Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 22 / Thursday, February 1, 2024 / Proposed Rules 6443 

considered before a final determination 

is made on this rulemaking. 

List of Subjects in 7 CFR Part 905 

Grapefruit, Marketing agreements, 

Oranges, Pummelos, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements, Tangelos, 

Tangerines. 

For the reasons set forth in the 

preamble, the Agricultural Marketing 

Service proposes to amend 7 CFR part 

905 as follows: 

PART 905—ORANGES, GRAPEFRUIT, 

TANGERINES, AND PUMMELOS 

GROWN IN FLORIDA 

■ 1. The authority citation for 7 CFR 

part 905 continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 601–674. 

■ 2. Section 905.235 is revised to read 

as follows: 

§ 905.235 Assessment rate. 

On and after August 1, 2023, an 

assessment rate of $0.02 per 4/5-bushel 

carton or equivalent is established for 

Florida citrus covered under the Order. 

Erin Morris, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–02024 Filed 1–31–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 25 

[Docket No. FAA–2023–2435; Notice No. 25– 

23–07–SC] 

Special Conditions: Gulfstream 

Aerospace Corporation Model GVIII– 

G700 and GVIII–G800 Series Airplanes; 

Dynamic Test Requirements for Singleand Multiple-Occupant Side-Facing 

Seats With or Without Airbag Systems 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed special 

conditions. 

SUMMARY: This action proposes special 

conditions for the Gulfstream Aerospace 

Corporation (Gulfstream) Model GVIII– 

G700 and GVIII–G800 series airplanes. 

These airplanes will have a novel or 

unusual design feature when compared 

to the state of technology envisioned in 

the airworthiness standards for 

transport category airplanes. This design 

feature is side-facing seats oriented in 

the aircraft with the occupant facing 90 

degrees to the direction of aircraft travel. 

The applicable airworthiness 

regulations do not contain adequate or 

appropriate safety standards for this 

design feature. 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. 

DATES: Send comments on or before 

February 21, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by Docket No. FAA–2023–2435 using 

any of the following methods: 

Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to 

https://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. 

Docket: Background documents or 

comments received may be read at 

https://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: 

Myra Kuck, Cabin Safety, AIR–624, 

Technical Policy Branch, Policy and 

Standards Division, Aircraft 

Certification Service, Federal Aviation 

Administration, Aircraft Certification 

Policy and Standards, 3960 Paramount 

Blvd., Suite 100, Lakewood, CA 90712; 

telephone and fax 405–666–1059; email 

Myra.J.Kuck@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites 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 proposed special 

conditions, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. 

On December 31, 2019, Gulfstream 

applied for an amendment to Type 

Certificate No. T00015AT to include the 

new Model GVIII–G700 and GVIII–G800 

series airplanes. While the comment 

period provided by the FAA for 

proposed special conditions has 

typically been thirty days, the FAA is 

providing twenty days in this instance, 

due to the relative similarity of these 

conditions with the terms of previously 

issued special conditions, and due to 

the pendency of the anticipated delivery 

date for the affected airplane models, 

per the criteria in 14 CFR 11.38. 

The FAA will consider all comments 

received by the closing date for 

comments, and will consider comments 

filed late if it is possible to do so 

without incurring delay. The FAA may 

change these special conditions based 

on the comments received. 

Privacy 

Except for Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) as described in the 

following paragraph, and other 

information as described in title 14, 

Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 

11.35, the FAA will post all comments 

received without change to https://

www.regulations.gov/, including any 

personal information you provide. The 

FAA will also post a report 

summarizing each substantive verbal 

contact received about these special 

conditions. 

