Special Conditions: Boeing Commercial Airplanes Model 777-9 Airplanes; Structure-Mounted Airbags, 14229-14231 [2021-05308]
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 48 / Monday, March 15, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
(d) Application for change of
nonimmigrant classification from that of
a student under section 101(a)(15)(M)(i)
to that described in section
101(a)(15)(H). A district director shall
deny an application for change of
nonimmigrant classification from that of
an M–1 student to that of an alien
temporary worker under section
101(a)(15)(H) of the Act if the education
or training which the student received
while an M–1 student enables the
student to meet the qualifications for
temporary worker classification under
section 101(a)(15)(H) of the Act.
(e) Change of nonimmigrant
classification to that as described in
section 101(a)(15)(N). An application for
change to N status shall not be denied
on the grounds the applicant is an
intending immigrant. Change of status
shall be granted for three years not to
exceed termination of eligibility under
section 101(a)(15)(N) of the Act.
Employment authorization pursuant to
section 274(A) of the Act may be
granted to an alien accorded
nonimmigrant status under section
101(a)(15)(N) of the Act. Employment
authorization is automatically
terminated when the alien changes
status or is no longer eligible for
classification under section
101(a)(15)(N) of the Act.
Background
[FR Doc. 2021–05357 Filed 3–11–21; 4:15 pm]
On December 6, 2013, Boeing applied
for a change to Type Certificate No.
T00001SE for structure-mounted airbags
installed in the Boeing Model 777–9
airplane. The application date was
extended to March 30, 2016, based on
Boeing’s request. The Boeing Model
777–9 airplane, which is a derivative of
the Boeing Model 777 airplane currently
approved under Type Certificate No.
T00001SE, is a twin-engine, transportcategory airplane with seating for 495
passengers and a maximum takeoff
weight of 775,000 pounds.
BILLING CODE 9111–97–P
Type Certification Basis
Alejandro N. Mayorkas,
Secretary of Homeland Security.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA–2019–1055; Special
Conditions No. 25–778–SC]
Special Conditions: Boeing
Commercial Airplanes Model 777–9
Airplanes; Structure-Mounted Airbags
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions.
AGENCY:
These special conditions are
issued for the Boeing Commercial
Airplanes (Boeing) Model 777–9
airplane. This airplane will have a novel
or unusual design feature when
compared to the state of technology
envisioned in the airworthiness
standards for transport-category
airplanes. This design feature is
structure-mounted airbags designed to
limit occupant forward excursion in the
event of an emergency landing. The
SUMMARY:
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
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: Effective April 14, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shannon Lennon, 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 206–231–3209; email
shannon.lennon@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:55 Mar 12, 2021
Jkt 253001
Under the provisions of title 14, Code
of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.101,
Boeing must show that the Model 777–
9 airplane, as changed, continues to
meet the applicable provisions of the
regulations listed in Type Certificate No.
T00001SE, 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
(e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain
adequate or appropriate safety standards
for the Boeing Model 777–9 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 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
PO 00000
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
14229
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 Boeing Model 777–9
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.
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Boeing Model 777–9 airplane will
incorporate the following novel or
unusual design features:
Airbags mounted to structure to
prevent head injury.
Discussion
Boeing will install structure-mounted
airbags instead of inflatable lap belts as
a means to protect each occupant from
serious injury in the event of an
emergency landing, as required by
§ 25.562(c)(5), on 777–9 airplanes.
Such use of airbags to provide injury
protection for the occupant is a novel or
unusual feature for this airplane model,
and the applicable airworthiness
regulations do not contain adequate or
appropriate airworthiness standards for
these design features. Therefore, special
conditions are needed to address
requirements particular to installation of
airbags in this manner.
