255 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 23.785 

(1) Each seat to the structure; and 
(2) Each safety belt and shoulder har-

ness to the seat or structure. 

(b) Each forward-facing or aft-facing 

seat/restraint system in normal, util-
ity, or acrobatic category airplanes 
must consist of a seat, a safety belt, 
and a shoulder harness, with a metal- 
to-metal latching device, that are de-
signed to provide the occupant protec-
tion provisions required in § 23.562. 
Other seat orientations must provide 
the same level of occupant protection 
as a forward-facing or aft-facing seat 
with a safety belt and a shoulder har-
ness, and must provide the protection 
provisions of § 23.562. 

(c) For commuter category airplanes, 

each seat and the supporting structure 
must be designed for occupants weigh-
ing at least 170 pounds when subjected 
to the inertia loads resulting from the 
ultimate static load factors prescribed 
in § 23.561(b)(2) of this part. Each occu-
pant must be protected from serious 
head injury when subjected to the iner-
tia loads resulting from these load fac-
tors by a safety belt and shoulder har-
ness, with a metal-to-metal latching 
device, for the front seats and a safety 
belt, or a safety belt and shoulder har-
ness, with a metal-to-metal latching 
device, for each seat other than the 
front seats. 

(d) Each restraint system must have 

a single-point release for occupant 
evacuation. 

(e) The restraint system for each 

crewmember must allow the crew-
member, when seated with the safety 
belt and shoulder harness fastened, to 
perform all functions necessary for 
flight operations. 

(f) Each pilot seat must be designed 

for the reactions resulting from the ap-
plication of pilot forces to the primary 
flight controls as prescribed in § 23.395 
of this part. 

(g) There must be a means to secure 

each safety belt and shoulder harness, 
when not in use, to prevent inter-
ference with the operation of the air-
plane and with rapid occupant egress in 
an emergency. 

(h) Unless otherwise placarded, each 

seat in a utility or acrobatic category 
airplane must be designed to accommo-
date an occupant wearing a parachute. 

(i) The cabin area surrounding each 

seat, including the structure, interior 
walls, instrument panel, control wheel, 
pedals, and seats within striking dis-
tance of the occupant’s head or torso 
(with the restraint system fastened) 
must be free of potentially injurious 
objects, sharp edges, protuberances, 
and hard surfaces. If energy absorbing 
designs or devices are used to meet this 
requirement, they must protect the oc-
cupant from serious injury when the 
occupant is subjected to the inertia 
loads resulting from the ultimate stat-
ic load factors prescribed in 
§ 23.561(b)(2) of this part, or they must 
comply with the occupant protection 
provisions of § 23.562 of this part, as re-
quired in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this 
section. 

(j) Each seat track must be fitted 

with stops to prevent the seat from 
sliding off the track. 

(k) Each seat/restraint system may 

use design features, such as crushing or 
separation of certain components, to 
reduce occupant loads when showing 
compliance with the requirements of 
§ 23.562 of this part; otherwise, the sys-
tem must remain intact. 

(l) For the purposes of this section, a 

front seat is a seat located at a flight 
crewmember station or any seat lo-
cated alongside such a seat. 

(m) Each berth, or provisions for a 

litter, installed parallel to the longitu-
dinal axis of the airplane, must be de-
signed so that the forward part has a 
padded end-board, canvas diaphragm, 
or equivalent means that can with-
stand the load reactions from a 215- 
pound occupant when subjected to the 
inertia loads resulting from the ulti-
mate static load factors of § 23.561(b)(2) 
of this part. In addition— 

(1) Each berth or litter must have an 

occupant restraint system and may not 
have corners or other parts likely to 
cause serious injury to a person occu-
pying it during emergency landing con-
ditions; and 

(2) Occupant restraint system attach-

ments for the berth or litter must 
withstand the inertia loads resulting 
from the ultimate static load factors of 
§ 23.561(b)(2) of this part. 

(n) Proof of compliance with the stat-

ic strength requirements of this sec-
tion for seats and berths approved as 

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