Confidential Business Information 

Confidential Business Information 

(CBI) is commercial or financial 

information that is both customarily and 

actually treated as private by its owner. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt 

from public disclosure. If your 

comments responsive to these proposed 

special conditions contain commercial 

or financial information that is 

customarily treated as private, that you 

actually treat as private, and that is 

relevant or responsive to these special 

conditions, it is important that you 

clearly designate the submitted 

comments as CBI. Please mark each 

page of your submission containing CBI 

as ‘‘PROPIN.’’ The FAA will treat such 

marked submissions as confidential 

under the FOIA, and the indicated 

comments will not be placed in the 

public docket of these special 

conditions. Send submissions 

containing CBI to the individual listed 

in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section above. Comments the 

FAA receives, which are not specifically 

designated as CBI, will be placed in the 

public docket for these special 

conditions. 

Background 

As noted above, on December 31, 

2019, Gulfstream applied for an 

amendment to Type Certificate No. 


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2See, generally, Exemption Nos. 7120C, 7878A, 

9900. 

3 Document available https://www.tc.faa.gov/its/ 

worldpac/techrpt/ar09-41.pdf. 

T00015AT to include the new Model 

GVIII–G700 and GVIII–G800 series 

airplanes. These airplanes, which will 

be derivatives of the Model GVI 

currently approved under Type 

Certificate No. T00015AT, are twinengine, transport-category airplanes, 

with seating for 19 passengers, and a 

maximum take-off weight of 107,600 

pounds (GVIII–G700) and 105,600 

pounds (GVIII–G800). 

Type Certification Basis 

Under the provisions of title 14, Code 

of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.101, 

Gulfstream must show that the Model 

GVIII–G700 and GVIII–G800 series 

airplanes meet the applicable provisions 

of the regulations listed in Type 

Certificate No. T00015AT, or the 

applicable regulations in effect on the 

date of application for the change, 

except for earlier amendments as agreed 

upon by the FAA. 

If the Administrator finds that the 

applicable airworthiness regulations 

(e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain 

adequate or appropriate safety standards 

for the Gulfstream Model GVIII–G700 

and GVIII–G800 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, or should any other 

model already included on the same 

type certificate be modified to 

incorporate the same novel or unusual 

design feature, these special conditions 

would also apply to the other model 

under § 21.101. 

In addition to the applicable 

airworthiness regulations and special 

conditions, the Gulfstream Model 

GVIII–G700 and GVIII–G800 series 

airplanes must comply with the 

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 14 CFR 11.38, and they become 

part of the type certification basis under 

§ 21.101. 

Novel or Unusual Design Features 

The Gulfstream Model GVIII–G700 

and GVIII–G800 airplanes will 

incorporate the following novel or 

unusual design feature: 

Side-facing seats, oriented in the 

aircraft with the occupant facing 90 

degrees to the direction of aircraft travel, 

with or without incorporation of an 

airbag systems or inflatables. 

Discussion 

On June 16, 1988, Title 14, Code of 

Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 25 

was amended to revise the emergency 

landing conditions that must be 

considered in the design of transport 

category airplanes. This 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 was to provide an 

improved level of safety for occupants 

on transport category airplanes; 

however, because most seating on 

transport category airplanes is forwardfacing the pass/fail criteria developed in 

Amendment 25–64 focused primarily on 

these seats. 

Prior to 2012, the FAA granted 

exemptions 2 for the multiple-place 

side-facing-seat installations because the 

existing test methods and acceptance 

criteria did not produce a level of safety 

equivalent to the level of safety 

provided for forward-and aft-facing 

seats. These exemptions were subject to 

many conditions that reflected the 

injury-evaluation criteria and mitigation 

strategies available at the time of the 

exemption issuance. The FAA also 

issued special conditions to address 

single-place side-facing seats because it 

determined, at the time, that those 

conditions provided the same level of 

safety as for forward- and aft-facing 

seats. 

Due to the novelty of side-facing seats 

in transport category airplanes, 

acceptable safety measures for § 25.562 

were unknown. The FAA conducted 

research to develop an acceptable 

method of compliance with §§ 25.562 

and 25.785(b) for side-facing seat 

installations. That research has 

identified injury considerations and 

evaluation criteria in addition to those 

previously used to approve side-facing 

seats (see published report DOT/FAA/ 

AR–09/41, July 2011 3). One particular 

concern that was identified during the 

FAA’s research program but not 

addressed in special conditions prior to 

2012 was the significant leg injuries that 

can occur to occupants of both singleand multiple-place side-facing seats. 

Because this type of injury does not 

occur on forward- and aft-facing seats, 

the FAA determined that to achieve the 

level of safety envisioned in 

Amendment 25–64, additional 

requirements would be needed as 

compared to previously issued special 

conditions. Nonetheless, the research 

has now allowed the development of a 

single set of special conditions that is 

applicable to all fully side-facing seats. 

On November 5, 2012, the FAA 

released PS–ANM–25–03–R1, 

‘‘Technical Criteria for Approving SideFacing Seats,’’ to update existing FAA 

certification policy on §§ 25.562 and 

25.785(a) and (b) at Amendment 25–64 

for single- and multiple-place sidefacing seats. This policy addresses both 

the technical criteria for approving sidefacing seats and the implementation of 

those criteria. The FAA methodology 

detailed in PS–ANM–25–03–R1 has 

been used to develop these proposed 

special conditions. Some of the 

conditions issued for previous 

exemptions are still relevant and are 

included in these proposed special 

conditions; however, others have been 

replaced by different criteria that reflect 

current research findings described 

above, as well as design features from 

the Gulfstream GVII model side-facing 

seat design. 

The 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. 

Applicability 

As discussed above, these proposed 

special conditions are applicable to the 

Gulfstream Model GVIII–G700 and 

GVIII–G800 series airplanes. Should 

Gulfstream apply at a later date for a 

change to the type certificate to include 

another model that incorporates the 

same novel or unusual design feature, or 

should any other model already 

included on the same type certificate be 

modified to incorporate the same novel 

or unusual design feature, these special 

conditions would apply to the other 

model as well. 

Conclusion 

This action affects only a certain 

novel or unusual design feature on 

Gulfstream Model GVIII–G700 and 

GVIII–G800 series of airplanes. It is not 

a rule of general applicability. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25 

Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting 

and recordkeeping requirements. 

Authority Citation 

The authority citation for these 

special conditions is as follows: 

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

44701, 44702, and 44704. 


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The Proposed Special Conditions 

D 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 Gulfstream Model 

GVIII–G700 and GVIII–G800 series 

airplanes. 

In addition to the airworthiness 

standards in §§ 25.562 and 25.785, the 

FAA proposes the following special 

conditions as part of the type 

certification basis for the Gulfstream 

Model GVIII–G700 and GVIII–G800 

series aircraft. Items 1 through 3 are 

applicable to all side-facing seat 

installations on these airplanes, whereas 

item 4 would impose requirements 

applicable to side-facing seats equipped 

with an airbag system in the shoulder 

belt, and item 5 would impose 

requirements applicable to side-facing 

seats equipped with leg-flail airbag 

systems. 

1. Additional requirements applicable 

to tests or rational analysis conducted to 

show compliance with §§ 25.562 and 

25.785 for side-facing seats: 

a. The longitudinal test(s) conducted 

in accordance with § 25.562(b)(2) to 

show compliance with the seat-strength 

requirements of § 25.562(c)(7) and (8), 

and these special conditions must have 

an ES–2re anthropomorphic test dummy 

(ATD) (49 CFR part 572 subpart U) or 

equivalent, or a Hybrid-II ATD (49 CFR 

part 572, subpart B as specified in 

§ 25.562) or equivalent, occupying each 

seat position and including all items 

contactable by the occupant (e.g., 

armrest, interior wall, or furnishing) if 

those items are necessary to restrain the 

occupant. If included, the floor 

representation and contactable items 

must be located such that their relative 

position, with respect to the center of 

the nearest seat place, is the same at the 

start of the test as before floor 

misalignment is applied. For example, if 

floor misalignment rotates the centerline 

of the seat place nearest the contactable 

item 8 degrees clockwise about the 

aircraft x-axis, then the item and floor 

representations must be rotated by 8 

degrees clockwise also to maintain the 

same relative position to the seat place, 

as shown in Figure 1. Each ATD’s 

relative position to the seat after 

application of floor misalignment must 

be the same as before misalignment is 

applied. The ATD pelvis must remain 

supported by the seat pan, and the 

restraint system must remain on the 

pelvis and shoulder of the ATD until 

rebound begins. No injury-criteria 

evaluation is necessary for tests 

conducted only to assess seat-strength 

requirements. 

