COMPARISON OF BUCKLE RELEASE TIMING FOR PUSH-BUTTON AND LIFT-LATCH BELT BUCKLES
Passenger restraint systems on small aircraft usually use lift-latch type buckle release mechanisms. Push-button buckle release mechanisms, similar to those used in contemporary automobiles, have rarely been used on passenger restraints. Although push-button buckles are not explicitly prohibited by Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the human factors aspects of introducing push-button buckles in an aircraft environment are important considerations from the standpoint of safety. A test program was conducted with volunteers to measure and compare the times it takes a passenger to release a push-button buckle on a 3-point restraint, a common lift-latch buckle on a 3-point restraint, and a lift-latch buckle on a common lap belt. Sixty subjects were tested in a repeated-measures counterbalanced test protocol, which included instrumentation to measure the response times to release the buckle. Response time for the subjects to exit the seat and press a remote button was also acquired. Based on the data acquired in this project, there was no major difference in the response times of the subjects to release or egress from a 3-point restraint with a push-button buckle, compared with a lift-latch buckle on a 3-point or a common lap belt restraint. This study was intended to address factors associated with the use of push-button buckles restraint systems in small airplanes. Any consideration of the use of push-button buckles on commercial transport aircraft passenger seats should include data on a broader range of human factors.
- Record URL:
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Corporate Authors:
Federal Aviation Administration
Office of Aerospace Medicine, 800 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC United States 20591 -
Authors:
- Gowdy, V
- George, M
- McLean, G A
- Publication Date: 1999-2
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Features: Figures; Tables;
- Pagination: 11 p.
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Aviation safety; Buckles (Fasteners); Human factors; Human subject testing; Passengers; Reaction time; Restraint systems; Seat belts; Small aircraft; Three point restraint systems
- Subject Areas: Aviation; Passenger Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00929986
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: DOT/FAA/AM-99/5
- Files: NTL, TRIS, USDOT
- Created Date: Aug 31 2002 12:00AM