Special conditions exist for airbags
installed on seat belts, known as
inflatable lap belts, which have been
installed on Boeing airplane passenger
seats. Structure-mounted airbags,
although a novel design, were first
introduced on Jetstream Aircraft
Limited Model 4100 series airplanes,
which resulted in issuance of Special
Conditions 25–ANM–127 on May 14,
1997. These special conditions
supplemented 14 CFR part 25 and, more
specifically, §§ 25.562 and 25.785.
The structure-mounted airbag, similar
to the inflatable lap belt, is designed to
limit occupant forward excursion in the
event of an emergency landing. These
airbags will reduce the potential for
serious injury, including reducing the
head-injury criterion measurement
defined in part 25. However, structuremounted airbags function similarly as
automotive airbags, where the airbag
deploys from furniture located in front
of the passenger, relative to the
airplane’s direction of flight, forming a
barrier between the structure and
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15MRR1
14230
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 48 / Monday, March 15, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
occupant. Also, unlike the inflatable lap
belt, the structure-mounted airbag does
not move with the occupant. To account
for out-of-position and brace-position
occupants, the airbag is designed to
conform to the curvature of the exposed
structure in the head-strike zone.
Because the airbag system is
essentially a single-use device, it could
deploy under crash conditions that are
not sufficiently so severe as to require
the injury protection the airbag system
provides. Because an actual crash is
frequently composed of a series of
impacts before the airplane comes to
rest, a larger impact following the initial
impact could render the airbag system
unavailable. This potential situation
does not exist with standard upper-torso
restraints, which tend to provide
continuous protection regardless of
impact severity, or number of impacts,
in a crash event. Therefore, the airbagsystem installation should be such that
it provides protection, when it is
required, by not expending its
protection when it is not required. If the
airbag deployment threshold is
unnecessarily low, the airbag would
need to continue to provide protection
when an impact requiring protection
occurs.
These special conditions are based
upon special conditions 25–605–SC for
the Boeing Model 787–9 airplanes
equipped with B/E Aerospace SuperDiamond model business-class
passenger seats and associated furniture.
The 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.
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
Discussion of Comments
The FAA issued Notice of Proposed
Special Conditions No. 25–20–05–SC
for the Boeing) Model 777–9 airplane,
which was published in the Federal
Register on July 22, 2020 (85 FR 44244).
No comments were received, and the
special conditions are adopted as
proposed.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special
conditions are applicable to the Boeing
Model 777–9 airplane. Should Boeing
apply at a later date for a change to the
type certificate to include another
model incorporating the same novel or
unusual design feature, these special
conditions would apply to that model as
well.
Conclusion
This action affects only certain novel
or unusual design features on one model
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:55 Mar 12, 2021
Jkt 253001
of airplane. It is not a rule of general
applicability.
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 Boeing Model
777–9 airplanes.
1. The applicant must demonstrate by
test that the structure-mounted airbag
will deploy and provide protection
under crash conditions where it is
necessary to prevent serious injury to a
50th percentile occupant, as specified in
§ 25.562. The means of protection must
provide a consistent approach to energy
absorption for a range of occupants,
from a two-year-old child to a 95th
percentile male.
2. The structure-mounted airbag must
provide adequate protection for each
occupant regardless of the number of
occupants of the seat assembly.
3. The structure-mounted airbag
system must not be susceptible to
inadvertent deployment as a result of
wear and tear, or inertial loads resulting
from in-flight or ground maneuvers
(including gusts and hard landings)
likely to be experienced in service.
4. Deployment of the structuremounted airbag must not introduce
hazards or injury mechanisms to the
seated occupant, including occupants in
the brace position. Deployment of the
structure-mounted airbag must also not
result in injuries that could impede
rapid exit from the airplane.
5. The applicant must demonstrate
that an inadvertent deployment that
could cause injury to a standing or
sitting person is improbable. Inadvertent
deployment must not cause injury to
anyone who may be positioned close to
the structure-mounted airbag (e.g.,
seated in an adjacent seat, or standing
adjacent to the airbag installation or the
subject seat). Cases where a structuremounted airbag is inadvertently
deployed near a seated occupant or an
empty seat must be considered.
