Seat Belts and

Shoulder Harnesses

Smart Protection in 

Small Airplanes

We all enjoy the convenience, fun and 

safety of flying. We also understand 

that there may be times when our 

best efforts for a safe flight will be inadequate, 

and an accident could happen. 

While most accidents are minor and pose 

no significant risk to the airplane or its occupants, some can result in major injuries or fatalities. However, studies of serious accidents have 

shown that the proper use of shoulder harnesses, 

in addition to the safety belt, would reduce major 

injuries by 88 percent and reduce fatalities by 20 

percent.

INSTALL SHOULDER HARNESSES IN 

YOUR AIRPLANE

Shoulder harnesses have been required for all 

seats in small airplanes manufactured since December 12, 1986. If your airplane is not equipped 

with them, you should obtain kits for installing 

shoulder harnesses from the manufacturer or the 

manufacturer’s local sales representative.


USE THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM... 

PROPERLY

Federal regulations1 require that safety belts 

and shoulder harnesses (when installed) be properly worn during landings and takeoffs. If the 

restraint is not worn properly, it cannot provide 

full benefits and can even cause injury in a serious impact.

Tests have shown 

that slack in the restraint 

system should be minimal. In an impact, your 

body keeps moving until 

the slack is taken out of 

the restraint, but then 

must be abruptly stopped 

to “catch up” with the 

airplane. The restraint 

should be adjusted as 

tightly as your comfort 

will permit to minimize 

potential injuries. 

The safety belt should 

be placed low on your 

hipbones so that the 

belt loads will be taken 

by the strong skeleton 

of your body. If the 

safety belt is improperly positioned on your 

abdomen, it can cause 

internal injuries. If the 

safety belt is positioned 

on your thighs, rather 

than the hipbones, it cannot effectively limit 

your body’s forward motion. 

Shoulder harness 

systems can use dual 

shoulder belts or a single 

diagonal belt similar to 

those used in automobiles. The belts should 

not rub against your head 

or neck. This is uncomfortable, will discourage 

use of the shoulder harness, and can also cause 

neck injuries during an 

impact. 

Single diagonal shoulder belts should be positioned so that the torso’s 

center of gravity falls 

within the angle formed by 

the shoulder belt and the 

safety belt. Otherwise your 

torso may roll right out of 

the shoulder belt during an 

impact and compromise 

your protection.

Because the lower end 

of the shoulder belt is usually fastened to the safety 

belt buckle or the buckle 

insert, the safety belt buckle should be positioned on 

the side of your hip. This 

differs from the central 

location of the buckle that 

is common when only the 

safety belt is used.

Be sure that the safety belt is installed so that 

when the buckle is unlatched, both the safety belt 

and the shoulder belt are released. Also, be sure 

that the buckle can be unlatched without interference from the seat armrest, aircraft controls, or the 

interior wall of the airplane.

If the shoulder harness uses dual belts fastened 

to the safety belt near the center of your body, the 

shoulder belts will tend to pull the safety belt up 

off your hip bones. This could cause internal injuries in an impact.

When it is 

tightened about 

your hips, the 

safety belt should 

be positioned so 

that it makes an 

angle of about 55 

degrees with the 

centerline of the 

airplane. 

This allows it 

to resist the upward pull of the 

shoulder belts, 

reducing the risk 

of internal injury.


Otherwise, a tiedown strap from the 

buckle to the centerforward edge of the 

seat may be necessary to resist the 

upward pull of the 

shoulder belts.

If your restraint 

system uses a tie-down strap, adjust it to remove 

all the slack when the restraint system is used. A 

properly installed and adjusted tie-down strap is 

completely safe.

DON’T FORGET THE CHILDREN...

For maximum protection and safety, small children should be placed and secured in approved 

“child safety seat” devices during aircraft operation. Child safety seats must meet current manufacturing and identification requirements of the 

Federal government and be installed and secured 

in accordance with these regulations. Install the 

safety seat in a rear airplane seat, but not near an 

entry door or emergency exit. If you must use a 

front airplane seat, make sure that the child seat 

cannot interfere with the airplane controls or limit 

pilot access to the radios and flight instruments. 

Install the child safety seat according to the 

instructions on the seat, using the airplane safety 

belt to secure it. Most safety seats for small infants 

are intended to place the infant in a rear-facing 

position and should be installed that way in the 

airplane.

Remember to consider the weight of the child 

and child safety seat when calculating weight and 

balance!

When children outgrow the safety seat, they 

can safely get by using only the airplane seat belt. 

Their small size limits the chance that they might 

make contact with the airplane interior during an 

impact. Larger children can use the shoulder harness if it doesn’t rub on their face or neck when 

they are seated.


SUMMARY

u Seat belts alone will protect you only in

	 	 minor impacts.

u Using shoulder belts in small aircraft would	 	

	 	 reduce major injuries by 88% and fatalities

	 	 by 20%.

u	 Shoulder belt kits are now available for most

	 	 airplanes.

u Proper use and installation of child safety

	 	 seats, meeting Federal requirements1

, provide

	 	 good protection for small children in aircraft.

u If improperly installed and used, restraints

	 	 could cause injury.

u Restraint systems in small aircraft: a smart

	 	 idea!

Medical Facts for Pilots

Publication AM-400-90/2

(Revised May 2004)

Prepared by

Federal Aviation Administration

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Aerospace Medical Education Division

To order copies of this brochure and 

others listed below, contact

FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Shipping Clerk, AAM-400

P.O. Box 25082

Oklahoma City, OK 73125

(405) 954-4831

Other Safety Brochures Available

Number Title

AM-400-94/2	 Alcohol and Flying: A Deadly Combination

AM-400-95/2	 Altitude Decompression Sickness

AM-400-98/3	 Hearing and Noise in Aviation

AM-400-97/1	 Introduction to Human Factors in Aviation

AM-400-92/1	 Over the Counter Medications and Flying

AM-400-98/2	 Pilot Vision

AM-400-00/1	 Spatial Disorientation: Visual Illusions

AM-400-01/1	 Physiological Training Courses for Civil Aviation 

Pilots

AM-400-03/1	 Spatial Disorientation: Why You Shouldn’t Fly By 

the Seat of Your Pants

AM-400-03/2	 Deep Vein Thrombosis and Travel

To view these pilot and passenger safety brochures, visit the 

Federal Aviation Administration’s Web Site

www.faa.gov/pilots/safety