This document provides informational background, rationale and a technical case to allow consideration of the removal of the magnesium alloy restriction in aircraft seat construction as contained in AS8049B. The foundation of this argument is flammability characterization work performed by the FAA at the William J. Hughes Technical Center (FAATC), Fire Safety Branch in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. The rationale and detailed testing results are presented along with flammability reports that have concluded that the use of specific types of magnesium alloys in aircraft seat construction does not increase the hazard level potential in the passenger cabin in a post-crash fire scenario. Further, the FAA has developed a lab scale test method, reference DOT/FAA/TC-13/52, to be used as a certification test, or method of compliance (MOC) to allow acceptability of the use of magnesium in the governing TSO-C127 and TSO-C39C.

This SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) documents a common understanding of terms, compliance issues, and occupant injury criteria to facilitate the design and certification of oblique facing passenger seat installations specific to Part 25 aircraft.

The primary purpose of this document is to provide roles, responsibilities and accountabilities to meet AC 21-49 Section 7.b ‘Type Certification using TSO-approved seat with electronic components defined in TSO design’. This document may be applied to all applicable seat TSOs (C39(), C127()…etc). The approval for the integration of the electronics will fall, in part or in full, under the type design authority of the Seat Installer rather than the Seat Supplier shipping the integrated seat. The defined responsibilities, areas of authority and accountability of each party, as well as necessary communication protocols, must ensure configuration management, design control and quality control. These definitions, controls and protocols are agreed (thru normal commerical agreements and binding contracts) and adhered to by all parties ensuring all parts in the supply chain remain approved (e.g. certified and conformed).

This document outlines the engineering evaluation appropriate for modifying or replacing components of a previously certified seat when the certification process is based on qualification to the requirements of AS8049, which includes dynamic testing. The engineering evaluation presented in this document may be used to determine if a modification (including replacement of a component) is a minor change with respect to meeting the dynamic testing requirements described in AS8049.