Federal Aviation Administration Initiatives to Improve the Emergency Evacuation of Transport Airplanes

A key aspect of occupant safety in surviving an aircraft accident is the ability to quickly and safely evacuate the airplane. This is a matter of great concern to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), industry, and the flying public. To assure that the airworthiness standards concerning the evacuation of transport airplanes continue to provide the means to achieve these goals, especially with respect to rapidly changing technology, the FAA has in recent years pursued an aggressive rulemaking program in the area of crashworthiness. This paper will present an overview of projects that the FAA has recently completed and is currently pursuing in this area.