FAA Orders Checks on Chopper Life-Raft Batteries Now
Published Date: 2/23/2026
Proposed Rule
Summary
If you fly an Airbus H160-B helicopter, heads up! The FAA wants you to check the emergency life-raft’s personal locator beacon (PLB) battery and rope connections to make sure they work right. You might need to test, fix, or replace parts soon, and some parts won’t be allowed anymore. Comments on this plan are open until April 9, 2026, so get ready to act and keep flying safe!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 3 costs, 0 mixed.
On‑Condition Replacement Costs
If a PLB or its battery fails the required tests, you may need to replace the battery pack or the entire PLB. The FAA lists an estimated cost to replace a battery pack of $2,258 per helicopter and to replace a full PLB of $5,478 per helicopter; correcting an incorrectly attached wrist strap is estimated at $85.
Required PLB Test and Rope Inspection
If you operate an Airbus H160-B helicopter, the FAA would require you to perform a functional test of the personal locator beacon (PLB) and inspect the rope/wrist strap connection to the emergency life-raft system (ELRS). The NPRM estimates the test costs $85 and the wrist-strap inspection costs $85 per helicopter; the FAA says 12 H160-B helicopters are on the U.S. registry.
Prohibition on Certain PLB/Rope Installations
The proposed AD would prohibit installing the affected PLB (EASA-identified P/N U256M30T1001, manufacturer P/N 500-32-2Y-H) or the rope between that PLB and the ELRS unless specific requirements are met. That restriction applies to installers and operators handling those parts.
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