First European GA Manufacturer To Offer System
AmSafe Aviation, the world's leading provider of seatbelts and
inflatable restraints, announced Monday that Diamond Aircraft will
join the growing list of manufacturers that install AmSafe Aviation
Inflatable Restraints (AAIR) by making the belts standard equipment
for the pilot and copilot on board its new DA40 Diamond Star
and DA42 Twin Star aircraft.
The AAIR -- an airbag designed, engineered, tested and certified
exclusively for aviation application -- will be optional equipment
on the rear seats of these aircraft.
"Partnering with Diamond Aircraft provides AmSafe with another
new segment in our ever-growing business aviation network," said
Bill Hagan, president of AmSafe Aviation. "Diamond Aircraft's
decision to install the AAIR as standard equipment is significant
in that Diamond represents the first general aviation manufacturer
in Europe to install the AAIR system."
The AAIR system
includes an airbag housed within the seatbelt and is designed
specifically to protect passengers and crew members from serious
head injuries which can occur during an otherwise survivable
aircraft accident. Upon crash detection, the airbag deploys up and
away from the passenger to prevent head and neck injuries, thus
greatly enhancing the likelihood that an occupant can quickly and
safely exit the aircraft.
The protection afforded by the AAIR system is best understood in
the context of National Transportation Safety Board statistics
which state that not only do the vast majority of aircraft crashes
involve general aviation aircraft, but that approximately 75
percent of these incidents are survivable.
"While Diamond's active safety features have rewarded us with
the lowest accident rate of any general aviation manufacturer,
accidents can and unfortunately do happen," said Peter Maurer,
president of Diamond Aircraft. "AmSafe's AAIR system, in
conjunction with our other passive safety features, further helps
to minimize the possibility of injury in a Diamond product."
To date, including installations on commercial jetliners, more
than 10,000 AAIR systems have been shipped and installed on new
general aviation aircraft, including those manufactured by industry
leaders such as Cessna, Cirrus, Aviat, Mooney and Zenair.
With Diamond as AmSafe's newest addition to an expanding roster
of customers, the AAIR system is now standard equipment on 75
percent of all new single-engine aircraft.