36084 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 116 / Monday, June 17, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 

* * * * * 

Dated: June 11, 2013. 

Calvin Jenkins, 

Deputy Associate Administrator for 

Government Contracting and Business 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 2013–14263 Filed 6–14–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8205–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 23 

[Docket No. CE308; Special Conditions No. 

23–248–SC] 

Special Conditions: Cirrus Design 

Corporation Model SF50 Airplane; 

Function and Reliability Testing; 

Withdrawal 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final special conditions; 

withdrawal. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is withdrawing a 

previously published notice granting 

special conditions for the Cirrus Design 

Corporation model SF50 airplane. We 

are withdrawing Special Condition No. 

23–248–SC through mutual agreement 

with Cirrus Design Corporation. 

DATES: This special condition published 

on August 18, 2010 at 75 FR 50853 is 

withdrawn, effective June 17, 2013. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

J. Lowell Foster, Federal Aviation 

Administration, Small Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification 

Service, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas 

City, MO 64106; telephone (816) 329– 

4125; facsimile (816) 329–4090. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On August 18, 2010, the FAA 

published Special Condition No. 23– 

248–SC for the Cirrus Design 

Corporation new model SF50 ‘‘Vision’’ 

Jet. The SF50 is a low-wing, five-plustwo-place (2 children), single-engine 

turbofan-powered aircraft. It 

incorporates an Electronic Flight 

Information System (EFIS), pressurized 

cabin, retractable gear, and a V-tail. The 

turbofan engine is mounted on the 

upper fuselage/tail cone along the 

aircraft centerline. It is constructed 

largely of carbon and fiberglass 

composite materials. Like other Cirrus 

products, the SF50 includes a 

ballistically deployed airframe 

parachute. 

The model SF50 has a maximum 

operating altitude of 28,000 feet, where 

it cruises at speeds up to 300 Knots True 

Air Speed (KTAS). Its MMO will not 

exceed 0.62 Mach. The maximum 

takeoff weight will be at or below 6000 

pounds with a range at economy cruise 

of roughly 1000 nm. Cirrus intends for 

the model SF50 to be certified for 

single-pilot operations under 14 CFR 

part 91 and 14 CFR part 135 operating 

rules. The following operating 

conditions will be included: 

• Day and Night VFR 

• IFR 

• Flight Into Known Icing 

Discussion 

Before Amendment 3–4, Section 3.19 

of Civil Air Regulation (CAR) part 3 

required service testing of all airplanes 

type certificated on or after May 15, 

1947. The purpose of the testing was to 

‘‘ascertain whether there is reasonable 

assurance that the airplane, its 

components, and equipment are 

reliable, and function properly.’’ 

Amendment 3–4 to CAR part 3 

became effective January 15, 1951, and 

deleted the service test requirements in 

Section 3.19 for airplanes of 6,000 

pounds maximum weight or less. The 

introductory text published in 

Amendment 3–4 explained that most of 

the significant changes in the 

amendment stemmed from ‘‘the desire 

for simplification of the rules in this 

part with respect to the smaller 

airplanes, specifically those of 6,000 

pounds maximum weight or less, which 

would be expected to be used mainly as 

personal airplanes.’’ The introductory 

material also stated the service test 

requirement was removed for airplanes 

of 6,000 pounds maximum weight or 

less because ‘‘experience seems to 

indicate that this rule imposes a burden 

upon the manufacturers not 

commensurate with the safety gained.’’ 

The requirement for Function and 

Reliability (F&R) testing, and the 

exception for airplanes of 6,000 pounds 

or less maximum weight, is now found 

in 14 CFR part 21, section 21.35(b)(2). 

The decision to exempt airplanes of 

6,000 pounds maximum weight or less 

from F&R testing was based on the state 

of technology envisioned in 1951. At 

that time, airplanes of 6,000 pounds 

maximum weight or less were expected 

to be used mainly as personal airplanes. 

They used simple, ‘‘stand-alone’’ 

systems whose failure was more likely 

to be an inconvenience than an 

accident. The situation is different 

today. Technological advances allow 

airplanes weighing less than 6,000 

pounds to be more complex and 

integrated than some transport 

airplanes. New part 23 airplanes can 

incorporate sophisticated equipment not 

previously used in a part 23 aircraft. 

