Emergency medical equipment

This regulation requires Part 121 air carriers to equip passenger-carrying airplanes with specific emergency medical equipment. All aircraft must carry approved first-aid kits. Aircraft requiring flight attendants must also have approved emergency medical kits (with specific contents mandated since April 2004). Larger aircraft requiring flight attendants—those with maximum payload capacity over 7,500 pounds—must additionally carry automated external defibrillators (AEDs).

All equipment must be regularly inspected according to schedules in the carrier's operations specifications, readily accessible to crew (and passengers where appropriate), and clearly marked with operating instructions. Items stored in compartments must be labeled with contents and last inspection date.

This ensures that airlines have standardized medical equipment available to respond to in-flight medical emergencies, injuries, or minor accidents. The specific requirements scale with aircraft size and whether flight attendants are aboard to use the equipment.

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*