Seat belt age

Jim K

Jim K

360 For Spacing
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Richard Digits
When should aircraft seat belts be replaced?
On condition? Every 20 years?
It just occurred to me that I have no idea how old the ones in my plane are. They could be 45 years old. They look and feel fine, but that's pretty old for fabric. Of course I drive cars older than that with original seatbelts and don't think twice about it.
Any guidance?
 
Ask your mechanic? He’s the one signing the books as airworthy.
 
Jim K said:
Any guidance?
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FYI: some OEMs put out recommendations of when to replace those restraints. For example, Cessna recommends 10 years for most models. However, from a regulatory point they are considered "on-condition" for Part 91 and is the route I usually took when inspecting them. Also you don't necessarily need to replace them as they can be rewebbed as an economic alternative.
 
Hard acro bird, 5 years would probably be my limit. Inside stored traveling machine, I’d be looking hard at 10 year old belts. Vendor recommendations would take precedence, but I’m often more conservative than others.
 
A typical route to replacing belts is having the labels wear off.

I’ve suggested clear plastic sleeves or clear tape to protect them.

Lately I’ve seen a few that might be provided by the belt mfg.
 
Our belts at work, have numerous inspection criteria, including for things like broken stitches, missing or damaged labels and edge wear.
 
It’s a valid question for sure. Also to check out any SB reguarding them! We lost a friend in the Cessna 120/140 community from a failed bracket… IIRC there was an SB on the bracket but not an AD… some originals the bracket was aluminum. She aborted a take off and in stopping nosed over all the way- but the bracket on her belt busted and she died of head trauma…. I had Hookers put in mine but even then they use that bracket… they can be converted to steel. So it’s worth putting an evening read into your belt system…
 
NHRA 5 years if I recall. Maybe browse around for a few other automotive race sanctioning bodies’ rules as well to get a feel.
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
NHRA 5 years if I recall. Maybe browse around for a few other automotive race sanctioning bodies’ rules as well to get a feel.
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NHRA belts are replaced every 2 years. I think that is a little over kill and probably because of a lawsuit?

Like said above depends on their use and storage, I'd say 5-10 years would be reasonable.

Who re webs safety belts for aviation?
 
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SCCA is every 5 years from the date of harness manufacture, which makes it worthwhile to check the label before purchase. In a plane, condition inspection is legal for part 91, but the condition inspection can't determine how the elasticity of the belt may have degraded. Ten years might be a decent rule of thumb.
 
While certainly inspecting the belts for good condition is important, I can't recall reading any NTSB reports for GA where failed seat belt webbing was a proximate cause of an injury. I'd be more concerned about the attachment hardware being properly installed and in good condition.
 
Seatbelts are covered under TSO-C114. They should be listed as a life limited item in Chapter 4 of your AMM. For instance, in our Columbia 400, they need to be replaced every 3000 hours or 10 years.
 
Huckster's point about failing anchor brackets is valid. While it applies only to the 120s and 140s, it's a reminder to check anchor points at annuals on any airplane.
https://www.faasafety.gov/files/notices/2020/Dec/SEB-25-03.pdf

I have sometimes found missing hardware, or incorrect hardware, in seatbelt/shoulder harness attachments. For instance, in the 172, the bolts that secure the shoulder harness to the doorpost is supposed to be an NAS bolt, yet I'd find AN bolts in there. NAS bolts are much stronger. Parts catalogs matter.

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The front lap belts are attached to steel brackets bolted through the seat rails and floor and a bulkhead under the floor. There is a reinforcing block to spread the loads into that bulkhead. I once found that block loose in the belly, left there by someone who had removed the bracket to replace the seat rail. The bolts could have torn out through the bulkhead in a crash. The seat rails would never have held them. I've found the steel brackets rust-pitted.

Black belts seem to stand the UV better. The older airplanes often had color-coordinated belts in them that degraded faster. You'd take that yellow or brown or blue belt and flex it and see nylon dust coming out of it as the fibers crumbled. And of course, there were always the belts that were run over by the seat rollers, their edges torn and frayed.

Old airplanes. Fun. No such thing as a cheap old airplane.
 

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At least we got the official poa answer out of the way quickly lol. Obviously my mechanic doesn't have a problem with them as he signed them off.

The ozone generator suggestion in the "old airplane smell" thread made me think about stuff in the cockpit oxidizing. Then I watched a video about testing fabric covering and got to thinking about the fact that fabric can lose strength and look fine. I actually don't know how old my belts are. I think my interior was originally blue, so the current gray belts may or may not be original.

EDIT: Or are they black? I haven't seen my plane in too long...

Good stuff. I like the idea of getting new webbing installed in the original hardware.
 
Gary Ward said:
Who re webs safety belts for aviation?
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To add, there are a number of vendors that re-web belts to include the possibility of local repair stations to you. A search under "aviation seat belt re-webbing" will get you a good listing.
 
Replacement belts from Wag Aero, are also not too expensive. I did mine a few years back.
 
Jason Jennings said:
Seatbelts are covered under TSO-C114. They should be listed as a life limited item in Chapter 4 of your AMM. For instance, in our Columbia 400, they need to be replaced every 3000 hours or 10 years.
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thats true for a newer aircraft certified under part 23, but most cesspipbeech aircraft out there were certified under car 3 with no such requirements for such documentation. so it does not exist.
 
My plane( Columbia 300) is a mandatory 10 years, based on how it was certified (part23)
Older planes just off condition
 
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