Additionally, part 23 airplanes are being 

used for business and commercial 

transportation. They should no longer 

be envisioned mainly as personal 

airplanes. Therefore, a special condition 

to require F&R testing for airplanes 

weighing 6,000 pounds or less is needed 

where the level of sophistication is 

beyond evaluating failures by 

inspection. 

The model SF50 certification project 

was granted an extension on September 

19, 2011. 14 CFR part 21, Amendment 

95, published in the Federal Register 

(76 FR 64229) on October 18, 2011, 

incorporated Special Condition No. 23– 

248–SC. On December 11, 2012, Cirrus 

Design Corporation elected to adjust the 

model SF50 certification basis to 

Amendment 21–95. 

Reason for Withdrawal 

The FAA is withdrawing Special 

Condition No. 23–248–SC because 

Cirrus elected to revise the model SF50 

certification basis to Amendment 21–95. 

The authority citation for this Special 

Condition withdrawal is 49 U.S.C. 

106(g), 40113 and 44701; 14 CFR 21.16 

and 21.17; and 14 CFR 11.38 and 11.19. 

Conclusion 

Withdrawal of this special condition 

does not preclude the FAA from issuing 

another notice on the subject matter in 

the future or committing the agency to 

any future course of action. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri on June 7, 

2013. 

Earl Lawrence, 

Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–14327 Filed 6–14–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 25 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0453; Special 

Conditions No. 25–489–SC] 

Special Conditions: The Boeing 

Company, Model 717–200 Series 

Airplanes; Seats With Inflatable 

Lapbelts 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final Special Condition; 

Request for Comments. 

SUMMARY: These special conditions are 

issued for the Boeing Model 717–200 

series airplanes. These airplanes will 

have a novel or unusual design feature 

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 116 / Monday, June 17, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 36085 

associated with 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 June 12, 2013. We 

must receive your comments by August 

1, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by docket number FAA–2013–0453 

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: 

Alan Sinclair, FAA, Airframe and Cabin 

Safety Branch, ANM–115, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, Washington 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–2195; facsimile 

425–227–1232. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA 

has determined that notice of, and 

opportunity for prior public comment 

on, these special conditions are 

unnecessary because 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 

Model 717–200 Series Airplanes 

On January 15, 2013, The Boeing 

Company (referred to as ‘‘Boeing’’ after 

this point) applied for a change to Type 

Certificate No. A6WE to install 

inflatable lapbelts on Boeing Model 

717–200 series airplanes. The Model 

717–200 series airplanes are narrow 

body airplanes with twin-jet rearmounted engines. They are equipped 

with two Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & 

Co KG BR700–715A1–30 or BR700– 

715C1–30 engines. The maximum 

takeoff weight is 121,000 pounds/ 

154,885 kilograms. They have a 134 

passenger and 6 crew member capacity. 

The Model 717–200 series airplanes 

will use inflatable lapbelts, which are 

designed to limit the forward excursion 

of occupants in the event of an accident. 

This will reduce the potential for head 

injury, thereby reducing the head injury 

criteria (HIC) measurement. Inflatable 

lapbelts behave similarly to automotive 

inflatable airbags, but in these airplanes, 

the airbags are integrated into the 

lapbelts and they inflate away from the 

seated occupants. While inflatable 

airbags are now standard in the 

automotive industry, the use of 

inflatable lapbelts is novel for 

commercial aviation. 

Regulatory Requirements Applicable to 

Model 717–200 Series Airplanes 

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 

seats on an airplane operated under part 

121 rules meet the requirements of 

§ 25.562 in effect on or after June 16, 

1988. 

The Boeing Model 717–200 series 

airplanes are required to show 

compliance with certain aspects of 

§ 25.562 as specified per Type 

Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) A6WE. 

But Boeing Model 717–200 series 

airplanes manufactured on or after 

October 27, 2009, operated under part 

121 must meet all of the requirements 

of § 25.562 for passenger and flight 

attendant seats. Thus, 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 airplanes 

without having to do additional 

certification work. Also, 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 ensuring that any object that 

could injure them is outside the striking 

radius of their heads or adding padding. 

Traditionally, this has required seats to 

be set back so that occupants’ heads are 

35 inches from any bulkhead or other 

rigid interior feature. If this is not 

practical, specified types of padding 

must be added. The relative 

effectiveness of these means of injury 

protection was not quantified. 

Amendment 25–64 to 14 CFR part 25, 

specifically § 25.562, created a new 

standard that quantifies required head 

injury protection. 

