{"operation":"document","citation":"13-0183","title":"Alaska Airlines — Hazardous Materials Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"2014-02-11","effective_on":null,"summary":"13-0183 response to Alaska Airlines concerning 175.30, 175.75.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-13-0183.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-13-0183.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-13-0183","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/2013/130183.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nU.S. Department\nof Transportation\nPipeline and Hazardous\nMaterials Safety\nAdministration\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, D.C. 20590\nFEB 1 1 2014\nMr. Mike Tobin\nManager Dangerous Goods\nAlaska Airlines\nP.O. Box 68900\nSeattle, W A 98168\nRef. No.: 13-0183\nDear Mr. Tobin:\nThis is in response to your August 30, 2013 letter requesting clarification of the Hazardous\nMaterials Regulations (HMR; 49 CFR Parts 171-180) and the International Civil Aviation\nOrganization's Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air\n(ICAO TI) applicable to the transportation oflithium batteries. In your letter you note that\nUS Variation 1 in the ICAO TI requires compliance with all applicable requirements of Part\n175 including cargo location and a requirement for packages not authorized aboard a\npassenger aircraft to display a CARGO ONLY AIRCRAFT (CAO) label. You ask if\npackages containing lithium metal batteries and cells (UN 3090) and lithium metal batteries\nand cells contained in or packed with equipment (UN 3091) prepared in accordance with\nsection II of packing instructions 968, 969, and 970 in the ICAO TI are forbidden to be\nloaded in an inaccessible location on aircraft not carrying passengers, such as an\ninaccessible unit load device in a Class E main deck compartment.\nThe answer is no. Lithium metal batteries and cells (UN 3090) and lithium metal batteries\nand cells packed with or contained in equipment (UN3091) transported in accordance with\nSection II of packing instructions 968, 969, or 970 in the ICAO TI and US State Variation 2\nare not subject to the inaccessible loading restrictions in §175.75 (see§ 172.102(c)(l)\nspecial provision 188) . Further, unless specified in US Variation 2, such packages are not\nrequired to be labeled with the CARGO ONLY AIRCRAFT label. You note that\n§§ 175.30(a) and 175.30(a)(4) prohibits acceptance of hazardous materials unless the\noperator has ensured the hazardous material is labeled with a \"CARGO AIRCRAFT\nONLY\" label if the material as presented is not permitted aboard passenger-carrying\naircraft. While it is reasonable to make the assumption that the CAO label is required on\nthese packages offered in accordance with the ICAO TI, this is not the case. US State\nVariation 2 is clear that packages of UN 3090 and UN 3091 prepared in accordance with\nSection II of packing instructions 968, 969, and 970 do not require the CAO label. It is not\nthe intent of this office to require the CAO label on packages oflithium batteries offered\nunder Section II of packing instructions 968, 969, and 970 of the ICAO TI.\n\n<<<PAGE 2>>>\n\nI hope this information is helpful. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to\ncontact this office.\nSincerely,\n~-~\\,.n~- 'L) {u\nDuane A. Pfund\nInternational Standards Coordinator\nStandards and Rulemaking Division\n\n<<<PAGE 3>>>\n\nAugust 30, 2013\nU.S. Department of Transportation\nPHMSA Office of Hazardous Materials Standards\nAttn: PHH-10\nEast Building\n1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE\nWashington, D.C. 20590-0001\nInterpretation Request\nAlaska Airlines respectfully requests an interpretation on an apparent conflict between US State\nVariations in the ICAO Technical Instructions and the Hazardous Materials Regulations (49 CFR\nParts 171-180.) Alaska Airlines operates all-passenger, all-cargo and combination aircraft (where\nboth passengers and cargo are carried in a fixed configuration on the main deck.)\nQuestion:\nAre packages containing lithium metal batteries and cells (UN 3090) and lithium metal batteries\nand cells contained in or packed with equipment (UN 3091) prepared in accordance with Section\nII of Packing Instructions 968, 969 and 970 in the ICAO Technical Instructions (TI) forbidden to\nbe loaded in an inaccessible location on aircraft not carrying passengers, such as in an\ninaccessible unit load device in a Class E* main deck compartment)?\nWhy we're asking the question:\nIf a person only uses the ICAO Technical Instructions, they see US-2 not requiring Cargo Aircraft\nOnly (CAO) labels because they are marked \"FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER\nAIRCRAFT\" and therefore conclude they can be loaded in an inaccessible manner per the chart in\nUS-13 which has\" inaccessible\" in the forbidden column for \"packages not authorized aboard a\npassenger carrying aircraft and displaying a cargo aircraft only label.\"\nHowever, US-1 in the ICAO TI states shipments must be in accordance with 49 CFR \"as limited\nby Part 171, Subpart C.