6. Effects of the deflection and
deformation of the structure to which
the airbag is attached must be taken into
account when evaluating deployment
and location of the inflated airbag. The
effect of loads imposed by airbag
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
deployment, or stowed components
where applicable, must also be taken
into account.
7. Inadvertent deployment of the
structure-mounted airbag during the
most critical part of flight will either not
cause a hazard to the airplane or is
extremely improbable.
8. The applicant must demonstrate
that the structure-mounted airbag, when
deployed, does not impair access to the
seatbelt- or harness-release means, and
must not hinder evacuation. This will
include consideration of adjacent seat
places and the aisle.
9. The airbag, once deployed, must
not adversely affect the emergencylighting system, and must not block
escape-path lighting to the extent that
the light(s) no longer meet their
intended function.
10. The structure-mounted airbag
must not impede occupants’ rapid exit
from the airplane 10 seconds after its
deployment.
11. Where structure-mounted airbag
systems are installed in or close to
passenger evacuation routes (other than
for the passenger seat for which the
airbag is installed), possibility of impact
on emergency evacuation (e.g., hanging
in the aisle, potential trip hazard, etc.)
must be evaluated.
12. The airbag electronic system must
be designed to be protected from
lightning per § 25.1316(b), and highintensity radiated fields per
§ 25.1317(c).
13. The structure-mounted airbag
system must not contain or release
hazardous quantities of gas or
particulate matter into the cabin.
14. The structure-mounted airbag
installation must be protected from the
effects of fire such that no hazard to
occupants will result.
15. The inflatable bag material must
meet the 2.5-inches-per-minute
horizontal flammability test defined in
14 CFR part 25, appendix F, part I,
paragraph (a)(1)(iv).
16. The design of the structuremounted airbag system must protect the
mechanisms and controls from external
contamination associated with that
which could occur on or around
passenger seating.
17. The structure-mounted airbag
system must have a means to verify the
integrity of the structure-mounted airbag
activation system.
18. The applicant must provide
installation limitations to ensure
installation compatibility between the
seat design and opposing monument or
structure.
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 48 / Monday, March 15, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on
January 5, 2021.
Suzanne Masterson,
Manager, Transport Airplane Strategic Policy
Section, Policy and Innovation Division,
Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–05308 Filed 3–12–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA–2020–0404; Special
Conditions No. 25–783–SC]
Special Conditions: B/E Aerospace,
Bombardier Model CL–600–2B16 (604
Variant) Airplane; Seats With
Pretensioner Restraint Systems
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions.
AGENCY:
These special conditions are
issued for the Bombardier Inc.
(Bombardier) Model CL–600–2B16 (604
variant) airplane. This airplane, as
modified by B/E Aerospace, will have a
novel or unusual design feature when
compared to the state of technology
envisioned in the airworthiness
standards for transport category
airplanes. This design feature is seats
with a 3-point shoulder harness
incorporating a pretensioner restraint
system. 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: Effective on B/E Aerospace on
March 15, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shannon Lennon, Human-Machine
Interface Section, AIR–626, Technical
Innovation Policy Branch, Policy and
Innovation Division, Aircraft
Certification Service, Federal Aviation
Administration, 2200 South 216th
Street, Des Moines, Washington 98198;
telephone and fax 206–231–3209; email
shannon.lennon@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES
SUMMARY:
Background
On June 7, 2019, B/E Aerospace
applied for a supplemental type
certificate for seats with 3-point harness
and pretensioner restraint systems on
Bombardier Model CL–600–2B16 (604
variant) airplanes. The 604 variant is a
VerDate Sep<11>2014
15:55 Mar 12, 2021
Jkt 253001
derivative of the Bombardier Model CL–
600–2B16 airplane currently approved
under Type Certificate No. A21EA. This
airplane variant is a twin-engine,
transport category airplane with seating
for 22 passengers, including crew, and
a maximum take-off weight of 47,600
pounds.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of title 14, Code
of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.101,
B/E Aerospace must show that the
Bombardier Model CL–600–2B16 (604
variant) airplane, as changed, continues
to meet the applicable provisions of the
regulations listed in Type Certificate No.
