16910 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

personnel to the presence of an 

inflatable restraint system. 

8. It must be shown that the inflatable 

restraint will not impede rapid egress of 

the occupants 10 seconds after its 

deployment. 

9. The system must be protected from 

lightning and HIRF. The threats 

specified in existing regulations 

regarding lighting and HIRF, are 

incorporated by reference for the 

purpose of measuring lightning and 

HIRF protection. Also, for purposes of 

complying with these requirements, the 

airbag system is considered a critical 

system at pilot/co-pilot positions only. 

10. It must be shown that the 

inflatable restraints will not release 

hazardous quantities of gas or 

particulate matter into the cabin. 

11. The inflatable restraint system 

installation must be protected from the 

effects of fire such that no hazard to 

occupants will result. 

12. There must be a means to verify 

the integrity of the inflatable restraint 

activation system before each flight or it 

must be demonstrated to reliably 

operate between inspection intervals. 

13. A life limit must be established for 

appropriate system components. 

14. Qualification testing of the 

internal firing mechanism must be 

performed at vibration levels 

appropriate for a general aviation 

airplane. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 

16, 2012. 

James E. Jackson, 

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6956 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 25 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0311; Special 

Conditions No. 25–458–SC] 

Special Conditions: Boeing Model 787 

Series Airplanes; Single-place Sidefacing Seats 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 Model 787 series 

airplanes. These airplanes have a novel 

or unusual design feature associated 

with single-place side-facing seats with 

inflatable lapbelts. 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: The effective date of these 

special conditions is March 12, 2012. 

We must receive your comments by 

April 23, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by docket number FAA–2012–0311 

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 

8 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/. 

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 the 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: Jeff 

Gardlin, FAA, Airframe and Cabin 

Safety Branch, ANM–115, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, Washington 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–2136; facsimile 

425–227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA 

has determined that notice of, and 

opportunity for prior public comment 

on, these special conditions are 

impracticable because these procedures 

would significantly delay delivery of the 

affected aircraft. 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 issuance. 

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 March 28, 2003, Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes applied for an 

FAA type certificate for its new Model 

787 series airplane (hereafter referred to 

as ‘‘787’’). The 787 is an all-new, twinengine jet transport airplane with a twoaisle cabin which is currently approved 

under Type Certificate No. T000215E. 

The maximum takeoff weight is 476,000 

pounds, with a maximum passenger 

count of 381. These airplanes have a 

novel or unusual design feature 

associated with single-place side-facing 

seats with inflatable lapbelts. The 

inflatable lapbelt is designed to limit 

occupant forward excursion in the event 

of an accident. This will reduce the 

potential for head injury, thereby 

reducing the Head Injury Criteria (HIC) 

measurement. The inflatable lapbelt 

behaves similarly to an automotive 

airbag, but in this case the airbag is 

integrated into the lapbelt, and inflates 

away from the seated occupant. While 

airbags are now standard in the 

automotive industry, the use of an 

inflatable lapbelt is novel for 

commercial aviation. 

Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations 

(14 CFR) 121.311(j) requires that no 

person may operate a transport category 

airplane type certificated after January 

1, 1958, and manufactured on or after 

October 27, 2009, in passenger-carrying 

operations, after October 27, 2009, 

unless all passenger and flight attendant 

side-facing seats on an airplane operated 

under part 121 rules meet the 


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requirements of 14 CFR 25.562 in effect 

on or after June 16, 1988. 

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 to 

part 25, dated April 23, 1969, clarified 

the definition of side-facing seats to 

require that each occupant of a seat that 

makes more than an 18 degree angle 

with the vertical plane containing the 

airplane centerline, must be protected 

from head injury by a safety belt and an 

energy absorbing rest that will support 

the arms, shoulders, head, and spine, or 

by a safety belt and shoulder harness 

that will prevent the head from 

contacting any injurious object. The 

FAA concluded that an 18-degree angle 

would provide an adequate level of 

safety based on tests that were 

performed at that time and thus adopted 

that standard. 

