81_FR_45540 81 FR 45405 - Special Conditions: American Airlines, Boeing 777-200 Series Airplanes; Dynamic Test Requirements for Single-Occupant Oblique (Side-Facing) Seats Equipped With Inflatable Lapbelts

81 FR 45405 - Special Conditions: American Airlines, Boeing 777-200 Series Airplanes; Dynamic Test Requirements for Single-Occupant Oblique (Side-Facing) Seats Equipped With Inflatable Lapbelts

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 135 (July 14, 2016)

Page Range45405-45407
FR Document2016-16639

These special conditions are issued for the Boeing 777-200 series airplane. This airplane, as modified by American Airlines, will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport- category airplanes. These airplanes will include single-occupant oblique seats with inflatable lapbelts requiring dynamic testing. 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.

Federal Register, Volume 81 Issue 135 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 135 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 45405-45407]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16639]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 25

[Docket No. FAA-2016-6136; Special Conditions No. 25-620-SC]


Special Conditions: American Airlines, Boeing 777-200 Series 
Airplanes; Dynamic Test Requirements for Single-Occupant Oblique (Side-
Facing) Seats Equipped With Inflatable Lapbelts

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Boeing 777-200 
series airplane. This airplane, as modified by American Airlines, will 
have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of 
technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-
category airplanes. These airplanes will include single-occupant 
oblique seats with inflatable lapbelts requiring dynamic testing. 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.

DATES: This action is effective on American Airlines on July 14, 2016. 
We must receive your comments by August 29, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2016-6136 
using any of the following methods:
     Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/and follow the online instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S. 
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room 
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket 
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
    Privacy: The FAA will post all comments it receives, without 
change, to http://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal 
information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the 
docket Web site, anyone can find and read the electronic form of all 
comments received into any FAA docket, including the name of the 
individual sending the comment (or signing the comment for an 
association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete Privacy Act 
Statement can be found in the Federal Register published on April 11, 
2000 (65 FR 19477-19478), as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov/ gov/.
    Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at 
http://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: John Shelden, FAA, Airframe and Cabin 
Safety Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-
3356; telephone 425-227-2785; facsimile 425-227-1320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has determined that notice of, and 
opportunity for prior public comment on, these special conditions is 
impracticable because these procedures would significantly delay 
issuance of the design approval and thus delivery of the affected 
airplanes.
    In addition, the substance of these special conditions has been 
subject to the public comment process in several prior instances with 
no substantive comments received. The FAA therefore finds that good 
cause exists for making these special conditions effective upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

Comments Invited

    We invite interested people to take part in this rulemaking by 
sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments 
reference a specific portion of the special conditions, explain the 
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data.
    We will consider all comments we receive by the closing date for 
comments. We may change these special conditions based on the comments 
we receive.

Background

    On November 3, 2015, American Airlines applied for a supplemental 
type certificate for installation of TSO-C39c-approved B/E Aerospace 
Super Diamond model oblique business-class passenger seats in Boeing 
Model 777-200 series airplanes. The Model 777-200 airplane, approved 
under type certificate no. T00001SE, is a transport-category, twin-
engine jet airplane with a maximum capacity of 440 passengers and a 
maximum takeoff weight of 535,000 lbs.

Type Certification Basis

    Under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 
CFR) 21.101, American Airlines must show that the Boeing Model 777-200 
series 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

[[Page 45406]]

the date of application for the change, except for earlier amendments 
as agreed upon by the FAA.
    In addition, the certification basis includes certain special 
conditions, exemptions, or later amended sections of the applicable 
part that are not relevant to these special conditions.
    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 Boeing Model 777-200 series 
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 Boeing Model 777-200 series 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 777-200 series airplane will incorporate the 
following novel or unusual design features: Single-occupant oblique 
(side-facing) seats with inflatable lapbelts.

