evaluate performance.
3. Neck Injury Criteria:
The seating system must protect the occupant from experiencing
serious neck injury. The assessment of neck injury must be conducted
with the airbag device activated, unless there is reason to also
consider that the neck-injury potential would be higher for impacts
below the airbag-device deployment threshold.
a. The Nij (calculated in accordance with 49 CFR
571.208) must be below 1.0, where Nij = Fz/
Fzc + My/Myc, and Nij
critical values are:
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 that would produce
concentrated loading on the neck.
4. Spine and Torso Injury Criteria:
a. The lumbar spine tension (Fz) cannot exceed 1200 lb.
b. Significant concentrated loading on the occupant's spine, in the
area between the pelvis and shoulders during impact, including rebound,
is not acceptable. During this type of contact, the interval for any
rearward (X direction) acceleration exceeding 20g must be less than 3
milliseconds as measured by the thoracic instrumentation specified in
49 CFR part 572, subpart E, filtered in accordance with SAE
International (SAE) recommended practice J211/1, ``Instrumentation for
Impact Test-Part 1-Electronic Instrumentation.''
c. The 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.
5. Pelvis Criteria:
Any part of the load-bearing portion of the bottom of the ATD
pelvis must not translate beyond the edges of the seat bottom seat-
cushion supporting structure.
6. Femur Criteria:
Axial rotation of the upper leg (about the z-axis of the femur per
SAE Recommended Practice J211/1) must be limited to 35 degrees from the
nominal seated position. Evaluation during rebound does not need to be
considered.
7. ATD and Test Conditions:
Longitudinal tests conducted to measure the injury criteria above
must be performed with the FAA Hybrid III ATD, as described in SAE
1999-01-1609, ``A Lumbar Spine Modification to the Hybrid III ATD for
Aircraft Seat Tests.'' The tests must be conducted with an undeformed
floor, at the most-critical yaw cases for injury, and with all lateral
structural supports (e.g. armrests or walls) installed.
Note: The applicant must demonstrate that the installation of
seats via plinths or pallets meets all applicable requirements.
Compliance with the guidance contained in policy memorandum PS-ANM-
100-2000-00123, ``Guidance for Demonstrating Compliance with Seat
Dynamic Testing for Plinths and Pallets,'' dated February 2, 2000,
is acceptable to the FAA.
Inflatable Airbag Restraint Systems Special Conditions:
If inflatable airbag restraint systems are installed, the airbag
systems must meet the requirements of Airbus Model A330 special
conditions no. 25-395-SC, ``Seats with Inflatable Lapbelts.''
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on December 6, 2019.
James E. Wilborn,
Acting Manager, Transport Standards Branch, Policy and Innovation
Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-26722 Filed 12-11-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P