Part 25 was amended June 16, 1988, 

by Amendment 25–64, to revise the 

emergency landing conditions that must 

be considered in the design of the 

airplane. Amendment 25–64 revised the 

static load conditions in § 25.561, and 

added a new § 25.562 that required 

dynamic testing for all seats approved 

for occupancy during takeoff and 

landing. The intent of Amendment 25– 

64 is to provide an improved level of 

safety for occupants on transport 

category airplanes. Because most seating 

is forward-facing on transport category 

airplanes, the pass/fail criteria 

developed in Amendment 25–64 

focused primarily on these seats. As a 

result, the FAA issued Policy 

Memorandums ANM–03–115–30 and 

PS–ANM–100–2000–00123 to provide 

the additional guidance necessary to 

demonstrate the level of safety required 

by the regulations for side-facing seats. 

The 787, operated under part 121, 

must meet all of the requirements of 

§ 25.562 for passenger and flight 

attendant seats. Therefore it is in the 

interest of installers to show full 

compliance to § 25.562, so that an 

operator under part 121 may be able to 

use the aircraft without having to do 

additional certification work. It is also 

noted that some foreign civil 

airworthiness authorities have invoked 

these same operator requirements in the 

form of airworthiness directives. 

Section 25.785 requires that 

occupants be protected from head injury 

by either the elimination of any 

injurious object within the striking 

radius of the head, or by padding. 

Traditionally, this has required a set 

back of 35 inches from any bulkhead or 

other rigid interior feature or, where not 

practical, specified types of padding. 

The relative effectiveness of these 

means of injury protection was not 

quantified. With the adoption of 

Amendment 25–64 to part 25, 

specifically § 25.562, a new standard 

that quantifies required head injury 

protection was created. 

Section 25.562 specifies that each seat 

type design approved for crew or 

passenger occupancy during takeoff and 

landing must successfully complete 

dynamic tests or be shown to be 

compliant by rational analysis based on 

dynamic tests of a similar type seat. In 

particular, the regulations require that 

persons not suffer serious head injury 

under the conditions specified in the 

tests, and that protection must be 

provided or the seat be designed so that 

the head impact does not exceed a HIC 

of 1000 units. While the test conditions 

described for HIC are detailed and 

specific, it is the intent of the 

requirement that an adequate level of 

head injury protection be provided for 

passengers in a severe crash. 

Because §§ 25.562 and 25.785 and 

associated guidance do not adequately 

address side-facing seats with inflatable 

lapbelts, the FAA recognizes that 

appropriate pass/fail criteria need to be 

developed that do fully address the 

safety concerns specific to occupants of 

these seats. These criteria were to be 

implemented via special conditions. 

The inflatable lapbelt has two 

potential advantages over other means 

of head impact protection. First, it can 

provide significantly greater protection 

than would be expected with energyabsorbing pads, and second, it can 

provide essentially equivalent 

protection for occupants of all stature. 

These are significant advantages from a 

safety standpoint, since such devices 

will likely provide a level of safety that 

exceeds the minimum standards of the 

CFR. Conversely, inflatable lapbelts in 

general are active systems and must be 

relied upon to activate properly when 

needed, as opposed to an energyabsorbing pad or upper torso restraint 

that is passive, and always available. 

Therefore, the potential advantages 

must be balanced against this and other 

potential disadvantages in order to 

develop standards for this design 

feature. 

The FAA has considered the 

installation of inflatable lapbelts to have 

two primary safety concerns: First, that 

they perform properly under foreseeable 

operating conditions, and second, that 

they do not perform in a manner or at 

such times as would constitute a hazard 

to the airplane or occupants. This latter 

point has the potential to be the more 

rigorous of the requirements, owing to 

the active nature of the system. 

The inflatable lapbelt will rely on 

electronic sensors for signaling and a 

stored gas canister for inflation. These 

same devices could be susceptible to 

inadvertent activation, causing 

deployment in a potentially unsafe 

manner. The consequences of 

inadvertent deployment as well as 

failure to deploy must be considered in 

establishing the reliability of the system. 

Boeing must substantiate that the effects 

of an inadvertent deployment in flight 

either would not cause injuries to 

occupants or that such deployment(s) 

meet the requirement of § 25.1309(b). 

The effect of an inadvertent deployment 

on a passenger or crewmember that 

might be positioned close to the 

inflatable lapbelt should also be 

considered. The person could be either 

standing or sitting. A minimum 

reliability level will have to be 

established for this case, depending 

upon the consequences, even if the 

effect on the airplane is negligible. 

