Aircraft
Certification Service Washington, DC U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration
SW-17-31 R2
December 5, 2019
This is information only. Recommendations
aren’t mandatory.
Introduction
This revised Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) notifies all registered helicopter
owners and operators of helicopters that are either 1) fully compliant with the crash resistant fuel
system (CRFS) safety standards of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) Part 27
through Amendment 27-30 or Part 29 through Amendment 29-35 or 2) compliant with the
requirements listed in 49 U.S.C. § 44737 (2018). The statutory requirement of 49 U.S.C. § 44737
(2018) was established by the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (H.R. 302, Pub.L. 115-254), Section
317, HELICOPTER FUEL SYSTEM SAFETY.
Non-CRFS compliant helicopters do not warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under 14 CFR
part 39. However, operating a helicopter with either a full CRFS or a partial CRFS reduces the risk of
post-crash fires and improves occupant survivability in an accident.
Background
The FAA previously issued SAIB SW-17-31 on October 13, 2017 to recommend that all owners and
operators be aware of the fuel system crash resistance capability of the helicopters they operate. The
FAA issued SAIB SW-17-31R1 on December 3, 2018 to inform owners and operators of a new
Congressional mandate that lists the helicopter fuel system safety requirements for operation of a
“covered” rotorcraft in the United States airspace. SAIB SW-17-31R1 also reminds owners and
operators to pursue installation of fuel systems that improve the fuel system crash resistance
capability of their helicopters. This SAIB revision once again reminds owners and operators of this
recommendation.
On November 2, 1994, helicopter fuel system crash resistance became a regulatory requirement via
Amendment 27-30 of 14 CFR Part 27 and Amendment 29-35 of 14 CFR Part 29. The amendments
include §§ 27.952 and 29.952, along with other related regulatory sections of Part 27 and Part 29. The
regulations apply only to newly type-certificated rotorcraft. Since the regulations are not retroactive,
no requirement exists to incorporate their requirements into the existing fleet. The regulations also do
not apply to newly manufactured rotorcraft if the rotorcraft are produced under a type design that
existed before the regulations became effective (November 2, 1994).
The design requirements included in Part 27 at Amendment 27-30 and Part 29 at Amendment 29-35
increase safety in the event of a survivable crash by either decreasing the likelihood or delaying the
onset of post-crash fires. The intent of both amendments is to minimize crash-induced fuel leaks and
their contact with potential fuel ignition sources during and after a crash, and increase the time
occupants have to egress before a post-crash fire becomes critical.
On October 5, 2018, 49 U.S.C. § 44737 (2018) became public law. This law lists the helicopter fuel
system safety requirements for operation of a “covered” rotorcraft in the United States airspace. The
requirements take affect April 5, 2020, corresponding to 18 months after the date of enactment. The
law only applies to newly manufactured rotorcraft. The requirements include a subset of paragraphs
from §§ 27.952 and 29.952, §§ 27.963 and 29.963,
and §§ 27.975 and 29.975. The requirements are consistent
with recommendations that the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee
(ARAC) Rotorcraft Occupant Protection Working Group (ROPWG) provided to
the FAA on March 23, 2018 to improve rotorcraft fuel system crash
resistance. The 14 CFR Part 21, 27, and 29 certification approval
process for fuel systems does not change with the establishment of the
49 U.S.C. § 44737 (2018) requirements.
Recommendations
The FAA recommends owners and operators pursue installation of fuel
systems that improve the fuel system crash resistance capability of
their helicopters. The FAA maintains a list (Table 1) of helicopters
compliant with the full CRFS safety standards of 14 CFR Part 27 through
Amendment 27-30 and Part 29 through Amendment 29-35. The FAA also
maintains a separate list (Table 2) of helicopters that meet the
minimum CRFS requirements established by 49 U.S.C. § 44737 (2018)
but do not comply with the full CRFS safety standards of 14 CFR Part 27
through Amendment 27-30 or Part 29 through Amendment 29-35. Table 2
further identifies helicopters that exceed the 49 U.S.C. § 44737
(2018) minimum requirements and comply with other related CRFS
regulatory sections. These lists are available at
https://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/design_approvals/rotorcraft/media/rot_CRFS_Compliant_List.pdf.
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