b. The longitudinal test(s) conducted 

in accordance with § 25.562(b)(2), to 

show compliance with the injury 

assessments required by § 25.562(c) and 

these special conditions, may be 

conducted separately from the test(s) to 

show structural integrity. Structuralassessment tests must be conducted as 

specified in paragraph 1a, above, and 

the injury-assessment test must be 

conducted without yaw or floor 

misalignment. Injury assessments may 

be accomplished by testing with ES–2re 

ATD (49 CFR part 572 subpart U) or 

equivalent at all places. Alternatively, 

these assessments may be accomplished 

by multiple tests that use an ES–2re at 

the seat place being evaluated, and a 

Hybrid-II ATD (49 CFR part 572, subpart 

B, as specified in § 25.562) or equivalent 

used in all seat places forward of the 

one being assessed, to evaluate occupant 

interaction. Seat places aft of the one 

being assessed may be unoccupied. If a 

seat installation includes adjacent items 

that are contactable by the occupant, the 

injury potential of that contact must be 

assessed. To make this assessment, tests 

may be conducted that include the 

actual item, located, and attached in a 

representative fashion. Alternatively, 

the injury potential may be assessed by 

a combination of tests with items having 

the same geometry as the actual item, 

but having stiffness characteristics that 

would create the worst case for injury 

(injuries due to both contact with the 

item and lack of support from the item). 

c. If a seat is installed aft of structure 

(e.g., an interior wall or furnishing) that 

does not have a homogeneous surface 

contactable by the occupant, additional 

analysis and/or test(s) may be required 

to demonstrate that the injury criteria 

are met for the area which an occupant 

could contact. For example, different 

yaw angles could result in different 

injury considerations and may require 

additional analysis or separate test(s) to 

evaluate. 

d. To accommodate a range of 

occupant heights (5th percentile female 

to 95th percentile male), the surface of 

items contactable by the occupant must 

be homogenous 7.3 inches (185 mm) 

above and 7.9 inches (200 mm) below 

the point (center of area) that is 

contacted by the 50th percentile male 

size ATD’s head during the longitudinal 

test(s) conducted in accordance with 

paragraphs a, b, and c, above. 

Otherwise, additional head-injury 

criteria (HIC) assessment tests may be 

necessary. Any surface (inflatable or 

otherwise) that provides support for the 

occupant of any seat place must provide 

that support in a consistent manner 

regardless of occupant stature. For 

example, if an inflatable shoulder belt is 

used to mitigate injury risk, then it must 

be demonstrated by inspection to bear 

against the range of occupants in a 

similar manner before and after 

inflation. Likewise, the means of 

limiting lower-leg flail must be 

demonstrated by inspection to provide 

protection for the range of occupants in 

a similar manner. 

e. For longitudinal test(s) conducted 

in accordance with § 25.562(b)(2) and 

these special conditions, the ATDs must 

be positioned, clothed, and have lateral 

instrumentation configured as follows: 

(1) ATD positioning: 

Lower the ATD vertically into the seat 

while simultaneously (see Figure 2 for 

illustration): 

(a) Aligning the midsagittal plane (a 

vertical plane through the midline of the 

body; dividing the body into right and 

left halves) with approximately the 

middle of the seat place. 

(b) Applying a horizontal x-axis 

direction (in the ATD coordinate 

system) force of about 20 pounds (lbs) 

(89 Newtons [N]) to the bottom of the 

feet of the ATD with the legs straight, to 

compress the seat back cushion. 

(c) Keeping the legs nearly horizontal 

by supporting them just behind the 

ankles 

(d) Once all lifting devices have been 

removed from the ATD: 

(i) Rock it slightly to settle it in the 

seat. 

