§ 450.121 - Debris analysis.

§ 450.121 Debris analysis.

(a) General. A flight safety analysis must include an analysis characterizing the hazardous debris generated from normal and malfunctioning vehicle flight as a function of vehicle flight sequence.

(b) Vehicle impact and breakup analysis. A debris analysis must account for:

(1) Each reasonably foreseeable cause of vehicle breakup and intact impact,

(2) Vehicle structural characteristics and materials, and

(3) Energetic effects during break-up or at impact.

(c) Propagation of debris. A debris analysis must compute statistically valid debris impact probability distributions. The propagation of debris from each predicted breakup location to impact must account for -

(1) All foreseeable forces that can influence any debris impact location; and

(2) All foreseeable sources of impact dispersion, including, at a minimum:

(i) The uncertainties in atmospheric conditions;

(ii) Debris aerodynamic parameters, including uncertainties;

(iii) Pre-breakup position and velocity, including uncertainties; and

(iv) Breakup-imparted velocities, including uncertainties.

(d) Application requirements. An applicant must submit:

(1) A description of all scenarios that can lead to hazardous debris;

(2) A description of the methods used to perform the vehicle impact and breakup analysis, in accordance with § 450.115(c);

(3) A description of the methods used to compute debris impact distributions, in accordance with § 450.115(c);

(4) A description of the atmospheric data used as input to the debris analysis; and

(5) A quantitative description of the physical, aerodynamic, and harmful characteristics of hazardous debris.