Attention:
All transport category aircraft owners, operators and maintainers
| File Classification No.: | Z 5000-35 |
|---|---|
| RDIMS No.: | 18566899 |
| Document No.: | CASA 2024-13 |
| Issue No.: | 01 |
| Effective Date: | 2024-11-29 |
Purpose:
The purpose of this Civil Aviation Safety Alert (CASA) is to raise awareness regarding the accessibility of portable oxygen bottles, particularly in transport category aeroplanes.
Background:
Transport Canada (TC) has received multiple in-service reports of portable oxygen bottles not being immediately available to the cabin crew when needed.
In one of the in-service reports, the gauge on the oxygen bottle was resting on the upper latch preventing the release of the latch. In another, the oxygen bottle was located where the placement and removal of baggage had rotated the oxygen bottle in the mounting bracket causing the regulator on the bottle to block the latch needed to release the bottle from the bracket. In both cases, the access to the portable oxygen bottle was delayed or prevented all together. To address these unsafe conditions and correct these installations, TC issued Airworthiness Directives (AD) CF-2019-18 and CF-2024-09.
Portable oxygen bottles are required to be immediately available in accordance with Canadian Aviation Regulation (CAR) Standard, Airworthiness Manual (AWM), paragraph 525.1447(c)(4). Also, portable oxygen bottles, which are required safety equipment to be used by the crew in an emergency, must be readily accessible in accordance with CAR AWM 525.1411(a).
For reference, based on SAE ARP6390, section 5.2, the equipment should be within 5 feet from crew members and/or reachable within 5 seconds. Note that even if the portable oxygen bottles are within 5 feet, any obstructions making their access more difficult must still allow for removal within 5 seconds, assuming the crew member is seated with their seat belt fastened. In addition, for applicable operators, CAR 705.71(3) requires that protective breathing equipment be conveniently located and readily available, and CAR 705.94(a) mandates that portable oxygen be readily available to each flight attendant when operating a pressurized aircraft above Flight Level (FL) 250.
Therefore, the portable oxygen equipment should be within easy reach and ready for use by crew members without any delay during an emergency or whenever it is needed. There should be no obstacles or barriers preventing the crew members from accessing the equipment.
Recommended action
Transport Canada recommends that all transport category aircraft owners, operators, and maintainers inspect all portable oxygen bottles installation for their immediate availability. This inspection should include the following assessments:
- Ensure that the portable oxygen bottles are located so that other equipment or the storage of crew/occupant baggage and personal effects do not interfere with access or affect the mounting in such a way that the portable oxygen cannot be immediately available.
- Check the mounting bracket for the portable oxygen bottles to ensure that portable oxygen bottle is firmly restrained and immediately accessible. The bottle should not be free to rotate or slide when properly latched in the bracket and should be readily released from latched position. In the case of mounts with separate upper and lower parts, the two parts may no longer apply adequate pressure to properly restrain the portable oxygen bottle. If this issue is found to exist, do one of the following:
- a) ensure that the portable oxygen bottle and its mounting brackets installation conform to the type design, and it is immediately available.
- b) replace the mounting bracket with a bracket of the same design and ensure proper restraint of the portable oxygen bottle to make it immediately available so that it can be readily accessed without delay.
Contact office:
For more information concerning this issue, contact a Transport Canada Centre; or contact Alireza Gharagozloo, Continuing Airworthiness in Ottawa, by telephone at 1-888-663-3639, by fax at 613-996-9178 or by e-mail at TC.CAWWEBFEEDBACK-retroactionWebMDLN.TC@tc.gc.ca.
Original signed by
Jenny Young
Chief, Continuing Airworthiness
National Aircraft Certification
Maintaining accessibility to portable oxygen bottles
(PDF, 207 KB)
The Transport Canada Civil Aviation Safety Alert (CASA) is used to convey important safety information and contains recommended action items. The CASA strives to assist the aviation industry's efforts to provide a service with the highest possible degree of safety. The information contained herein is often critical and must be conveyed to the appropriate office in a timely manner. The CASA may be changed or amended should new information become available.