Federal Aviation Administration October 17, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is correcting a final special conditions; request for comments document published in the Federal Register on October 31, 2013 (78 FR 65153). In that document the special conditions number was incorrect and this document now posts the correct special conditions number. Also, a typographical error occurred in the wording of one of the headings paragraphs of the document. This document now posts the correct headings wording.

These special conditions are issued for the Embraer S.A. Model ERJ 190-300 series airplanes. These airplanes will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. These design features are electrical/ electronic equipment bays distributed throughout the airplane, with three of them in the pressurized area. The time it takes to determine the source of smoke in an airplane with three or more equipment bays could allow fire to spread, generating a significant quantity of smoke and damage. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for these design features. 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.

The FAA is proposing to revise its rules for pilot compartment view to allow ground tests to demonstrate compliance for night operations. The current regulations require night flight testing to demonstrate compliance, which is not necessary in every case. The proposed rule would relieve the burden of performing a night flight test under certain conditions.