The potential for an inadvertent 

deployment could be increased as a 

result of conditions in service. The 

installation must take into account wear 

and tear so that the likelihood of an 

inadvertent deployment is not increased 

to an unacceptable level. In this context, 

an appropriate inspection interval and 

self-test capability are considered 

necessary. Other outside influences are 

lightning and high intensity radiated 

fields (HIRF). Existing regulations 

regarding lightning, § 25.1316, and 

existing HIRF special condition for the 

787 series airplanes, Special conditions 

No. 25–354A–SC, are applicable. 

Finally, the inflatable lapbelt 

installation should be protected from 

the effects of fire, so that an additional 

hazard is not created by, for example, a 

rupture of the pyrotechnic squib. 

In order to be an effective safety 

system, the inflatable lapbelt must 

function properly and must not 

introduce any additional hazards to 

occupants as a result of its functioning. 

There are several areas where the 

inflatable lapbelt differs from traditional 

occupant protection systems, and 

requires special conditions to ensure 

adequate performance. 

Because the inflatable lapbelt is 

essentially a single use device, there is 

the potential that it could deploy under 

crash conditions that are not sufficiently 

severe as to require head injury 

protection from the inflatable lapbelt. 

Since an actual crash is frequently 

composed of a series of impacts before 

the airplane comes to rest, this could 


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16912 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

render the inflatable lapbelt useless if a 

larger impact follows the initial impact. 

This situation does not exist with 

energy absorbing pads or upper torso 

restraints, which tend to provide 

continuous protection regardless of 

severity or number of impacts in a crash 

event. Therefore, the inflatable lapbelt 

installation should provide protection 

when it is required, by not expending its 

protection during a less severe impact. 

Also, it is possible to have several large 

impact events during the course of a 

crash, but there is no requirement for 

the inflatable lapbelt to provide 

protection for multiple impacts. 

Since each occupant’s restraint 

system provides protection for that 

occupant only, the installation must 

address seats that are unoccupied. It 

will be necessary to show that the 

required protection is provided for each 

occupant regardless of the number of 

occupied seats, and considering that 

unoccupied seats may have lapbelts that 

are active. 

The inflatable lapbelt should be 

effective for a wide range of occupants. 

The FAA has historically considered the 

range from the fifth percentile female to 

the ninety-fifth percentile male as the 

range of occupants that must be taken 

into account. In this case, the FAA is 

proposing consideration of a broader 

range of occupants, due to the nature of 

the lapbelt installation and its close 

proximity to the occupant. In a similar 

vein, these persons could have assumed 

the brace position, for those accidents 

where an impact is anticipated. Test 

data indicate that occupants in the brace 

position do not require supplemental 

protection, and so it would not be 

necessary to show that the inflatable 

lapbelt will enhance the brace position. 

However, the inflatable lapbelt must not 

introduce a hazard in that case when 

deploying into the seated, braced 

occupant. 

Another area of concern is the use of 

seats, so equipped, by children whether 

lap-held, in approved child safety seats, 

or occupying the seat directly. Although 

specifically prohibited by the FAA 

operating regulations, the use of the 

supplementary loop belt (‘‘belly belt’’) 

may be required by other civil aviation 

authorities, and should also be 

considered with the end goal of meeting 

those regulations. Similarly, if the seat 

is occupied by a pregnant woman, the 

installation needs to address such usage, 

either by demonstrating that it will 

function properly, or by adding 

appropriate limitation on usage. 

Since the inflatable lapbelt will be 

electrically powered, there is the 

possibility that the system could fail 

due to a separation in the fuselage. 

Since this system is intended as crash/ 

post-crash protection means, failure to 

deploy due to fuselage separation is not 

acceptable. As with emergency lighting, 

the system should function properly if 

such a separation occurs at any point in 

the fuselage. 

Since the inflatable lapbelt is likely to 

have a large volume displacement, the 

inflated bag could potentially impede 

egress of passengers. Since the bag 

deflates to absorb energy, it is likely that 

an inflatable lapbelt would be deflated 

at the time that persons would be trying 

to leave their seats. Nonetheless, it is 

considered appropriate to specify a time 

interval after which the inflatable 

lapbelt may not impede rapid egress. 

Ten seconds has been chosen as a 

reasonable time since this corresponds 

to the maximum time allowed for an 

exit to be openable (§ 25.809). In 

actuality, it is unlikely that an exit 

would be prepared by a flight attendant 

this quickly in an accident severe 

enough to warrant deployment of the 

inflatable lapbelt, and the inflatable 

lapbelt is expected to deflate much 

quicker than ten seconds. 

