Effect on Egress of Furniture in Egress Pathways

Cabin Safety Branch (AIR-624) requires validated methods to assess how new cabin furniture (e.g., obliquely oriented seats, business-class pods, lie flat seats) placed adjacent to aisles or emergency exits that affects emergency egress, ditching, and water survival outcomes. The research will (a) quantify impacts on individual and group evacuation times and behaviors, (b) identify injury and entrapment risks, and (c) develop objective test methods and acceptance criteria to inform certification guidance and updates to relevant policy. Deliverables are required by FY28 to support pending manufacturer requests for novel cabin layouts that may be in or near certification planning.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $324,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  TBD

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591
• Managing Organizations:

  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute-Federal Aviation Administration

  P.O. Box 25082
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73125
• Performing Organizations:

  Civil Aerospace Medical Institute-Federal Aviation Administration

  P.O. Box 25082
  Oklahoma City, OK  United States  73125
• Principal Investigators:

  Mofle, Theodore C

• Start Date: 20251103
• Expected Completion Date: 20270421
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Aeromedical Research
• Subprogram: aviation safety

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Aircraft cabins; Aviation safety; Certification; Emergency exits; Evacuation; Furniture; Passengers; Risk assessment; Seats; Test procedures
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Design; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01970890
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Federal Aviation Administration
• Contract Numbers: TBD
• Files: RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 12 2025 11:59AM