Discussion

    Amendment 25-15 to part 25, dated October 24, 1967, introduced the 
subject of side-facing seats, and a requirement that each occupant in a 
side-facing seat must be protected from head injury by a safety belt 
and a cushioned rest that will support the arms, shoulders, head, and 
spine.
    Subsequently, Amendment 25-20, dated April 23, 1969, clarified the 
definition of side-facing seats to require that each occupant of a seat 
that is positioned at more than an 18-degree angle to the vertical 
plane containing the airplane centerline must be protected from head 
injury by a safety belt and an energy-absorbing rest that supports the 
arms, shoulders, head, and spine; or by a safety belt and shoulder 
harness that prevents the head from contacting injurious objects. The 
FAA concluded that a maximum 18-degree angle would provide an adequate 
level of safety based on tests that were performed at the time, and 
thus adopted that standard.
    Amendment 25-64, dated June 16, 1988, revised the emergency-landing 
conditions that must be considered in the design of the airplane. It 
revised the static-load conditions in Sec.  25.561 and added a new 
Sec.  25.562, requiring dynamic testing for all seats approved for 
occupancy during takeoff and landing. The intent was to provide an 
improved level of safety for occupants on transport-category airplanes. 
Because most seating on transport-category airplanes is forward-facing, 
the pass/fail criteria developed in Amendment 25-64 focused primarily 
on forward-facing seats. Therefore, the testing specified in the rule 
did not provide a complete measure of occupant injury in seats that are 
not forward-facing. However, Sec.  25.785 does require that occupants 
of all seats that are occupied during taxi, takeoff, and landing not 
suffer serious injury as a result of the inertia forces specified in 
Sec. Sec.  25.561 and 25.562.
    To address recent research findings and accommodate commercial 
demand, the FAA developed a methodology to address all fully side-
facing seats (i.e., seats oriented in the airplane with the occupant 
facing 90 degrees to the direction of airplane travel) and has 
documented those requirements in a set of proposed new special 
conditions. The FAA issued policy statement PS-ANM-25-03-R1 on November 
12, 2012, titled, ``Technical Criteria for Approving Side-Facing 
Seats,'' which conveys the injury criteria to be used in the special 
conditions. Some of those criteria are applicable to oblique seats but 
others are not, because the motion of an occupant in an oblique seat is 
different from the motion of an occupant in a fully side-facing seat 
during emergency landing conditions.
    For shallower installation angles, the FAA has granted equivalent 
level of safety (ELOS) findings for oblique-seat installations on the 
premise that an occupant's kinematics in an oblique seat during a 
forward impact would result in the body aligning with the impact 
direction. We predicted that the occupant response would be similar to 
an occupant of a forward-facing seat, and would produce a level of 
safety equivalent to that of a forward-facing seat. These ELOS findings 
were subject to many conditions that reflected the injury-evaluation 
criteria and mitigation strategies available at the time of issuance of 
the ELOS. However, review of dynamic test results for many of these 
oblique seat installations raised concerns that the premise was not 
correct. Potential injury mechanisms exist that are unique to oblique 
seats and are not mitigated by the ELOS self-alignment approach even if 
the occupant appears to respond similarly to a forward-facing seat.
    These seats will be installed at a maximum angle of 30 degrees to 
the aircraft centerline and will include an inflatable lapbelt 
restraint system for occupant restraint and injury protection.
    The airbag in the inflatable lapbelt is designed to limit occupant 
forward excursion in the event of an emergency landing condition. This 
reduces the potential for head injury, thereby reducing the Head Injury 
Criteria (HIC) measurement. The use of an inflatable airbag in this 
fashion is novel for commercial aviation.
    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 
Boeing Model 777-200 series airplane. Should American Airlines apply at 
a later date for a supplemental type certificate to modify any other 
model included on type certificate no. T00001SE, to incorporate the 
same novel or unusual design feature, these special conditions would 
apply to that model as well.

Conclusion

    This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features 
on one model series of 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.
    The substance of these special conditions has been subject to the 
public-comment process with no substantive comments received. It is 
unlikely that prior public comment would result in a significant change 
from the substance contained herein. Therefore, because a delay would 
significantly affect the certification of the airplane, the FAA has 
determined that prior public notice and comment are unnecessary and 
impracticable, and good cause exists for adopting these special 
conditions upon publication in the Federal Register. The FAA is 
requesting comments to allow interested persons to submit views that 
may not have been submitted in response to the prior opportunities for 
comment described above.