(ii) Gently lower the ankles of the 

ATD bending the legs at the knee joints. 

Do not allow the pelvis of the ATD to 

be moved when the lower legs are 

lowered. The seat back cushion must 

remain compressed. Separate the knees 

by about 4 inches (100 mm). 

(iii) Set the ES–2re’s head at 

approximately the midpoint of the 

available range of z-axis rotation (to 

align the head and torso midsagittal 

planes). 

(iv) Position the ES–2re’s arms at the 

joint’s mechanical detent that puts them 

at approximately a 40-degree angle with 

respect to the torso. Position the HybridII ATD hands on top of its upper legs. 

(v) Position the feet such that the 

centerlines of the lower legs are 

approximately parallel to a lateral 

vertical plane (in the aircraft coordinate 

system). 

(2) ATD clothing: Clothe each ATD in 

form-fitting, mid-calf-length (minimum) 

pants and shoes (size 11E) weighing 

about 2.5 lb (1.1 Kg) total. The color of 

the clothing should be in contrast to the 

color of the restraint system. The ES–2re 

jacket is sufficient for torso clothing, 

although a form-fitting shirt may be 

used in addition if desired. 

(3) ES–2re ATD lateral 

instrumentation: The rib-module linear 


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slides are directional, i.e., deflection 

occurs in either a positive or negative 

ATD y-axis direction. The modules 

must be installed such that the moving 

end of the rib module is toward the 

front of the aircraft. The three 

abdominal-force sensors must be 

installed such that they are on the side 

of the ATD toward the front of the 

aircraft. 

f. The combined horizontal/vertical 

test, required by § 25.562(b)(1) and these 

special conditions, must be conducted 

with a Hybrid II ATD (49 CFR part 572 

subpart B as specified in § 25.562), or 

equivalent, occupying each seat 

position. 

g. Restraint systems: 

(1) If inflatable restraint systems are 

used, they must be active during all 

dynamic tests conducted to show 

compliance with § 25.562. 

(2) The design and installation of seatbelt buckles must prevent unbuckling 

due to applied inertial forces or impact 

of the hands/arms of the occupant 

during an emergency landing. 

2. Additional performance measures 

applicable to tests and rational analysis 

conducted to show compliance with 

§§ 25.562 and 25.785 for side-facing 

seats: 

a. Body-to-body contact: Contact 

between the head, pelvis, torso, or 

shoulder area of one ATD with the 

adjacent-seated ATD’s head, pelvis, 

torso, or shoulder area is not allowed. 

Contact during rebound is allowed. 

b. Thoracic: The deflection of any of 

the ES–2re ATD upper, middle, and 

lower ribs must not exceed 1.73 inches 

(44 mm). Data must be processed as 

defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 

Standards (FMVSS) 571.214. 

c. Abdominal: The sum of the 

measured ES–2re ATD front, middle, 

and rear abdominal forces must not 

exceed 562 lbs (2,500 N). Data must be 

processed as defined in FMVSS 

571.214. 

d. Pelvic: The pubic symphysis force 

measured by the ES–2re ATD must not 

exceed 1,350 lbs (6,000 N). Data must be 

processed as defined in FMVSS 

571.214. 

e. Leg: Axial rotation of the upper-leg 

(femur) must be limited to 35 degrees in 

either direction from the nominal seated 

position. 

f. Neck: As measured by the ES–2re 

ATD and filtered at CFC 600 as defined 

in SAE J211: 

(1) The upper-neck tension force at 

the occipital condyle (O.C.) location 

must be less than 405 lb (1,800 N). 

(2) The upper-neck compression force 

at the O.C. location must be less than 

405 lb (1,800 N). 

(3) The upper-neck bending torque 

about the ATD x-axis at the O.C. 

location must be less than 1,018 in-lb 

(115 Nm). 