A21EA 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
(e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain
adequate or appropriate safety standards
for the Bombardier Model CL–600–2B16
(604 variant) 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 Bombardier Model CL–
600–2B16 (604 variant) airplane must
comply with the fuel-vent and exhaustemission 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 § 11.38, and they become part of
the type certification basis under
§ 21.101.
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Bombardier Model CL–600–2B16
(604 variant) airplane, as modified by B/
E Aerospace, will incorporate the
following novel or unusual design
feature:
Seats with a 3-point shoulder harness
incorporating a pretensioner restraint
system to prevent head injuries.
Discussion
B/E Aerospace has developed a
system in which a pretensioning
automotive retractor eliminates slack in
the 3-point shoulder harness, pulling
the occupant back into the seat prior to
PO 00000
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Fmt 4700
Sfmt 4700
14231
impact. This has the effect of reducing
forward translation of the occupant
(reduced head arc), while reducing the
loads in the shoulder harness. B/E
Aerospace will install, in Bombardier
Model CL–600–2B16 (604 variant)
airplanes, seats that incorporate a 3point harness and pretensioner restraint
system to protect seat occupants from
head injuries.
Over the past 10 years, multiple
sensor-driven systems have been
installed in various airplanes to meet
improved crashworthiness regulations.
A sensor-driven system is defined as
any system that activates due to a signal
sent by an impact-triggered inertial
sensor. These types of systems include
a lap-belt airbag, a structure-mounted
airbag, and a 3-point harness and
pretensioner restraint system.
Shoulder harnesses have been widely
used on flight-attendant seats, flightdeck seats, in business jets, and in
general-aviation airplanes to reduce
occupant head injury in the unlikely
event of an emergency landing. Special
conditions, pertinent regulations, and
guidance have been published, relating
to other or existing restraint systems.
However, the use of a pretensioner
restraint system with a 3-point harness
on transport airplane seats is a novel
design.
Pretensioner technology involves a
step change in loading experienced by
the occupant for impacts below and
above that at which the device activates,
because the upper torso excursion
would be interrupted by activation of
the shoulder harness. This could result
in the head-injury criteria being higher
at an intermediate impact condition
than that resulting from the maximum
impact condition corresponding to the
test conditions specified in § 25.562.
The ideal triangular maximumseverity pulse is defined in Advisory
Circular 25.562–1B, ‘‘Dynamic
Evaluation of Seat Restraint Systems
and Occupant Protection on Transport
Airplanes with Change 1,’’ dated
January 10, 2006. For evaluating and
testing less-severe pulses to assess the
effectiveness of the pretensioner setting,
a similar triangular pulse should be
used with acceleration, rise time, and
velocity change scaled accordingly. The
magnitude of the required pulse should
not deviate below the ideal pulse by
more than 0.5g until 1.33 t1 is reached,
where t1 represents the time interval
between 0 and t1 on the referenced
pulse shape as shown in AC 25.562–1B.
This is an acceptable method of
compliance to the test requirements of
these special conditions.
