Module 6: Legislative Acts

Laws and regulations are what helps ensure successful operations and safety in aviation. Laws and regulations are what the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) use to hold people and airlines accountable. Rather than focusing on rules that hold pilots or air crews accountable for their actions, I would like to look into an aircraft structure regulation that promotes structure durability. More specifically, I will be discussing the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 14 §25.365 “Pressurized Compartment Loads”. This regulation defines the safety precautions to be implemented in the instance that a pressurized compartment is penetrated during mid-flight operations. 

FAA CFR 14 §25.365 is a regulation comprised of 6 sections that takes into consideration the safety of the passengers on board the aircraft. Section (g) of the CFR 14 §25.365 (2019) states, "Bulkheads, floors, and partitions in pressurized compartments for occupants must be designed to withstand the conditions specified in paragraph (e) of this section."  The FAA wants to ensure that if the frame of the aircraft is to be penetrated, then chairs and luggage compartments will not be pulled through the hole of the aircraft during the rapid depressurization process. This helps to increase the safety of all the passengers on board the air frame. 

An example of this situation occurring is on the Daallo Airlines Flight 159 on February 2nd, 2016. at that time, it was suspected that members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group were the cause of the explosion. (Kriel, 2016)  These people brought an explosive devices disguised as a laptop on to the plane that exploded and penetrated the frame of the aircraft. The cabin immediately depressurized and unfortunately pull one passenger through the hole of the aircraft. However, due to the cabins durability, the aircraft remained in contact through the entirety of the event and landed safely.

Resources

Federal Aviation Administration. (2019, May 30). Title 14: Aeronautics and Space, Part 25: Airworthiness Standards: Transport Category Airplanes. Retrieved from Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: https://gov.ecfr.io/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=77d90aa989f16f6c71fd99e5015dacba&mc=true&node=se14.1.25_1365&rgn=div8

Kriel, R. (2016, February 12). Source: 'Sophisticated' laptop bomb on Somali plane got through X-ray machine. Retrieved from CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/11/africa/somalia-plane-bomb/index.html