[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 9, 2005)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 46100-46102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15648]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 25

[Docket No. NM320; Notice No. 25-05-15-SC]


Special Conditions: Airbus Model A380-800 Airplane, Escape 
Systems Inflation Systems

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed special conditions.

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SUMMARY: This notice proposes special conditions for the Airbus A380-
800 airplane. This airplane will have novel or unusual design features 
when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the 
airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. Many of these 
novel or unusual design features are associated with the complex 
systems and the configuration of the airplane, including its full-
length double deck. For these design features, the applicable 
airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety 
standards regarding escape system reliability. These proposed special 
conditions contain the additional safety standards that the 
Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety 
equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards. 
Additional special conditions will be issued for other novel or unusual 
design features of the Airbus Model A380-800 airplane.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 23, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this proposal may be mailed in duplicate to: 
Federal Aviation Administration, Transport Airplane Directorate, 
Attention: Rules Docket (ANM-113), Docket No. NM320, 1601 Lind Avenue 
SW., Renton, Washington 98055-4056; or delivered in duplicate to the 
Transport Airplane Directorate at the above address. All comments must 
be marked: Docket No.NM 320. Comments may be inspected in the Rules 
Docket

[[Page 46101]]

weekdays, except Federal holidays, between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Holly Thorson, FAA, International 
Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98055-4056; telephone 
(425) 227-1357; facsimile (425) 227-1149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this 
rulemaking by submitting 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 ask that you send us two copies of written 
comments.
    We will file in the docket all comments we receive as well as a 
report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA personnel 
concerning these proposed special conditions. The docket is available 
for public inspection before and after the comment closing date. If you 
wish to review the docket in person, go to the address in the ADDRESSES 
section of this notice between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
    We will consider all comments we receive on or before the closing 
date for comments. We will consider comments filed late, if it is 
possible to do so without incurring expense or delay. We may change the 
proposed special conditions in light of the comments we receive.
    If you want the FAA to acknowledge receipt of your comments on this 
proposal, include with your comments a pre-addressed, stamped postcard 
on which the docket number appears. We will stamp the date on the 
postcard and mail it back to you.

Background

    Airbus applied for FAA certification/validation of the 
provisionally-designated Model A3XX-100 in its letter AI/L 810.0223/98, 
dated August 12, 1998, to the FAA. Application for certification by the 
Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) of Europe had been made on January 16, 
1998, reference AI/L 810.0019/98. In its letter to the FAA, Airbus 
requested an extension to the 5-year period for type certification in 
accordance with 14 CFR 21.17(c). The request was for an extension to a 
7-year period, using the date of the initial application letter to the 
JAA as the reference date. The reason given by Airbus for the request 
for extension is related to the technical challenges, complexity, and 
the number of new and novel features on the airplane. On November 12, 
1998, the Manager, Aircraft Engineering Division, AIR-100, granted 
Airbus' request for the 7-year period, based on the date of application 
to the JAA.
    In its letter AI/LE-A 828.0040/99 Issue 3, dated July 20, 2001, 
Airbus stated that its target date for type certification of the Model 
A380-800 has been moved from May 2005, to January 2006, to match the 
delivery date of the first production airplane. In accordance with 14 
CFR 21.17(d)(2), Airbus chose a new application date of April 20, 1999, 
and requested that the 7-year certification period which had already 
been approved be continued. The part 25 certification basis for the 
Model A380-800 airplane was adjusted to reflect the new application 
date.
    The Model A380-800 airplane will be an all-new, four-engine jet 
transport airplane with a full double-deck, two-aisle cabin. The 
maximum takeoff weight will be 1.235 million pounds with a typical 
three-class layout of 555 passengers.

Type Certification Basis

    Under the provisions of 14 CFR 21.17, Airbus must show that the 
Model A380-800 airplane meets the applicable provisions of 14 CFR part 
25, as amended by Amendments 25-1 through 25-98. If the Administrator 
finds that the applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain 
adequate or appropriate safety standards for the Airbus A380-800 
airplane because of novel or unusual design features, special 
conditions are prescribed under the provisions of 14 CFR 21.16.
    In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special 
conditions, the Airbus Model A380-800 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. In addition, the 
FAA must issue a finding of regulatory adequacy pursuant to section 611 
of Public Law 93-574, the ``Noise Control Act of 1972.''
    Special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19, are issued in 
accordance with 14 CFR 11.38 and become part of the type certification 
basis in accordance with 14 CFR 21.17(a)(2), Amendment 21-69, effective 
September 16, 1991.
    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 features, the special conditions would also apply to the 
other model under the provisions of 14 CFR 21.101(a)(1), Amendment 21-
69, effective September 16, 1991.