Additionally, the pretensioner might
not provide protection, after actuation,
E:\FR\FM\15MRR1.SGM
15MRR1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 48 (Monday, March 15, 2021)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 14229-14231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05308]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2019-1055; Special Conditions No. 25-778-SC]
Special Conditions: Boeing Commercial Airplanes Model 777-9
Airplanes; Structure-Mounted Airbags
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Commercial
Airplanes (Boeing) Model 777-9 airplane. This airplane will have a
novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of
technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-
category airplanes. This design feature is structure-mounted airbags
designed to limit occupant forward excursion in the event of an
emergency landing. 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: Effective April 14, 2021.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shannon Lennon, 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 206-231-3209; email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On December 6, 2013, Boeing applied for a change to Type
Certificate No. T00001SE for structure-mounted airbags installed in the
Boeing Model 777-9 airplane. The application date was extended to March
30, 2016, based on Boeing's request. The Boeing Model 777-9 airplane,
which is a derivative of the Boeing Model 777 airplane currently
approved under Type Certificate No. T00001SE, is a twin-engine,
transport-category airplane with seating for 495 passengers and a
maximum takeoff weight of 775,000 pounds.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) 21.101, Boeing must show that the Model 777-9 airplane, as
changed, continues to meet the applicable provisions of the regulations
listed in Type Certificate No. T00001SE, 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 (e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Boeing Model 777-9 airplane
because of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are
prescribed under the provisions of Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the type certificate 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 Boeing Model 777-9 airplane must comply with the fuel-
vent and exhaust-emission requirements of 14 CFR part 34, and the
noise-certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in
accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type
certification basis under Sec. 21.101.
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Boeing Model 777-9 airplane will incorporate the following
novel or unusual design features:
Airbags mounted to structure to prevent head injury.
Discussion
Boeing will install structure-mounted airbags instead of inflatable
lap belts as a means to protect each occupant from serious injury in
the event of an emergency landing, as required by Sec. 25.562(c)(5),
on 777-9 airplanes.
Such use of airbags to provide injury protection for the occupant
is a novel or unusual feature for this airplane model, and the
applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or
appropriate airworthiness standards for these design features.
Therefore, special conditions are needed to address requirements
particular to installation of airbags in this manner.
Special conditions exist for airbags installed on seat belts, known
as inflatable lap belts, which have been installed on Boeing airplane
passenger seats. Structure-mounted airbags, although a novel design,
were first introduced on Jetstream Aircraft Limited Model 4100 series
airplanes, which resulted in issuance of Special Conditions 25-ANM-127
on May 14, 1997. These special conditions supplemented 14 CFR part 25
and, more specifically, Sec. Sec. 25.562 and 25.785.
The structure-mounted airbag, similar to the inflatable lap belt,
is designed to limit occupant forward excursion in the event of an
emergency landing. These airbags will reduce the potential for serious
injury, including reducing the head-injury criterion measurement
defined in part 25. However, structure-mounted airbags function
similarly as automotive airbags, where the airbag deploys from
furniture located in front of the passenger, relative to the airplane's
direction of flight, forming a barrier between the structure and
[[Page 14230]]
occupant. Also, unlike the inflatable lap belt, the structure-mounted
airbag does not move with the occupant. To account for out-of-position
and brace-position occupants, the airbag is designed to conform to the
curvature of the exposed structure in the head-strike zone.
Because the airbag system is essentially a single-use device, it
could deploy under crash conditions that are not sufficiently so severe
as to require the injury protection the airbag system provides. Because
an actual crash is frequently composed of a series of impacts before
the airplane comes to rest, a larger impact following the initial
impact could render the airbag system unavailable. This potential
situation does not exist with standard upper-torso restraints, which
tend to provide continuous protection regardless of impact severity, or
number of impacts, in a crash event. Therefore, the airbag-system
installation should be such that it provides protection, when it is
required, by not expending its protection when it is not required. If
the airbag deployment threshold is unnecessarily low, the airbag would
need to continue to provide protection when an impact requiring
protection occurs.
These special conditions are based upon special conditions 25-605-
SC for the Boeing Model 787-9 airplanes equipped with B/E Aerospace
Super-Diamond model business-class passenger seats and associated
furniture.
The 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.