Section 25.562 requires that for seat 

and restraint systems, applicants must 

use dynamic tests or analysis to 

demonstrate that persons do not suffer 

serious head injury under specific 

conditions. Section 25.562 also requires 

that protection must be provided or the 

seat must be designed so that the head 

impact does not exceed a HIC of 1,000 

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 

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36086 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 116 / Monday, June 17, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 

address 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. 

Advantages of Inflatable Lapbelts 

Inflatable lapbelts have two potential 

advantages over other means of headimpact protection. First, they can 

provide significantly greater protection 

than energy-absorbing pads, and, 

second, they can provide essentially 

equivalent protection for all occupants, 

regardless of stature. These are 

significant advantages from a safety 

standpoint, because inflatable lapbelts 

will likely provide a level of safety that 

exceeds the minimum standards of the 

Code of Federal Regulations. 

Conversely, inflatable lapbelts in 

general are active systems and must be 

relied upon to activate properly when 

needed, as opposed to energy-absorbing 

pads or upper torso restraints that are 

passive and always available. Therefore, 

the potential advantages must be 

balanced against this and other potential 

disadvantages to develop standards for 

this design feature. 

Unique Concerns for Inflatable Lapbelts 

in Airplanes 

While the automotive industry has 

extensive experience demonstrating the 

benefits of using inflatable airbags, the 

airplane environment presents unique 

and additional challenges. From the 

standpoint of a passenger safety system, 

inflatable lapbelts are unique in that 

they are both active and entirely 

autonomous devices. In automobiles, 

airbags are a supplemental system and 

work in conjunction with upper torso 

restraints. In airplanes, inflatable 

lapbelts are the sole means of injury 

protection for occupants, i.e., they are 

not used in conjunction with additional 

restraints. In addition, automobile crash 

events have more definable beginnings 

and ends, and they do not typically last 

as long as aviation crash events, which 

can simplify the activation logic. 

The airplane-operating environment 

is also quite different from that of 

automobiles in terms of both the interior 

design and the exterior environment in 

which the airplane operates. Airplane 

cabin furnishings potentially receive 

greater wear and tear and unanticipated 

abuse conditions (for example, because 

of galley loading and damage from 

passenger baggage). Airplanes also 

operate at altitudes where exposure to 

high-intensity radiomagnetic fields 

(HIRF) could affect the lapbelts’ 

activation system. 

The FAA considers inflatable lapbelts 

to have two primary safety concerns: 

first, that they perform properly under 

foreseeable operating conditions, and 

second, that they do not perform (i.e., 

activate) in a manner or at times that 

would result in 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 discussion below 

addresses how these special conditions 

address the specific issues raised by 

these two general concerns. 

Type Certification Basis 

Under the provisions of § 21.101 

Boeing must show that the Model 717– 

200 series airplanes, as changed, 

continue to meet the applicable 

provisions of the regulations 

incorporated by reference in Type 

Certificate No. A6WE 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. A6WE are as follows: 

part 25 of the Federal Aviation 

Regulations as amended by 

Amendments 25–1 through 25–82, 

except where superseded. The U.S. type 

certification basis for the Model 717– 

200 series airplanes is established in 

accordance with 14 CFR 21.29 and 

21.17 and the type certification 

application date. The U.S. type 

certification basis is listed in Type 

Certificate No. A6WE. 

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 Boeing Model 717–200 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, the special conditions 

would also apply to the other model. 

In addition to the applicable 

airworthiness regulations and special 

conditions, the Model 717–200 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 Boeing Model 717–200 series 

airplanes will incorporate the following 

novel or unusual design features: 

inflatable lapbelts on certain seats of the 

Model 717–200 series airplanes to 

reduce the potential for head injury in 

the event of an accident. Inflatable 

lapbelts work similarly to automotive 

airbags, except the airbags are integrated 

with the lapbelts 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 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 

seats with inflatable lapbelts. 

Accordingly, in addition to the 

passenger injury criteria specified in 

§ 25.785, these special conditions are 

proposed for the Boeing Model 717–200 

series airplanes equipped 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 

The FAA considers inflatable lapbelts 

to have two primary safety concerns: 

first, that they perform properly under 

foreseeable operating conditions, and 

second, that they do not perform (i.e., 

activate) in a manner or at times that 

would result in a hazard to the airplane 

or occupants. 

