FAA Fact Sheet: 

Improvements to 

Aircraft Survivability

IMPROVED FLAMMABILITY 

OF SEAT CUSHIONS:

An October 1984 FAA rule required 

that cushions installed on 

passenger and flight attendant 

seats comply with a significantly 

more stringent flammability test 

standard using a 2 gallon per hour 

kerosene burner. The rule applied 

to all new transport airplane 

certification programs. The rule 

also applied to currently certificated 

airplane models for airplanes 

manufactured on or after November 

26, 1987. Air carriers replaced 

650,000 foam seat cushions on the 

U.S. fleet. The FAA found that the 

new material did a better job 

retarding burning and provided 40 

to 60 seconds of additional time for 

aircraft evacuation when compared 

to the time available when seats 

without the improved cushions were 

installed under the test/research 

conditions. All existing seats in the 

U.S. fleet meet the improved 

standards. The international 

aviation community adopted 

the same standards.

FLOOR PROXIMITY EMERGENCY 

ESCAPE PATH MARKING:

By 1986, the U.S. commercial fleet 

was retrofitted with floor proximity 

lighting, marking the completion of 

a two-year compliance schedule. 

Since smoke rises and can obscure 

overhead lighting, the FAA 

determined that floor lighting could 

improve the evacuation rate by 20 

percent under conditions when 

there is significant smoke in the 

cabin. The floor proximity marking 

system aids passengers by marking 

evacuation paths and identifying 

exits utilizing illumination sources 

located close to the floor.

LAVATORY SMOKE 

DETECTORS:

In 1986, the FAA required air 

carriers to install smoke detectors in 

lavatories. Air carriers were given 18 

months to complete the installation.

LAVATORY FIRE 

EXTINGUISHERS:

In 1987, the FAA required air 

carriers to install automatic fire 

extinguishers in the waste paper bin 

in all aircraft lavatories. Air carriers 

had two years to comply.

HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHERS:

In 1986, portable Halon fire 

extinguishers were added to all 

commercial aircraft, following a 

12-month compliance time. The 

FAA requires two Halon 

extinguishers per aircraft, in 

addition to other required 

extinguishers.

CARGO COMPARTMENT 

LINERS:

In 1986, the FAA issued a new test 

standard using the 2 gallon per 

hour kerosene burner to improve 

fire safety in Class C and D cargo 

and baggage compartments. The 

rule established burn through 

resistance fire test criteria for 

compartment ceiling and wall liners. 

The existing fleet was required to 

meet the new standard or two other 

design standards. This rule change 

significantly improved the 

flammability properties of the lining 

material and has been proven to 

delay fire in a cargo compartment 

from breaching the confines of the 

compartment. Maintaining the 

integrity of the Class C 

compartment liner allows the 

required extinguishing agent more 

time to extinguish the fire. 

Subsequent to this rulemaking class 

D cargo compartments were 

effectively banned from installation 

in passenger carrying airplanes.

IMPROVED INTERIOR 

MATERIALS:

In 1985, the FAA developed a new 

test standard for large surface area 

panels, e.g., ceilings, walls, galleys, 

overhead bins and partitions. The 

intent of the new standard was to 

delay the onset of a cabin flashover 

(flash fire) event, giving passengers 

and crews more time to evacuate 

the airplane after an accident. The 

agency required that all commercial 

aircraft produced after Aug. 20, 

1988 have panels that met an 

intermediate level of heat release 

and after August 20, 1990, met the 

final level of reduced heat release. 

In 1988, the FAA further required 

that the materials in the panels 

noted above also comply with a 

smoke emissions test standard. 

Although there was no retrofit of the 

existing fleet, the FAA is requiring 

that these improved materials be 

used during major cabin 

refurbishment. This improvement in 

cabin material flammability has 

been demonstrated to delay 

flashover in the cabin when 

compared to materials that do not 

comply with the improved 

standards. Flashover is the point in 

time, during a fire, when conditions 

are generally considered to no 

longer support life. The amount of 

additional evacuation time will vary 

in actual accidents depending on 

the severity and extent of the fire. In 

August 2012, the FAA streamlined 

the flammability testing of many 

commonly used interior materials.

