This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

14819 

Vol. 76, No. 53 

Friday, March 18, 2011 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 25 

[Docket No. NM450; Special Conditions No. 

25–11–08–SC] 

Special Conditions: Boeing Model 

747–8 Series Airplanes; Stairway 

Between the Main Deck and Upper 

Deck 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed special 

conditions. 

SUMMARY: This notice proposes special 

conditions for the Boeing Model 747–8 

airplane. This airplane 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 include 

a stairway between the main deck and 

upper deck. These proposed special 

conditions contain the additional safety 

standards that the Administrator 

considers necessary to establish a level 

of safety equivalent to that established 

by the existing airworthiness standards. 

Additional special conditions will be 

issued for other novel or unusual design 

features of the Boeing 747–8 airplanes. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before May 2, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on this proposal 

may be mailed in duplicate to: Federal 

Aviation Administration, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, Attention: Rules 

Docket (ANM–113), Docket No. NM450, 

1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; or delivered in 

duplicate to the Transport Airplane 

Directorate at the above address. All 

comments must be marked Docket No. 

NMXX. Comments may be inspected in 

the Rules Docket weekdays, except 

Federal holidays, between 7:30 a.m. and 

4 p.m. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jayson Claar, FAA, Airframe and Cabin 

Safety Branch, ANM–115, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service, 1601 Lind 

Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 

98057–3356; telephone (425) 227–2194; 

facsimile (425) 227–1232. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites interested persons to 

participate in this rulemaking by 

submitting 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 ask that 

you send us two copies of written 

comments. 

We will file in the docket all 

comments we receive as well as a report 

summarizing each substantive public 

contact with FAA personnel concerning 

these proposed special conditions. The 

docket is available for public inspection 

before and after the comment closing 

date. If you wish to review the docket 

in person, go to the address in the 

ADDRESSES section of this notice 

between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

We will consider all comments we 

receive on or before the closing date for 

comments. We will consider comments 

filed late if it is possible to do so 

without incurring expense or delay. We 

may change the proposed special 

conditions based on comments we 

receive. 

If you want the FAA to acknowledge 

receipt of your comments on this 

proposal, include with your comments 

a pre-addressed, stamped postcard on 

which the docket number appears. We 

will stamp the date on the postcard and 

mail it back to you. 

Background 

On November 4, 2005, The Boeing 

Company, PO Box 3707, Seattle, WA, 

98124, applied for an amendment to 

Type Certificate Number A20WE to 

include the new Model 747–8 series 

passenger airplane. The Model 747–8 is 

a derivative of the 747–400. The Model 

747–8 is a four-engine jet transport 

airplane that will have a maximum 

takeoff weight of 975,000 pounds, new 

General Electric GEnx –2B67 engines, 

and the capacity to carry 605 

passengers. 

Type Certification Basis 

Under the provisions of Title 14, Code 

of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.101, 

Boeing must show that the Model 

747–8 (hereafter referred as 747–8) 

meets the applicable provisions of part 

25, Amendments 25–1 through 25–120, 

plus amendment 25–127 for § 25.795(a), 

except for earlier amendments as agreed 

upon by the FAA. These regulations 

will be incorporated into Type 

Certificate No. A20WE after type 

certification approval of the 747–8. 

In addition, the certification basis 

includes other regulations, special 

conditions and exemptions that are not 

relevant to these proposed special 

conditions. Type Certificate No. A20WE 

will be updated to include a complete 

description of the certification basis for 

these airplanes. 

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 747–8 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 or series that 

incorporates the same or similar novel 

or unusual design feature, or should any 

other model or series already included 

on the same type certificate be modified 

to incorporate the same or similar novel 

or unusual design feature, the special 

conditions would also apply to the other 

model or series under § 21.101. 

In addition to the applicable 

airworthiness regulations and special 

conditions, the 747–8 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. 

Special conditions, as defined in 

§ 11.19, are issued under § 11.38, and 

become part of the type certification 

basis under § 21.101. 

New or Unusual Design Features 

The Boeing Model 747–8 will 

incorporate the following novel or 

unusual design features: The 747–8 

design offers seating capacity on two 

separate decks: The main deck with a 

maximum passenger capacity of 495 and 

the upper deck with a maximum 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with PROPOSALS
14820 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 53 / Friday, March 18, 2011 / Proposed Rules 

passenger capacity of 110. Occupants 

can move between decks via a staircase 

located near door 2 on the main deck of 

the airplane in the forward part of the 

cabin. With large seating capacities on 

the main deck and upper deck of the 

747–8, the stairway must be designed to 

support evacuation between decks of 

the airplane in an in-flight emergency. 

Discussion 

The regulations governing the 

certification of the 747–8 do not 

adequately address the certification 

requirements for a two-deck passenger 

airplane. The Airbus A380–800 and all 

of the earlier Boeing 747 passenger 

airplane models were certified with 

seating capacity on two separate decks. 

When the seating capacity of the upper 

deck of the Boeing 747 exceeded 24 

passengers, the FAA issued Special 

Condition No. 25–61–NW–1 for a 

maximum seat capacity of 32 passengers 

on the upper deck for take-off and 

landing. A second set of special 

conditions, Special Condition No. 

