291 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 25.809 

the airplane, meeting at least the di-
mensions of a Type IV exit. 

(2) For airplanes that have a pas-

senger seating configuration of 10 of 
more seats, excluding pilot seats, one 
exit above the waterline in a side of the 
airplane, meeting at least the dimen-
sions of a Type III exit for each unit (or 
part of a unit) of 35 passenger seats, 
but no less than two such exits in the 
passenger cabin, with one on each side 
of the airplane. The passenger seat/ 
exit ratio may be increased through 
the use of larger exits, or other means, 
provided it is shown that the evacu-
ation capability during ditching has 
been improved accordingly. 

(3) If it is impractical to locate side 

exits above the waterline, the side 
exits must be replaced by an equal 
number of readily accessible overhead 
hatches of not less than the dimensions 
of a Type III exit, except that for air-
planes with a passenger configuration 
of 35 or fewer seats, excluding pilot 
seats, the two required Type III side 
exits need be replaced by only one 
overhead hatch. 

(j) 

Flightcrew emergency exits. 

For air-

planes in which the proximity of pas-
senger emergency exits to the 
flightcrew area does not offer a conven-
ient and readily accessible means of 
evacuation of the flightcrew, and for 
all airplanes having a passenger seat-
ing capacity greater than 20, flightcrew 
exits shall be located in the flightcrew 
area. Such exits shall be of sufficient 
size and so located as to permit rapid 
evacuation by the crew. One exit shall 
be provided on each side of the air-
plane; or, alternatively, a top hatch 
shall be provided. Each exit must en-
compass an unobstructed rectangular 
opening of at least 19 by 20 inches un-
less satisfactory exit utility can be 
demonstrated by a typical crew-
member. 

[Amdt. 25–72, 55 FR 29781, July 20, 1990, as 
amended by Amdt. 25–88, 61 FR 57956, Nov. 8, 
1996; 62 FR 1817, Jan. 13, 1997; Amdt. 25–94, 63 
FR 8848, Feb. 23, 1998; 63 FR 12862, Mar. 16, 
1998; Amdt. 25–114, 69 FR 24502, May 3, 2004] 

§ 25.809

Emergency exit arrangement. 

(a) Each emergency exit, including 

each flightcrew emergency exit, must 
be a moveable door or hatch in the ex-
ternal walls of the fuselage, allowing 

an unobstructed opening to the out-
side. In addition, each emergency exit 
must have means to permit viewing of 
the conditions outside the exit when 
the exit is closed. The viewing means 
may be on or adjacent to the exit pro-
vided no obstructions exist between the 
exit and the viewing means. Means 
must also be provided to permit view-
ing of the likely areas of evacuee 
ground contact. The likely areas of 
evacuee ground contact must be 
viewable during all lighting conditions 
with the landing gear extended as well 
as in all conditions of landing gear col-
lapse. 

(b) Each emergency exit must be 

openable from the inside and the out-
side except that sliding window emer-
gency exits in the flight crew area need 
not be openable from the outside if 
other approved exits are convenient 
and readily accessible to the flight 
crew area. Each emergency exit must 
be capable of being opened, when there 
is no fuselage deformation— 

(1) With the airplane in the normal 

ground attitude and in each of the atti-
tudes corresponding to collapse of one 
or more legs of the landing gear; and 

(2) Within 10 seconds measured from 

the time when the opening means is ac-
tuated to the time when the exit is 
fully opened. 

(3) Even though persons may be 

crowded against the door on the inside 
of the airplane. 

(c) The means of opening emergency 

exits must be simple and obvious; may 
not require exceptional effort; and 
must be arranged and marked so that 
it can be readily located and operated, 
even in darkness. Internal exit-opening 
means involving sequence operations 
(such as operation of two handles or 
latches, or the release of safety 
catches) may be used for flightcrew 
emergency exits if it can be reasonably 
established that these means are sim-
ple and obvious to crewmembers 
trained in their use. 

(d) If a single power-boost or single 

power-operated system is the primary 
system for operating more than one 
exit in an emergency, each exit must 
be capable of meeting the requirements 
of paragraph (b) of this section in the 
event of failure of the primary system. 
Manual operation of the exit (after 

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