Aircraft
Certification Service Washington, DC U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration
SW-17-31 R3
October 3, 2023
This is information only. Recommendations
aren’t mandatory.
Introduction
This revised Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) provides
information to helicopter owners and operators regarding crash
resistant fuel systems (CRFS) and also provides links that inform you
which helicopters are either:
(1) Fully compliant with the 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.
This SAIB provides additional information about statutory requirements
under 49 U.S.C. § 44737 (2018). A related SAIB 23-03 encourages
voluntary adoption of CRFS by informing owners, operators, pilots,
manufacturers, and the flying public about the benefits of CRFS.
Background
The FAA first 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 then
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 reminded owners and
operators to pursue installation of fuel systems that improve the fuel
system crash resistance capability of their helicopters. To again
remind owners and operators of the recommendation regarding the
installation of CRFS, the FAA issued SAIB SW-17-31R2 on December 5,
2019. This third SAIB revision, in addition to once again reminding
owners and operators of this recommendation, is to inform them that the
public law does not apply to rotorcraft in primary category and
restricted category. Currently, the only rotorcraft in the primary
category are gyroplanes, and these do not include CRFS in their
certification basis, nor are they mandated to add CRFS for future
production.
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 took 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 again recommends that 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/RSPC#crfs.