[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 66 (Friday, April 7, 2017)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16893-16895]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06930]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 25

[Docket No. FAA-2017-0126; Special Conditions No. 25-654-SC]


Special Conditions: VT DRB Aviation Consultants, Boeing Model 
777-200 Airplanes; Installation of an Airbag System in Shoulder Belts

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 777-
200 airplane. This airplane, as modified by VT DRB Aviation Consultants 
(VT DRB), 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 an airbag system 
installed in shoulder belts. 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 VT DRB Aviation Consultants on April 
7, 2017. We must receive your comments by May 22, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2017-0126 
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: John Shelden, FAA, Airframe and Cabin 
Safety Branch, ANM-115, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-
3356; telephone 425-227-2785; facsimile 425-227-1320.

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 
airplanes.
    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 
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

[[Page 16894]]

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 10, 2015, VT DRB applied for a supplemental type 
certificate to install an airbag system in shoulder belts on Boeing 
Model 777-200 airplanes. The Boeing Model 777-200 airplane, as modified 
by VT DRB, is a very-important-person (VIP) interior-design derivative 
of the Boeing Model 777 airplanes currently approved under Type 
Certificate No. T00001SE. The modified airplane will have seating for 
52 passengers and 7 crewmembers.

Type Certification Basis

    Under the provisions of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 
CFR) 21.101, VT DRB must show that the Boeing Model 777-200 airplane, 
as changed, continues to meet the applicable provisions of the 
regulations listed in Type Certificate No. T00001SE or the applicable 
regulations in effect on the date of application for the change, except 
for earlier amendments as agreed upon by the FAA.
    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 777-200 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 applicant apply for a supplemental type 
certificate to modify any other model included on the same type 
certificate 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 Boeing Model 777-200 airplane, as changed, 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 Feature

    The Boeing Model 777-200 airplane will incorporate the following 
novel or unusual design feature: An airbag system in shoulder belts of 
multiple-place side-facing seats. Inflatable airbag devices are 
designed to limit occupant forward excursion in the event of an 
accident. While their use is now standard in the automotive industry, 
their use is novel or unusual for commercial aviation.

Discussion

    The applicant is installing, as a voluntary safety measure in the 
VT DRB interior, airbags (inflatable restraints) in the shoulder belts 
of multiple-place side-facing seats. The applicable airworthiness 
regulations have no regulations for this particular feature. Therefore, 
special conditions are necessary.
    The certification basis of this modification includes Special 
Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) 109, section 4(b), which specifies 
the injury criteria for this seating orientation. These special 
conditions, like special conditions previously issued on airplanes with 
side-facing seats incorporating airbag systems, address the safety 
issues inherent in this seating orientation when using airbag systems 
to meet the injury criteria.
    SFAR 109, section 4(b) incorporates by reference the requirements 
of Sec.  25.562(c)(1) through (c)(6). Section 25.562(c) requires that 
the restraints remain on the shoulders and pelvises of the occupants 
during impact. Advisory Circular (AC) 25.562-1B, ``Dynamic Evaluation 
of Seat Restraint Systems and Occupant Protection on Transport 
Airplanes,'' dated January 10, 2006, clarifies this requirement by 
stating that restraints must remain on the shoulders and pelvises when 
loaded by the occupants. This criterion is necessary to protect the 
occupants from serious injuries that could be caused by lap-belt 
contact forces applied to soft tissue, or by ineffectively restraining 
the upper torsos in the event the upper-torso restraints slide off the 
shoulders. In forward-facing seats (the type specifically addressed in 
that AC), occupant motion during rebound, and any subsequent re-loading 
of the belts, is limited by interaction with the seat backs. However, 
in side-facing seats subjected to a forward impact, the restraint 
systems may be the only means of limiting the occupants' rearward 
(rebound) motion.
    Also as discussed by the FAA in previous special conditions, the 
installation of airbag systems in shoulder belts have two additional 
safety concerns: That the systems perform properly under foreseeable 
operating conditions, and that the systems do not perform in a manner 
or at such times as would constitute a hazard to the occupants. These 
special conditions address those concerns.
    These special conditions are derived not only from similar 
previously-issued special conditions, but also from special conditions 
the FAA has issued for airbag systems on lap belts, with some changes 
to address the issues specific to side-facing seats.
    The special conditions are not an installation approval. Therefore, 
while the special conditions relate to each such system installed, the 
overall installation approval is a separate finding and must consider 
the combined effects of all such systems installed.
    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 777-200 airplane as modified by VT DRB. Should VT DRB 
apply at a later date for a supplemental type certificate to modify any 
other model included on Type Certificate No. T00001SE to incorporate 
the same novel or unusual design feature, these special conditions 
would apply to that model as well.

