---
kind: "section"
citation: "14 C.F.R. § 450.109"
title: "14"
number: "450.109"
heading: "Flight hazard analysis."
url: "https://uscodex.org/cfr/14/450.109"
---

# §450.109. Flight hazard analysis.

- (a) **Applicability.** This section applies to the use of a flight hazard analysis as a hazard control strategy to derive hazard controls for the flight, or phase of flight, of a launch or reentry vehicle. Hazards associated with computing systems and software are further addressed in [§ 450.141](/cfr/14/450.141.md).
- (b) **Analysis.** A flight hazard analysis must identify, describe, and analyze all reasonably foreseeable hazards to public safety resulting from the flight of a launch or reentry vehicle. Each flight hazard analysis must—
  - (1) Identify all reasonably foreseeable hazards, and the corresponding failure mode for each hazard, associated with the launch or reentry system relevant to public safety, including those resulting from:
    - (i) Vehicle operation, including staging and release;
    - (ii) System, subsystem, and component failures or faults;
    - (iii) Software operations;
    - (iv) Environmental conditions;
    - (v) Human factors;
    - (vi) Design inadequacies;
    - (vii) Procedure deficiencies;
    - (viii) Functional and physical interfaces between subsystems, including any vehicle payload;
    - (ix) Reuse of components or systems; and
    - (x) **Interactions of any of the above.**
  - (2) **Assess each hazard's likelihood and severity.**
  - (3) Ensure that the likelihood of any hazardous condition that may cause death or serious injury to the public is extremely remote.
  - (4) Identify and describe the risk elimination and mitigation measures required to satisfy [paragraph (b)(3)](#b-3) of this section.
  - (5) Document that the risk elimination and mitigation measures achieve the risk level of [paragraph (b)(3)](#b-3) of this section through validation and verification. Verification includes:
    - (i) Analysis;
    - (ii) Test;
    - (iii) Demonstration; or
    - (iv) **Inspection.**
- (c) **New Hazards.** An operator must establish and document the criteria and techniques for identifying new hazards throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system.
- (d) **Completeness Prior to Flight.** For every launch or reentry, the flight hazard analysis must be complete and all hazards must be mitigated to an acceptable level in accordance with [paragraph (b)(3)](#b-3) of this section.
- (e) **Updates.** An operator must continually update the flight hazard analysis throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system.
- (f) **Application requirements.** An applicant must submit in its application the following:
  - (1) Flight hazard analysis products of [paragraphs (b)(1) through (5)](#b-1..b-5) of this section, including data that verifies the risk elimination and mitigation measures resulting from the applicant's flight hazard analyses required by [paragraph (b)(5)](#b-5) of this section; and
  - (2) The criteria and techniques for identifying new hazards throughout the lifecycle of the launch or reentry system as required by [paragraph (c)](#c) of this section.

## Notes

### Authority

Authority: 51 U.S.C. 50901-50923.

### Source

Source: Docket No. FAA-2019-0229, Amdt. 450-2, 85 FR 79719, Dec. 10, 202085 FR 79739, Dec. 10, 2020, unless otherwise noted.