Discussion of Comments
The FAA issued Notice of Proposed Special Conditions No. 25-20-05-
SC for the Boeing) Model 777-9 airplane, which was published in the
Federal Register on July 22, 2020 (85 FR 44244). No comments were
received, and the special conditions are adopted as proposed.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the
Boeing Model 777-9 airplane. Should Boeing apply at a later date for a
change to the type certificate to include another model incorporating
the same novel or unusual design feature, these special conditions
would apply to that model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features
on one model of airplane. It is not a rule of general applicability.
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 Boeing Model 777-9 airplanes.
1. The applicant must demonstrate by test that the structure-
mounted airbag will deploy and provide protection under crash
conditions where it is necessary to prevent serious injury to a 50th
percentile occupant, as specified in Sec. 25.562. The means of
protection must provide a consistent approach to energy absorption for
a range of occupants, from a two-year-old child to a 95th percentile
male.
2. The structure-mounted airbag must provide adequate protection
for each occupant regardless of the number of occupants of the seat
assembly.
3. The structure-mounted airbag system must not be susceptible to
inadvertent deployment as a result of wear and tear, or inertial loads
resulting from in-flight or ground maneuvers (including gusts and hard
landings) likely to be experienced in service.
4. Deployment of the structure-mounted airbag must not introduce
hazards or injury mechanisms to the seated occupant, including
occupants in the brace position. Deployment of the structure-mounted
airbag must also not result in injuries that could impede rapid exit
from the airplane.
5. The applicant must demonstrate that an inadvertent deployment
that could cause injury to a standing or sitting person is improbable.
Inadvertent deployment must not cause injury to anyone who may be
positioned close to the structure-mounted airbag (e.g., seated in an
adjacent seat, or standing adjacent to the airbag installation or the
subject seat). Cases where a structure-mounted airbag is inadvertently
deployed near a seated occupant or an empty seat must be considered.
6. Effects of the deflection and deformation of the structure to
which the airbag is attached must be taken into account when evaluating
deployment and location of the inflated airbag. The effect of loads
imposed by airbag deployment, or stowed components where applicable,
must also be taken into account.
7. Inadvertent deployment of the structure-mounted airbag during
the most critical part of flight will either not cause a hazard to the
airplane or is extremely improbable.
8. The applicant must demonstrate that the structure-mounted
airbag, when deployed, does not impair access to the seatbelt- or
harness-release means, and must not hinder evacuation. This will
include consideration of adjacent seat places and the aisle.
9. The airbag, once deployed, must not adversely affect the
emergency-lighting system, and must not block escape-path lighting to
the extent that the light(s) no longer meet their intended function.
10. The structure-mounted airbag must not impede occupants' rapid
exit from the airplane 10 seconds after its deployment.
11. Where structure-mounted airbag systems are installed in or
close to passenger evacuation routes (other than for the passenger seat
for which the airbag is installed), possibility of impact on emergency
evacuation (e.g., hanging in the aisle, potential trip hazard, etc.)
must be evaluated.
12. The airbag electronic system must be designed to be protected
from lightning per Sec. 25.1316(b), and high-intensity radiated fields
per Sec. 25.1317(c).
13. The structure-mounted airbag system must not contain or release
hazardous quantities of gas or particulate matter into the cabin.
14. The structure-mounted airbag installation must be protected
from the effects of fire such that no hazard to occupants will result.
15. The inflatable bag material must meet the 2.5-inches-per-minute
horizontal flammability test defined in 14 CFR part 25, appendix F,
part I, paragraph (a)(1)(iv).
16. The design of the structure-mounted airbag system must protect
the mechanisms and controls from external contamination associated with
that which could occur on or around passenger seating.
17. The structure-mounted airbag system must have a means to verify
the integrity of the structure-mounted airbag activation system.
18. The applicant must provide installation limitations to ensure
installation compatibility between the seat design and opposing
monument or structure.
[[Page 14231]]
Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on January 5, 2021.
Suzanne Masterson,
Manager, Transport Airplane Strategic Policy Section, Policy and
Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-05308 Filed 3-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
