AD/General/63 Amdt 1 Flammability Requirements Aircraft Seat Cushions (Cth)

AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

On the effective date specified below, and for the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below revokes Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD/GENERAL/63 and issues the following AD under subregulation 39.001(1) of CASR 1998.  The AD requires that the action set out in the requirement section (being action that the delegate considers necessary to correct the unsafe condition) be taken in relation to the aircraft or aeronautical product mentioned in the applicability section: (a) in the circumstances mentioned in the requirement section; and (b) in accordance with the instructions set out in the requirement section; and (c) at the time mentioned in the compliance section.

Aircraft - General

AD/GENERAL/63 Amdt 1 Flammability Requirements - Aircraft
Seat Cushions 13/2005

Applicability:

All aeroplanes, of 31 passenger seats or more, for which the initial Australian Certificate of Airworthiness for the type was issued after 1 January 1958 in the Transport Category.

Requirement:

All seat cushions, except those on flight crew member seats in the pilot compartment, are to meet the test requirements of FAR 25, Appendix F, Part II, Amendment 59.

Note:  This requirement is in addition to the existing requirements of aircraft’s certification basis.

Compliance:

Before further flight after 26 November 1988.

This Amendment becomes effective on 22 December 2005.

Background:

Extensive research by the FAA has shown that the spread of fire in an aircraft cabin is greatly promoted by the burning of the polyurethane foam in seat cushions.  If this fuel can be denied to a fire, significant increases in available time to escape will be realised in the post crash fire scenario.  Significant benefit will also occur in the potential in-flight cabin fire. FAA and CAA have similar requirements.

This amendment removes the specific FAA reference of the Note.

David Villiers
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority

11 November 2005