[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 5, 2019)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 25978-25982]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11666]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 25

[Docket No. FAA-2019-0152; Special Conditions No. 25-744A-SC]

Special Conditions: Greenpoint Technologies, Inc., Boeing Model
787-8 Airplane; Dynamic Test Requirements for Single-Occupant, Side-
Facing Seats With Airbag Devices in Shoulder Belts

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: These amended special conditions are issued for the Boeing
Model 787-8 airplane. This amendment removes reference to leg-flail
airbags and adds reference to leg-flail devices installed on side-
facing seats. This airplane, as modified by Greenpoint Technologies,
Inc. (Greenpoint), 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
single-occupant, side-facing seats with airbag devices in shoulder
belts, and a floor-level, leg-flail-prevention device to limit the
axial rotation of the upper leg. 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 Greenpoint Technologies, Inc. on
June 5, 2019. Send comments on or before July 22, 2019.

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2019-0152 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<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    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 website, 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).
    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: Shannon Lennon, Airframe & Cabin
Safety Section, AIR-675, Transport Standards Branch, Policy and
Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation
Administration, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, Washington 98198;
telephone and fax<PHONE_NUMBER>; email<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA has determined that notice of, and
opportunity for prior public comment on, these special conditions is
impracticable because the substance of these special conditions has
been published in the Federal Register for public comment in several
prior instances with no substantive comments received. The FAA
therefore finds it unnecessary to delay the effective date and 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 June 15, 2017, Greenpoint applied for a supplemental type
certificate for single-occupant, side-facing seats with airbag devices
in shoulder belts, and a floor-level, leg-flail-prevention device to
limit the axial rotation of the upper leg, installed in Boeing Model
787-8 airplanes. On May 2, 2019, Special Conditions No. 25-744-SC was
published in the Federal Register (85 FR 18701). At the request of the
applicant, this amended special conditions removes reference to leg-
flail airbags and adds reference to leg-flail devices installed on
side-facing seats.
    The Boeing Model 787-8 airplane, which is a derivative of the
Boeing Model 787 currently approved under Type Certificate No.
T00021SE, is a twin-engine, transport-category airplane with a maximum
takeoff weight of 502,500 pounds. The airplanes, as modified by
Greenpoint, will have a business-jet interior with a maximum seating
capacity of 41.

Type Certification Basis

    Under the provisions of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) 21.101, Greenpoint must show that the Boeing Model 787-8 airplane,
as changed, continues to meet the applicable provisions of the
regulations 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.
    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 787-8 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 787-8 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 Boeing Model 787-8 airplane, as modified by Greenpoint, will
incorporate the following novel or unusual design features:
    Single-occupant, side-facing seats with airbag devices in shoulder
belts and a floor-level, leg-flail-prevention device to limit the axial
rotation of the upper leg.

