:
The Federal Aviation
Administration proposes to amend the
airworthiness standards applicable to
transport category airplanes to clarify
that flying at or below the design
maneuvering speed does not allow a
pilot to make multiple large control
inputs in one airplane axis or single full
control inputs in more than one airplane
axis at a time without endangering the
airplane’s structure. This proposed
regulation is the result of an accident
investigation and responds to a National
Transportation Safety Board
recommendation. The results of the
accident investigation indicate that
many pilots might have a general
misunderstanding of what the design
maneuvering speed (V
A) is and the
extent of structural protection that exists
when an airplane is operated at speeds
below its V
A. This action is being taken
to prevent this misunderstanding from
causing or contributing to a future
accident.