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139 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.340 

must be checked by a designated crew-
member to ensure that each is properly 
stowed and serviceable, and, for other 
than chemical oxygen generator sys-
tems, the breathing gas supply is fully 
charged. Each certificate holder, in its 
operations manual, must designate at 
least one crewmember to perform those 
checks before he or she takes off in 
that airplane for his or her first flight 
of the day. 

[Doc. No. 24792, 52 FR 20957, June 3, 1987, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–204, 54 FR 22271, May 
22, 1989; Amdt. 121–212, 55 FR 5551, Feb. 15, 
1990; Amdt. 121–218, 55 FR 31565, Aug. 2, 1990; 
Amdt. 121–230, 57 FR 42674, Sept. 15, 1992; 
Amdt. 121–251, 60 FR 65932, Dec. 20, 1995; 
Amdt. 121–261, 61 FR 43921, Aug. 26, 1996] 

§ 121.339 Emergency equipment for ex-

tended over-water operations. 

(a) Except where the Administrator, 

by amending the operations specifica-
tions of the certificate holder, requires 
the carriage of all or any specific items 
of the equipment listed below for any 
overwater operation, or upon applica-
tion of the certificate holder, the Ad-
ministrator allows deviation for a par-
ticular extended overwater operation, 
no person may operate an airplane in 
extended overwater operations without 
having on the airplane the following 
equipment: 

(1) A life preserver equipped with an 

approved survivor locator light, for 
each occupant of the airplane. 

(2) Enough life rafts (each equipped 

with an approved survivor locator 
light) of a rated capacity and buoyancy 
to accommodate the occupants of the 
airplane. Unless excess rafts of enough 
capacity are provided, the buoyancy 
and seating capacity beyond the rated 
capacity of the rafts must accommo-
date all occupants of the airplane in 
the event of a loss of one raft of the 
largest rated capacity. 

(3) At least one pyrotechnic signaling 

device for each life raft. 

(4) An approved survival type emer-

gency locator transmitter. Batteries 
used in this transmitter must be re-
placed (or recharged, if the battery is 
rechargeable) when the transmitter has 
been in use for more than 1 cumulative 
hour, or when 50 percent of their useful 
life (or for rechargeable batteries, 50 
percent of their useful life of charge) 

has expired, as established by the 
transmitter manufacturer under its ap-
proval. The new expiration date for re-
placing (or recharging) the battery 
must be legibly marked on the outside 
of the transmitter. The battery useful 
life (or useful life of charge) require-
ments of this paragraph do not apply 
to batteries (such as water-activated 
batteries) that are essentially unaf-
fected during probable storage inter-
vals. 

(b) The required life rafts, life pre-

servers, and survival type emergency 
locator transmitter must be easily ac-
cessible in the event of a ditching with-
out appreciable time for preparatory 
procedures. This equipment must be in-
stalled in conspicuously marked, ap-
proved locations. 

(c) A survival kit, appropriately 

equipped for the route to be flown, 
must be attached to each required life 
raft. 

[Doc. No. 6258, 29 FR 19205, Dec. 31, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 121–53, 34 FR 15244, Sept. 
30, 1969; Amdt. 121–79, 36 FR 18724, Sept. 21, 
1971; Amdt. 121–93, 37 FR 14294, June 19, 1972 
Amdt. 121–106, 38 FR 22378, Aug. 20, 1973; 
Amdt. 121–149, 43 FR 50603, Oct. 30, 1978; 
Amdt. 121–158, 45 FR 38348, June 9, 1980; 
Amdt. 121–239, 59 FR 32057, June 21, 1994] 

§ 121.340 Emergency flotation means. 

(a) Except as provided in paragraph 

(b) of this section, no person may oper-
ate an airplane in any overwater oper-
ation unless it is equipped with life 
preservers in accordance with 
§ 121.339(a)(1) or with an approved flota-
tion means for each occupant. This 
means must be within easy reach of 
each seated occupant and must be read-
ily removable from the airplane. 

(b) Upon application by the air car-

rier or commercial operator, the Ad-
ministrator may approve the operation 
of an airplane over water without the 
life preservers or flotation means re-
quired by paragraph (a) of this section, 
if the air carrier or commercial oper-
ator shows that the water over which 
the airplane is to be operated is not of 
such size and depth that life preservers 
or flotation means would be required 
for the survival of its occupants in the