title-14-part-29-sec29-809

616

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition)

§ 29.809

provisions is requested, ditching emer-
gency exits must be provided in accord-
ance with the following requirements
and must be proven by test, demonstra-
tion, or analysis unless the emergency
exits required by paragraph (b) of this
section already meet these require-
ments.

(1) For rotorcraft that have a pas-

senger seating configuration, excluding
pilots seats, of nine seats or less, one
exit above the waterline in each side of
the rotorcraft, meeting at least the di-
mensions of a Type IV exit.

(2) For rotorcraft that have a pas-

senger seating configuration, excluding
pilots seats, of 10 seats or more, one
exit above the waterline in a side of the
rotorcraft meeting at least the dimen-
sions of a Type III exit, for each unit
(or part of a unit) of 35 passenger seats,
but no less than two such exits in the
passenger cabin, with one on each side
of the rotorcraft. However, where it
has been shown through analysis,
ditching demonstrations, or any other
tests found necessary by the Adminis-
trator, that the evacuation capability
of the rotorcraft during ditching is im-
proved by the use of larger exits, or by
other means, the passenger seat to exit
ratio may be increased.

(3) Flotation devices, whether stowed

or deployed, may not interfere with or
obstruct the exits.

(e)

Ramp exits. One Type I exit only,

or one Type II exit only, that is re-
quired in the side of the fuselage under
paragraph (b) of this section, may be
installed instead in the ramp of floor
ramp rotorcraft if—

(1) Its installation in the side of the

fuselage is impractical; and

(2) Its installation in the ramp meets

§ 29.813.

(f)

Tests. The proper functioning of

each emergency exit must be shown by
test.

[Amdt. 29–3, 33 FR 968, Jan. 26, 1968, as
amended by Amdt. 29–12, 41 FR 55472, Dec. 20,
1976; Amdt. 27–26, 55 FR 8004, Mar. 6, 1990]

§ 29.809

Emergency exit arrangement.

(a) Each emergency exit must consist

of a movable door or hatch in the ex-
ternal walls of the fuselage and must
provide an unobstructed opening to the
outside.

(b) Each emergency exit must be

openable from the inside and from the
outside.

gency exit must be simple and obvious
and may not require exceptional effort.

(d) There must be means for locking

each emergency exit and for preventing
opening in flight inadvertently or as a
result of mechanical failure.

(e) There must be means to minimize

the probability of the jamming of any
emergency exit in a minor crash land-
ing as a result of fuselage deformation
under the ultimate inertial forces in
§ 29.783(d).

(f) Except as provided in paragraph

(h) of this section, each land-based
rotorcraft emergency exit must have
an approved slide as stated in para-
graph (g) of this section, or its equiva-
lent, to assist occupants in descending
to the ground from each floor level exit
and an approved rope, or its equivalent,
for all other exits, if the exit threshold
is more that 6 feet above the ground—

(1) With the rotorcraft on the ground

and with the landing gear extended;

(2) With one or more legs or part of

the landing gear collapsed, broken, or
not extended; and

(3) With the rotorcraft resting on its

side, if required by § 29.803(d).

(g) The slide for each passenger emer-

gency exit must be a self-supporting
slide or equivalent, and must be de-
signed to meet the following require-
ments:

(1) It must be automatically de-

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

(2) It must be automatically erected

within 10 seconds after deployment is
begun.

(3) It must be of such length after full

deployment that the lower end is self-
supporting on the ground and provides
safe evacuation of occupants to the

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§ 29.811

ground after collapse of one or more
legs or part of the landing gear.

(4) 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.

(5) Each slide installation must be

qualified by five consecutive deploy-
ment and inflation tests conducted (per
exit) without failure, and at least three
tests of each such five-test series must
be conducted using a single representa-
tive sample of the device. The sample
devices must be deployed and inflated
by the system’s primary means after
being subjected to the inertia forces
specified in § 29.561(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.

(h) For rotorcraft having 30 or fewer

passenger seats and having an exit
threshold more than 6 feet above the
ground, a rope or other assist means
may be used in place of the slide speci-
fied in paragraph (f) of this section,
provided an evacuation demonstration
is accomplished as prescribed in
§ 29.803(d) or (e).

(i) If a rope, with its attachment, is

used for compliance with paragraph (f),
(g), or (h) of this section, it must—

(1) Withstand a 400-pound static load;

and

(2) Attach to the fuselage structure

at or above the top of the emergency
exit opening, or at another approved
location if the stowed rope would re-
duce the pilot’s view in flight.

[Amdt. 29–3, 33 FR 968, Jan. 26, 1968, as
amended by Amdt. 29–29, 54 FR 47321, Nov. 13,
1989; Amdt. 27–26, 55 FR 8004, Mar. 6, 1990]

§ 29.811

Emergency exit marking.

(a) Each passenger emergency exit,

its means of access, and its means of
opening must be conspicuously marked
for the guidance of occupants using the
exits in daylight or in the dark. Such
markings must be designed to remain
visible for rotorcraft equipped for

overwater flights if the rotorcraft is
capsized and the cabin is submerged.

(b) The identity and location of each

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

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

(1) Next to or above the aisle near

each floor emergency exit, except that
one sign may serve two exits if both ex-
ists can be seen readily from that sign;
and

(2) On each bulkhead or divider that

prevents fore and aft vision along the
passenger cabin, to indicate emergency
exits beyond and obscured by it, except
that if this is not possible the sign may
be placed at another appropriate loca-
tion.

(d) Each passenger emergency exit

marking and each locating sign must
have white letters 1 inch high on a red
background 2 inches high, be self or
electrically illuminated, and have a
minimum luminescence (brightness) of
at least 160 microlamberts. The colors
may be reversed if this will increase
the emergency illumination of the pas-
senger compartment.

(e) The location of each passenger

emergency exit operating handle and
instructions for opening must be
shown—

(1) For each emergency exit, by a

marking on or near the exit that is
readable from a distance of 30 inches;
and

(2) For each Type I or Type II emer-

gency exit with a locking mechanism
released by rotary motion of the han-
dle, by—

(i) A red arrow, with a shaft at least

three-fourths inch wide and a head
twice the width of the shaft, extending
along at least 70 degrees of arc at a ra-
dius approximately equal to three-
fourths of the handle length; and

(ii) The word ‘‘open’’ in red letters 1

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

(f) Each emergency exit, and its

means of opening, must be marked on
the outside of the rotorcraft. In addi-
tion, the following apply: