ASTM F3408_F3408M-21 - Standard Specification for Aircraft Emergency Parachute Recovery Systems

1.1 This specification covers minimum requirements for the design of emergency parachute recovery systems for aircraft. Airframe emergency parachute systems addressed in this specification refer to parachute systems designed, manufactured, and installed to recover the airframe and its occupants at a survivable rate of descent. This specification is not applicable to deepstall parachutes, spin recovery parachutes, drogue parachutes, or other airframe emergency aerodynamic decelerators not specifically intended for safely lowering the airframe and occupants to the ground. The specification is applicable to these types of parachutes if they are an integral part of an airframe emergency parachute system designed to recover the airframe and occupants at a survivable rate of descent. The material was developed through open consensus of international experts in general aviation. This information was created by focusing on Level 1, 2, 3, and 4 Normal Category aeroplanes. The content may be more broadly applicable; it is the responsibility of the Applicant to substantiate broader applicability as a specific means of compliance. The topics covered within this document are: strength requirements, parachute test method, activation system, deployment system, parachute attachment to the airframe, occupant protection, and system verification.

1.2 An applicant intending to propose this information as Means of Compliance for a design approval must seek guidance from their respective oversight authority (for example, published guidance from applicable CAAs) concerning the acceptable use and application thereof. For information on which oversight authorities have accepted this specification (in whole or in part) as an acceptable Means of Compliance to their regulatory requirements (hereinafter the Rules), refer to the ASTM Committee F44 web page (www.astm.org/COMMITTEE/F44.htm). Annex A1 maps the Means of Compliance of this ASTM specification to EASA CS-23, amendment 5, or later, and FAA 14 CFR Part 23, amendment 64, or later, rules applicable to the Aircraft Emergency Parachute Recovery Systems installation.

1.3 Airframe emergency parachute recovery systems have become an acceptable means of greatly reducing the likelihood of serious injury or death in an in-flight emergency. Even though they have saved hundreds of lives in many different types of conditions, inherent danger of failure, even if properly designed remains due to the countless permutations of random variables (attitude, altitude, accelerations, airspeed, weight, geographic location, etc.) that may exist at time of usage. The combination of these variables may negatively influence the lifesaving function of these airframe emergency parachute systems. They are designed to be a safety device and to be used at the discretion of the pilot when deemed to provide the best chance of survivability.

1.4 Units—This document may present information in either SI units, English Engineering units, or both; the values stated in each system are not necessarily exact equivalents; therefore, to ensure conformance with the standard, each system shall be used independently of the other, and values from the two systems shall not be combined.

1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety, health, and environmental practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

1.6 This international standard was developed in accordance with internationally recognized principles on standardization established in the Decision on Principles for the Development of International Standards, Guides and Recommendations issued by the World Trade Organization Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) Committee.