16G SEATS:

In 1988, the FAA issued regulations 

requiring that all newly developed 

transport aircraft use “16g” seats. 

Using a test dummy, these seats 

undergo dynamic testing and 

evaluation regarding injury 

protection. Similar to automobile 

crash tests, the FAA tests are 

designed specifically for the aviation 

environment. Previously, seats were 

designed and approved to a static 

9g standard with no occupant 

injury criteria. Most transport 

airplanes were developed before 

1988. However, Amendment 

121-315, effective October 27, 

2005, required that transport 

category airplanes in part 121 

operations, certificated after 

January 1, 1958 and manufactured 

on or after October 27, 2009, must 

comply with the 16g dynamic 

standard. In 2010, the agency 

published guidance on the 

importance of analyzing how interior 

structures, such as seats, interact 

with other structures due to critical 

loads. In July 2012, the FAA issued 

new criteria for side-facing seats 

that are equivalent to the occupant 

protection for standard 

forward-facing seats.

IMPROVED ACCESS TO 

TYPE III EXITS: 

In 1994, the FAA improved the 

access to Type III exits, by specifying 

minimum standards for the 

passageway from the aisle to the 

exit for airplanes with 60 or more 

passengers. Type III exits are the 

non-floor level exit typically located 

over the wing in thousands of 

airplanes in air carrier service, e.g., 

Boeing 727 and 737 and Airbus 

A320 airplanes). Egress rates 

through the exits were found to be 

approximately 14% faster than 

through the earlier allowed narrower 

passageways.

CARGO COMPARTMENT FIRE 

DETECTION/SUPPRESSION:

In 1998, the FAA required that all 

large passenger aircraft have fire 

detection and suppression systems 

installed in all cargo compartments 

by March 19, 2001. This rule 

affects aircraft currently in service 

and all newly manufactured aircraft. 

THERMAL/ACOUSTIC 

INSULATION:

In May 2000, the agency required 

that operators of more than 600 

aircraft replace insulation blankets 

covered with metalized 

polyethylenteraphthalate (MPET) 

within four years. Replacement 

materials had to meet a new flame 

propagation standard that had been 

developed in 1999. This standard 

was a modification of an American 

Society for Testing and Materials 

(ASTM) test. During the same time 

period, the FAA also developed 

another test standard to be used for 

improving the resistance of the 

insulation to burn through from an 

external fire. In 2003, the FAA 

adopted both test standards into the 

requirements for new certificated 

airplane models. The rule also 

required that previously certificated 

but newly manufactured airplanes 

entering the U.S. fleet had to 

comply as well. The flame 

propagation requirements went into 

effect on September 2, 2005. The 

burn through requirements went 

into effect on September 2, 2007. 

The latter date was later extended 

to September 2, 2009. 

The FAA research and upgrades to aircraft over the years have significantly 

increased the likelihood of passengers surviving an aviation accident.

FAA cabin research is conducted at the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, N.J. and the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City.

www.faa.gov

For more information, visit 

FA3017-01-0710

IMPROVED FLAMMABILITY OF SEAT CUSHIONS

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IMPROVED INTERIOR MATERIALS

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16G SEATS

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LAVATORY SMOKE DETECTORS 

3

HALON FIRE EXTINGUISHERS 

5

LAVATORY FIRE EXTINGUISHERS 

4

IMPROVED ACCESS TO TYPE III EXITS

9

FLOOR PROXIMITY EMERGENCY ESCAPE PATH MARKING 

2

CARGO COMPARTMENT FIRE DETECTION/SUPPRESSION

10

CARGO COMPARTMENT LINERS

6

THERMAL/ACOUSTIC INSULATION

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