Air Transport

Airbus has been granted special certification conditions from the US FAA to allow the airframer to certify inflatable airbags in the passenger restraint systems on A320 family aircraft.

The company on 2 September asked the regulator to amend its A320 type certificate to allow the installation of AmSafe Aviation inflatable restraints for head injury protection (HIP) on passenger seats on the A319, A320 and A321.

First created for the automobile industry, the aviation version of the restraint is designed to limit passenger forward motion in the event of an accident, "thus reducing the potential for head injury and head entrapment," says FAA, adding that the airbag is similar to the automobile system except that it is integrated into the passenger restraint system and inflates away from the seated passengers. Other aircraft with amended certification requirements for the seatbelts include the Boeing 777.

Airframers traditionally meet HIP requirements in certain seats by requiring either a setback 35in from any bulkhead, front seat or "other rigid interior feature" or by placing padding in the collision area. While HIP is not required as part of the certification for the A320 series today, it will be included in new regulations set to go into effect on 27 October 2009, says FAA.

To meet the amended certification requirements, FAA will require Airbus to show that the airbags "perform properly under foreseeable operating conditions" and will not become a hazard to other passengers or the aircraft. Of particular concern is that the airbags do not deploy inadvertently due to the effect of electronic noise or lightning on the sensors to trigger the pyrotechnic charge.

Other considerations include the impacts of the belts on pregnant women and children held on a passenger's lap.

Airbus says the special condition application is routine as there are no formal standards for the restraints. "Postings such as this are used simply to permit compliance with head strike protection requirements on bulkhead seats," says the company.