Discussion

    Amendment 25-64, dated June 16, 1988, revised the emergency-landing
conditions that must be considered in the design of the airplane. It
revised the static-load conditions in Sec.  25.561 and added a new
Sec.  25.562, requiring dynamic testing for all seats approved for
occupancy during takeoff and landing. The intent was to provide an
improved level of safety for occupants on transport-category airplanes.
Because most seating on transport-category airplanes is forward-facing,
the pass/fail criteria developed in Amendment 25-64 focused primarily
on forward-facing seats. Therefore, the testing specified in the rule
did not provide a complete measure of occupant injury in seats that are
not forward-facing, although Sec.  25.785 does require occupants of all
seats that are occupied during taxi, takeoff, and landing not suffer
serious injury as a result of the inertia forces specified in
Sec. Sec.  25.561 and 25.562.
    For some time the FAA granted exemptions for the multiple-place
side-facing-seat installations because the existing test methods and
acceptance criteria did not produce a level of safety equivalent to the
level of safety provided for forward- and aft-facing seats. These
exemptions were subject to many conditions that reflected the injury-
evaluation criteria and mitigation strategies available at the time of
the exemption issuance. The FAA also issued special conditions to
address single-place side-facing seats because we believed that those
conditions provided the same level of safety as for forward- and aft-
facing seats.
    Continuing concerns regarding the safety of side-facing seats
prompted the FAA to conduct research to develop an acceptable method of
compliance with Sec. Sec.  25.562 and 25.785(b) for side-facing seat
installations. That research has identified injury considerations and
evaluation criteria in addition to those previously used to approve
side-facing seats (see published report DOT/FAA/AR-09/41, July 2011).
One particular concern that was identified during the FAA's research
program, but not addressed in the previous special conditions, was the
significant leg injuries that can occur to occupants of both single-
and multiple-place side-facing seats. Because this type of injury does
not occur on forward- and aft-facing seats, the FAA determined that, to
achieve the level of safety envisioned in Amendment 25-64, additional
requirements would be needed as compared to previously issued special
conditions. Nonetheless, the research has now allowed the development
of a single set of special conditions applicable to all fully side-
facing seats.
    On November 5, 2012, the FAA released PS-ANM-25-03-R1, ``Technical
Criteria for Approving Side-Facing Seats,'' to update existing FAA
certification policy on Sec. Sec.  25.562 and 25.785(a) at Amendment
25-64 for single- and multiple-place side-facing seats. This policy
addresses both the technical criteria for approving side-facing seats
and the implementation of those criteria. The FAA methodology detailed
in PS-ANM-25-03-R1 has been used to establish a new set of proposed
special conditions.
    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
Boeing Model 787-8 airplanes modified by Greenpoint. Should Greenpoint
apply at a later date for a supplemental type certificate to modify any
other model included on Type Certificate No. T00021SE to incorporate
the same novel or unusual design feature, these special conditions
would apply to that model as well.

Conclusion

    This action affects only a certain novel or unusual design feature
on one model of airplanes. It is not a rule of general applicability
and affects only the applicant who 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.

