[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 194 (Thursday, October 7, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54719-54720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-26171]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Proposed Advisory Circular (AC) 25-17A, Transport Airplane Cabin 
Interiors Crashworthiness Handbook

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed advisory circular (AC) 25-
17A and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of and requests 
comments on a proposed revision to an advisory circular (AC) which 
provides methods acceptable to the Administrator for showing compliance 
with the type certification requirements of Title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations (14 CFR) part 25, pertaining to the cabin safety and 
crashworthiness of transport category airplanes. This notice is 
necessary to give all interested persons an opportunity to present 
their views on the proposed AC revision.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before February 4, 2000.

ADDRESS: Send all comments on the proposed AC revision to: Federal 
Aviation Administration, Attention: Terry Rees, Airframe/Cabin Safety 
Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW, Renton, WA 98055-4056. Comments may be 
inspected at the above address between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays, 
except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Domonique Adams, Transport Standards 
Staff, at the address above, telephone (425) 227-2111.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 54720]]

Comments Invited

    A copy of the draft AC revision may be obtained by contacting the 
person named above under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Interested 
persons are invited to comment on the proposed AC revision by 
submitting such written data, views, or arguments as they may desire. 
Commenters should identify AC 25-17A, and submit comments, in 
duplicate, to the address specified above. All communications received 
on or before the closing date for comments will be considered by the 
Transport Standards Staff before issuing the final AC revision. The 
proposed AC can be found and downloaded from the Internet at http://
www.faa/gov/avr/air/airhome.htm, at the link titled ``Draft Advisory 
Circulars.'' A paper copy of the proposed AC may be obtained by 
contacting the person named above under the caption FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT.

Discussion

    Advisory Circular 25-17 contains guidance pertinent to the cabin 
safety and crashworthiness type certification requirements of part 25 
as amended through Amendment 25-59. This proposed revision essentially 
updates AC 25-17 by compiling additional pertinent guidance associated 
with amendments through Amendment 25-70. As is the case with AC 25-17, 
the proposed AC 25-17A continues to be organized numerically by basic 
part 25 crashworthiness requirements, then by a chronological reference 
of amendments that affect each requirement, and finally by any guidance 
associated with each of those amendments. In order to correctly utilize 
either AC 25-17 or the proposed revision, the applicability of a 
particular crashworthiness requirement, amendment, or associated 
guidance to an airplane must first be established by determining the 
airplane's certification basis as defined in its Type Certificate Data 
Sheet (TCDS).
    Some advisory and guidance information applicable to transport 
airplane cabin safety and crashworthiness has been formally published 
in single-topic ACs. Advisory circulars have not been developed for all 
topics related to cabin safety and crashworthiness, however. In many 
instances, the introduction of new technology or features, or the 
occurrence of incidents or accidents has prompted a fresh 
interpretation of existing regulations or the introduction of new 
regulations. Issue papers and special conditions have in some cases 
documented the means of compliance found to be satisfactory to the FAA. 
In other instances, applicants, FAA Aircraft Certification Office (ACO) 
managers, and foreign regulatory authorities have requested 
interpretations of the intent of specific regulations. Responses to 
those requests have been documented in the form of issue papers, and 
policy memorandums distributed to all ACOs, letters to applicants and 
foreign airworthiness authorities. Generally, all these types of 
information have not been organized or cataloged in a manner that 
facilitates ready access, and consequently, it is sometimes difficult 
to identify the guidance that may exist on any given topic. This 
proposed AC revision compiles existing policy up to the previously 
identified part 25 amendment into one document, so that all interested 
parties have more current and easier access to this information. The 
methods and procedures described in this AC, as proposed to be revised, 
have evolved over many years, and represent certification practices 
pertinent to the associated requirements, at the indicated amendment 
levels.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on September 21, 1999.
Vi L. Lipski,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service, ANM-100.
[FR Doc. 99-26171 Filed 10-6-99; 8:45 am]
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