In addition, during the development 

of the inflatable lapbelt, the 

manufacturer was unable to develop a 

fabric that would meet the inflation 

requirements for the bag and the 

flammability requirements of Part 

I(a)(1)(ii) of appendix F to part 25. The 

fabrics that were developed that meet 

the flammability requirement did not 

produce acceptable deployment 

characteristics. However, the 

manufacturer was able to develop a 

fabric that meets the less stringent 

flammability requirements of Part 

I(a)(1)(iv) of appendix F to part 25 and 

has acceptable deployment 

characteristics. 

Part I of appendix F to part 25 

specifies the flammability requirements 

for interior materials and components. 

There is no reference to inflatable 

restraint systems in appendix F, because 

such devices did not exist at the time 

the flammability requirements were 

written. The existing requirements are 

based on both material types, as well as 

use, and have been specified in light of 

the state-of-the-art of materials available 

to perform a given function. In the 

absence of a specific reference, the 

default requirement would be for the 

type of material used to construct the 

inflatable restraint, which is a fabric in 

this case. However, in writing special 

conditions, the FAA must also consider 

the use of the material, and whether the 

default requirement is appropriate. In 

this case, the specialized function of the 

inflatable restraint means that highly 

specialized materials are needed. The 

standard normally applied to fabrics is 

a 12-second vertical ignition test. 

However, materials that meet this 

standard do not perform adequately as 

inflatable restraints. Since the safety 

benefit of the inflatable restraint is very 

significant, the flammability standard 

appropriate for these devices should not 

screen out suitable materials, thereby 

effectively eliminating use of inflatable 

restraints. The FAA will need to 

establish a balance between the safety 

benefit of the inflatable restraint and its 

flammability performance. At this time, 

the 2.5-inch per minute horizontal test 

is considered to provide that balance. 

As the state-of-the-art in materials 

progresses (which is expected), the FAA 

may change this standard in subsequent 

special conditions to account for 

improved materials. 

Finally, it should be noted that the 

special conditions are applicable to 

single-place side-facing seats with an 

inflatable lapbelt system installed. The 

special conditions are not an 

installation approval. Therefore, while 

the special conditions relate to each 

such system installed, the overall 

installation approval is a separate 

finding, and must consider the 

combined effects of all such systems 

installed. 

Type Certification Basis 

Under the provisions of 14 CFR 21.17, 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes must 

show that the 787 series airplanes meet 

the applicable provisions of part 25, as 

amended by Amendments 25–1 through 

25–120, 25.125, 25–125, and 25–128 

with the following exception: § 25.1309 

remains at Amendment 25–119 for cargo 

fire protection systems. 

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 787 series airplanes 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, the special conditions 

would also apply to the other model. 

In addition to the applicable 

airworthiness regulations and special 

conditions, the 787 series airplanes 

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; and the 

FAA must issue a finding of regulatory 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 16913 

adequacy under § 611 of Public Law 92– 

574, the ‘‘Noise Control Act of 1972.’’ 

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 

§ 21.17(a)(2). 

Novel or Unusual Design Features 

The 787 series airplanes incorporate 

the following novel or unusual design 

features: Boeing Commercial Airplanes 

is installing single-place side-facing 

seats with inflatable lapbelts on certain 

seats of 787 series airplanes, in order to 

reduce the potential for head and neck 

injury in the event of an accident. The 

inflatable lapbelt works similar to an 

automotive airbag, except that the airbag 

is integrated with the lapbelt of the 

restraint system. 

The CFR states the performance 

criteria for head injury protection in 

objective terms. However, none of these 

criteria are adequate to address the 

specific issues raised concerning singleplace side-facing seats with inflatable 

lapbelts. The FAA has therefore 

determined that, in addition to the 

requirements of part 25, special 

conditions are needed to address 

requirements particular to installation of 

single-place side-facing seats with 

inflatable lapbelts. 

Accordingly, in addition to the 

passenger injury criteria specified in 

§ 25.785, these special conditions are 

adopted for the 787 series airplanes 

equipped with single-place side-facing 

seats with inflatable lapbelts. Other 

conditions may be developed, as 

needed, based on further FAA review 

and discussions with the manufacturer 

and civil aviation authorities. 

