Air carrier certification and operations: Terrain awareness and warning system; technical standard order availability,
[Federal Register: November 4, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 213)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 59494-59495]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04no98-13]
Proposed Rules Federal Register
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
[[Page 59494]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Parts 91, 121 and 135
Terrain Awareness and Warning System
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability for public comment.
SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of and requests comments on proposed Technical Standard Order (TSO) C151, Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS). The proposed TSO prescribes the minimum operational performance standards that a TAWS must meet to be identified with the applicable TSO marking.
DATES: Comments submitted must identify the TSO file number and be received on or before January 26, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Send all comments on the proposed technical standard order to: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Aircraft Certification Service, Aircraft Engineering Division, Avionic Systems Branch, AIR- 130, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591. Or deliver comments to: Federal Aviation Administration, Room 815, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michelle Swearingen, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Aircraft Certification Service, Aircraft Engineering Division, Avionic Systems Branch, AIR-130, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, Telephone: (202) 267-3817, FAX: (202) 267-5340.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
Interested person are invited to comment on the proposed TSO listed in this notice by submitting such written data, views, or arguments, as they desire, to the aforementioned specified address. Comments received on the proposed technical standard order may be examined, before the closing date, in Room 815, FAA Headquarters Building (FOB-10A), 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, weekdays except Federal holidays, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. All communications received on or before the closing date for comments specified above will be considered by the Director of the Aircraft Certification Service before issuing the final TSO.
Background
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed issuing operating rules that would prohibit operation of turbine-powered U.S. registered airplanes type certificated to have six or more passenger seats, exclusive of pilot and copilot seating, unless that airplane is equipped with an FAA-approved terrain awareness and warning system (also referred to as an enhanced ground proximity warning system) (63 FR 45628, August 26, 1998). That proposal would affect aircraft operated under parts 91, 121 and 135. Because operators under part 125 and operators of U.S. registered airplanes under part 129 must comply with part 91, they would also have to meet this proposed requirement.
The change is needed because there have been several accident investigations and studies that have shown a need to expand the safety benefits of ground proximity warning systems to certain additional operations. In addition, the investigations and studies have shown that there is a need to increase the warning times and situational awareness of flight crews to decrease the risk of controlled flight into terrain accidents.
Currently, the FAA approves the manufacture and installation of Ground Proximity Warning Systems (GPWS) through Technical Standard Orders. Section 121.360 of 14 CFR requires the use of a GPWS meeting TSO-C92, which has been reissued as TSO-C92a, TSO-C92b, and TSO-C92c. The FAA does not intend to revise TSO-C92c to include TAWS requirements.
Instead, the FAA is developing and plans to issue a new and separate TSO for TAWS. The new TSO-C151, TAWS, is being developed through the FAA TSO process that allows for public comments. Any person desiring to review and comment on the draft TSO-C151 may obtain a copy of the draft TSO-C151 from the person mentioned in the section entitled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. This TSO would be the means to obtain FAA approval of the TAWS product.
The standards of the TSO apply to equipment intended to provide the flight crew with both aural and visual alerts and terrain information on a display to aid in preventing an inadvertent controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) event. The TAWS includes: (a) a terrain display, (b) terrain awareness and alerting functions which use position information provided by either a suitable internal position sensor or an on-board area navigational system and an on-board terrain database, and (c) ground proximity detection and alerting functions that are described in the TSO as modes 1-6.
Comments submitted in response to this TSO notice will also be included in the docket for the TAWS NPRM. A preliminary review of comments submitted in response to the NPRM indicates that several commenters are very interested in the provisions of the proposed TAWS TSO. Accordingly, to the extent that commenters want to clarify or supplement their comments submitted to the NPRM docket, they should so identify those clarifying and supplementary comments submitted to the TSO-C151 docket.
How To Obtain Copies
A copy of the proposed TSO-C151 may be obtained via Internet (http://www.faa.gov/avr/air/100home.htm) or on request from the office listed under For Further Information Contact. RTCA Document No. DO- 161A, ``Minimum Performance Standards--Airborne Ground Proximity Warning Equipment,'' dated May 27, 1976; DO-160D, ``Environmental Conditions and Test Procedures for Airborne Equipment,'' dated July 29, 1997; DO-178B, ``Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification,'' dated 1992; and DO-200, ``Preparation, Verification and Distribution of User-Selectable Navigation Data Bases,'' dated November 28, 1988, may be purchased from the RTCA Inc., 1140 Connecticut Avenue, NW., Suite 1020, Washington, DC 22036. Copies of the RTCA documents may be inspected at the ADDRESSES listed above. However, those documents are copyrighted and may not
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be copied without the written consent of RTCA, Inc.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 26, 1998. James C. Jones, Manager, Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 98-29492Filed11-3-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M