(4) The upper-neck resultant shear 

force at the O.C. location must be less 

than 186 lb (825 N). 

g. Occupant (ES–2re ATD) retention: 

The upper-torso restraint straps (if 

present) must remain on the ATD’s 

shoulder during the impact. The pelvic 

restraint must remain on the ES–2re 

ATD’s pelvis during the impact. The 

pelvic restraint must remain on the ES– 

2re ATD’s pelvis during rebound unless 

the following criteria are met. A 250 lb. 

lap belt tension limit based upon the 

findings in Civil Aerospace Medical 

Institute (CAMI) report DOT/FAA/AM– 

17/02. The data should be filtered at 

CFC 60 as defined in SAE J211. In order 

to complete the evaluation using this 

tension criteria, three things are needed. 

1. A clear indication of when the belt 

moves above the pelvis. Loose clothing 

can make it difficult to determine where 

the top of the pelvis is, and in turn make 

it hard to discern exactly when the belt 

moved above it. This can be improved 

by marking the top of the pelvis clearly 

and by positioning the cameras so that 

the position of the belt, relative to the 

top of the pelvis can be observed 

throughout the test (see Figure 3). 

2. A measurement of the belt tension 

during the time when the belt moves 

above the pelvis. The webbing 

transducer should be placed to measure 

the total tension in the forward lap belt 

segment. If a split (combined bodycentered and conventional) leading belt 

is used, the tension should be measured 

in the common section so that it reflects 

the contribution of each segment. Since 

this placement typically produces 

contact between the ATD and the 

transducer, it is important to use a 

webbing transducer that is not sensitive 

to contact. 

3. Useful video and belt load data 

must be recorded until significant ATD 

rebound motion stops. Extra recording 

time is necessary because submarining 

usually occurs later in the test than 

other injury criteria maximums. To 

completely capture ATD rebound, the 

necessary time could exceed 500 ms. 

h. Occupant (ES–2re ATD) support: 

(1) Pelvis excursion: The load-bearing 

portion of the bottom of the ATD pelvis 

must not translate beyond the edges of 

its seat’s bottom seat-cushion 

supporting structure. 

(2) Upper-torso support: The lateral 

flexion of the ATD torso must not 

exceed 40 degrees from the normal 

upright position during the impact. 

3. For all airbag systems in the 

shoulder harness and for leg flail, the 

following apply: 

a. Show that the airbag system will 

deploy and provide protection under 

crash conditions where it is necessary to 

prevent serious injury. 

b. The means of protection must take 

into consideration a range of stature 

from a 2-year-old child to a 95th 

percentile male. 

c. The airbag system must provide 

adequate protection for each occupant 

regardless of the number of occupants of 

the seat assembly, considering that 

unoccupied seats may have an active 

airbag system. 

d. It must be shown that the airbag 

system is not susceptible to inadvertent 

deployment as a result of wear and tear, 

or inertial loads resulting from in-flight 

or ground maneuvers (including gusts 

and hard landings), and other operating 

and environmental conditions 

(vibrations, moisture, etc.) likely to 

occur in service. 

e. Deployment of the airbag system 

must not introduce injury mechanisms 

to the seated occupant, or result in 

injuries that could impede rapid egress. 

This assessment should include an 

occupant whose seat belt is loosely 

fastened. 

f. It must be shown that inadvertent 

deployment of the airbag system, during 

the most critical part of the flight, will 

either meet the requirement of 

§ 25.1309(b) or not cause a hazard to the 

airplane or its occupants. 

g. It must be shown that the airbag 

system will not impede rapid egress of 

occupants 10 seconds after airbag 

deployment. 

h. The airbag system must be 

protected from lightning and highintensity radiated fields (HIRF). The 

threats to the airplane specified in 

existing regulations regarding lighting, 

§ 25.1316, and HIRF, § 25.1317, are 

adopted by reference for the purpose of 

measuring lightning and HIRF 

protection. 

i. The airbag system must function 

properly after loss of normal aircraft 

electrical power, and after a transverse 

separation of the fuselage at the most 

critical location. A separation at the 

location of the airbag system does not 

have to be considered. 

j. It must be shown that the airbag 

system will not release hazardous 

quantities of gas or particulate matter 

into the cabin. 

k. The airbag system installation must 

be protected from the effects of fire such 

that no hazard to occupants will result. 

l. A means must be available for a 

crewmember to verify the integrity of 

the airbag system prior to each flight, or 


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it must be demonstrated to reliably 

operate between inspection intervals. 