[[Page 45407]]

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25

    Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements.

    The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, 44704.

The Special Conditions

    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part of 
the type certification basis for Boeing Model 777-200 series airplanes 
modified by American Airlines.
    In addition to the requirements of Sec.  25.562:

1. Head-Injury Criteria

    Compliance with Sec.  25.562(c)(5) is required, except that, if the 
anthropomorphic test device (ATD) has no apparent contact with the 
seat/structure but has contact with an airbag, a 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. interior wall or 
furnishings) that does not provide a homogenous contact surface for the 
expected range of occupants and yaw angles, then additional analysis 
and/or tests may be required to demonstrate that the injury criteria 
are met for the area which an occupant could contact. For example, if 
an airbag device is present, different yaw angles could result in 
different airbag-device performance, and 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. If an airbag device is present, 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 upper-neck 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,'' V. Gowdy, et al. (1999). 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: In addition to these special conditions, the inflatable 
lapbelts must meet the criteria of special conditions no. 25-187A-SC, 
titled, ``Boeing Model 777 Series Airplanes; Seats with Inflatable 
Lapbelts.''

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on July 7, 2016.
Michael Kaszycki,
Assistant Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-16639 Filed 7-13-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P



                                                                         Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 135 / Thursday, July 14, 2016 / Rules and Regulations                                           45405

