Federal Aviation Administration
MMEL Policy Letter 1 Revision 4
Date:	February 27, 2010
To:	All Region Flight Standards Division Managers All Aircraft Evaluation Group Managers
From:	Manager, Air Transportation Division, AFS-200
Reply to Attn of:	Manager, Technical Programs Branch, AFS-260
SUBJECT:	Wide-Body Passenger Airplane Door/Slide Relief
MMEL CODE:	25 (EQUIPMENT/FURNISHINGS), 52 (DOORS)
REFERENCE:	PL-1, Revision 3, dated  January 4, 2008 PL-1, Revision 2, dated  August 15, 1997 PL-1, Revision 1, dated  August 8, 1995
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this policy letter is to provide standardized Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL) requirements for operation of wide-body passenger airplanes with an inoperative door/slide or missing slide.
DISCUSSION:
Revision 4      This policy letter was originally written over 35 years ago with Appendix A thru C attached to provide supporting documentation to justify relief for wide-body airplane door/slide relief. Due to the excellent safety record for this relief, the FOPB has elected to archive this historical information to the Flight Standards Information Management System (FSIMS).      Door/slide relief for All-Freighter, All-Cargo and Combination Passenger/ Cargo relief is being incorporated into PL-99 Rev 2.      Full-length, double deck wide-body door/slide relief is being incorporated into this policy letter with this revision.      System description and relief for “Upper Deck Escape Slide Inflation System (or Door)” being renamed to “Wide-Body Double Deck (not full length) Airplanes” to standardize with PL-99 Rev 2.
Revision 3      Added “or slide missing” to the All Freighter Configuration and All-cargo and Combination Passenger/Cargo Operation relief.
Revision 2      Standardizes the format with other Policy Letters, with no change to policy.
Revision 1       The original policy letter provided relief for door/slide relief on the L-1011, DC-10 and B-747 aircraft. This revision added the A-300-B3/B4 and the MD-11 aircraft.

POLICY:

The FOPB has determined that an acceptable level of safety is maintained when MMEL relief is allowed for a door/slide on a wide-body passenger airplane. The following guidelines are provided for the FOEB Chairman in preparing door/slide relief on wide-body passenger airplanes. The FOEB Chairman should amend these guidelines as appropriate to account for the specific model airplane requirements and limitations.

52 (DOORS)		Repair Interval	Number Installed	Number Required for Dispatch	Remarks or Exceptions
52-XX	Main Entry Doors/Slides
	1) Passenger Configuration	A	-	-	(M)(O)One door/slide may be inoperative on each deck or one slide missing on each deck provided: a)   All other main entry doors are fully operational, b)   Affected door is not used for passenger loading, c)   A conspicuous barrier strap or rope and a placard stating that the door is inoperative shall be placed across the inoperative door, d)   Emergency exit sign and floor proximity lights associated with the inoperative exit must be covered to obscure the signs and lights, e)   Passengers must be briefed not to use the affected door, (Continued)

52 (DOORS)	Repair Interval	Number Installed	Number Required for Dispatch	Remarks or Exceptions
				f)    All passenger seats halfway to the next exit in each direction from the inoperative door, across the entire width of the airplane, shall be blocked off with conspicuous tapes or ropes that contrast with the interior prior to loading passengers. Only the seats in these areas shall be blocked; main passenger aisles, cross aisles, and exit areas must not be blocked. (For an inoperative forward door/ slide, the blocked seating area shall extend from the forward cabin end, rearward to a line halfway between the inoperative forward door and the next set of doors aft of the inoperative one. For an inoperative rear door/slide, the blocked seating area shall extend forward from the aft cabin end to a line halfway between the inoperative door and the next set of doors forward of the inoperative one), g)   Conspicuous signs and placards shall be placed in appropriate locations indicating these seats are not to be occupied by passengers, h)   Seated capacity must not exceed rated capacity of remaining pairs of exits, i)    For extended overwater operations, occupancy shall not exceed the normal rated capacity of the slide/ rafts, or the remaining slide/rafts or the rated overload capacity of the slide/rafts remaining after loss of one additional slide/raft of greatest capacity, whichever is least, (Continued)

52 (DOORS)	Repair Interval	Number Installed	Number Required for Dispatch	Remarks or Exceptions
				j)    Blocked seating layouts and evacuation procedures must be developed and approved by the FAA certificate holding office for inclusion in the operator’s manual, and k)   Repairs are made within one flight day.
				NOTE 1: Weight and Balance Manifest must be revised as necessary to ensure proper loading limits are observed.
				NOTE 2: Cabin attendants may be stationed in the vicinity of each door within blocked areas.

Wide-Body Double Deck (Not Full Length) Airplanes :
52 (DOORS)		Repair Interval	Number Installed	Number Required for Dispatch	Remarks or Exceptions
52-XX	Doors/Slides Passenger Configuration
	1) Upper Deck	C	2	1	One upper deck door/slide may be inoperative or slide missing provided upper deck and airplane occupancy certified limits are not exceeded.
		C	-	0	(O)Upper deck doors/slides may be inoperative or slides missing provided: a) Only essential crew members including official observer(s) in the observers seat(s) are allowed to occupy upper deck, and b) An alternate means of egress is available for upper deck occupants.

Each Flight Operations Evaluation Board (FOEB) Chairman should apply this Policy to affected MMELs through the normal FOEB process.

John Duncan, Manager,

Air Transportation Division, AFS-200