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