                                                                                                   Energy         SUMMARY:   These special conditions are              Operations in Room W12–140 of the
                                                              Product class                       efficiency      issued for the Boeing 777–200 series                 West Building Ground Floor at 1200
                                                                                                     ratio        airplane. This airplane, as modified by              New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington,
                                                                                                    (EER)                                                              DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
                                                                                                                  American Airlines, will have novel or
                                                (B) Split-system rated cooling                                    unusual design features when compared                through Friday, except Federal holidays.
                                                  capacity equal to or greater                                    to the state of technology envisioned in             FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John
                                                  than 45,000 Btu/hr ................                      11.7   the airworthiness standards for                      Shelden, FAA, Airframe and Cabin
                                                (C) Single-package systems ....                            11.0   transport-category airplanes. These                  Safety Branch, ANM–115, Transport
                                                                                                                  airplanes will include single-occupant               Airplane Directorate, Aircraft
                                                  (ii) Any outdoor unit model that has                            oblique seats with inflatable lapbelts               Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue
                                                a certified combination with a rating                             requiring dynamic testing. The                       SW., Renton, Washington 98057–3356;
                                                below 14 SEER or the applicable EER                               applicable airworthiness regulations do              telephone 425–227–2785; facsimile
                                                cannot be installed in this region. The                           not contain adequate or appropriate                  425–227–1320.
                                                least efficient combination of each basic                         safety standards for these design                    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA
                                                model must comply with this standard.                             features. These special conditions                   has determined that notice of, and
                                                  (4) Each basic model of single-package                          contain the additional safety standards              opportunity for prior public comment
                                                central air conditioners and central air                          that the Administrator considers                     on, these special conditions is
                                                conditioning heat pumps and each                                  necessary to establish a level of safety             impracticable because these procedures
                                                individual combination of split-system                            equivalent to that established by the                would significantly delay issuance of
                                                central air conditioners and central air                          existing airworthiness standards.                    the design approval and thus delivery of
                                                conditioning heat pumps manufactured                              DATES: This action is effective on                   the affected airplanes.
                                                on or after January 1, 2015, shall have                           American Airlines on July 14, 2016. We                  In addition, the substance of these
                                                an average off mode electrical power                              must receive your comments by August                 special conditions has been subject to
                                                consumption not more than the                                     29, 2016.                                            the public comment process in several
                                                following:                                                        ADDRESSES: Send comments identified
                                                                                                                                                                       prior instances with no substantive
                                                                                                                  by docket number FAA–2016–6136                       comments received. The FAA therefore
                                                                                               Average off
                                                                                                                  using any of the following methods:                  finds that good cause exists for making
                                                                                              mode power                                                               these special conditions effective upon
                                                             Product class                    consumption            • Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to
                                                                                                 PW,OFF           http://www.regulations.gov/and follow                publication in the Federal Register.
                                                                                                 (watts)          the online instructions for sending your             Comments Invited
                                                                                                                  comments electronically.                               We invite interested people to take
                                                (i) Split-system air condi-
                                                    tioners ...............................                 30
                                                                                                                     • Mail: Send comments to Docket                   part in this rulemaking by sending
                                                (ii) Split-system heat pumps                                33    Operations, M–30, U.S. Department of                 written comments, data, or views. The
                                                (iii) Single-package air condi-                                   Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey                most helpful comments reference a
                                                    tioners ...............................                 30    Avenue SE., Room W12–140, West                       specific portion of the special
                                                (iv) Single-package heat                                          Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC                conditions, explain the reason for any
                                                    pumps ...............................                   33    20590–0001.                                          recommended change, and include
                                                (v) Small-duct, high-velocity                                        • Hand Delivery or Courier: Take                  supporting data.
                                                    systems .............................                   30    comments to Docket Operations in
                                                (vi) Space-constrained air                                                                                               We will consider all comments we
                                                                                                                  Room W12–140 of the West Building                    receive by the closing date for
                                                    conditioners .......................                    30
                                                (vii) Space-constrained heat
                                                                                                                  Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey                      comments. We may change these special
                                                    pumps ...............................                   33    Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9                conditions based on the comments we
                                                                                                                  a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through                      receive.
                                                *        *        *        *         *                            Friday, except Federal holidays.
                                                [FR Doc. 2016–16441 Filed 7–13–16; 8:45 am]                          • Fax: Fax comments to Docket                     Background
                                                BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
                                                                                                                  Operations at 202–493–2251.                            On November 3, 2015, American
                                                                                                                     Privacy: The FAA will post all                    Airlines applied for a supplemental type
                                                                                                                  comments it receives, without change,                certificate for installation of TSO–C39c-
                                                                                                                  to http://www.regulations.gov/,                      approved B/E Aerospace Super
                                                DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION                                      including any personal information the               Diamond model oblique business-class
                                                                                                                  commenter provides. Using the search                 passenger seats in Boeing Model 777–
                                                Federal Aviation Administration                                   function of the docket Web site, anyone              200 series airplanes. The Model 777–
                                                                                                                  can find and read the electronic form of             200 airplane, approved under type
                                                14 CFR Part 25                                                    all comments received into any FAA                   certificate no. T00001SE, is a transport-
                                                                                                                  docket, including the name of the                    category, twin-engine jet airplane with a
                                                [Docket No. FAA–2016–6136; Special                                individual sending the comment (or                   maximum capacity of 440 passengers
                                                Conditions No. 25–620–SC]                                         signing the comment for an association,              and a maximum takeoff weight of
                                                                                                                  business, labor union, etc.). DOT’s                  535,000 lbs.
                                                Special Conditions: American Airlines,                            complete Privacy Act Statement can be
                                                Boeing 777–200 Series Airplanes;                                  found in the Federal Register published              Type Certification Basis
                                                Dynamic Test Requirements for Single-                             on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477–19478),                  Under the provisions of Title 14, Code
                                                Occupant Oblique (Side-Facing) Seats
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with RULES




                                                                                                                  as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.                of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.101,
                                                Equipped With Inflatable Lapbelts                                 gov/.                                                American Airlines must show that the
                                                AGENCY:  Federal Aviation                                            Docket: Background documents or                   Boeing Model 777–200 series airplane,
                                                Administration (FAA), DOT.                                        comments received may be read at                     as changed, continues to meet the
                                                ACTION: Final special conditions; request
                                                                                                                  http://www.regulations.gov/ at any time.             applicable provisions of the regulations
                                                for comments.                                                     Follow the online instructions for                   listed in type certificate no. T00001SE,
                                                                                                                  accessing the docket or go to Docket                 or the applicable regulations in effect on