Effective for Wide Range of Occupants 

Inflatable lapbelts 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 accidents in 

which 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 inflatable 

lapbelts will enhance the brace position. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 116 / Monday, June 17, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 36087 

However, the inflatable lapbelts must 

not introduce any hazards when they 

deploy into seated, braced occupants. 

Another area of concern is children in 

these seats 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. 

No Resulting Hazards From Proper 

Functioning 

To be an effective safety system, 

inflatable lapbelts must function 

properly and must not introduce any 

additional hazards to occupants as a 

result of their functioning. There are 

several areas where inflatable lapbelts 

differ from traditional occupant 

protection systems and require special 

conditions to ensure adequate 

performance. 

Inflatable lapbelts are essentially 

single-use devices. As a result, they 

could potentially deploy under crash 

conditions that are not sufficiently 

severe as to require head injury 

protection from the inflatable lapbelts. 

Since crashes are frequently composed 

of a series of impacts before the airplane 

comes to rest, if a larger impact follows 

the initial impact, the inflatable lapbelts 

could be rendered useless. Other safety 

devices such as energy absorbing pads 

or upper torso restraints tend to provide 

continuous protection regardless of 

severity or number of impacts in a crash 

event. Therefore, the inflatable lapbelts 

should provide protection when 

required and they should not expend 

their protection during a less severe 

impact. Also, it is possible to have 

several large impact events during the 

course of a crash, but there will be no 

requirement for the inflatable lapbelts to 

provide protection for multiple impacts. 

Each occupant’s restraint system is 

designed to provide protection for only 

that occupant. However, unoccupied 

seats that may have active lapbelts are 

also a concern. It will be necessary to 

show that the required protection is 

provided for each occupant, regardless 

of the number of occupied seats. 

Impact on Egress 

Since the inflatable lapbelts likely 

have a large volume displacement, the 

inflated bags could potentially impede 

egress of passengers. Since the bags 

deflate to absorb energy, it is likely that 

the inflatable lapbelts would be deflated 

at the time that persons would be trying 

to leave their seats. Nonetheless, it is 

appropriate to specify a time interval 

after which the inflatable lapbelts 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 opened (in 

accordance with § 25.809). In actuality, 

it is unlikely that a flight attendant 

would be able to prepare an exit this 

quickly, especially in an accident that is 

severe enough to deploy the inflatable 

lapbelts. Furthermore, the inflatable 

lapbelts will likely deflate much more 

quickly than ten seconds. 

It is even more critical that the 

inflatable lapbelts do not impede rapid 

egress in the emergency exit row seats. 

Section 25.813 clearly requires that 

there must be an unobstructed 

passageway from the main aisle to the 

exit and that there must be no 

interference in opening the exit. The 

restraint system must not impede access 

to and the opening of the exit. In some 

cases, such as a Type III over-wing 

hatch, a passenger is the one who will 

open the exit. These lapbelts should be 

evaluated in the exit row under existing 

regulations (§§ 25.809 and 25.813) and 

guidance material. The inflatable 

lapbelts must also be evaluated in postcrash conditions. They should be 

evaluated using representative restraint 

systems in the bag deployed condition. 

This evaluation includes reviewing 

the access to and opening of the exit, 

specifically looking for obstructions in 

the egress path and any interference in 

opening the exit. Each unique interior 

configuration must be considered (e.g., 

passageway width and single, or dual 

passageways with the outboard seat 

removed). If restraints create any 

obstruction or interference, they could 

impede rapid egress. If these restraint 

systems are installed at exit door rows, 

it is likely that project-specific guidance 

will be necessary. 

Availability When Needed 

These special conditions include 

requirements to ensure that inflatable 

lapbelts operate in the aviation 

environment. These special conditions 

also incorporate requirements to ensure 

that the inflatable lapbelts are protected 

from HIRF and meet the requirements of 

§ 25.1316. Existing regulations regarding 

lightning, § 25.1316, and the existing 

HIRF special condition for the Boeing 

Model 717–200 series aircraft, Special 

Conditions No. 25–ANM–60 (57 FR 

34511, August 5, 1992), are also 

applicable. 

Since inflatable lapbelts will be 

electrically powered, the system could 

possibly fail if the fuselage separates. 

Since this system is intended as crash/ 

post-crash protection means, failure 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. Inflatable lapbelts will rely on 

electronic sensors for signaling and 

pyrotechnic charges for activation so 

that they are available when needed. 

Prevention of Inadvertent Activation 

Inflatable lapbelts could be 

susceptible to inadvertent activation, 

causing them to deploy in a potentially 

unsafe manner. The consequences of 

such deployment must be considered in 

establishing the reliability of the system. 