Discussion of Novel or Unusual Design Features

    The inflation system for the escape systems associated with the 
exits includes a pressurized cylinder with a mixture of carbon dioxide 
and argon in both gaseous and liquid states. The inflation system also 
includes a smaller cylinder containing a solid propellant that burns to 
generate gaseous propellant. The opening of the valve and the ignition 
of the propellant are accomplished by the firing of squibs. The firing 
of these squibs is sequenced to improve their performance in the 
extreme temperatures to which they are subjected. Firing of the squibs 
is controlled by a system mounted on the the emergency exit.
    The proposed design for the escape systems on the A380 is much more 
complex than the design of systems currently in use. Typically, 
inflation systems for escape systems consist of a pressurized cylinder 
containing a mixture of gases and a regulator valve that reduces the 
outlet pressure supplied from the inflation cylinder. The regulator 
valve is opened either by mechanical means or by the firing of a squib.
    The regulations governing the certification of the A380 do not 
adequately address the certification requirements of this type of 
inflation system for an escape system. Furthermore, the Technical 
Standard Order (TSO) that addresses escape systems (i.e., TSO-C69c) 
does not adequately address this type of inflation system. The current 
requirements for escape system reliability are predicated on a simple 
inflation system, where reliability is driven by the performance of the 
inflatable itself. The existing requirements do not account for an 
inflation system that could adversely affect the overall reliability of 
the escape system.
    Since the A380 has 16 emergency exits, the requirements of Sec.  
25.810 require a total of 80 successful deployments (5 successive 
deployments for each exit). However, since the requirements apply to 
each system independently, failures in a system common to all the 
escape systems

[[Page 46102]]

would not be adequately addressed. Therefore, the inflation system 
needs a specific requirement that will show adequate system 
reliability. With a goal of achieving 95% reliability of the inflation 
system with a 95% confidence, we are establishing such a requirement. 
As we noted above, the propellant used is designed to burn. The 
regulations do not address this type of propellant, and some measure of 
fire safety protection is needed. United Nations document No.ST/SG/
AC.10/I1/Rev.3 ``Transport of Dangerous Goods, Manual of Tests and 
Criteria,'' section 13.7.1 contains a small scale test that addresses 
this concern. Propellants that pass this test will not be a fire 
hazard.
    Therefore, the FAA is proposing a special condition to ensure that 
the inflation system for the A380 escape system is reliable and that 
the propellant itself does not constitute a fire hazard.

Applicability

    As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the 
Airbus A380-800 airplane. 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, these special conditions 
would apply to that model as well under the provisions of Sec.  
21.101(a)(1), Amendment 21-69, effective September 16, 1991.

Conclusion

    This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features 
of the Airbus A380-800 airplane. It is not a rule of general 
applicability, and it affects only the applicant which applied to the 
FAA for approval of these features on the airplane.

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 Proposed Special Conditions

    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes the 
following special conditions as part of the type certification basis 
for the Airbus A380-800 airplane.
    a. In addition to the requirements of Sec.  25.810, the following 
special conditions apply:
    To ensure that the inflation system is a reliable design, it must 
be tested using 84 inflation/firing system bench tests with no more 
than one failure. For these special conditions, the inflation/firing 
system is defined as everything upstream of the outlet connection to 
the inflation valve, which includes but is not limited to the door-
mounted systems that provide the firing signals to the squibs, the 
squibs themselves, the solid propellant, and the valve.
    b. In addition to the requirements of Sec.  25.853(a) and Appendix 
F Part I (a)(ii), in standard atmosphere conditions the following 
special conditions apply:
    To ensure that the propellant itself does not contribute 
significantly to a fire, the propellant must be subjected to and must 
pass a standard ``Small-Scale Burning Test,'' as specified in United 
Nations document No.ST/SG/AC.10/I1/Rev.3 ``Transport of Dangerous 
Goods, Manual of Tests and Criteria,'' section 13.7.1.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on July 25, 2006.
Ali Bahrami,
Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 05-15648 Filed 8-8-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P