                                           VerDate Sep<11>2014        15:55 Jul 13, 2016      Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00019   Fmt 4700   Sfmt 4700   E:\FR\FM\14JYR1.SGM   14JYR1


                                                45406              Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 135 / Thursday, July 14, 2016 / Rules and Regulations

                                                the date of application for the change,                  concluded that a maximum 18-degree                    concerns that the premise was not
                                                except for earlier amendments as agreed                  angle would provide an adequate level                 correct. Potential injury mechanisms
                                                upon by the FAA.                                         of safety based on tests that were                    exist that are unique to oblique seats
                                                   In addition, the certification basis                  performed at the time, and thus adopted               and are not mitigated by the ELOS self-
                                                includes certain special conditions,                     that standard.                                        alignment approach even if the
                                                exemptions, or later amended sections                       Amendment 25–64, dated June 16,                    occupant appears to respond similarly
                                                of the applicable part that are not                      1988, revised the emergency-landing                   to a forward-facing seat.
                                                relevant to these special conditions.                    conditions that must be considered in                    These seats will be installed at a
                                                   If the Administrator finds that the                   the design of the airplane. It revised the            maximum angle of 30 degrees to the
                                                applicable airworthiness regulations                     static-load conditions in § 25.561 and                aircraft centerline and will include an
                                                (i.e., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain                    added a new § 25.562, requiring                       inflatable lapbelt restraint system for
                                                adequate or appropriate safety standards                 dynamic testing for all seats approved                occupant restraint and injury protection.
                                                for the Boeing Model 777–200 series                      for occupancy during takeoff and                         The airbag in the inflatable lapbelt is
                                                airplane because of a novel or unusual                   landing. The intent was to provide an                 designed to limit occupant forward
                                                design feature, special conditions are                   improved level of safety for occupants                excursion in the event of an emergency
                                                prescribed under the provisions of                       on transport-category airplanes. Because              landing condition. This reduces the
                                                § 21.16.                                                 most seating on transport-category                    potential for head injury, thereby
                                                   Special conditions are initially                      airplanes is forward-facing, the pass/fail            reducing the Head Injury Criteria (HIC)
                                                applicable to the model for which they                   criteria developed in Amendment 25–64                 measurement. The use of an inflatable
                                                are issued. Should the applicant apply                   focused primarily on forward-facing                   airbag in this fashion is novel for
                                                for a supplemental type certificate to                   seats. Therefore, the testing specified in            commercial aviation.
                                                modify any other model included on the                   the rule did not provide a complete
                                                                                                                                                                  These special conditions contain the
                                                same type certificate to incorporate the                 measure of occupant injury in seats that
                                                                                                                                                               additional safety standards that the
                                                same novel or unusual design feature,                    are not forward-facing. However,
                                                                                                                                                               Administrator considers necessary to
                                                these special conditions would also                      § 25.785 does require that occupants of
                                                                                                                                                               establish a level of safety equivalent to
                                                apply to the other model under § 21.101.                 all seats that are occupied during taxi,
                                                                                                                                                               that established by the existing
                                                   In addition to the applicable                         takeoff, and landing not suffer serious
                                                                                                                                                               airworthiness standards.
                                                airworthiness regulations and special                    injury as a result of the inertia forces
                                                conditions, the Boeing Model 777–200                     specified in §§ 25.561 and 25.562.                    Applicability
                                                series airplane must comply with the                        To address recent research findings
                                                                                                         and accommodate commercial demand,                      As discussed above, these special
                                                fuel-vent and exhaust-emission
                                                                                                         the FAA developed a methodology to                    conditions are applicable to the Boeing
                                                requirements of 14 CFR part 34, and the
                                                                                                         address all fully side-facing seats (i.e.,            Model 777–200 series airplane. Should
                                                noise-certification requirements of 14
                                                                                                         seats oriented in the airplane with the               American Airlines apply at a later date
                                                CFR part 36.
                                                   The FAA issues special conditions, as                 occupant facing 90 degrees to the                     for a supplemental type certificate to
                                                defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in accordance                   direction of airplane travel) and has                 modify any other model included on
                                                with § 11.38, and they become part of                    documented those requirements in a set                type certificate no. T00001SE, to
                                                the type certification basis under                       of proposed new special conditions. The               incorporate the same novel or unusual
                                                § 21.101.                                                FAA issued policy statement PS–ANM–                   design feature, these special conditions
                                                                                                         25–03–R1 on November 12, 2012, titled,                would apply to that model as well.
                                                Novel or Unusual Design Features                         ‘‘Technical Criteria for Approving Side-              Conclusion
                                                  The Boeing Model 777–200 series                        Facing Seats,’’ which conveys the injury
                                                airplane will incorporate the following                  criteria to be used in the special                       This action affects only certain novel
                                                novel or unusual design features:                        conditions. Some of those criteria are                or unusual design features on one model
                                                Single-occupant oblique (side-facing)                    applicable to oblique seats but others                series of airplane. It is not a rule of
                                                seats with inflatable lapbelts.                          are not, because the motion of an                     general applicability and affects only
                                                                                                         occupant in an oblique seat is different              the applicant who applied to the FAA
                                                Discussion                                               from the motion of an occupant in a                   for approval of these features on the
                                                   Amendment 25–15 to part 25, dated                     fully side-facing seat during emergency               airplane.
                                                October 24, 1967, introduced the subject                 landing conditions.                                      The substance of these special
                                                of side-facing seats, and a requirement                     For shallower installation angles, the             conditions has been subject to the
                                                that each occupant in a side-facing seat                 FAA has granted equivalent level of                   public-comment process with no
                                                must be protected from head injury by                    safety (ELOS) findings for oblique-seat               substantive comments received. It is
                                                a safety belt and a cushioned rest that                  installations on the premise that an                  unlikely that prior public comment
                                                will support the arms, shoulders, head,                  occupant’s kinematics in an oblique seat              would result in a significant change
                                                and spine.                                               during a forward impact would result in               from the substance contained herein.
                                                   Subsequently, Amendment 25–20,                        the body aligning with the impact                     Therefore, because a delay would
                                                dated April 23, 1969, clarified the                      direction. We predicted that the                      significantly affect the certification of
                                                definition of side-facing seats to require               occupant response would be similar to                 the airplane, the FAA has determined
                                                that each occupant of a seat that is                     an occupant of a forward-facing seat,                 that prior public notice and comment
                                                positioned at more than an 18-degree                     and would produce a level of safety                   are unnecessary and impracticable, and
                                                angle to the vertical plane containing                   equivalent to that of a forward-facing                good cause exists for adopting these
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with RULES




