Emergency equipment: Extended overwater operations

This regulation specifies emergency equipment required for Part 135 operations over extended stretches of water where a ditching would require survival gear.

Aircraft must carry:

• Life preservers with locator lights for every person, easily accessible from seats
• Life rafts with sufficient capacity for all occupants, installed where they're reachable after ditching

Each raft must include either a complete survival kit OR individual items like a canopy, radar reflector, repair kit, signaling devices, oars, compass, emergency food and water rations, and a survival manual appropriate to the region.

Additionally, one raft must have an approved emergency locator transmitter (ELT) attached. The ELT's batteries must be replaced or recharged after one cumulative hour of use or when 50% of their useful life expires, with the expiration date marked on the transmitter.

The Administrator may require additional equipment or approve deviations for specific operations through the certificate holder's operations specifications.

*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.*