FAA Flags Potential Seatbelt Failures In GA Aircraft (AVweb)

[Neal]

For those of us in CubCrafters aircraft and did EAB. Did it get your attention how small the screws are that hold the shoulder harness in place to the attach plate? 4 very small screws!

FAA Flags Potential Seatbelt Failures In GA Aircraft

FAA urges operators to inspect seatbelt restraint systems after NTSB reports of in-flight and crash-related failures.

avweb.com

 

[Cactus Charlie]

Were the screws in your aircraft smaller than the holes provided by AMSAFE in the inertia reel assembly. Do you think AMSAFE design of the inertia reel assembly is deficient?

I can't open the linked article so I don't know what the FAA concern is.

I did recently receive an FAA notification for SAIB 2026-10 which raises a concern about the rated strength of seat belts. I verified that the belts in my FX-3 are rated at 3,000 lb not the older 2,000 lb standard.

 

[Cactus Charlie]

According to CubCrafters documentation the inertia reel assemblies are secured with MS24693S272 machine screws. These are specified as 60,000 lb per square inch tensile strength.

If my quick calculation is correct that gives a tensile strength of 1191 lb per screw or 4765 lb for the assembly. (10-32 tapping drill size is 0.1590 inch which I used to derive the effective screw cross sectional area). The belts are rated at 3,000 lb.

I did not find the applicable AMSAFE installation instructions.