\" There we find § 171.25(b)(1) requires, in part, compliance with \"all\napplicable requirements in Part 175.\" And in Part 175, § 175.30 \"(a) No person may accept a\nhazardous material for transportation aboard an aircraft unless the aircraft operator ensures the\nhazardous material is: ...\n( 4) Labeled with a \"CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY\" label ... if the material as presented is not\npermitted aboard passenger-carrying aircraft.\"\nFollowing the sequence of the 3 citations mentioned, we conclude a Section II package needs to\nhave a CAO label, and therefore meets the \"and\" clause in US-2 (full citations below) and thus\nmust be loaded in an accessible manner to the flight crew (or in a Class C cargo compartment.)\nRecommendation:\nIf PHMSA's interpretation to our question is Section II batteries are forbidden in an inaccessible\nlocation we request PHMSA revise 49 CFR 175.75 table and the US-2 lower left box to read\n\"Cargo-only aircraft- packages not authorized aboard a passenger carrying aircraft.\" (deleting:\n\"and displaying a cargo aircraft only label.\")\nPage 1 of 3\n\n<<<PAGE 4>>>\n\nIf PHMSA's interpretation to our question is Section II batteries may be loaded in ao inaccessible\nlocation we request PHMSA revise 49 CFR §§ 172.402(c), 173.27(b)(4) and 175.30(a)(4) by\nadding: \"Exception: packages bearing either a \"PRIMARY LITHIUM BAlTERIES ~FORBIDDEN\nFOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT'' or \"LITHIUM METAL BAlTERIES -\nFORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER AIRCRAFT\" marking do not require a CARGO\nAIRCRAFT ONLY label.\"\n*Class E cargo compartment certified by the FAA as defined in 14 CFR 25.857(e). Class Cis§\n25.857(c).\nThank you in advance for your reply. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.\nMike Tobin, CHMM\nManager Dangerous Goods\nAlaska Airlines - SEADG\nP.O. Box 68900\nSeattle, WA 98168\n206-392-7854\nCurrent regulations (which our recommendations seek to improve for clarity and compliance):\n1) US-13 and the 49CFR 175.75 table use the language: inaccessible forbidden for \"packages not\nauthorized aboard a passenger carrying aircraft and displaying a cargo aircraft only label.\"\nOuAtnrr,· AtlD loADIUG TABLE\nQuantity limitation: 25 kg net weight of hazardous\nnat erial plus 75 kg net weight of Division 2.2 (liOn-\n~f)f)licability orbidden narnrnable compressed gas) per cargo compartment No limit\nPassenger-carrying aircraft Cargo Inaccessible Accessible.\nAircraft 0 n ly\nlabeled\npackages\nCargo-only aircraft- Not Inaccessible (Note 1) Accessible\nPackages authorized aboard a applicable (Note 2).\npassenger-carrying aircraft\nCargo-only aircraft- Inaccessible Not applicable Accessible\nPackages not authorized abo~rd a (Note 1) (Note 2).\npassenger-carrying aircraf('and}\ndisplaying a Cargo Aircraft 6Wif\nlabel\nNote 1:The following materials are not subject to this loading restriction-\na. Class 3, PG Ill (unless the substance is also labeled CORROSIVE).\nb. Class 6 (unless the substance is also labeled FLAMMABLE LIQUID (PG II and Ill only)).\nc. Class 7 (unless the hazardous material meets the definition of another hazard class).\nd. Class 9, ORM-0-AIR and Limited Quantity or Excepted Quantity material.\nNote 2:Aboard cargo-only aircraft, packages required to be loaded in a position that is considered to be\naccessible include those loaded in a Class C cargo compartment.\nPage 2 of 3\n--------------··-----·--------··-~--· ~-··---\n\n<<<PAGE 5>>>\n\n2) US-2 requires CAO label for Section 1A and 1B batteries, but Section II batteries \"must be\nmarked \"PRIMARY UTHIUM BATTERIES- FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD PASSENGER\nAIRCRAFT\" or \"UTHIUM METAL BATTERIES- FORBIDDEN FOR TRANSPORT ABOARD\nPASSENGER AIRCRAFT.\" That language, of course, comes from 49 CFR 172.102 SP 188.\n3) 49 CFR 172.402(c)\nCargo Aircraft Only label. Each person who offers for transportation or transports by aircraft a\npackage containing a hazardous material which is authorized on cargo aircraft only shall label the\npackage with a CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY label specified in § 172.448 of this subpart.\n4) 49 CFR 173.27 General requirements for transportation by aircraft.\n(b) Packages authorized onboard aircraft.\n(4) A package containing a hazardous material which is authorized aboard cargo aircraft but not\naboard passenger aircraft must be labeled with the CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY label required by §\n172.402(c) of this subchapter and may not be offered for transportation or transported aboard\npassenger-carrying aircraft.\n5) 49 CFR 175.30\n175.30 Inspecting shipments.\n(a) No person may accept a hazardous material for transportation aboard an aircraft unless the\naircraft operator ensures the hazardous material is:\n(4) Labeled with a \"CARGO AIRCRAFT ONLY\" label (see§ 172.448 of this subchapter) if the\nmaterial as presented is not permitted aboard passenger-carrying aircraft.\nPage 3 of 3","truncated":false,"body_characters":9270}