Document ID: FAA-2015-4086-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Rule
Title: Special Conditions: Boeing Model 787-9 Airplane; Structure-Mounted Airbags
Posted Date: 2015-11-10T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 217 (Tuesday, November 10, 2015)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 69567-69569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28568]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 25

[Docket No. FAA-2015-4086; Special Conditions No. 25-605-SC]

Special Conditions: Boeing Model 787-9 Airplane; Structure-
Mounted Airbags

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Model 787-9 
airplane. This airplane 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 airbags mounted to structure to prevent serious injury. 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: This action is effective on Boeing on November 10, 2015. We must 
receive your comments by December 28, 2015 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 9 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 Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of 
the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Gardlin, FAA, Airframe and Cabin 
Safety Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-
3356; telephone 425-227-2136; facsimile 425-227-1232.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has determined that notice of, and 
opportunity for prior public comment on, these special conditions is 
impracticable because these procedures would significantly delay 
issuance of the design approval and thus delivery of the affected 
airplane.
    In addition, the substance of these special conditions has been 
subject to the public comment process in prior instances with no 
substantive comments received. The FAA therefore finds that good cause 
exists for making these special conditions effective upon publication 
in the Federal Register.

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 July 5, 2009, The Boeing Company applied for a change to type 
certificate no. T00021SE for structure-mounted airbags in the Model 
787-9 airplane. The Model 787-9 airplane, which is a derivative of the 
Model 787 series currently approved under type certificate no. 
T00021SE, has a maximum passenger capacity of 420 passengers and a 
maximum takeoff weight of 557,000 lbs.

Type Certification Basis

    Under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 
CFR) 21.101, The Boeing Company must show that the 787-9, as changed, 
continues to meet the applicable provisions of the regulations 
reference listed in type certificate no. T00021SE or the applicable 
regulations in effect on the date of application for the change, except 
for earlier amendments as agreed upon by the FAA.
    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 787-9 airplane because of a 
novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are prescribed 
under the provisions of Sec.  21.16.
    Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which 
they are issued. Should the type certificate

[[Page 69568]]

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 Sec.  21.101.
    In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special 
conditions, the Model 787-9 airplane 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 Sec.  11.38, and they become part of the type 
certification basis under Sec.  21.101.

Novel or Unusual Design Features

    The Model 787-9 airplane will incorporate the following novel or 
unusual design feature: Airbags mounted to structure to prevent head 
injury.

Discussion

    Boeing proposes to install structure-mounted airbags instead of 
inflatable lap belts as a means to protect each occupant from serious 
injury in the event of an emergency landing, as required by Sec.  
25.562(c)(5), on 787-9 airplanes equipped with B/E Aerospace Super-
Diamond Model business-class passenger seats.
    Such use of airbags to provide injury protection for the occupant 
is a novel or unusual feature for this airplane model, and the 
applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or 
appropriate airworthiness standards for these design features. 
Therefore, special conditions are needed to address requirements 
particular to installation of airbags in this manner.
    Special conditions exist for airbags installed on seat belts, known 
as inflatable lap belts, which have been installed on Boeing passenger 
seats. Structure-mounted airbags, although a novel design, were first 
introduced on Jetstream Aircraft Limited Model 4100 series airplanes, 
which resulted in issuance of Special Conditions 25-ANM-127 on May 14, 
1997. These special conditions supplemented 14 CFR part 25 and, more 
specifically, Sec. Sec.  25.562 and 25.785.
    The structure-mounted airbag, similar to the inflatable lap belt, 
is designed to limit occupant forward excursion in the event of an 
emergency landing. These airbags will reduce the potential for serious 
injury, including reducing the head injury criterion (HIC) measurement 
defined in part 25. However, structure-mounted airbags function 
similarly as automotive airbags, where the airbag deploys from the 
furniture that is in front of the passenger, relative to the airplane's 
direction of flight, forming a barrier between the structure and 
occupant. Also, unlike the inflatable lap belt, the structure-mounted 
airbag does not move with the occupant. To account for out-of-position 
and brace-position occupants, the airbag is designed to conform to the 
curvature of the exposed structure in the head-strike zone.
    Because the airbag system is essentially a single-use device, it 
could deploy under crash conditions that are not sufficiently so severe 
as to require the injury protection the airbag system provides. Because 
an actual crash is frequently composed of a series of impacts before 
the airplane comes to rest, a larger impact following the initial 
impact could render the airbag system unavailable. This potential 
situation does not exist with standard upper-torso restraints, which 
tend to provide continuous protection regardless of impact severity, or 
number of impacts, in a crash event. Therefore, the airbag-system 
installation should be such that it provides protection, when it is 
required, by not expending its protection when it is not required. If 
the airbag deployment threshold is unnecessarily low, the airbag would 
need to continue to provide protection when an impact requiring 
protection occurs.
    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 
Boeing Model 787-9 airplane. Should The Boeing Company apply at a later 
date for a change to the type certificate to include another model 
incorporating the same novel or unusual design feature, these 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 airplane. It is not a rule of general 
applicability.
    Under standard practice, the effective date of final special 
conditions would be 30 days after the date of publication in the 
Federal Register; however, as the certification date for the Boeing 
Model 787-9 airplane is imminent, the FAA finds that good cause exists 
to make these special conditions effective upon publication in the 
Federal Register.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25

    Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping 
requirements.

0
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, 44704.

The Special Conditions

    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part of 
the type certification basis for Boeing Model 787-9 airplanes.
    1. The applicant must demonstrate by test that the structure-
mounted airbag will deploy and provide protection under crash 
conditions where it is necessary to prevent serious injury to a 50th 
percentile occupant, as specified in Sec.  25.562. The means of 
protection must provide a consistent approach to energy absorption for 
a range of occupants, from a two-year-old child to a 95th percentile 
male.
    2. The structure-mounted airbag must provide adequate protection 
for each occupant regardless of the number of occupants of the seat 
assembly.
    3. The structure-mounted airbag system must not be 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) likely to be experienced in service.
    4. Deployment of the structure-mounted airbag must not introduce 
hazards or injury mechanisms to the seated occupant, including 
occupants in the brace position. Deployment of the structure-mounted 
airbag must also not result in injuries that could impede rapid exit 
from the airplane.
    5. The applicant must demonstrate that an inadvertent deployment 
that could cause injury to a standing or sitting person is improbable. 
Inadvertent deployment must not cause injury to anyone who may be 
positioned close to the structure-mounted airbag (e.g., seated in an 
adjacent seat, or standing adjacent to the airbag installation or the 
subject seat). Cases where a structure-mounted airbag is inadvertently 
deployed near a seated occupant or an empty seat must be considered.
    6. Effects of the deflection and deformation of the structure to 
which the airbag is attached must be taken into account when evaluating 
deployment and location of the inflated airbag. The effect of loads 
imposed by airbag

[[Page 69569]]

deployment, or stowed components where applicable, must also be taken 
into account.
    7. Inadvertent deployment of the structure-mounted airbag during 
the most critical part of flight will either not cause a hazard to the 
airplane or is extremely improbable.
    8. The applicant must demonstrate that the structure-mounted 
airbag, when deployed, does not impair access to the seatbelt- or 
harness-release means, and must not hinder evacuation. This will 
include consideration of adjacent seat places and the aisle.
    9. The airbag, once deployed, must not adversely affect the 
emergency-lighting system, and must not block escape-path lighting to 
the extent that the light(s) no longer meet their intended function.
    10. The structure-mounted airbag must not impede occupants' rapid 
exit from the airplane 10 seconds after its deployment.
    11. Where structure-mounted airbag systems are installed in or 
close to passenger evacuation routes (other than for the passenger seat 
for which the airbag is installed), possibility of impact on emergency 
evacuation (e.g., hanging in the aisle, potential trip hazard, etc.) 
must be evaluated.
    12. The airbag electronic system must be designed to be protected 
from lightning per 14 CFR 25.1316(b), and high-intensity radiated 
fields (HIRF) per 14 CFR 25.1317(c).
    13. The structure-mounted airbag system must not contain or release 
hazardous quantities of gas or particulate matter into the cabin.
    14. The structure-mounted airbag installation must be protected 
from the effects of fire such that no hazard to occupants will result.
    15. The inflatable bag material must meet the 2.5-inches-per-minute 
horizontal flammability test defined in 14 CFR part 25, appendix F, 
part I, paragraph (a)(1)(iv).
    16. The design of the structure-mounted airbag system must protect 
the mechanisms and controls from external contamination associated with 
that which could occur on or around passenger seating.
    17. The structure-mounted airbag system must have a means to verify 
the integrity of the structure-mounted airbag activation system.
    18. The applicant must provide installation limitations to ensure 
installation compatibility between the seat design and opposing 
monument or structure.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on October 30, 2015.
Michael Kaszycki,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-28568 Filed 11-9-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P