Seatbelt Broken: Legal to Fly?

[Lisa Smith]

An airplane has its right front seat belt broken. Is it legal to fly,
assuming nobody is sitting in the right front seat? I say no, others
say yes.

The reason I say no is that 14 CFR 91.213 (d)(2)(i) says that it is only
legal to fly with inoperative equipment if the that equipment is not
part of the VFR day type certification. I believe that seatbelts ARE
required for type certification by Part 23 (or its CAA predecessor).

Others say it is ok to defer to the next regularly scheduled inspection,
as long as nobody sits in the seat with the broken seatbelt.

Who's right?

[maury]

On Aug 11, 11:02*pm, Lisa Smith > wrote:
> An airplane has its right front seat belt broken. *Is it legal to fly,
> assuming nobody is sitting in the right front seat? *I say no, others
> say yes.
>
> The reason I say no is that 14 CFR 91.213 (d)(2)(i) says that it is only
> legal to fly with inoperative equipment if the that equipment is not
> part of the VFR day type certification. *I believe that seatbelts ARE
> required for type certification by Part 23 (or its CAA predecessor).
>
> Others say it is ok to defer to the next regularly scheduled inspection,
> as long as nobody sits in the seat with the broken seatbelt.
>
> Who's right?

Look in the aircraft POH or operationg manual. There is a list of
equipment included. The equipment will also be indicate if it is
REQUIRED, STANDARD, or OPTIONAL. You must have at least those items
that are are marked REQUIRED.

[Brian Whatcott]

On 8/11/2011 10:02 PM, Lisa Smith wrote:
> An airplane has its right front seat belt broken. Is it legal to fly,
> assuming nobody is sitting in the right front seat? I say no, others say
> yes.
>
> The reason I say no is that 14 CFR 91.213 (d)(2)(i) says that it is only
> legal to fly with inoperative equipment if the that equipment is not
> part of the VFR day type certification. I believe that seatbelts ARE
> required for type certification by Part 23 (or its CAA predecessor).
>
> Others say it is ok to defer to the next regularly scheduled inspection,
> as long as nobody sits in the seat with the broken seatbelt.
>
> Who's right?

I think Falk has the best response. And if he's counseling too much
caution with his "inoperative" sign - that's no skin off your nose.

Brian W

[a[_3_]]

On Aug 11, 10:02*pm, Lisa Smith > wrote:
> An airplane has its right front seat belt broken. *Is it legal to fly,
> assuming nobody is sitting in the right front seat? *I say no, others
> say yes.
>
> The reason I say no is that 14 CFR 91.213 (d)(2)(i) says that it is only
> legal to fly with inoperative equipment if the that equipment is not
> part of the VFR day type certification. *I believe that seatbelts ARE
> required for type certification by Part 23 (or its CAA predecessor).
>
> Others say it is ok to defer to the next regularly scheduled inspection,
> as long as nobody sits in the seat with the broken seatbelt.
>
> Who's right?

If it's inconvenient to get the belt repaired, I'm guessing removing
the seat and tossing it in the back seat or luggage compartment
somewhere while the airplane is flown (maybe to a repair station)
would solve that legal issue (and maybe raise new ones)..

[RST Engineering[_2_]]

On Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:38:39 -0700 (PDT), maury >
wrote:


>Look in the aircraft POH or operationg manual.

Would'ja show me what the POH or Ops Manual for a 1948 Stinson Reliant
looks like?

Jim

[Greg Russell]

On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:44:04 -0700, RST Engineering wrote in
:


>>Look in the aircraft POH or operationg manual.
>
> Would'ja show me what the POH or Ops Manual for a 1948 Stinson Reliant
> looks like?

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/other-mechanical-systems-tech/stinson-
reliant-19-a-5578.html has a link for members.

[Greg Russell]

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:02:45 -0400, Lisa Smith wrote in
:

> An airplane has its right front seat belt broken. Is it legal to fly,
> assuming nobody is sitting in the right front seat? I say no, others
> say yes.

Mssr. Falk has provided the appropriate response to your question, I
believe.

A primary question is *why* is the belt broken? A mechanic (or preventive
maintenance owner) should determine the cause before replacing the item,
to preclude breakage again.