The FAA considers that the loss of the 

airbag-system deployment function 

alone (i.e., independent of the 

conditional event that requires the 

airbag-system deployment) is a majorfailure condition. 

m. The inflatable material may not 

have an average burn rate of greater than 

2.5 inches/minute when tested using the 

horizontal flammability test defined in 

part 25, appendix F, part I, paragraph 

(b)(5). 

n. The airbag system, once deployed, 

must not adversely affect the 

emergency-lighting system (i.e., block 

floor proximity lights to the extent that 

the lights no longer meet their intended 

function). 

o. The airbag system must perform its 

intended function after impact from 

other proximate assemblies (e.g., life 

raft) that may become detached under 

the loads specified in §§ 25.561 and 

25.562. 

4. For seats with an airbag system in 

the shoulder belts, the following apply: 

a. The airbag system in the shoulder 

belt must provide a consistent approach 

to energy absorption throughout that 

range of occupants. The airbag system 

must be included in each of the 

certification tests as it would be 

installed in the airplane. In addition, the 

following situations must be considered: 

(1) The seat occupant is holding an 

infant. 

(2) The seat occupant is a pregnant 

woman. 

b. The design must prevent the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt from being 

either incorrectly buckled or incorrectly 

installed, such that the airbag system in 

the shoulder belt would not properly 

deploy. Alternatively, it must be shown 

that such deployment is not hazardous 

to the occupant, and will provide the 

required injury protection. 

5. For seats using an airbag system to 

meet the leg-flail conditions of 2.e. the 

following apply: 

a. At some buttock popliteal length 

and effective seat bottom depth the 

lower legs will not be able to make a 90- 

degree angle with the upper leg; at this 

point the lower leg flail would not 

occur. The leg flail airbag system must 

provide a consistent approach to 

prevention of leg flail throughout that 

range of occupants whose lower legs can 

make a 90-degree angle with the upper 

legs when seated upright in the seat. 

Items that need to be considered 

include, but are not limited to the range 

of occupants’ popliteal height, the range 

of occupants’ buttock popliteal length, 

the design of the seat effective height 

above the floor, and the effective depth 

of the seat bottom cushion. 

b. For all g-levels, if the design of the 

leg flail limited device does absorb some 

of the impact energy and returns only a 

portion to the legs (a qualitative 

assessment), then a rebound leg flail of 

greater than 35 degrees is acceptable. 

c. Threshold test severity must be 

shown to be non-injurious (less than the 

post-mortem human subject (PMHS) 

low-g research testing) for g-levels up to 

the point where the leg flail airbag is 

designed to deploy. 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
6448 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 22 / Thursday, February 1, 2024 / Proposed Rules 


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C. Partitioe.Roiated ~ maintain: 

Figure 1 
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 22 / Thursday, February 1, 2024 / Proposed Rules 6449 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1EP01FE24.115</GPH> EP01FE24.116</GPH>

Figure 2 

Figure 3 
6450 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 22 / Thursday, February 1, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 

29, 2024. 

Patrick R. Mullen, 

Manager, Technical Innovation Policy 

Branch, Policy and Innovation Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–02043 Filed 1–29–24; 5:00 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–C 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2024–0043; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2023–00985–E] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 