Authority Citation

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

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 106(f), 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 787-8 airplanes modified
by Greenpoint.
    In addition to the airworthiness standards in Sec. Sec.  25.562 and
25.785, special conditions 1 and 2 apply to all side-facing seat
installations, and special conditions 3 through 16 apply to side-facing
seats equipped with an airbag system in the shoulder-belt system.
    1. Additional requirements applicable to tests or rational analysis
conducted to show compliance with Sec. Sec.  25.562 and 25.785 for
side-facing seats:
    a. The longitudinal test(s) conducted in accordance with Sec.
25.562(b)(2) to show compliance with the seat-strength requirements of
Sec.  25.562(c)(7) and (8), and these special conditions must have an
ES-2re Anthropomorphic Test Dummy (ATD) (49 CFR part 572, subpart U) or
equivalent, or a Hybrid-II ATD (49 CFR part 572, subpart B, as
specified in Sec.  25.562) or equivalent, occupying each seat position
and including all items contactable by the occupant (e.g., armrest,
interior wall, or furnishing) if those items are necessary to restrain
the occupant. If included, the floor representation and contactable
items must be located such that their relative position, with respect
to the center of the nearest seat place, is the same at the start of
the test as before floor misalignment is applied. For example, if floor
misalignment rotates the centerline of the seat place nearest the
contactable item 8 degrees clockwise about the airplane x-axis, then
the item and floor representations must be rotated by 8 degrees
clockwise also to maintain the same relative position to the seat
place. Each ATD's relative position to the seat after application of
floor misalignment must be the same as before misalignment is applied.
To ensure proper loading of the seat by the occupants, the ATD pelvis
must remain supported by the seat pan, and the restraint system must
remain on the pelvis and shoulder of the ATD until rebound begins. No
injury-criteria evaluation is necessary for tests conducted only to
assess seat-strength requirements.
    b. The longitudinal test(s) conducted in accordance with Sec.
25.562(b)(2), to show compliance with the injury assessments required
by Sec.  25.562(c) and these special conditions, may be conducted
separately from the test(s) to show structural integrity. In this case,
structural-assessment tests must be conducted as specified in paragraph
1a, above, and the injury-assessment test must be conducted without yaw
or floor misalignment. Injury assessments may be accomplished by
testing with ES-2re ATD (49 CFR part 572, subpart U) or equivalent at
all places. Alternatively, these assessments may be accomplished by
multiple tests that use an ES-2re at the seat place being evaluated,
and a Hybrid-II ATD (49 CFR part 572, subpart B, as specified in Sec.
25.562) or equivalent used in all seat places forward of the one being
assessed, to evaluate occupant interaction. In this case, seat places
aft of the one being assessed may be unoccupied. If a seat installation
includes adjacent items that are contactable by the occupant, the
injury potential of that contact must be assessed. To make this
assessment, tests may be conducted that include the actual item,
located and attached in a representative fashion. Alternatively, the
injury potential may be assessed by a combination of tests with items
having the same geometry as the actual item, but having stiffness
characteristics that would create the worst case for injury (injuries
due to both contact with the item and lack of support from the item).
    c. If a seat is installed aft of structure (e.g., an interior wall
or furnishing) that does not have a homogeneous surface contactable by
the occupant, additional analysis and/or test(s) may be required to
demonstrate that the injury criteria are met for the area which an
occupant could contact. For example, different yaw angles could result
in different injury considerations and may require additional analysis
or separate test(s) to evaluate.
    d. To accommodate a range of occupant heights (5th percentile
female to 95th percentile male), the surface of items contactable by
the occupant must be homogenous 7.3 inches (185 mm) above and 7.9
inches (200 mm) below the point (center of area) that is contacted by
the 50th percentile male size ATD's head during the longitudinal
test(s) conducted in accordance with paragraphs a, b, and c, above.
Otherwise, additional head-injury criteria (HIC) assessment tests may
be necessary. Any surface (inflatable or otherwise) that provides
support for the occupant of any seat place must provide that support in
a consistent manner regardless of occupant stature. For example, if a
shoulder-belt airbag system is used to mitigate injury risk, then it
must be demonstrated by inspection to bear against the range of
occupants in a similar manner before and after inflation. Likewise, the
means of limiting lower-leg flail must be demonstrated by inspection to
provide protection for the range of occupants in a similar manner.
    e. For longitudinal test(s) conducted in accordance with Sec.
25.562(b)(2) and these special conditions, the ATDs must be positioned,
clothed, and have lateral instrumentation configured as follows:
    i. ATD positioning--Lower the ATD vertically into the seat while
simultaneously:
    1. Aligning the midsagittal plane (a vertical plane through the
midline of the body; dividing the body into right and left halves) with
approximately the middle of the seat place.
    2. Applying a horizontal x-axis direction (in the ATD coordinate
system) force of about 20 lb (89 N) to the bottom of the feet of the
ES-2re Hybrid-II, to compress the seat back cushion.
    3. Keeping the lower and upper legs nearly horizontal by supporting
at the bottom of the feet.
    ii. Once all lifting devices have been removed from the ATD:
    1. Rock it slightly to settle it in the seat.
    2. Bend the knees of the ATD.
    3. Separate the knees by about 4 inches (100 mm).
    4. Set the ES-2re's head at approximately the midpoint of the
available range of z-axis rotation (to align the head and torso
midsagittal planes).
    5. Position the ES-2re's arms at the joint's mechanical detent that
puts them at approximately a 40 degree angle with respect to the torso.
Position the Hybrid-II ATD hands on top of its upper legs.
    6. Position the feet such that the centerlines of the lower legs
are approximately parallel to a lateral vertical plane (in the airplane
coordinate system).
    iii. ATD clothing: Clothe each ATD in form-fitting, mid-calf-length
(minimum) pants and shoes (size 11E) weighing about 2.5 lb (1.1 kg)
total. The color of the clothing should be in contrast to the color of
the restraint system. The ES-2re jacket is sufficient for torso
clothing, although a form-fitting shirt may be used in addition if
desired.
    iv. ES-2re ATD lateral instrumentation: The rib-module linear
slides are directional, i.e., deflection occurs in either a positive or
negative ATD y-axis direction. The modules must be installed such that
the moving end of the rib module is toward the

