SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN
Aircraft Certification Service
Washington, DC
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
CE-10-04

October 19, 2009

This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory.

Contact Information Correction

The current Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) CE-10-04, dated October 8, 2009, has an incorrect telephone number in the For Further Information Contact section. The correct contact telephone number is 816-329-4141.

Introduction:

This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin is being issued to alert owners, operators, and original equipment manufacturers (OEM) to an airworthiness concern regarding emergency checklist procedures that apply to ventilating smoke and fumes from the airplane cockpit in general aviation (GA) aircraft. Prior to 14 CFR § 23.831, Amendment 23-34, it was not required to include this into the checklists regarding removing smoke and fumes from the airplane cockpit.

The airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 39.

Background:

After an in-flight electrical fire in a Canadian-registered Cessna Model152 airplane, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada recommended that the “FAA take action to review checklist procedures dealing with smoke and fire in GA aircraft,” and include additional steps to eliminate smoke or fumes. Emergency checklist procedures, for aircraft that were type certificated to CAR 3, and those aircraft type certificated aircraft prior to 14 CFR Amendment 23-34, the Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) did not address ventilating smoke and fumes from the airplane cockpit.

The current 14 CFR part 23 (23-58 amendment) requires OEMs to include instructions in their pilot operating handbook (POH) or airplane flight manual (AFM) to remove smoke from the cockpit and passenger cabin of both pressurized and un-pressurized aircraft.
14 CFR FAR 23.831 (a) “Each passenger and crew compartment must be suitably ventilated…”
14 CFR 23.831 (b) “If accumulation of hazardous quantities of smoke in the cockpit area is reasonably probable, smoke evacuation must be readily accomplished starting with full pressurization and without depressurizing beyond safe limits.”
14 CFR 23.1585 (a) “For all airplanes, information concerning normal, abnormal (if applicable), and emergency procedures and other pertinent information necessary for safe operation and the achievement of the scheduled performance must be furnished…”
Owners and operators may have modified their aircraft to meet operational requirements or added/removed supplemental type certificates (STC). These alterations could require changes to the original POH or AFM and associated emergency checklist or abnormal procedures checklist.

Recommendation:

There are no regulatory requirements in CAR 3 or prior to Amendment 23-24 and 23-42 of 14 CFR part 23 requiring instructions in the POH or AFM to remove smoke or fumes from the cockpit and passenger cabin. For airplanes where the OEM no longer exist, owners and operators may want to contact the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) or airplane type clubs for information as to the removal of smoke and fumes in their make and model airplane. These emergency checklists may include the following statement: “to remove smoke or fumes from the cockpit do the following …” if such a similar statement does not already exist in their POH or AFM.

The FAA recommends the following:
 For Further Information Contact:

Gunnar Berg, FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, ACE-114, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, MO 64106. Telephone: (816)-329-4141, Fax: (816)-329-4090. e-mail: Gunnar.berg@faa.gov