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292 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 25.810 

(2) Within 10 seconds measured from 

the time when the opening means is ac-
tuated to the time when the exit is 
fully opened. 

(3) Even though persons may be 

crowded against the door on the inside 
of the airplane. 

(c) The means of opening emergency 

exits must be simple and obvious; may 
not require exceptional effort; and 
must be arranged and marked so that 
it can be readily located and operated, 
even in darkness. Internal exit-opening 
means involving sequence operations 
(such as operation of two handles or 
latches, or the release of safety 
catches) may be used for flightcrew 
emergency exits if it can be reasonably 
established that these means are sim-
ple and obvious to crewmembers 
trained in their use. 

(d) If a single power-boost or single 

power-operated system is the primary 
system for operating more than one 
exit in an emergency, each exit must 
be capable of meeting the requirements 
of paragraph (b) of this section in the 
event of failure of the primary system. 
Manual operation of the exit (after 
failure of the primary system) is ac-
ceptable. 

(e) Each emergency exit must be 

shown by tests, or by a combination of 
analysis and tests, to meet the require-
ments of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this 
section. 

(f) Each door must be located where 

persons using them will not be endan-
gered by the propellers when appro-
priate operating procedures are used. 

(g) There must be provisions to mini-

mize the probability of jamming of the 
emergency exits resulting from fuse-
lage deformation in a minor crash 
landing. 

(h) When required by the operating 

rules for any large passenger-carrying 
turbojet-powered airplane, each ven-
tral exit and tailcone exit must be— 

(1) Designed and constructed so that 

it cannot be opened during flight; and 

(2) Marked with a placard readable 

from a distance of 30 inches and in-
stalled at a conspicuous location near 
the means of opening the exit, stating 
that the exit has been designed and 
constructed so that it cannot be opened 
during flight. 

(i) Each emergency exit must have a 

means to retain the exit in the open 
position, once the exit is opened in an 
emergency. The means must not re-
quire separate action to engage when 
the exit is opened, and must require 
positive action to disengage. 

[Doc. No. 5066, 29 FR 18291, Dec. 24, 1964, as 
amended by Amdt. 25–15, 32 FR 13264, Sept. 
20, 1967; Amdt. 25–32, 37 FR 3970, Feb. 24, 1972; 
Amdt. 25–34, 37 FR 25355, Nov. 30, 1972; Amdt. 
25–46, 43 FR 50597, Oct. 30, 1978; Amdt. 25–47, 
44 FR 61325, Oct. 25, 1979; Amdt. 25–72, 55 FR 
29782, July 20, 1990; Amdt. 25–114, 69 FR 24502, 
May 3, 2004; Amdt. 25–116, 69 FR 62788, Oct. 27, 
2004] 

§ 25.810

Emergency egress assist 

means and escape routes. 

(a) Each non over-wing Type A, Type 

B or Type C exit, and any other non 
over-wing landplane emergency exit 
more than 6 feet from the ground with 
the airplane on the ground and the 
landing gear extended, must have an 
approved means to assist the occupants 
in descending to the ground. 

(1) The assisting means for each pas-

senger emergency exit must be a self- 
supporting slide or equivalent; and, in 
the case of Type A or Type B exits, it 
must be capable of carrying simulta-
neously two parallel lines of evacuees. 
In addition, the assisting means must 
be designed to meet the following re-
quirements— 

(i) It must be automatically deployed 

and deployment must begin during the 
interval between the time the exit 
opening means is actuated from inside 
the airplane and the time the exit is 
fully opened. However, each passenger 
emergency exit which is also a pas-
senger entrance door or a service door 
must be provided with means to pre-
vent deployment of the assisting means 
when it is opened from either the in-
side or the outside under non-
emergency conditions for normal use. 

(ii) Except for assisting means in-

stalled at Type C exits, it must be 
automatically erected within 6 seconds 
after deployment is begun. Assisting 
means installed at Type C exits must 
be automatically erected within 10 sec-
onds from the time the opening means 
of the exit is actuated. 

(iii) It must be of such length after 

full deployment that the lower end is 

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293 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 25.810 

self-supporting on the ground and pro-
vides safe evacuation of occupants to 
the ground after collapse of one or 
more legs of the landing gear. 

(iv) It must have the capability, in 

25-knot winds directed from the most 
critical angle, to deploy and, with the 
assistance of only one person, to re-
main usable after full deployment to 
evacuate occupants safely to the 
ground. 

(v) For each system installation 

(mockup or airplane installed), five 
consecutive deployment and inflation 
tests must be conducted (per exit) 
without failure, and at least three tests 
of each such five-test series must be 
conducted using a single representative 
sample of the device. The sample de-
vices must be deployed and inflated by 
the system’s primary means after 
being subjected to the inertia forces 
specified in § 25.561(b). If any part of the 
system fails or does not function prop-
erly during the required tests, the 
cause of the failure or malfunction 
must be corrected by positive means 
and after that, the full series of five 
consecutive deployment and inflation 
tests must be conducted without fail-
ure. 

(2) The assisting means for flightcrew 

emergency exits may be a rope or any 
other means demonstrated to be suit-
able for the purpose. If the assisting 
means is a rope, or an approved device 
equivalent to a rope, it must be— 

(i) Attached to the fuselage structure 

at or above the top of the emergency 
exit opening, or, for a device at a pi-
lot’s emergency exit window, at an-
other approved location if the stowed 
device, or its attachment, would reduce 
the pilot’s view in flight; 

(ii) Able (with its attachment) to 

withstand a 400-pound static load. 

(b) Assist means from the cabin to 

the wing are required for each type A 
or Type B exit located above the wing 
and having a stepdown unless the exit 
without an assist-means can be shown 
to have a rate of passenger egress at 
least equal to that of the same type of 
non over-wing exit. If an assist means 
is required, it must be automatically 
deployed and automatically erected 
concurrent with the opening of the 
exit. In the case of assist means in-
stalled at Type C exits, it must be self- 

supporting within 10 seconds from the 
time the opening means of the exits is 
actuated. For all other exit types, it 
must be self-supporting 6 seconds after 
deployment is begun. 

(c) An escape route must be estab-

lished from each overwing emergency 
exit, and (except for flap surfaces suit-
able as slides) covered with a slip re-
sistant surface. Except where a means 
for channeling the flow of evacuees is 
provided— 

(1) The escape route from each Type 

A or Type B passenger emergency exit, 
or any common escape route from two 
Type III passenger emergency exits, 
must be at least 42 inches wide; that 
from any other passenger emergency 
exit must be at least 24 inches wide; 
and 

(2) The escape route surface must 

have a reflectance of at least 80 per-
cent, and must be defined by markings 
with a surface-to-marking contrast 
ratio of at least 5:1. 

(d) Means must be provided to assist 

evacuees to reach the ground for all 
Type C exits located over the wing and, 
if the place on the airplane structure 
at which the escape route required in 
paragraph (c) of this section termi-
nates is more than 6 feet from the 
ground with the airplane on the ground 
and the landing gear extended, for all 
other exit types. 

(1) If the escape route is over the 

flap, the height of the terminal edge 
must be measured with the flap in the 
takeoff or landing position, whichever 
is higher from the ground. 

(2) The assisting means must be usa-

ble and self-supporting with one or 
more landing gear legs collapsed and 
under a 25-knot wind directed from the 
most critical angle. 

(3) The assisting means provided for 

each escape route leading from a Type 
A or B emergency exit must be capable 
of carrying simultaneously two par-
allel lines of evacuees; and, the assist-
ing means leading from any other exit 
type must be capable of carrying as 
many parallel lines of evacuees as 
there are required escape routes. 

(4) The assisting means provided for 

each escape route leading from a Type 
C exit must be automatically erected 
within 10 seconds from the time the 
opening means of the exit is actuated, 

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294 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 25.811 

and that provided for the escape route 
leading from any other exit type must 
be automatically erected within 10 sec-
onds after actuation of the erection 
system. 

