FAR 23.2270 — Emergency Landing Protection
FAR 23.2270 sets emergency landing occupant protection rules for Part 23 airplanes — restraint loads, egress, baggage retention, and injury criteria.
In Plain English
FAR 23.2270 is a Part 23 airworthiness standard that tells designers how a small airplane must protect the people inside during and after an emergency landing — even if the airplane is damaged.
The rule requires that:
- Each occupant, when properly using the installed safety equipment (seatbelts, harnesses, airbags, etc.), is protected from injuries that would prevent egress (getting out).
- The structure and restraints must handle the ultimate static inertia loads expected in a crash, and must also account for dynamic crash conditions.
- Loads transmitted to occupants through restraints or contact with cabin objects must stay within established human injury criteria.
- Items of mass like engines, APUs, and equipment within or aft of the cabin must stay put under crash loads so they don't strike occupants.
- The occupant protection system must do its job without creating a secondary hazard, blocking egress, or interfering with normal flight.
- Baggage and cargo compartments must be designed for max weight and load distribution, prevent contents from shifting into occupants, and protect critical controls, wiring, and lines.
Why it matters operationally: this is the rule behind shoulder harnesses, energy-absorbing seats, baggage nets/barriers, and engine mount crashworthiness in modern certified light airplanes — features that dramatically improve survivability in an off-airport landing.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 23.2270§ 23.2270 Emergency conditions.
(a) The airplane, even when damaged in an emergency landing, must protect each occupant against injury that would preclude egress when—
(1) Properly using safety equipment and features provided for in the design;
(2) The occupant experiences ultimate static inertia loads likely to occur in an emergency landing; and
(3) Items of mass, including engines or auxiliary power units (APUs), within or aft of the cabin, that could injure an occupant, experience ultimate static inertia loads likely to occur in an emergency landing.
(b) The emergency landing conditions specified in paragraph (a)(1) and (a)(2) of this section, must—
(1) Include dynamic conditions that are likely to occur in an emergency landing; and
(2) Not generate loads experienced by the occupants, which exceed established human injury criteria for human tolerance due to restraint or contact with objects in the airplane.
(c) The airplane must provide protection for all occupants, accounting for likely flight, ground, and emergency landing conditions.
(d) Each occupant protection system must perform its intended function and not create a hazard that could cause a secondary injury to an occupant. The occupant protection system must not prevent occupant egress or interfere with the operation of the airplane when not in use.
(e) Each baggage and cargo compartment must—
(1) Be designed for its maximum weight of contents and for the critical load distributions at the maximum load factors corresponding to the flight and ground load conditions determined under this part;
(2) Have a means to prevent the contents of the compartment from becoming a hazard by impacting occupants or shifting; and
(3) Protect any controls, wiring, lines, equipment, or accessories whose damage or failure would affect safe operations.
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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What does FAR 23.2270 require regarding occupant protection in an emergency landing?
FAR 23.2270 requires that the airplane — even when damaged — protect each occupant from injuries that would prevent egress, assuming the occupant is properly using installed safety equipment and experiencing the ultimate static and dynamic inertia loads likely in an emergency landing.
Q2Under FAR 23.2270, what are the design requirements for baggage and cargo compartments?
Per FAR 23.2270(e), baggage and cargo compartments must be designed for maximum weight and critical load distribution at flight and ground load factors, must prevent contents from shifting and striking occupants, and must protect controls, wiring, lines, and equipment whose failure would affect safe operations.
Q3Why must items of mass like engines or APUs be considered under FAR 23.2270?
FAR 23.2270(a)(3) requires that engines, APUs, and other items of mass within or aft of the cabin be able to withstand the ultimate static inertia loads of an emergency landing so they don't break loose and injure occupants.
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