Cert Alert Guidance on Cessna 208B Caravan

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ADVISORY CAUTIONARY NON-DIRECTIVE AIRPORT SAFETY AND OPERATIONS DIVISION AAS-300 FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT Mike Brown, AAS-300, (202) 267-7653 DATE: 04/25/08 No. 08-03 TO: Airport Operators, FAA Airport Certification Safety Inspectors TOPIC: This (Cert Alert) guidance is intended to clarify the status of the Cessna 208B Caravan, and the applicability of 14 CFR part 139 to airports that it serves in scheduled commercial operations . Background- Recently, a question arose regarding the applicability of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 139 to airports served by the Cessna 208B Caravan in scheduled passenger carrying operations. Specifically, 14 CFR section 139.1(a)(1) provides that an airport must be certificated under part 139 if it is to be served by- “Scheduled passenger-carrying operations of an air carrier operating aircraft designed for more than 9 passenger seats, as determined by the aircraft type certificate issued by a competent civil aviation authority…” In this case, an air carrier certificated under 14 CFR part 135 sought to commence scheduled operations utilizing Cessna model 208B Caravans. This prompted the question, “Does the airport that is served by this operation need to be certificated under part 139?” This guidance is intended to clarify the status of this aircraft, and the applicability of 14 CFR part 139 to airports that are served by the Cessna 208B Caravan in scheduled commercial operations. Technical Data- The Cessna 208B Caravan is certificated under 14 CFR part 23 as a normal category aircraft. Specifically, 14 CFR section 23.3(a) states, in relevant part- “The normal category is limited to airplanes that have a seating configuration, excluding pilot seats, of nine or less, a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds or less, and intended for nonacrobatic operation…” The certification basis for the Cessna 208B Caravan may be determined by reviewing page 10 of the type certificate data sheet (A37CE). The text appears as follows- 1 i i r 1-i,;--of Model 208B, Caravan I, 11 PCLM (Normal Category), Approved December 13, 1989 So from the data presented, we know that the Caravan is designed for 9 passenger seats or less, excluding pilot seats. As such, an airport served by this aircraft in passenger carrying operations would not need to be ·certificated under Part 139. The question arose because the Cessna 208B Caravan is certificated as a single pilot aircraft, and in non-revenue (14 CFR part 91) service, the second pilot seat may be occupied by a passenger. This lead to the interpretation that the Caravan was, in fact, equipped with 10 passenger seats. However, when used in scheduled passenger-carrying operations, 14 CFR section 135.113 prohibits passengers from occupying the second pilot seat when an aircraft is configured with 9 or more passenger seats (excluding the 2 pilot seats). Conclusion- Given that 14 CFR part 139 is applicable to scheduled passenger-carrying operations of an air carrier operating aircraft designed for more than 9 passenger seats, as determined by the aircraft type certificate; and the Cessna 208B Caravan in question is designed for 9 passenger seats or less, excluding pilot seats, and is being used in scheduled passenger carrying operations, an airport need not be certificated under 14 CFR part 139 to host this model aircraft. While the Airport Safety and Operations Division (AAS-300) is not aware of any similar confusion involving other aircraft models, the following steps should be taken if you have any doubts regarding the number of passenger seats available for a particular aircraft- 1. Go to FAA's homepage and follow the link to the type certificate data sheets, https://drs.faa.gov/bro se/ C SMO L/doct pe etails. w T D DE y D 2. Select Product Type as Aircraft 3. Select the appropriate TC Holder. 4. Select the appropriate aircraft Model. 5. Read the type certificate data sheet to determine the aircraft category. If it states that the type was certificated in the "Normal" category, the maximum passenger seating configuration is nine. In any case, if you have questions concerning a particular model, contact AAS-300 at 202- 267-7653 M A G Air ranspo a I0n 1vIsIon 2 DATE DISTRIBUTION CERTALERT DISTRIBUTION LIST