                                                the airplane centerline must be                          seat. These ELOS findings were subject                special conditions upon publication in
                                                protected from head injury by a safety                   to many conditions that reflected the                 the Federal Register. The FAA is
                                                belt and an energy-absorbing rest that                   injury-evaluation criteria and mitigation             requesting comments to allow interested
                                                supports the arms, shoulders, head, and                  strategies available at the time of                   persons to submit views that may not
                                                spine; or by a safety belt and shoulder                  issuance of the ELOS. However, review                 have been submitted in response to the
                                                harness that prevents the head from                      of dynamic test results for many of these             prior opportunities for comment
                                                contacting injurious objects. The FAA                    oblique seat installations raised                     described above.


                                           VerDate Sep<11>2014   15:55 Jul 13, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00020   Fmt 4700   Sfmt 4700   E:\FR\FM\14JYR1.SGM   14JYR1


                                                                   Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 135 / Thursday, July 14, 2016 / Rules and Regulations                                               45407

                                                List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25                         c. Rotation of the head about its                     Issued in Renton, Washington, on July 7,
                                                                                                         vertical axis, relative to the torso, is              2016.
                                                  Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting
                                                                                                         limited to 105 degrees in either                      Michael Kaszycki,
                                                and recordkeeping requirements.
                                                  The authority citation for these                       direction from forward-facing.                        Assistant Manager, Transport Airplane
                                                                                                                                                               Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.
                                                special conditions is as follows:                          d. The neck must not impact any
                                                                                                                                                               [FR Doc. 2016–16639 Filed 7–13–16; 8:45 am]
                                                  Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701,             surface that would produce
                                                                                                                                                               BILLING CODE 4910–13–P
                                                44702, 44704.                                            concentrated loading on the neck.
                                                The Special Conditions                                   4. Spine and Torso Injury Criteria
                                                                                                                                                               DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
                                                  Accordingly, pursuant to the                              a. The lumbar spine tension (Fz)
                                                authority delegated to me by the                         cannot exceed 1200 lb.                                Federal Aviation Administration
                                                Administrator, the following special
                                                                                                            b. Significant concentrated loading on
                                                conditions are issued as part of the type                                                                      14 CFR Part 71
                                                                                                         the occupant’s spine, in the area
                                                certification basis for Boeing Model
                                                                                                         between the pelvis and shoulders                      [Docket No. FAA–2016–4429; Airspace
                                                777–200 series airplanes modified by
                                                                                                         during impact, including rebound, is                  Docket No. 16–ASW–8]
                                                American Airlines.
                                                  In addition to the requirements of                     not acceptable. During this type of
                                                                                                         contact, the interval for any rearward (X             Amendment of Class E Airspace for
                                                § 25.562:                                                                                                      the Following Louisiana Towns; De
                                                                                                         direction) acceleration exceeding 20g
                                                1. Head-Injury Criteria                                  must be less than 3 milliseconds as                   Quincy, LA; Minden, LA; Slidell, LA;
                                                   Compliance with § 25.562(c)(5) is                     measured by the thoracic                              and Revocation of Class E Airspace;
                                                required, except that, if the                            instrumentation specified in 49 CFR                   Homer, LA
                                                anthropomorphic test device (ATD) has                    part 572, subpart E, filtered in                      AGENCY:  Federal Aviation
                                                no apparent contact with the seat/                       accordance with SAE International                     Administration (FAA), DOT.
                                                structure but has contact with an airbag,                (SAE) Recommended Practice J211/1,                    ACTION: Final rule.
                                                a HIC unlimited score in excess of 1000                  ‘‘Instrumentation for Impact Test—Part
                                                is acceptable, provided the HIC15 score                  1—Electronic Instrumentation.’’                       SUMMARY:    This action modifies Class E
                                                (calculated in accordance with 49 CFR                       c. The occupant must not interact                  airspace extending upward from 700
                                                571.208) for that contact is less than                   with the armrest or other seat                        feet above the surface at De Quincy
                                                700.                                                     components in any manner significantly                Industrial Airpark, De Quincy, LA;
                                                                                                         different than would be expected for a                Minden Airport, Minden, LA; and
                                                2. Body-to-Wall/Furnishing Contact                                                                             Slidell, Airport, Slidell, LA. The
                                                                                                         forward-facing seat installation.
                                                   If a seat is installed aft of structure                                                                     decommissioning of non-directional
                                                (e.g. interior wall or furnishings) that                 5. Pelvis Criteria                                    radio beacons (NDB) and/or cancellation
                                                does not provide a homogenous contact                                                                          of NDB approaches due to advances in
                                                surface for the expected range of                           Any part of the load-bearing portion               Global Positioning System (GPS)
                                                occupants and yaw angles, then                           of the bottom of the ATD pelvis must                  capabilities, and implementation of area
                                                additional analysis and/or tests may be                  not translate beyond the edges of the                 navigation (RNAV) procedures have
                                                required to demonstrate that the injury                  seat bottom seat-cushion supporting                   made this action necessary for the safety
                                                criteria are met for the area which an                   structure.                                            and management of Instrument Flight
                                                occupant could contact. For example, if                  6. Femur Criteria                                     Rules (IFR) operations at these airports.
                                                an airbag device is present, different                                                                         This action also removes Class E
                                                yaw angles could result in different                       Axial rotation of the upper leg (about              airspace extending upward from 700
                                                airbag-device performance, and                           the z-axis of the femur per SAE                       feet above the surface at Homer
                                                additional analysis or separate tests may                Recommended Practice J211/1) must be                  Municipal Airport, Homer, LA, as
                                                be necessary to evaluate performance.                    limited to 35 degrees from the nominal                controlled airspace is no longer needed.
                                                3. Neck Injury Criteria                                  seated position. Evaluation during                    Additionally, the name of Minden
                                                                                                         rebound does not need to be considered.               Airport (formerly Minden-Webster
                                                   The seating system must protect the                                                                         Airport) and the geographic coordinates
                                                occupant from experiencing serious                       7. ATD and Test Conditions
                                                                                                                                                               at De Quincy Industrial Airpark,
                                                neck injury. If an airbag device is                                                                            Minden Airport, and Slidell Airport are
                                                                                                            Longitudinal tests conducted to
                                                present, the assessment of neck injury                                                                         being adjusted to coincide with the
                                                                                                         measure the injury criteria above must
                                                must be conducted with the airbag                                                                              FAA’s aeronautical database.
                                                                                                         be performed with the FAA Hybrid III
                                                device activated, unless there is reason
                                                                                                         ATD, as described in SAE 1999–01–                     DATES: Effective 0901 UTC, September
                                                to also consider that the neck-injury
                                                                                                         1609, ‘‘A Lumbar Spine Modification to                15, 2016. The Director of the Federal
                                                potential would be higher for impacts
                                                                                                         the Hybrid III ATD for Aircraft Seat                  Register approves this incorporation by
                                                below the airbag-device deployment
                                                threshold.                                               Tests,’’ V. Gowdy, et al. (1999). The tests           reference action under Title 1, Code of
                                                   a. The Nij (calculated in accordance                  must be conducted with an undeformed                  Federal Regulations, part 51, subject to
                                                with 49 CFR 571.208) must be below                       floor, at the most-critical yaw cases for             the annual revision of FAA Order
                                                1.0, where Nij =Fz/Fzc + My/Myc, and Nij                 injury, and with all lateral structural               7400.9 and publication of conforming
                                                critical values are:                                     supports (e.g., armrests or walls)                    amendments.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with RULES




