Fasten Your Seat Belt

Those were the days when few actually buckled up—in fact, automobile seat belt laws didn't take effect in each state universally until well into the 1980s. If you had a pickup truck, it was just as likely that Dad would have tossed you in the bed of the Ford and let you rattle around like a pinball in a game of Pachinko. 

We simply did not know what we didn’t know back then. Now we do. In a car, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, improper use of seat belts or not using them at all increases the risk of injury or death by up to 60 percent.

Seat belt use is mandatory in GA airplanes, but there have been slow advancements in retrofitting aircraft restraints. Adoption of the later technologies, such as multipoint lap belts and airbag shoulder straps in older aircraft, is challenging to retrofit due to limited STCs and the ostensible lack of new regulations from the FAA that would allow for easier installation of more advanced restraints in these vintage aircraft. 

In fact, while there are some STCs to retrofit multipoint or airbag seat belts in older aircraft, there are not enough STCs to cover most of the used GA population. And since there are more vintage aircraft than current models, those seat belt restraints may also be vintage in design and materials. 

There are likely a couple of reasons that reduce the availability of these STCs. One of them is that there must be enough aircraft in the GA population of that particular make and model to support the retrofit purchase once the STC is approved. Manufacturers of retrofit restraints will need to recoup the dollars invested in obtaining the STC, which means having enough of that model in service for potential retrofitting. 

The other challenge in obtaining an STC of this nature is the associated paperwork, testing, and processes inherent in submitting, revising, and gaining approval from the FAA. The bureaucracy’s speed is slower than a J-3 Cub in a headwind—both painful experiences.

However, the advancement in seat belts for newer aircraft in GA has advanced from the simple, automobile-style lap belts to three-point, four-point, and five-point harnesses, along with airbag shoulder harnesses. Many of these newer restraints are commonly used in aerobatic aircraft and experimental homebuilt aircraft.  

The FAA has also conducted studies proving that the proper use of shoulder straps, in conjunction with using the seat/lap belt, would reduce serious injuries by 88 percent and fatalities by 20 percent. Now, take a moment and reread that sentence. It’s critical information with meaningful statistics to back up the necessity of using a shoulder harness with a lap belt. If the aircraft has a separate lap belt and shoulder harness, it’s important to use them in conjunction. Also, if the plane has a headrest, it might be good to think twice before removing it for any reason. Headrests have been proven to prevent whiplash.

Why has the FAA called out this critical aspect? Quite simply, there have been more than a handful of accidents where the investigation found that the front seat occupants only used the lap belt, even though their aircraft were fitted with shoulder harnesses (which have been required by FAA mandate since December 12, 1986). 

Why would they exclude their shoulder harness? Anecdotal information implies that those noncompliant pilots may believe that if they are going to die in an airplane, the seat belt wouldn’t likely save them.

“When it comes to flying, your No. 1 focus should be safety,” said Trevor Smith from the YouTube channel Pilot Debrief. “Pilots often consider something as small and seemingly trivial as a seat belt unimportant. It isn’t. I would strongly encourage every pilot to use the equipment installed in the aircraft to help keep them safe.”

Accident investigators say occupant safety is simply about occupiable space in the cockpit. How much space is available? If the occupant can be prevented from excessive movement in the cabin during an accident sequence, then the likelihood of survivability increases. 

In addition, aircraft designs certified under FAA Part 23 regulations have much stricter guidelines for occupant safety than those grandfathered under CAR 3. This includes airbag shoulder harnesses, multipoint restraints, softer materials in the cockpit to mitigate sharp edges, the use of sidesticks instead of yokes (again to help prevent torso impact in accident sequences), along with passive safety improvements such as improved seat design with downward crushable technology to absorb impact and reduce the chance of spinal injuries, along with other areas of reinforcement and crumple zones to mitigate serious injury during accidents.

“Multipoint restraints in aircraft are crucial for enhancing pilot and passenger safety,” accident investigator Jeff Edwards said. “By focusing on protecting the head and torso, they significantly reduce the risk of severe injuries during accidents. Using these available restraints ensures better protection for occupants in scenarios that might otherwise lead to serious harm.”

For those who own aircraft four or more decades old, make some inquiries and investigate what STCs might be available for that particular type. You can find a good source of  information in the multitude of owner’s clubs, which for many owners of Cirrus, Bonanza, Piper, Cessna, and others, have been a cornucopia of knowledge that can help you decide on what available restraint and safety STCs for the specific aircraft could be utilized to create a safer cockpit environment should the unthinkable occur. 

“When you have passengers in your airplane, there should be one designated seat for each passenger,” Smith said. “There have been fatal and serious injury mishaps that occurred with contributing factors that included more passengers than seats and, therefore, not enough seat belts to go around.” 

When we think of our passengers and seats, let’s not forget that our children also must be protected. Depending on their age, an aviation-rated child seat can be an essential investment to help keep your most valuable passengers safe. 

Remember, all of us take risks every day. Whether it’s the drive to the grocery store or a flight for the proverbial $100 hamburger. As conscientious PICs, it is our duty and responsibility to mitigate risk for those who are entrusting us with their lives the moment they climb into our aircraft. Pad your odds by upgrading your airplane where possible and insisting on proper seat belt use for every fight.