Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 64025 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 25 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–1118; Special 

Conditions No. 25–469–SC] 

Special Conditions: Airbus Model 

A318, A319, A320, and A321 Series 

Airplanes; Interaction of Systems and 

Structures 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final special conditions; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: These special conditions are 

issued for the Airbus Model A318, 

A319, and A320 series airplanes with 

modification 160500 and Model A321 

series airplanes with modification 

160023 (Sharklet). These airplanes will 

have novel or unusual design features 

when compared to the state of 

technology envisioned in the 

airworthiness standards for transport 

category airplanes. The design features 

are associated with the systems that 

affect the structural performance of the 

airplane. The applicable airworthiness 

regulations do not contain adequate or 

appropriate safety standards for these 

design features. 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 October 11, 2012. 

We must receive your comments by 

December 3, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by docket number FAA–2012–1118 

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: 

Todd Martin, FAA, Airframe/Cabin 

Safety Branch, ANM–115, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, Washington 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–1178; facsimile 

425–227–1232. 

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 issuance of 

the design approval and thus 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 April 8, 2010, Airbus applied for 

a change to Type Certificate No. A28NM 

to include modification 160500 on 

Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320 

series airplanes and modification 

160023 on Model A321 series airplanes 

for the installation of a ‘‘Sharklet,’’ a 

large wingtip device. The Model A318, 

A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes 

are short to medium-range, twin 

turbofan, transport category airplanes 

with a maximum seating capacity of 136 

to 220 passengers, a maximum takeoff 

weight of 130,071 to 205,027 pounds, 

and a maximum operating altitude of 

39,800 feet. 

FAA issued special conditions 25– 

ANM–23, effective December 15, 1988, 

originally applicable to Airbus Model 

A320 series airplanes and later to the 

Model A318, A319, and A321 series 

airplanes. Those special conditions 

included requirements for interactions 

of systems and structures. Airbus 

requested, and FAA agrees, that these 

special conditions be updated for the 

Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320 

series airplanes with modification 

160500 and Model A321 series airplanes 

with modification 160023 (Sharklet) and 

later derivatives to be consistent with 

the latest European Aviation Safety 

Standards (EASA) standards and the 

latest versions of the FAA special 

conditions issued on this subject. 

Type Certification Basis 

Under the provisions of Title 14, Code 

of Federal Regulation (14 CFR) 21.101, 

Airbus must show that the Model A318, 

A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes, 

as changed, continue to meet the 

applicable provisions of the regulations 

incorporated by reference in Type 

Certificate No. A28NM or the applicable 

regulations in effect on the date of 

application for the change. The 

regulations incorporated by reference in 

the type certificate are commonly 

referred to as the ‘‘original type 

certification basis.’’ The regulations 

incorporated by reference in Type 

Certificate No. A28NM are 14 CFR part 

25, as amended by Amendments 25–1 

through 25–56, and special conditions 

25–ANM–23. In addition, the 

certification basis includes certain 

special conditions, exemptions, or later 

amended sections of the applicable part 

that are not relevant to these special 

conditions. 

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 Model A318, A319, A320, and 

A321 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 

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64026 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

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, the special conditions 

would also apply to the other model. 

In addition to the applicable 

airworthiness regulations and special 

conditions, the Model A318, A319, 

A320, and A321 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. 

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 

§ 21.101. 

Novel or Unusual Design Features 

The Airbus Model A318, A319, and 

A320 series airplanes with modification 

160500 and Model A321 series airplanes 

with modification 160023 (Sharklet) 

will incorporate the following novel or 

unusual design features: Systems that, 

directly or as a result of failure or 

malfunction, affect structural 

performance. These systems include 

flight control systems, autopilots, 

stability augmentation systems, load 

alleviation systems, fuel management 

systems, and other sytems. 

Discussion 

These airplanes are equipped with 

systems that, directly or as a result of 

failure or malfunction, affect its 

structural performance. Current 

regulations do not take into account 

loads for the aircraft due to the effects 

of systems on structural performance 

including normal operation and failure 

conditions with strength levels related 

to probability of occurrence. These 

special conditions define criteria to be 

used in the assessment of the effects of 

these systems on structures. 

Applicability 

As discussed above, these special 

conditions are applicable to the Airbus 

Model A318, A319, A320 series 

airplanes with modification 160500 and 

Model A321 series airplanes with 

modification 160023 (Sharklet). Should 

Airbus apply at a later date for a change 

to the type certificate to include another 

model incorporating the same novel or 

unusual design features, the special 

conditions would apply to that model as 

well. 

Conclusion 

This action affects only certain novel 

or unusual design features on the model 

series of airplanes listed above. 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 Airbus Model 

A318, A319, and A320 series airplanes 

with modification 160500 and Model 

A321 with modification 160023 

(Sharklet) series airplanes. 

1. General 

For airplanes equipped with systems 

that affect structural performance, either 

directly or as a result of a failure or 

malfunction, the influence of these 

systems and their failure conditions 

must be taken into account when 

showing compliance with the 

requirements of 14 CFR part 25 subparts 

C and D. The following criteria must be 

used for showing compliance with these 

special conditions for airplanes 

equipped with flight control systems, 

autopilots, stability augmentation 

systems, load alleviation systems, fuel 

management systems, and other systems 

that either directly or as a result of 

failure or malfunction affect structural 

performance. If these special conditions 

are used for other systems, it may be 

necessary to adapt the criteria to the 

specific system. 

(a) The criteria defined herein only 

address the direct structural 

consequences of the system responses 

and performances and cannot be 

considered in isolation but should be 

included in the overall safety evaluation 

of the airplane. These criteria may in 

some instances duplicate standards 

already established for this evaluation. 

These criteria are only applicable to 

structure whose failure could prevent 

continued safe flight and landing. 

Specific criteria that define acceptable 

limits on handling characteristics or 

stability requirements when operating 

in the system degraded or inoperative 

mode are not provided in these special 

conditions. 

(b) Depending upon the specific 

characteristics of the airplane, 

additional studies may be required that 

go beyond the criteria provided in these 

special conditions in order to 

demonstrate the capability of the 

airplane in meeting other realistic 

conditions such as alternative gust or 

maneuver descriptions for an airplane 

equipped with a load alleviation system. 

(c) The following definitions are 

applicable to these special conditions: 

Structural performance: Capability of 

the airplane to meet the structural 

requirements of 14 CFR part 25. 

Flight limitations: Limitations that 

can be applied to the airplane flight 

conditions following an in-flight 

occurrence and that are included in the 

flight manual (e.g., speed limitations, 

avoidance of severe weather conditions, 

etc.). 

Operational limitations: Limitations, 

including flight limitations, that can be 

applied to the airplane operating 

conditions before dispatch (e.g., fuel, 

payload and Master Minimum 

Equipment List limitations). 

Probabilistic terms: The probabilistic 

terms (probable, improbable, extremely 

improbable) used in these special 

conditions are the same as those used in 

§ 25.1309. 

Failure condition: The term failure 

condition is the same as that used in 

§ 25.1309, however, these special 

conditions apply only to system failure 

conditions that affect the structural 

performance of the airplane (e.g., system 

failure conditions that induce loads, 

change the response of the airplane to 

inputs such as gusts or pilot actions, or 

lower flutter margins). 

2. Effects of Systems on Structures 

The following criteria will be used in 

determining the influence of a system 

and its failure conditions on the 

airplane structure. 

(a) System fully operative. With the 

system fully operative, the following 

apply: 

(1) Limit loads must be derived in all 

normal operating configurations of the 

system from all the limit conditions 

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 64027 

specified in Subpart C (or defined by 

special condition or equivalent level of 

safety in lieu of those specified in 

Subpart C), taking into account any 

special behavior of such a system or 

associated functions or any effect on the 

structural performance of the airplane 

that may occur up to the limit loads. In 

particular, any significant nonlinearity 

(rate of displacement of control surface, 

thresholds, or any other system 

nonlinearities) must be accounted for in 

a realistic or conservative way when 

deriving limit loads from limit 

conditions. 

(2) The airplane must meet the 

strength requirements of part 25 (static 

strength, residual strength), using the 

specified factors to derive ultimate loads 

from the limit loads defined above. The 

effect of nonlinearities must be 

investigated beyond limit conditions to 

ensure the behavior of the system 

presents no anomaly compared to the 

behavior below limit conditions. 

However, conditions beyond limit 

conditions need not be considered when 

it can be shown that the airplane has 

design features that will not allow it to 

exceed those limit conditions. 

(3) The airplane must meet the 

aeroelastic stability requirements of 

§ 25.629. 

(b) System in the failure condition. 

For any system failure condition not 

shown to be extremely improbable, the 

following apply: 

(1) At the time of occurrence, starting 

from 1-g level flight conditions, a 

realistic scenario, including pilot 

corrective actions, must be established 

to determine the loads occurring at the 

time of failure and immediately after 

failure. 

(i) For static strength substantiation, 

these loads, multiplied by an 

appropriate factor of safety that is 

related to the probability of occurrence 

of the failure, are ultimate loads to be 

considered for design. The factor of 

safety (FS) is defined in Figure 1. 

(ii) For residual strength 

substantiation, the airplane must be able 

to withstand two thirds of the ultimate 

loads defined in subparagraph 2(b)(1)(i). 

For pressurized cabins, these loads must 

be combined with the normal operating 

differential pressure. 

(iii) Freedom from aeroelastic 

instability must be shown up to the 

speeds defined in § 25.629(b)(2). For 

failure conditions that result in speeds 

beyond VC/MC, freedom from 

aeroelastic instability must be shown to 

increased speeds, so that the margins 

intended by § 25.629(b)(2) are 

maintained. 

(iv) Failures of the system that result 

in forced structural vibrations 

(oscillatory failures) must not produce 

loads that could result in detrimental 

deformation of primary structure. 

(2) For the continuation of the flight. 

For the airplane, in the system failed 

state and considering any appropriate 

reconfiguration and flight limitations, 

the following apply: 

(i) The loads derived from the 

following conditions (or defined by 

special condition or equivalent level of 

safety in lieu of the following 

conditions) at speeds up to VC/MC, or 

the speed limitation prescribed for the 

remainder of the flight, must be 

determined: 

(A) The limit symmetrical 

maneuvering conditions specified in 

§ 25.331 and in § 25.345. 

(B) The limit gust and turbulence 

conditions specified in § 25.341 and in 

§ 25.345. 

(C) The limit rolling conditions 

specified in § 25.349 and the limit 

unsymmetrical conditions specified in 

§ 25.367 and § 25.427(b) and (c). 

(D) The limit yaw maneuvering 

conditions specified in § 25.351. 

(E) The limit ground loading 

conditions specified in §§ 25.473 and 

25.491. 

(ii) For static strength substantiation, 

each part of the structure must be able 

to withstand the loads in paragraph 

2(b)(2)(i) of the special conditions 

multiplied by a factor of safety 

depending on the probability of being in 

this failure state. The factor of safety is 

defined in Figure 2. 


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64028 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

Qj = (Tj)(Pj) 

Where: 

Tj = Average time spent in failure condition 

j (in hours) 

Pj = Probability of occurrence of failure mode 

j (per hour) 

Note: If Pj is greater than 10¥3 per flight 

hour, then a 1.5 factor of safety must be 

applied to all limit load conditions specified 

in Subpart C. 

(iii) For residual strength 

substantiation, the airplane must be able 

to withstand two thirds of the ultimate 

loads defined in paragraph 2(b)(2)(ii) of 

the special conditions. For pressurized 

cabins, these loads must be combined 

with the normal operating differential 

pressure. 

(iv) If the loads induced by the failure 

condition have a significant effect on 

fatigue or damage tolerance then their 

effects must be taken into account. 

(v) Freedom from aeroelastic 

instability must be shown up to a speed 

determined from Figure 3. Flutter 

clearance speeds V′ and V′′ may be 

based on the speed limitation specified 

for the remainder of the flight using the 

margins defined by § 25.629(b). 

V′ = Clearance speed as defined by 

§ 25.629(b)(2). 

V′′ = Clearance speed as defined by 

§ 25.629(b)(1). 

Qj = (Tj)(Pj) where: 

Tj = Average time spent in failure condition 

j (in hours) 

Pj = Probability of occurrence of failure mode 

j (per hour) 

Note: If Pj is greater than 10¥3 per flight 

hour, then the flutter clearance speed must 

not be less than V′′. 

(vi) Freedom from aeroelastic 

instability must also be shown up to V′ 

in Figure 3 above, for any probable 

system failure condition combined with 

any damage required or selected for 

investigation by § 25.571(b). 

(3) Consideration of certain failure 

conditions may be required by other 

sections of 14 CFR part 25 regardless of 

calculated system reliability. Where 

analysis shows the probability of these 

failure conditions to be less than 10¥9, 

criteria other than those specified in this 

paragraph may be used for structural 

substantiation to show continued safe 

flight and landing. 

(c) Failure indications. For system 

failure detection and indication, the 

following apply: 

(1) The system must be checked for 

failure conditions, not extremely 

improbable, that degrade the structural 

capability below the level required by 

part 25 or significantly reduce the 

reliability of the remaining system. As 

far as reasonably practicable, the flight 

crew must be made aware of these 

failures before flight. Certain elements 

of the control system, such as 

mechanical and hydraulic components, 

may use special periodic inspections, 

and electronic components may use 

daily checks, in lieu of detection and 

indication systems to achieve the 

objective of this requirement. These 

certification maintenance requirements 

must be limited to components that are 

not readily detectable by normal 

detection and indication systems and 

where service history shows that 

inspections will provide an adequate 

level of safety. 

(2) The existence of any failure 

condition, not extremely improbable, 

during flight that could significantly 

affect the structural capability of the 

airplane and for which the associated 

reduction in airworthiness can be 

minimized by suitable flight limitations, 

must be signaled to the flight crew. For 

example, failure conditions that result 

in a factor of safety between the airplane 

strength and the loads of subpart C 

below 1.25, or flutter margins below V′′, 

must be signaled to the crew during 

flight. 

(d) Dispatch with known failure 

conditions. If the airplane is to be 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 202 / Thursday, October 18, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 64029 

dispatched in a known system failure 

condition that affects structural 

performance, or affects the reliability of 

the remaining system to maintain 

structural performance, then the 

provisions of these special conditions 

must be met, including the provisions of 

paragraph 2(a) for the dispatched 

condition, and paragraph 2(b) for 

subsequent failures. Expected 

operational limitations may be taken 

into account in establishing Pj as the 

probability of failure occurrence for 

determining the safety margin in Figure 

1. Flight limitations and expected 

operational limitations may be taken 

into account in establishing Qj as the 

combined probability of being in the 

dispatched failure condition and the 

subsequent failure condition for the 

safety margins in Figures 2 and 3. These 

limitations must be such that the 

probability of being in this combined 

failure state and then subsequently 

encountering limit load conditions is 

extremely improbable. No reduction in 

these safety margins is allowed if the 

subsequent system failure rate is greater 

than 10¥3 per hour. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on October 

11, 2012. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–25604 Filed 10–17–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 25 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–1119; Special 

Conditions No. 25–470–SC] 

Special Conditions: Airbus Model 

A318, A319, A320, and A321 Series 

Airplanes; Design Dive Speed 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final special conditions; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: These special conditions are 

issued for the Airbus Model A318, 

A319, and A320 series airplanes with 

modification 160500 and Model A321 

series airplanes with modification 

160023 (Sharklet). These airplanes will 

have novel or unusual design features 

when compared to the state of 

technology envisioned in the 

airworthiness standards for transport 

category airplanes. These design 

features include a high-speed protection 

system. 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 October 11, 2012. 

We must receive your comments by 

December 3, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by docket number FAA–2012–1119 

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: 

Todd Martin, FAA, Airframe/Cabin 

Safety Branch, ANM–115, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, Washington 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–1178; facsimile 

425–227–1232. 

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 issuance of 

the design approval and thus 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 April 8, 2010, Airbus applied for 

a change to Type Certificate No. A28NM 

to include modification 160500 on 

Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320 

series airplanes and modification 

160023 on Model A321 series airplanes 

for the installation of a ‘‘Sharklet,’’ a 

large wingtip device. The Model A318, 

A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes 

are short to medium-range, twin 

turbofan, transport category airplanes 

with a maximum seating capacity of 136 

to 220 passengers, a maximum takeoff 

weight of 130,071 to 205,027 pounds, 

and a maximum operating altitude of 

39,800 feet. 

FAA issued special conditions 25– 

ANM–23, effective December 15, 1988, 

originally applicable to Airbus Model 

A320 series airplanes and later to the 

Model A318, A319, and A321 series 

airplanes. Those special conditions 

included revised requirements for dive 

speed based on incorporation of highspeed protection in the fight control 

laws. The FAA has determined that new 

special conditions are needed for the 

Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320 

series airplanes with modification 

160500 and Model A321 series airplanes 

with modification 160023 (Sharklet) and 

later derivatives because the existing 

special conditions have evolved over 

the years and need to be updated for 

this derivative program. 

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