Performance of WC19 Wheelchairs in Static Aircraft Seating Tests

The guiding hypothesis for this project is that wheelchairs compliant with RESNA WC19 voluntary standards for vehicle crashworthiness could meet aircraft seating crashworthiness standards specified by the FAA. This article documents methods and results of static testing. Companion efforts for dynamic horizontal and vertical dynamic testing are reported elsewhere [1]. Surrogate 4-point-strap tiedowns secured the wheelchairs in all tests, using the geometry specified for WC19 testing. Nine different commercial wheelchairs, representing a range of designs, were tested using adapted versions of FAA procedures for static loading in five directions. Occupant restraint conditions included both a wheelchair-anchored lap belt and a floor-mounted lap belt. Tested wheelchairs met static requirements for integrity and deformation, despite multiple tests conducted on the same wheelchair. These results support future use of personal wheelchairs as seating on aircraft, provided the wheelchairs meet WC19 requirements. Additionally, the wheelchairs must be secured with 4-point-strap tiedowns, and occupants should be restrained using both a wheelchair-mounted belt and a supplemental lap belt anchored to the aircraft.