Therefore, Boeing must substantiate that 

if the lapbelts inadvertently deploy, 

they will not create a hazard to the 

airplane. If this cannot be substantiated, 

then Boeing must demonstrate that 

inadvertent deployment is an extremely 

improbable occurrence (i.e., less than 

10¥9 per flight hour). Also, if the 

lapbelts are inadvertently deployed, the 

effects on passengers or crew members 

who are standing or sitting close by 

should also be considered. 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. 

In-service and outside environmental 

conditions could increase the potential 

for inadvertent activation. The 

cumulative effects of wear and tear must 

also be considered so that it does not 

increase the likelihood of an inadvertent 

deployment to an unacceptable level. To 

mitigate the effects of such cumulative 

damage, it is necessary to develop an 

appropriate inspection interval and selftest capability. Environmental 

conditions, such as lightning and HIRF, 

could potentially affect inflatable 

lapbelt systems. To demonstrate 

compliance in such conditions, it is first 

necessary to determine whether the 

lapbelts are critical or essential systems. 

If inadvertent deployment could cause a 

hazard to the airplane, inflatable 

lapbelts are considered a critical system; 

if inadvertent deployment could cause 

injuries to persons, the inflatable 

lapbelts are considered an essential 

system. Finally, the inflatable lapbelt 

installation should be protected from 

the effects of fire, so, for example, a 

rupture of the pyrotechnic squib does 

not create an additional hazard. 

Flammability 

Special Conditions No. 25–187–SC 

(66 FR 52017, October 12, 2001) issued 

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36088 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 116 / Monday, June 17, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 

for the Boeing Model 777 series 

airplanes was the first special 

conditions to address flammability of 

the airbag material. The Boeing Model 

717–200 series airplanes will use the 

similar airbag material in their inflatable 

lapbelts. During the development of 

inflatable lapbelts, 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. 

Appendix F does not explicitly 

reference inflatable restraint systems, 

because they did not exist when 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 stateof-the-art 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 issuing 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 

restraints 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 

benefits of the inflatable restraints are 

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 restraints and 

flammability performance. At this time, 

the 2.5-inch per minute horizontal test 

is considered to provide that balance. 

As materials standards and technology 

change (which is expected), the FAA 

may change this standard in subsequent 

special conditions to account for 

improved materials. 

As discussed previously, 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. 

Finally, it should be noted that the 

special conditions are applicable to the 

inflatable lapbelt system as installed. 

The special conditions are not an 

installation approval. Therefore, while 

the special conditions relate to each 

such system installed, the overall type 

certificate or supplemental type 

certificate approval is a separate finding 

and must consider the combined effects 

of all such systems installed. For the 

reasons discussed above, 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. 

Applicability 

As discussed above, these special 

conditions are applicable to the Model 

717–200 series airplanes. Should Boeing 

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 one model 

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, the FAA 

has determined that prior public notice 

and comment are unnecessary 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 

717–200 series airplanes equipped with 

inflatable lapbelts. 

1. Seats with Inflatable Lapbelts. It 

must be shown that the inflatable 

lapbelt will deploy and provide 

protection under crash conditions 

where it is necessary to prevent serious 

head injury. The means of protection 

must take into consideration a range of 

stature from a two-year-old child to a 

ninety-fifth percentile male. The 

inflatable lapbelt must provide a 

consistent approach to energy 

absorption throughout that range of 

occupants. In addition, the following 

situations must be considered: 

a. The seat occupant is holding an 

infant. 

b. The seat occupant is a child in a 

child restraint device. 

c. The seat occupant is a child not 

using a child restraint device. 

d. The seat occupant is a pregnant 

woman. 

2. The inflatable lapbelt must provide 

adequate protection for each occupant 

regardless of the number of occupants of 

the seat assembly, considering that 

unoccupied seats may have active 

seatbelts. 

3. The design must prevent the 

inflatable lapbelt from being either 

incorrectly buckled or incorrectly 

installed such that the inflatable lapbelt 

would not properly deploy. 

Alternatively, it must be shown that 

such deployment is not hazardous to the 

occupant, and will provide the required 

head injury protection. 

4. It must be shown that the inflatable 

lapbelt 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 be experienced in service. 

5. Deployment of the inflatable lapbelt 

must not introduce injury mechanisms 

to the seated occupant, or result in 

injuries that could impede rapid egress. 