                                                                                                         installed.                                            ADDRESSES: FAA Order 7400.9Z,
                                                i. Fzc = 1530 lb for tension
                                                ii. Fzc = 1385 lb for compression                           Note: In addition to these special                 Airspace Designations and Reporting
                                                iii. Myc = 229 lb-ft in flexion                          conditions, the inflatable lapbelts must              Points, and subsequent amendments can
                                                iv. Myc = 100 lb-ft in extension                         meet the criteria of special conditions               be viewed online at http://www.faa.gov/
                                                   b. In addition, peak upper-neck Fz                    no. 25–187A–SC, titled, ‘‘Boeing Model                air_traffic/publications/. For further
                                                must be below 937 lb in tension and 899                  777 Series Airplanes; Seats with                      information, you can contact the
                                                lb in compression.                                       Inflatable Lapbelts.’’                                Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation


                                           VerDate Sep<11>2014   15:55 Jul 13, 2016   Jkt 238001   PO 00000   Frm 00021   Fmt 4700   Sfmt 4700   E:\FR\FM\14JYR1.SGM   14JYR1



Document Created: 2016-07-14 01:55:22
Document Modified: 2016-07-14 01:55:22
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionRules and Regulations
ActionFinal special conditions; request for comments.
DatesThis action is effective on American Airlines on July 14, 2016. We must receive your comments by August 29, 2016.
ContactJohn Shelden, FAA, Airframe and Cabin Safety Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057- 3356; telephone 425-227-2785; facsimile 425-227-1320.
FR Citation81 FR 45405 
CFR AssociatedAircraft; Aviation Safety and Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements

2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR