FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine
Civil Aerospace Medical Institute
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Report No: DOT/FAA/AM-99/5

Title and Subtitle: Comparison of Buckle Release Timing for Push-Button and Lift-Latch Belt Buckles

Report Date: February 1999

Authors: Gowdy, V., George, M., and McLean, G. A.

Abstract: Small aircraft passenger restraint systems most commonly 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 (FAA) 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 by the FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) with volunteer human subjects 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. This report includes the physical profiles of the subjects, the test protocol, and a statistical summary of the results. Based on the data acquired in this project, there was no major difference in the response times of the human 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.

Key Words: Push-Button Buckles, Small Aircraft Restraints

No. of Pages: 11