(e) If an integral stair is installed in 

a passenger entry door that is qualified 
as a passenger emergency exit, the 
stair must be designed so that, under 
the following conditions, the effective-
ness of passenger emergency egress will 
not be impaired: 

(1) The door, integral stair, and oper-

ating mechanism have been subjected 
to the inertia forces specified in 
§ 25.561(b)(3), acting separately relative 
to the surrounding structure. 

(2) The airplane is in the normal 

ground attitude and in each of the atti-
tudes corresponding to collapse of one 
or more legs of the landing gear. 

[Amdt. 25–72, 55 FR 29782, July 20, 1990, as 
amended by Amdt. 25–88, 61 FR 57958, Nov. 8, 
1996; 62 FR 1817, Jan. 13, 1997; Amdt. 25–114, 69 
FR 24502, May 3, 2004] 

§ 25.811

Emergency exit marking. 

(a) Each passenger emergency exit, 

its means of access, and its means of 
opening must be conspicuously 
marked. 

(b) The identity and location of each 

passenger emergency exit must be rec-
ognizable from a distance equal to the 
width of the cabin. 

(c) Means must be provided to assist 

the occupants in locating the exits in 
conditions of dense smoke. 

(d) The location of each passenger 

emergency exit must be indicated by a 
sign visible to occupants approaching 
along the main passenger aisle (or 
aisles). There must be— 

(1) A passenger emergency exit loca-

tor sign above the aisle (or aisles) near 
each passenger emergency exit, or at 
another overhead location if it is more 
practical because of low headroom, ex-
cept that one sign may serve more 
than one exit if each exit can be seen 
readily from the sign; 

(2) A passenger emergency exit mark-

ing sign next to each passenger emer-
gency exit, except that one sign may 
serve two such exits if they both can be 
seen readily from the sign; and 

(3) A sign on each bulkhead or divider 

that prevents fore and aft vision along 
the passenger cabin to indicate emer-

gency exits beyond and obscured by the 
bulkhead or divider, except that if this 
is not possible the sign may be placed 
at another appropriate location. 

(e) The location of the operating han-

dle and instructions for opening exits 
from the inside of the airplane must be 
shown in the following manner: 

(1) Each passenger emergency exit 

must have, on or near the exit, a mark-
ing that is readable from a distance of 
30 inches. 

(2) Each Type A, Type B, Type C or 

Type I passenger emergency exit oper-
ating handle must— 

(i) Be self-illuminated with an initial 

brightness of at least 160 micro-
lamberts; or 

(ii) Be conspicuously located and well 

illuminated by the emergency lighting 
even in conditions of occupant crowd-
ing at the exit. 

(3) [Reserved] 
(4) Each Type A, Type B, Type C, 

Type I, or Type II passenger emergency 
exit with a locking mechanism re-
leased by rotary motion of the handle 
must be marked— 

(i) With a red arrow, with a shaft at 

least three-fourths of an inch wide and 
a head twice the width of the shaft, ex-
tending along at least 70 degrees of arc 
at a radius approximately equal to 
three-fourths of the handle length. 

(ii) So that the centerline of the exit 

handle is within 

±

1 inch of the pro-

jected point of the arrow when the han-
dle has reached full travel and has re-
leased the locking mechanism, and 

(iii) With the word ‘‘open’’ in red let-

ters 1 inch high, placed horizontally 
near the head of the arrow. 

(f) Each emergency exit that is re-

quired to be openable from the outside, 
and its means of opening, must be 
marked on the outside of the airplane. 
In addition, the following apply: 

(1) The outside marking for each pas-

senger emergency exit in the side of 
the fuselage must include a 2-inch col-
ored band outlining the exit. 

(2) Each outside marking including 

the band, must have color contrast to 
be readily distinguishable from the sur-
rounding fuselage surface. The contrast 
must be such that if the reflectance of 
the darker color is 15 percent or less, 
the reflectance of the lighter color 

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