Seats under crash loading

The FAA and academia have conducted aircraft seat drop tests to compare and contrast passenger crash protection.

Using the FAA Dynamic Vertical Drop Test Facility, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) researchers have conducted full-scale tests in which aircraft cabins containing instrumented crash dummies were subjected to vertical impact velocities up to 30 ft/s. Previous tests have included the Beechcraft 1900C Airliner (Figure 1), a Shorts 330 airliner, a Metro III aircraft, and several Boeing 737 fuselage sections. These tests have demonstrated a significant probability of severe lower lumbar injury at these velocities.

More recently, Rowan University, in collaboration with the FAA, has conducted a series of aircraft seat drop tests to compare and contrast the passenger crash protection provided by three different commuter category aircraft seat designs. Using the Rowan University Drop Tower, these component tests have shown significant differences in the ability of individual seat designs to protect their occupants from serious lower lumbar injury.