General

This part prescribes airworthiness standards for the issue of type certificates, and changes to those certificates, for transport category rotorcraft.

Transport category rotorcraft must be certificated in accordance with either the Category A or Category B requirements of this part. A multiengine rotorcraft may be type certificated as both Category A and Category B with appropriate and different operating limitations for each category.

Rotorcraft with a maximum weight greater than 20,000 pounds and 10 or more passenger seats must be type certificated as Category A rotorcraft.

Rotorcraft with a maximum weight greater than 20,000 pounds and nine or less passenger seats may be type certificated as Category B rotorcraft provided the Category A requirements of Subparts C, D, E, and F of this part are met.

Rotorcraft with a maximum weight of 20,000 pounds or less but with 10 or more passenger seats may be type certificated as Category B rotorcraft provided the Category A requirements of §§ 29.67(a)(2), 29.87, 29.1517, and subparts C, D, E, and F of this part are met.

Rotorcraft with a maximum weight of 20,000 pounds or less and nine or less passenger seats may be type certificated as Category B rotorcraft.

Each person who applies under Part 21 for a certificate or change described in paragraphs (a) through (f) of this section must show compliance with the applicable requirements of this part.

Each occupant's seat must have a combined safety belt and shoulder harness with a single-point release. Each pilot's combined safety belt and shoulder harness must allow each pilot, when seated with safety belt and shoulder harness fastened, to perform all functions necessary for flight operations. There must be a means to secure belts and harnesses, when not in use, to prevent interference with the operation of the rotorcraft and with rapid egress in an emergency.

Each occupant must be protected from serious head injury by a safety belt plus a shoulder harness that will prevent the head from contacting any injurious object.

The safety belt and shoulder harness must meet the static and dynamic strength requirements, if applicable, specified by the rotorcraft type certification basis.

For purposes of this section, the date of manufacture is either—

The date the inspection acceptance records, or equivalent, reflect that the rotorcraft is complete and meets the FAA-Approved Type Design Data; or

The date that the foreign civil airworthiness authority certifies the rotorcraft is complete and issues an original standard airworthiness certificate, or equivalent, in that country.