Crashworthiness of WC19 Wheelchairs in Horizontal Dynamic Aircraft Seating Tests

At present, commercial air travel rules do not allow people to sit in their own wheelchairs during flight. However, airline seating often does not meet medical needs. In response to current requests to allow this seating option, we researched the crashworthiness and safety of wheelchairs for potential use in aircraft. For motor vehicle travel, many wheelchairs meet voluntary standards for crashworthiness and safety per RESNA WC19. This project assesses whether WC19-compliant wheelchairs can meet FAA aircraft seating standards when secured using 4-point tiedowns. For the FAA horizontal impact testing, computer modeling indicated that a trapezoidal sled pulse was sufficient to represent the more typical triangular pulse, and that due to the flexibility of the tiedown webbing, the effect of the simulated pitch/roll element was minimal. During the initial two horizontal impact tests, fracture of the left front wheelchair caster was observed. The remaining five wheelchairs were tested with an added vehicle-mounted lap belt and were successful at meeting occupant retention and structural integrity requirements. The outcomes show that it may be possible for people to remain seated in a WC19-compliant wheelchair for air travel without a significant decrement in safety.