Discussion 

From the standpoint of a passenger 

safety system, the inflatable lapbelt is 

unique in that it is both an active and 

entirely autonomous device. While the 

automotive industry has good 

experience with airbags, the conditions 

of use and reliance on the inflatable 

lapbelt as the sole means of injury 

protection are quite different. In 

automobile installations, the airbag is a 

supplemental system and works in 

conjunction with an upper torso 

restraint. In addition, the crash event is 

more definable and of typically shorter 

duration, which can simplify the 

activation logic. The airplane operating 

environment is also quite different from 

automobiles and includes the potential 

for greater wear and tear, and 

unanticipated abuse conditions (due to 

galley loading, passenger baggage, etc.); 

airplanes also operate where exposure 

to high intensity electromagnetic fields 

could affect the activation system. 

The following special conditions can 

be characterized as addressing either the 

safety performance of the system, or the 

system’s integrity against inadvertent 

activation. Because a crash requiring use 

of the inflatable lapbelts is a relatively 

rare event, and because the 

consequences of an inadvertent 

activation are potentially quite severe, 

these latter requirements are probably 

the more rigorous from a design 

standpoint. 

Applicability 

As discussed above, these special 

conditions are applicable to the 787 

series airplane. Should Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes apply at a later 

date for a change to the type certificate 

to include another model incorporating 

the same novel or unusual design 

feature, the special conditions would 

apply to that model as well. 

Conclusion 

This action affects only certain novel 

or unusual design features on 787 series 

of airplanes. It is not a rule of general 

applicability. 

The substance of these special 

conditions has been subjected to the 

notice and comment period in several 

prior instances and has been derived 

without substantive change from those 

previously issued. 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, which is 

imminent, the FAA has determined that 

prior public notice and comment are 

unnecessary and impracticable, and 

good cause exists for adopting these 

special conditions upon issuance. 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. 

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 787 

series airplanes. 

1. Existing Criteria: All injury 

protection criteria of § 25.562(c)(1) 

through (c)(6) apply to the occupant of 

a side facing seat. Head Injury Criterion 

(HIC) assessments are only required for 

head contact with the seat and/or 

adjacent structures. 

2. Body-to-Wall/Furnishing Contact: 

Under the load condition defined in 

§ 25.562(b)(2), the seat must be installed 

aft of a structure such as an interior wall 

or furnishing that will support the 

pelvis, upper arm, chest, and head of an 

occupant seated next to the structure. A 

conservative representation of the 

structure and its stiffness must be 

included in the tests. 

3. Thoracic Trauma: Under the load 

condition defined in § 25.562(b)(2), 

Thoracic Trauma Index (TTI) injury 

criterion must be substantiated by 

dynamic test or by rational analysis 

based on previous test(s) of a similar 

seat installation. Testing must be 

conducted with a Side Impact Dummy 

(SID), as defined by Title 49 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) part 572, 

subpart F, or its equivalent. TTI must be 

less than 85, as defined in 49 CFR part 

572, subpart F. The SID TTI data must 

be processed as defined in Federal 

Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 

§ 571.214, section S6.13.5. 

4. Pelvis: Under the load condition 

defined in § 25.562(b)(2), pelvic lateral 

acceleration must be shown by dynamic 

test or by rational analysis based on 

previous test(s) of a similar seat 

installation to not exceed 130g. Pelvic 

acceleration data must be processed as 

defined in FMVSS § 571.214, section 

S6.13.5. 

5. Shoulder Strap Loads: Where upper 

torso straps (shoulder straps) are used 

for occupants, tension loads in 

individual straps must not exceed 1,750 

pounds. If dual straps are used for 

restraining the upper torso, the total 

strap tension loads must not exceed 

2,000 pounds. 

6. Neck Injury Criteria: The seating 

system must protect the occupant from 

experiencing serious neck injury. 

General Test Guidelines 

1. One longitudinal test with the SID 

Anthropomorphic Test Dummy (ATD), 

undeformed floor, no yaw, and with all 

lateral structural supports (armrests/ 

walls). 

2. Pass/fail injury assessments: TTI 

and pelvic acceleration. One 

longitudinal test with the Hybrid II 

ATD, deformed floor, with 10 degrees 

yaw, and with all lateral structural 

supports (armrests/walls). Pass/fail 

injury assessments: HIC, and upper 

torso restraint load, restraint system 

retention and pelvic acceleration. 


