AC 25.899-1 Electrical Bonding and Protection Against Static Electricity
AC 25.899-1 Electrical Bonding and Protection Against Static Electricity
AC 25.899-1 Electrical Bonding and Protection Against Static Electricity
Circular
Subject: ELECTRICAL BONDING
AND PROTECTION AGAINST STATIC
ELECTRICITY
Date: 10/22/07
AC No: 25.899-1
Initiated by: ANM-100
1. PURPOSE. This advisory circular (AC) provides guidance for demonstrating compliance
with the transport category airplane certification requirements of 25.899 Electrical bonding
and protection against static electricity.
2. APPLICABILITY.
a. The guidance provided in this document is directed to airplane manufacturers, modifiers,
foreign regulatory authorities, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) transport airplane
type certification engineers, and designees.
b. This material is neither mandatory nor regulatory in nature and does not constitute a
regulation. It describes acceptable means, but not the only means, for demonstrating
compliance with the applicable regulations. We will consider other methods of
demonstrating compliance that an applicant may elect to present. While these guidelines
are not mandatory, they are derived from extensive FAA and industry experience in
determining compliance with the relevant regulations. On the other hand, if we become
aware of circumstances that convince us that following this AC would not result in
compliance with the applicable regulations, we will not be bound by the terms of this AC,
and we may require additional substantiation as a basis for finding compliance.
c. This material does not change or create any additional regulatory requirements nor does
it authorize changes in or permit deviations from existing regulatory requirements.
d. Terms such as shall or must are used in this AC only in the sense of ensuring
applicability of this particular method of compliance when the acceptable method of
compliance described herein is used.
10/22/07
AC 25.899-1
3. DEFINITIONS.
Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS). In part, an EWIS is any wire,
wiring device, or combination of these, including termination devices, installed in any area of
the airplane for the purpose of transmitting electrical energy between two or more intended
termination points. The complete regulatory definition of an EWIS is in 25.1701, which is
included in Appendix A of this AC.
4. COMPLIANCE GUIDANCE.
a. Protection Against Accumulation of Static Charges.
(1) General. All items that may cause a danger of
electrical shock,
ignition of flammable vapors, or
interference with installed electrical/electronic equipment (e.g., radio
communications and navigational aids)
as a result of accumulation and discharge of static charges should be adequately
bonded to the main grounding systems.
(2) Intermittent contact. The design should ensure that no intermittent contact can
occur between metallic and/or metalized parts.
(3) High pressure refueling and fuel transfer. High pressure refueling and/or
high rates of fuel transfer must not induce dangerously high voltages within the fuel
system. Prevention of such an occurrence should be established by test or by
consultation with the appropriate fuel and refueling equipment manufacturers. If
compliance with this requirement involves any restriction on the types of fuel to be
used or on the use of additives, these restrictions should be established.
(a) With standard refueling equipment and standard airplane turbine fuels,
voltages high enough to cause sparking may be induced between the surface of the
fuel and the metal parts of the tank at refueling flow velocities above
approximately 7 meters/second (23 feet/second). These induced voltages may be
increased by
The presence of additives and contaminants (e.g., anti-corrosion
inhibitors, lubricating oil, free water).
Splashing or spraying of the fuel in the tank.
(b) The static charge can be reduced by
1 adjusting the refueling equipment, such as by increasing the diameter of
refueling lines and designing filters to give the minimum of electrostatic
charging, or
10/22/07
AC 25.899-1
2 changing the electrical properties of the fuel with anti-static additives, thus
reducing accumulation of static charge in the tank to negligible amount, or
3 adjusting the critical refueling rates. Critical refueling rates are related to
the airplane refueling installations and the designer should seek the advice of
fuel suppliers on this problem.
b. Bonding Paths.
(1) There are two kinds of bonding paths:
Primary bonding paths are those paths that are required to carry lightning
discharge currents. These paths should be as short as practicable with low
electrical resistance.
Secondary bonding paths are those paths provided for other forms of
bonding.
10/22/07
AC 25.899-1
(e) Internal components for which a primary bond is specified and the main
airplane ground.
10/22/07
AC 25.899-1
damage the material, alternative current paths may be required in order to limit current
flow.
(4) You should take particular care to ensure that all joints, permanent and temporary,
are capable of carrying any currents that may flow, particularly those resulting from
lightning strikes. Structural damage and loss of screening capabilities may occur if
these are not adequately controlled.
