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By Mike Mitchell |
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March 20, 2011 - The FAA issued a notice to inform
pilots of rotorcraft equipped with Garmin 400/500 series
GPS Navigation Systems, with the activated function of
Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (TAWS) designed
for use in fixed wing airplanes.
Rotorcraft generally includes those aircraft where one
or more rotors are required to provide lift throughout
the entire flight, such as helicopters, autogyros, and
gyrodynes.
The FAA notice is an airworthiness concern regarding
operation of a rotorcraft with an alert system not
designed or intended for use on rotorcraft. The FAA has
indicated the airworthiness concern is not an unsafe
condition that would warrant airworthiness directive
(AD) action.
Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) is an obvious
safety concern for all types of aircraft. Mandates to
install TAWS systems are regulatory for certain category
and classes of aircraft, typically transport airplanes
and certain rotorcraft. The installation of these
potentially safety enhancing systems remains
non-required for the vast majority of smaller airplanes
and rotorcraft.
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The FAA
has become aware of a number of installations of Garmin 400/500
series GPS Navigation Systems, in rotorcraft, with the airplane
TAWS function activated. The TAWS function in these systems was
designed and certified for use in Part 23 airplanes (reference
Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA01933LA) and meets the
requirements of Technical Standard Order (TSO) C151b (TAWS for
airplanes).
However,
the Garmin 400/500 series GPS Navigation Systems, with the
activated function of Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems
(TAWS) was designed for use in fixed wing airplanes and does not
meet the requirements of TSO C194 (Helicopter Terrain Awareness
Warning System, HTAWS). The TAWS systems was not designed or
intended for flight below 1000 ft.
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