front of the airplane. The three abdominal-force sensors must be
installed such that they are on the side of the ATD toward the front of
the airplane.
    f. The combined horizontal/vertical test, required by Sec.
25.562(b)(1) and these special conditions, must be conducted with a
Hybrid II ATD (49 CFR part 572, subpart B, as specified in Sec.
25.562), or equivalent, occupying each seat position.
    g. Restraint systems:
    i. If inflatable restraint systems are used, they must be active
during all dynamic tests conducted to show compliance with Sec.
25.562.
    ii. The design and installation of seat-belt buckles must prevent
unbuckling due to applied inertial forces or impact of the hands/arms
of the occupant during an emergency landing.
    2. Additional performance measures applicable to tests and rational
analysis conducted to show compliance with Sec. Sec.  25.562 and 25.785
for side-facing seats:
    a. Body-to-body contact: Contact between the head, pelvis, torso,
or shoulder area of one ATD with the adjacent-seated ATD's head,
pelvis, torso, or shoulder area is not allowed. Contact during rebound
is allowed.
    b. Thoracic: The deflection of any of the ES-2re ATD upper, middle,
and lower ribs must not exceed 1.73 inches (44 mm). Data must be
processed as defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)
571.214.
    c. Abdominal: The sum of the measured ES-2re ATD front, middle, and
rear abdominal forces must not exceed 562 lbs (2,500 N). Data must be
processed as defined in FMVSS 571.214.
    d. Pelvic: The pubic symphysis force measured by the ES-2re ATD
must not exceed 1,350 lbs (6,000 N). Data must be processed as defined
in FMVSS 571.214.
    e. Leg: Axial rotation of the upper-leg (femur) must be limited to
35 degrees in either direction from the nominal seated position. The
leg-flail-prevention mechanism must:
    i. Be shown to function as intended in consideration of post-
structural deformation of the seat assembly.
    ii. Retract such that it does not impede rapid egress of occupants.
    f. Neck: As measured by the ES-2re ATD and filtered at CFC 600 as
defined in SAE J211:
    i. The upper-neck tension force at the occipital condyle (O.C.)
location must be less than 405 lbs (1,800 N).
    ii. The upper-neck compression force at the O.C. location must be
less than 405 lbs (1,800 N).
    iii. The upper-neck bending torque about the ATD x-axis at the O.C.
location must be less than 1,018 in-lbs (115 Nm).
    iv. The upper-neck resultant shear force at the O.C. location must
be less than 186 lbs (825 N).
    g. Occupant (ES-2re ATD) retention: The pelvic restraint must
remain on the ES-2re ATD's pelvis during the impact and rebound phases
of the test. The upper-torso restraint straps (if present) must remain
on the ATD's shoulder during the impact.
    h. Occupant (ES-2re ATD) support:
    i. Pelvis excursion: The load-bearing portion of the bottom of the
ATD pelvis must not translate beyond the edges of its seat's bottom
seat-cushion supporting structure.
    ii. Upper-torso support: The lateral flexion of the ATD torso must
not exceed 40 degrees from the normal upright position during the
impact.
    3. For seats with a shoulder-belt airbag system, the shoulder-belt
airbag system must 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 systems in the
shoulder belts 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. It must be shown that the shoulder-belt airbag 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 occur in service.
    7. Deployment of the shoulder-belt airbag system must not introduce
injury mechanisms to the seated occupant, or result in injuries that
could impede rapid egress. This assessment should include an occupant
whose belt is loosely fastened.
    8. It must be shown that inadvertent deployment of the shoulder-
belt airbag system, 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. This also includes preventing
inadvertent airbag deployment from a static discharge.
    9. It must be shown that the airbag system in the shoulder belt
will not impede rapid egress of occupants 10 seconds after airbag
deployment.
    10. The shoulder-belt 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.
    11. The shoulder-belt airbag system must function properly after
loss of normal airplane 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.
    12. It must be shown that the shoulder-belt airbag system will not
release hazardous quantities of gas, sharp injurious metal fragments,
or particulate matter into the cabin.
    13. The shoulder-belt airbag system installation must be protected
from the effects of fire such that no hazard to occupants will result.
    14. A means must be available for a crewmember to verify the
integrity of the shoulder-belt airbag system 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.
    15. 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).
    16. The shoulder-belt airbag system, 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 Des Moines, Washington, on May 30, 2019.
Victor Wicklund,
Manager, Transport Standards Branch, Policy and Innovation Division,
Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-11666 Filed 6-4-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P