(RRD) Model Trent 1000–A, Trent 1000– 

AE, Trent 1000–C, Trent 1000–CE, Trent 

1000–D, Trent 1000–E, Trent 1000–G, 

and Trent 1000–H engines. This 

proposed AD was prompted by reports 

of cracking and separation of certain 

low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage 1 blade 

assemblies. This proposed AD would 

require initial and repetitive inspections 

of affected LPT stage 1 blade assemblies 

for cracking or separation and, 

depending on the results of the 

inspections, reduction of the inspection 

interval or replacement of the LPT stage 

1 blade set and disk. This proposed AD 

would also prohibit the installation of 

an LPT disk or blade set assembly 

unless it is considered a serviceable 

part, as specified in a European Union 

Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, 

which is proposed for incorporation by 

reference. The FAA is proposing this 

AD to address the unsafe condition on 

these products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this NPRM by March 18, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, 

using the procedures found in 14 CFR 

11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

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: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

AD Docket: You may examine the AD 

docket at regulations.gov under Docket 

No. FAA–2024–0043; or in person at 

Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this NPRM, the mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI), any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

Material Incorporated by Reference: 

• For service information identified 

in this NPRM, contact EASA, KonradAdenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, 

Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 000; 

email: ADs@easa.europa.eu; website: 

easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

material on the EASA website at 

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

• You may view this service 

information at the FAA, Airworthiness 

Products Section, Operational Safety 

Branch, 1200 District Avenue, 

Burlington, MA 01803. For information 

on the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call (817) 222–5110. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sungmo Cho, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des 

Moines, WA 98198; phone: (781) 238– 

7241; email: sungmo.d.cho@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites you to send any 

written relevant data, views, or 

arguments about this proposal. Send 

your comments to an address listed 

under ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2024–0043; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2023–00985–E’’ at the beginning 

of your comments. The most helpful 

comments reference a specific portion of 

the proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. The FAA will consider 

all comments received by the closing 

date and may amend this proposal 

because of those comments. 

Except for Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) as described in the 

following paragraph, and other 

information as described in 14 CFR 

11.35, the FAA will post all comments 

received, without change, to 

regulations.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. The agency 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact received 

about this NPRM. 

Confidential Business Information 

CBI is commercial or financial 

information that is both customarily and 

actually treated as private by its owner. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt 

from public disclosure. If your 

comments responsive to this NPRM 

contain commercial or financial 

information that is customarily treated 

as private, that you actually treat as 

private, and that is relevant or 

responsive to this NPRM, it is important 

that you clearly designate the submitted 

comments as CBI. Please mark each 

page of your submission containing CBI 

as ‘‘PROPIN.’’ The FAA will treat such 

marked submissions as confidential 

under the FOIA, and they will not be 

placed in the public docket of this 

NPRM. Submissions containing CBI 

should be sent to Sungmo Cho, Aviation 

Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th 

Street, Des Moines, WA 98198. Any 

commentary that the FAA receives 

which is not specifically designated as 

CBI will be placed in the public docket 

for this rulemaking. 

Background 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA AD 2023–0165, 

dated August 22, 2023 (EASA AD 2023– 

0165) (also referred to as the MCAI), to 

address an unsafe condition for all RRD 

Model Trent 1000–A, Trent 1000–AE, 

Trent 1000–C, Trent 1000–CE, Trent 

1000–D, Trent 1000–E, Trent 1000–G, 

and Trent 1000–H engines. The MCAI 

states that manufacturer inspections 

detected cracking and separation of 

blade pairs in the weld region of certain 

LPT stage 1 blade assemblies. A blade 

assembly consists of a pair of blades 

welded together at the outer shroud. 

There are 85 LPT stage 1 blade 

assemblies in one set. Such cracking 

and separation could cause failure of 

affected parts and damage to the LPT 

module. 

You may examine the MCAI in the 

AD docket at regulations.gov under 

Docket No. FAA–2024–0043. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed EASA AD 2023– 

0165, which specifies procedures for 

inspection of affected LPT stage 1 blade 

assembly outer shrouds and 

replacement of the LPT stage 1 blade set 

and disk. EASA AD 2023–0165 also 

specifies a reduction of the repetitive 

inspection intervals if cracking or 

separation is detected and meets certain 

criteria. This material is reasonably 

available because the interested parties 

have access to it through their normal 

course of business or by the means 

identified in ADDRESSES. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1