This assessment should include an 

occupant who is in the brace position 

when it deploys and an occupant whose 

belt is loosely fastened. 

6. It must be shown that inadvertent 

deployment of the inflatable lapbelt, 

during the most critical part of the 

flight, will either not cause a hazard to 

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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 116 / Monday, June 17, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 36089 

the airplane or its occupants, or it meets 

the requirement of § 25.1309(b). 

7. It must be shown that the inflatable 

lapbelt will not impede rapid egress of 

occupants 10 seconds after its 

deployment. 

8. The system must be protected from 

lightning and high intensity 

radiomagnetic fields (HIRF). The threats 

specified in existing regulations 

regarding lightning, § 25.1316, and 

existing HIRF special conditions for the 

Boeing Model 717–200 series airplanes, 

Special Conditions No. 25–ANM–60, are 

incorporated by reference for the 

purpose of measuring lightning and 

HIRF protection. 

9. Inflatable lapbelts, once deployed, 

must not adversely affect the emergency 

lighting system (e.g., block proximity 

lights to the extent that the lights no 

longer meet their intended function). 

10. The inflatable lapbelt 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 lapbelt does not 

have to be considered. 

11. It must be shown that the 

inflatable lapbelt will not release 

hazardous quantities of gas or 

particulate matter into the cabin. 

12. The inflatable lapbelt installation 

must be protected from the effects of fire 

such that no hazard to occupants will 

result. 

13. There must be a means for a crew 

member to verify the integrity of the 

inflatable lapbelt activation system prior 

to each flight, or it must be 

demonstrated to reliably operate 

between inspection intervals. The FAA 

considers the loss of the airbag system 

deployment function alone (i.e., 

independent of the conditional event 

that requires the airbag system 

deployment) to be a major failure 

condition. 

14. The inflatable material may not 

have an average burn rate of greater than 

2.5 inches/minute when tested using the 

horizontal flammability test as defined 

in 14 CFR part 25, appendix F, part I, 

paragraph (b)(5). 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 12, 

2013. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–14322 Filed 6–14–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0462; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–NM–092–AD; Amendment 

39–17476; AD 2013–11–16] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Hawker 

Beechcraft Corporation (Type 

Certificate Previously Held by 

Raytheon Aircraft Company) Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (Type 

Certificate Previously Held by Raytheon 

Aircraft Company) Model BAe.125 

Series 800A (including C–29A and U– 

125), and 800B airplanes; and Model 

Hawker 800 (including variant U–125A) 

and 800XP airplanes modified in 

accordance with a certain winglet 

supplemental type certificate. This AD 

requires revising the Limitations section 

of the airplane flight manual (AFM) and 

installing placards on the instrument 

panel. This AD was prompted by reports 

of several instances of severe vibration 

and wing/aileron oscillations. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent vibration and 

wing/aileron oscillations, which could 

cause structural damage or lead to 

divergent flutter, and result in loss of 

integrity of the wing, loss of control of 

the airplane, and in-flight breakup. 

DATES: This AD is effective July 2, 2013. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in the AD 

as of July 2, 2013. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by August 1, 2013. 

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 

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 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Aviation Partners Inc., 

7299 Perimeter Road South, Seattle, WA 

98108; telephone 800–946–4538; email 

info@aviationpartners.com; Internet 

https://www.aviationpartners.com. You 

may review copies of the referenced 

service information at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Management Facility 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 Office (phone: 800–647– 

5527) is in the ADDRESSES section. 

Comments will be available in the AD 

docket shortly after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kathleen Arrigotti, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, 

Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; phone: (425) 917–6426; 

fax: (425) 917–6590; email: 

kathleen.arrigotti@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion 

We have received reports of several 

instances of severe vibration and wing/ 

aileron oscillation due to lack of 

sufficient flutter margin with winglets 

installed. This condition, if not 

corrected, could cause structural 

damage or lead to divergent flutter, and 

result in loss of integrity of the wing, 

loss of control of the airplane, and inflight breakup. 

Relevant Service Information 

We reviewed Aviation Partners 

Service Bulletin SBH–13–001, Revision 

A, dated May 3, 2013. The service 

information describes procedures for 

revising the Limitations section of the 

AFM to include an altitude restriction, 

and installing placards on the 

instrument panel. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are issuing this AD because we 

evaluated all the relevant information 

and determined the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop in other products of the same 

type design. 

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