(5) You may have to consider the adequacy of the material in supplying a ground plane
for antennas. Again, it will vary with the material and the radio frequency of the
system.
e. Compliance with 25.1717. Section 25.1717 requires that EWIS components used
for electrical bonding and protection against static electricity meet the requirements of
25.899.
f. Instructions for Continued Airworthiness. Instructions for Continued
Airworthiness (required by 25.1529 and 25.1729) must include all maintenance actions
necessary to ensure that components used for electrical bonding and protection against static
electricity are maintained so that they continue to perform their intended function
throughout the expected service life of the airplane.
/s/Ali Bahrami
Ali Bahrami
Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate
Aircraft Certification Service
10/22/07
AC 25.899-1
Appendix A
APPENDIX A
The text of 25.899 and 25.1701 is repeated here for the convenience of the
reader.
25.899 Electrical bonding and protection against static electricity.
(a) Electrical bonding and protection against static electricity must be designed to
minimize accumulation of electrostatic charge that would cause
(1) Human injury from electrical shock,
(2) Ignition of flammable vapors, or
(3) Interference with installed electrical/electronic equipment.
(b) Compliance with paragraph (a) of this section may be shown by
(1) Bonding the components properly to the airframe; or
(2) Incorporating other acceptable means to dissipate the static charge so as
not to endanger the airplane, personnel, or operation of the installed
electrical/electronic systems.
25.1701 Definition.
(a) As used in this chapter, electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS)
means any wire, wiring device, or combination of these, including termination
devices, installed in any area of the airplane for the purpose of transmitting
electrical energy, including data and signals, between two or more intended
termination points. This includes:
(1) Wires and cables.
(2) Bus bars.
(3) The termination point on electrical devices, including those on relays,
interrupters, switches, contactors, terminal blocks, and circuit breakers and
other circuit protection devices.
(4) Connectors, including feed-through connectors.
(5) Connector accessories.
(6) Electrical grounding and bonding devices and their associated
connections.
A-1
10/22/07
AC 25.899-1
Appendix A
(7) Electrical splices.
(8) Materials used to provide additional protection for wires, including wire
insulation, wire sleeving, and conduits that have electrical termination for the
purpose of bonding.
(9) Shields or braids.
(10) Clamps and other devices used to route and support the wire bundle.
(11) Cable tie devices.
(12) Labels or other means of identification.
(13) Pressure seals.
(14) EWIS components inside shelves, panels, racks, junction boxes,
distribution panels, and back-planes of equipment racks, including, but not
limited to, circuit board back-planes, wire integration units, and external wiring
equipment.
(b) Except for the equipment indicated in paragraph (a)(14) of this section, EWIS
components inside the following equipment, and the external connectors that are
part of that equipment, are excluded from the definition in paragraph (a) of this
section:
(1) Electrical equipment or avionics that are qualified to environmental
conditions and testing procedures when those conditions and procedures
are
(i) appropriate for the intended function and operating environment,
and
(ii) acceptable to the FAA.
(2) Portable electrical devices that are not part of the type design of the
airplane. This includes personal entertainment devices and laptop
computers.
(3) Fiber optics.
A-2
10/22/07
AC 25.899-1
Appendix B
APPENDIX B
RELATED REGULATIONS AND DOCUMENTS
Regulations. You can download an electronic copy of 14 CFR from the Internet at
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cfr/. A paper copy can be ordered by sending a request to
the U.S. Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington,
D.C. 20402-0001, or by calling telephone number (202) 512-1800; or by sending a
request by facsimile to (202) 512-2250.
25.581
25.954
25.1316
25.1353
25.1360
25.1529
25.1717
25.1719
25.1729
Lightning protection
Fuel system lightning protection
System lightning protection
Electrical equipment and installations
Precautions against injury
Instructions for continued airworthiness
Circuit protective devices: EWIS
Accessibility provisions: EWIS
Instructions for continued airworthiness: EWIS
Advisory Circulars. You can download an electronic copy of the latest version of the
following ACs from the FAA Internet at http://rgl.faa.gov.
20-53B
Reports. You can download an electronic copy of the following report from the Final
Reports section of the Aging Transport Systems Rulemaking Advisory Committee
(ATSRAC) website: www.mitrecaasd.org/atsrac.
Task 6 Final Report, dated October 29, 2002, Aging Transport Systems Rulemaking
Advisory Committee.
B-1
10/22/07
AC 25.899-1
Appendix C
APPENDIX C
C-1