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3. Vertical (14 G’s) test is to be 

conducted with modified Hybrid II 

ATDs with existing pass/fail criteria. 

Note: It must be demonstrated that the 

installation of seats via plinths or pallets 

meets all applicable requirements. 

Compliance with the guidance contained in 

FAA Policy Memorandum PS–ANM–100– 

2000–00123, dated February 2, 2000, titled 

‘‘Guidance for Demonstrating Compliance 

with Seat Dynamic Testing for Plinths and 

Pallets’’ will be acceptable to the FAA. 

Inflatable Lapbelt Conditions 

If inflatable lapbelts are installed on 

single-place side-facing seats, the 

inflatable lapbelt(s) must meet the final 

inflatable lapbelt special conditions 

(Special Conditions No. 25–431–SC (76 

FR 35324, June 17, 2011). 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 

12, 2012. 

John Piccola, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service, 

ANM–100. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6957 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0272; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–NM–042–AD; Amendment 

39–16989; AD 2012–06–08] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Airbus Model A340–211, –212, –311, 

and –312 airplanes. This AD requires 

repetitive inspections for cracking at the 

fastener hole area just above stringer 28, 

of both left- and right-hand fuselage 

frame 39.1, and repair if necessary. This 

AD was prompted by a determination 

that certain airplanes were not included 

in a certain airworthiness limitation 

item (ALI) task (inspections for cracking 

of the fuselage frame 39.1) and that the 

inspections must be done to address the 

identified unsafe condition. We are 

issuing this AD to detect and correct 

cracking in the fuselage that could result 

in reduced structural integrity of the 

airplane. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective April 

9, 2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in the AD 

as of April 9, 2012. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by May 7, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Mail: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Operations office between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

the Docket Operations office (telephone 

(800) 647–5527) is in the ADDRESSES

section. Comments will be available in 

the AD docket shortly after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Vladimir Ulyanov, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; telephone 

(425) 227–1138; fax (425) 227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA 

Airworthiness Directive 2010–0245, 

dated November 26, 2010 (referred to 

after this as ‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct an 

unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

Airworthiness Limitation Item (ALI) task 

533105–01–01 is applicable to aeroplanes on 

which Airbus modification 40391 has not 

been embodied in production. The 

requirements associated to this task are 

applicable to aeroplanes on which 

Modification Proposal (MP–S10437) has not 

been embodied. 

Following a query from an operator, 

investigations revealed that some MSN 

[manufacturer serial number], for which 

Airbus modification 40391 was indicated as 

fully embodied inside the Aircraft Inspection 

Report (AIR), did not have Modification 

Proposal (MP–S10437) which is part of this 

modification embodied in production. 

As a result, ALI task 533105–01–01 has not 

been taken into account for some MSN listed 

in the applicability section of this AD, which 

constitutes an unsafe condition. 

For the reasons described above, this 

[EASA] AD requires repetitive special 

detailed inspections [for cracking] 

corresponding to ALI task 533105–01–01 and 

the accomplishment of the associated 

corrective actions [repair], for all aeroplanes 

to which this task is applicable. 

Airworthiness Limitation Item (ALI) task 

533105–01–01 will be deleted in the next 

ALS [Airworthiness Limitations Section] Part 

2 revision. 

The unsafe condition is cracking in the 

fuselage that could result in reduced 

structural integrity of the airplane. You 

may obtain further information by 

examining the MCAI in the AD docket. 

Relevant Service Information 

Airbus has issued Mandatory Service 

Bulletin A340–53–4184, including 

Appendices 01 and 02, dated October 5, 

2010. The actions described in this 

service information are intended to 

correct the unsafe condition identified 

in the MCAI. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of This AD 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country, and is approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to our 

bilateral agreement with the State of 

Design Authority, we have been notified 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

MCAI and service information 

referenced above. We are issuing this 

AD because we evaluated all pertinent 

information and determined the unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

There are no products of this type 

currently registered in the United States. 

However, this rule is necessary to 

ensure that the described unsafe 

condition is addressed if any of these 

products are placed on the U.S. Register 

in the future. 

FAA’s Determination of the Effective 

Date 

Since there are currently no domestic 

operators of this product, notice and 

opportunity for public comment before 

issuing this AD are unnecessary. 


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