25–71–NW–3, was issued to include 

airplanes up to a maximum seating 

capacity of 45 passengers on the upper 

deck for take-off and landing. The 

second set of special conditions was 

modified to address airplanes with a 

maximum seating capacity of 110 

passengers on the upper deck for takeoff and landing. Special Conditions No. 

25–326–SC for the Airbus A380–800 

allowed a seating capacity on two 

separate decks: The main deck with a 

maximum passenger capacity of 542 and 

the upper deck with a maximum 

passenger capacity of 308. Although 

these previously issued special 

conditions for the A380–800 provided a 

starting point for developing the 747–8 

special conditions, the proposed 747–8 

special conditions are specific to the 

unique aspects of this airplane’s design. 

The regulations do not adequately 

address a passenger airplane with 

separate decks for passenger occupancy, 

thus the FAA considers this to be a 

novel design. Therefore, the FAA is 

proposing that special conditions, in 

addition to the requirements of 

§§ 25.803 and 25.811 through 25.813, 

are required to address the proposed 

design. 

Applicability 

As discussed above, these proposed 

special conditions are applicable to 

Boeing Model 747–8 airplanes. Should 

Boeing apply at a later date for a change 

to the type certificate to include another 

model incorporating the same novel or 

unusual design features, these proposed 

special conditions would apply to that 

model as well under the provisions of 

§ 21.101. 

Conclusion 

This action affects only certain novel 

or unusual design features of the Boeing 

Model 747–8 airplane. It is not a rule of 

general applicability. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25 

Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting 

and recordkeeping requirements. 

The authority citation for these 

Special Conditions is as follows: 

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

44702, 44704. 

The Proposed Special Conditions 

Accordingly, the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) proposes the 

following special conditions as part of 

the type certification basis for the 

Boeing 747–8 airplanes. 

1. The stairway must have essentially 

straight route segments with a landing at 

each significant change in segment 

direction. 

2. The stairway must have essentially 

rectangular treads. 

3. With the airplane in level attitude 

and in each attitude resulting from the 

collapse of one or more legs of the 

landing gear, the stairway must have 

entrance, exit, and gradient 

characteristics that allow the upper deck 

passengers, with assistance from a 

crewmember, to merge with passengers 

on the main deck during an emergency 

evacuation and exit the airplane through 

a main deck exit. This must be shown 

by demonstration, tests, analysis, or any 

combination thereof. 

4. The stairway must accommodate 

the carriage of an incapacitated 

occupant from the upper deck to the 

main deck. The crewmember 

procedures for such carriage must be 

established and included in the airplane 

flight manual. 

5. The stairway must be located to 

provide occupants an adequate descent 

rate under probable emergency 

conditions, including a condition in 

which an occupant falls or is 

incapacitated while on the stairway. 

6. The stairway must be designed and 

located to minimize damage to its 

structure during an emergency landing 

or ditching. 

7. General illumination must be 

provided so, when measured along the 

center lines of each tread and landing, 

the illumination is not less than 0.05 

foot-candle. This is in lieu of 

compliance with § 25.812(c), at 

Amendment 25–116. 

8. Means must be provided to assist 

passengers in locating the stairway in 

dense smoke conditions as part of 

compliance with § 25.811(c), at 

Amendment 25–88. 

9. An emergency exit sign meeting 

§ 25.812(b)(1)(i), at Amendment 25–116, 

must be provided in the upper deck 

near the stairway visible to passengers 

approaching along the main aisle as 

required by § 25.811(d)(1), at 

Amendment 25–88. 

10. Floor proximity lighting required 

by § 25.812(e), at Amendment 25–120, 

must be provided along the stairs. 

11. When passengers occupy the 

upper deck, at least one flight attendant 

must also be present during taxi, takeoff, and landing. 

12. The stairway must have a handrail 

on at least one side to allow occupants 

to steady themselves during foreseeable 

conditions, including but not limited to, 

gear collapse on the ground and 

moderate turbulence in flight. The 

handrail(s) must be constructed so there 

is no obstruction on them that will 

cause the user to release his/her grip or 

hinder the continuous movement of the 

hands along the handrail. Handrail(s) 

must be terminated in a manner that 

will not interfere with occupants 

walking by or create a hazard (such as 

catching clothing). Boeing must 

demonstrate that the design can 

accommodate the stature of a fifth 

percentile female and a ninety-fifth 

percentile male. 

13. The public address system must 

be intelligible in the stairway during all 

flight phases. 

14. ‘‘No smoking’’ and ‘‘return to seat’’ 

signs must be installed and visible in 

the stairway both going up and down 

and at the stairway entrances. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 9, 

2011. 

K.C. Yanamura, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–6340 Filed 3–17–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71 

[Docket No. FAA–2010–1232; Airspace 

Docket No. 10–AEA–28] 

Proposed Amendment of Class E 

Airspace; Waynesboro, VA 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: This action proposes to 

Amend Class E Airspace at Waynesboro, 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with PROPOSALS