Technical Paper
Aircraft Systems Design: Lessons Learned from SFAR 88
2003-09-08
2003-01-2991
On July 17, 1996, a 25-year old Boeing Model 747-100 series airplane broke up in the air after takeoff from Kennedy International Airport in New York. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation concluded the center wing tank exploded due to an unknown ignition source. These findings culminated in two FAR amendments issued on April 18, 2001. Amendment 25-102 renamed § 25.981 as Fuel Tank Ignition Prevention and added new requirements addressing ignition source prevention and flammable vapor minimization within fuel tanks. Amendment 21-78 introduced Special Federal Aviation Regulations (SFAR) No. 88 which required a one-time safety reassessment of many in-service fuel tank systems per the ignition source prevention requirements of § 25.901 and the amended § 25.981.
