AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE
For the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below revokes Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD/GENERAL/64 Amdt 1 and issues the following AD under subregulation 39.1 (1) of CAR 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/64
Amdt 2
Side Facing (SF) Seats - Improved Occupant Restraint
9/2001
DM
Applicability: All aircraft fitted with side facing seats, except for those with a special certificate of airworthiness for limited category aircraft as defined in Civil Aviation Regulation (1998) CAR 21.189.
Requirement: 1. Modify the occupant restraint system to a scheme approved by the Authority for each seat occupied during take-off or landing.
2. Install a placard prohibiting occupancy during take-off or landing for seats not modified in accordance with paragraph 1.
Note: ARP 85/7 or AAC No 175 specifies means of accomplishing compliance with this Directive.
Compliance: Before 18 July 2001.
This Amendment becomes effective on 18 July 2001.
Background: Crashworthiness investigation and medical opinion have determined that in the event of an emergency deceleration or impact, occupants of sidefacing seats are at greater risk than occupants of forward facing seats. For this reason the FAA and other responsible airworthiness authorities have taken action to improve this situation. For instance, FAR 23 now requires that SF seats provide restraint comparable with seats oriented longitudinally but provides no guidance for achieving this.
This Directive requires modification of the restraint system to improve occupant protection by installing a safety belt and an energy absorbing rest which will support the arms, shoulders, head and spine or a safety belt and shoulder harness which will prevent the head from contacting any injurious object.
Aircraft - General
AD/GENERAL/64 Amdt 2 (Continued)
Amendment 1 was issued to ensure seats without an improved restraint system are not used during take-off or landing.
Amendment 2 is issued to exclude limited category aircraft from the applicability. Amendment 1 became effective on July 1989.
David Alan Villiers
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 12 July 2001
The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 18 July 2001.
Overview
The Civil Aviation (Airworthiness) Amendment (Side Facing Seats) Instrument 2001, introduced to address safety concerns associated with side-facing seats in aircraft, was enacted in 2001 by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) under the authority of the Civil Aviation Act 1988. This legislative instrument revokes the previous Airworthiness Directive AD/GENERAL/64 Amdt 1 and issues a new directive aimed at enhancing the safety of aircraft occupants by modifying the restraint systems of side-facing seats. The directive requires that side-facing seats be modified to include a safety belt and an energy-absorbing rest, or a safety belt and shoulder harness, to ensure that the occupant is adequately protected during an emergency deceleration or impact. This amendment also mandates the installation of placards prohibiting the use of unmodified side-facing seats during take-off and landing to mitigate the increased risk to occupants. The policy objective of this directive is to improve overall aviation safety by ensuring that side-facing seats provide a level of restraint comparable to forward-facing seats.
Scope and Application
The Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD/GENERAL/64 Amdt 2 applies to all aircraft fitted with side-facing seats, excluding those with a special certificate of airworthiness for limited category aircraft as defined in CAR 21.189. The AD was issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) delegate, David Alan Villiers, under the authority of subregulation 39.1 (1) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 (CAR 1998). This directive mandates the modification of occupant restraint systems to improve safety, as determined by crashworthiness investigations and medical opinion, which have shown that side-facing seats pose a greater risk to occupants during emergency decelerations or impacts. The requirement necessitates that each side-facing seat occupied during take-off or landing must be modified to an approved restraint scheme, with a placard installed prohibiting occupancy during these phases for unmodified seats. Compliance with the directive must be achieved before 18 July 2001, with the amendment becoming effective on that date. The directive's application is nationwide, reflecting its importance in ensuring the safety of air travel within the Commonwealth of Australia.
Key Provisions
This Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) under subregulation 39.1 (1) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 (CAR 1998) mandates specific modifications to the occupant restraint systems of aircraft fitted with side facing (SF) seats, except for those with a special certificate of airworthiness for limited category aircraft as defined in CAR 21.189 (Applicability). The directive requires the modification of the occupant restraint system to a scheme approved by the Authority for each seat occupied during take-off or landing, and the installation of a placard prohibiting occupancy during take-off or landing for seats not modified in accordance with these requirements (Requirement). The directive became effective on 18 July 2001, and compliance with the directive must be achieved before this date (Compliance).
Operators of aircraft with side facing seats must ensure that the occupant restraint systems are modified to an approved scheme to improve occupant safety. This involves installing safety belts and energy absorbing rests that support the arms, shoulders, head, and spine, or safety belts and shoulder harnesses that prevent the head from contacting any injurious object. Additionally, operators must install placards on seats that are not modified to prohibit occupancy during take-off or landing. The Australian Regulations and Policies (ARP) 85/7 or Advisory Aeronautical Circular (AAC) No 175 specify the means of complying with this directive (Requirement).
Failure to comply with this Airworthiness Directive can result in serious safety risks, including increased injury or fatality in the event of an emergency deceleration or impact. The directive is underpinned by crashworthiness investigations and medical opinions that have determined the greater risk associated with side facing seats compared to forward facing seats. While the directive does not specify explicit penalties, non-compliance with airworthiness directives generally can lead to enforcement actions by CASA, which may include fines, suspension or revocation of airworthiness certificates, and other regulatory actions (Background).
In summary, this Airworthiness Directive mandates specific modifications to side facing seat occupant restraint systems to enhance safety, with a compliance deadline of 18 July 2001. Operators must adhere to the requirements to ensure the safety of passengers during take-off and landing, with potential regulatory consequences for non-compliance.