Dear GA community,
I want to bring your attention about portable fire extinguishers that need to be located in NCO aircraft (airplane and helicopter). Based on articles "NCO.IDE.A.160 Hand fire extinguishers" and "NCO.IDE.H.160 Hand fire extinguishers" of Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 (Air Ops), NCO operators (except ELA 2 airplane and helicopter) are required to install at least 1 hand fire extinguishers:
(1) in the flight crew compartment; and
(2) in each passenger compartment that is separate from the flight crew compartment, except if the compartment is readily accessible to the flight crew.
In the meantime EASA does not clearly defines what types of fire extinguishing agents are acceptable to be used in aircraft. The only regulation I found is Regulation (EU) 2015/640 (Part-26 - "26.170 Fire extinguishers" - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02015R064…) which states that large airplane and helicopter shall not use halon as an extinguishing agent if the first individual certificate of airworthiness is issued on or after 18 May 2019.
Alternatively, I found FAA's "Advisory Circular 20-42D (Hand Fire Extinguishers for use in Aircraft - https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_20-42D.p…)" which clearly states and recommends types of extinguishing agents allowed to be used in aircraft.
In general, ICAO's Annex 6, Part II (International General Aviation Operations) states that:
"2.4.2.3 Any agent used in a built-in fire extinguisher for each lavatory disposal receptacle for towels, paper or waste in
an aeroplane for which the individual certificate of airworthiness is first issued on or after 31 December 2011 and any
extinguishing agent used in a portable fire extinguisher in an aeroplane for which the individual certificate of airworthiness is
first issued on or after 31 December 2018 shall:
a) meet the applicable minimum performance requirements of the State of Registry; and
b) not be of a type listed in the 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer as it appears in the
Eighth Edition of the Handbook for the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, Annex A,
Group II.
Note.— Information concerning extinguishing agents is contained in the UNEP Halons Technical Options Committee
Technical Note No. 1 — New Technology Halon Alternatives and FAA Report No. DOT/FAA/AR-99-63, Options to the
Use of Halons for Aircraft Fire Suppression Systems."
I wonder to get to know practice you follow when determining whether certain type of extinguishing agent is suitable for aircraft use or not.
Thank you your attention for this matter!