CAMI Vertical Administration Federal Aviation Research

By: Amanda Taylor

Biomedical Research Engineer

Civil Aerospace Medical Institute

Date: April 2021

Federal AviationAdministrationCAMI Vertical

ResearchNASA / FAA eVTOL Crashworthiness Workshop Series

CAMI Rotorcraft Research2April 2021

Federal AviationAdministration

CAMI Vertical Research Projects• Two Crashworthiness

Projects– Occupant Protection for

Legacy Rotorcraft– Rotorcraft Injury

Mechanism Analysis



eVTOL vs Legacy RotorcraftExterior

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eVTOL vs Legacy Rotorcraft

Seats and Restraints

Safran custom interior for Uber elevate

The MOBi-One interior ASX

Verticalmag corporate interior

Airbus helicopter



Occupant Protection for Legacy RotorcraftFor the Robinson R-22, R-44, the Airbus AS350, the Bell 206, and the Sikorsky S-76

– Determined baseline geometry, restraint system strength, and attachment strength

– Determined baseline seat mounting configurations

– Identified seat features that can attenuate vertical energy

– Determined the availability of existingcrash safety enhancing features

Robinson

Airbus

Bell

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Occupant Protection for Legacy Rotorcraft• Run a rigid seat test series using the Reusable Energy Absorbing Lab Seat

(REAL) Seat developed by the Department of the Navy• Testing to start fall 2021

REAL seat



Occupant Protection for Legacy Rotorcraft• Pulses are a combination

of the part 27/29 pulses and recommended pulses from the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) Rotorcraft Occupant Protection Working Group (ROPWG)



Occupant Protection for Legacy Rotorcraft• Full Scale testing at NASA Langley• Compare energy attenuating

certificated seats on a vertical test bed and a full vehicle

• Work to begin Fall 2021• eVTOL vehicles



Injury Mechanism Analysis

Task 1 – Identify a means to gather pertinent crash and injury information

to be collected for processing



Injury Mechanism Analysis• Task 2 - Demonstrate the procedures developed

in Task 1 by gathering and processing data from a selected sample of rotorcraft types and accidents

• Task 3 – Validate the procedures to use the gathered information for injury mechanism analysis, by assembling a review panel, to determine injury mechanism, that will include physicians and other accident investigation specialists



Injury Mechanism Analysis• Two Case Studies

– Non Crashworthy Aircraft AS350 B2

– Fully Crashworthy Aircraft AW109S



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case Study• Airbus AS350 B2• N919EM• Part 135 helicopter

air ambulance flight

• March 12, 2015



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case Study• Eufala, OK• CEN15FA171• 3 Occupants

– 1 Fatality– 2 Serious

• Combined impact conditions



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case Study



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case StudyPatient Litter - Ejected



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case StudyAft Flight Nurse Seat



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case Study• Pilot Seat• Ejected



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case Study• Asymmetrical stroking




• This seat has parts that bend and fracture to absorb energy



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case Study• Pilot floor Seat track

• Bottom of pilot seat




• Agusta A109S • N11NM• Part 135 helicopter air

ambulance flight• June 28, 2019




• Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport, MN

• CEN19FA185• Mostly vertical impact

conditions




• 3 Occupants• 2 Fatalities

– Pilot and Aft flight nurse




• All Seats had a rotary buckle four-point harness

• Buckle manufactured by Schroth

• Belt manufactured by BAE System Safety Products




Pilot seat measurements




Front left passenger seat measurements




Left Side Cabin Structure

Patient Litter (unoccupied)




Aft Facing passenger seat, unoccupied




Fwd Facing Flight Nurse Seat

Front View

Overhead View



Injury Mechanism Analysis- Case StudyRight Side Cabin Structure Exemplar



CAMI Vertical Research Projects Summary• Occupant Protection for Legacy Rotorcraft

– Define the baseline strength in the flying fleet of rotorcraft, recommend incremental improvements to make them safer

– Inform designers utilizing similar seat and restraint technology for UAM eVTOL aircraft about current and proposed systems

• Rotorcraft Injury Mechanism Analysis– Increase the understanding of injuries in rotorcraft accidents

by increasing the documentation of these accidents– Inform potential injury risks for new UAM eVTOL aircraft



Questions?

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CAMI Vertical Administration Federal Aviation Research

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