Conclusion

    This action affects only one novel or unusual design feature on one 
model of airplane. It is not a rule of general applicability and 
affects only the applicant who applied to the FAA for approval of this 
feature on the airplane.
    The substance of these special conditions has been subject 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 publication in the Federal Register. The 
FAA is requesting comments to allow interested persons to submit views 
that may not have been submitted in response to the

[[Page 16895]]

prior opportunities for comment described above.

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

0
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 777-200 airplanes 
modified by VT DRB Aviation Consultants.
    1. For seats with an airbag system in the shoulder belts, show that 
the airbag system in the shoulder belt will deploy and provide 
protection under crash conditions where it is necessary to prevent 
serious injury. The means of protection must take into consideration a 
range of stature from a 2-year-old child to a 95th percentile male. The 
airbag system in the shoulder belt must provide a consistent approach 
to energy absorption throughout that range of occupants. When the seat 
system includes an airbag system, that system must be included in each 
of the certification tests as it would be installed in the airplane. In 
addition, the following situations must be considered:
    a. The seat occupant is holding an infant.
    b. The seat occupant is a pregnant woman.
    2. The airbag system in the shoulder belt must provide adequate 
protection for each occupant regardless of the number of occupants of 
the seat assembly, considering that unoccupied seats may have an active 
airbag system in the shoulder belt.
    3. The design must prevent the airbag system in the shoulder belt 
from being either incorrectly buckled or incorrectly installed, such 
that the airbag system in the shoulder belt would not properly deploy. 
Alternatively, it must be shown that such deployment is not hazardous 
to the occupant, and will provide the required injury protection.
    4. It must be shown that the airbag system in the shoulder belt 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 occur 
in service.
    5. Deployment of the airbag system in the shoulder belt must not 
injure the seated occupant, including injuries that could impede rapid 
egress. This assessment should include an occupant whose belt is 
loosely fastened.
    6. It must be shown that inadvertent deployment of the airbag 
system in the shoulder belt, during the most critical part of the 
flight, will either meet the requirement of Sec.  25.1309(b) or not 
cause a hazard to the airplane or its occupants.
    7. It must be shown that the airbag system in the shoulder belt 
will not impede rapid egress of occupants 10 seconds after airbag 
deployment.
    8. The airbag system must be protected from lightning and high-
intensity radiated fields (HIRF). The threats to the airplane specified 
in existing regulations regarding lighting, Sec.  25.1316, and HIRF, 
Sec.  25.1317, are incorporated by reference for the purpose of 
measuring lightning and HIRF protection.
    9. The airbag system in the shoulder belt 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 airbag system in the shoulder belt does not have 
to be considered.
    10. It must be shown that the airbag system in the shoulder belt 
will not release hazardous quantities of gas or particulate matter into 
the cabin.
    11. The airbag system in the shoulder-belt installation must be 
protected from the effects of in-flight fire such that no hazard to 
occupants will result.
    12. A means must be available for a crewmember to verify the 
integrity of the airbag system in the shoulder-belt activation system 
prior to each flight, or it must be demonstrated to reliably operate 
between inspection intervals. The FAA considers that the loss of the 
airbag-system deployment function alone (i.e., independent of the 
conditional event that requires the airbag-system deployment) is a 
major-failure condition.
    13. The inflatable material may not have an average burn rate of 
greater than 2.5 inches/minute when tested using the horizontal 
flammability test defined in part 25, appendix F, part I, paragraph 
(b)(5).
    14. The airbag system in the shoulder belt, once deployed, must not 
adversely affect the emergency-lighting system (i.e., block floor 
proximity lights to the extent that the lights no longer meet their 
intended function).

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 31, 2017.

Michael Kaszycki,
Assistant Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-06930 Filed 4-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P