Aircraft Impact Assessment (AIA) Inspections

In a Federal Register notice ( Volume 74 of the Federal Register, page 28111 (74 FR 28111); June 12, 2009), the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) announced an amendment to its regulations to required applicants for new nuclear power reactors to perform a design specific assessment of the effects on the facility of the impact of a large commercial aircraft. 10 CFR 50.150, Aircraft Impact Assessment, requires that each applicant use realistic analyses to identify and incorporate design features and functional capabilities to show, with reduce use of operator actions, that either the reactor core remains cooled or the containment remains intact, and either spent fuel cooling or spent fuel integrity is maintained.

10 CFR 50.150 applies to applicants after July 13, 2009 for: 1) new construction permits; 2) new operating licenses that reference a new construction permit; 3) new standard design certifications; and renewal of any of the four existing design certifications if the design has not previously been amended to comply with 10 CFR 50.150; 4) new standard design approvals; 5) combined licenses that do not reference a standard design approval or reference a standard design certification issued before July 13, 2009 which has not been amended to address 10 CFR 50.150; and 6) manufacturing licenses that do not reference a standard design certification or a standard design certification issued before July 13, 2009 which has not been amended to address 10 CFR 50.150.

AIA inspections are conducted to verify applicant compliance with 10 CFR 50.150. For detail, see the following topics on this page:

Code of Federal Regulations

Part Subject
10 CFR 50.150 Aircraft Impact Assessment
10 CFR 52.0 Scope; Applicability of 10 CFR Chapter 1 provisions

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Regulatory Guide

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DG# Title Date
RG 1.217 Guidance for the assessment of beyond design basis aircraft impacts 08/2011

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Inspection Procedures

The NRC staff will evaluate the aircraft impact assessments (AIAs) and supporting documentation developed by applicants subject to the requirements of 10 CFR 50.150, to verify that realistic analyses are used to identify and incorporate design features and functional capabilities that provide additional inherent protection to withstand the effects of a beyond-design-basis large commercial aircraft impact.

The Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation (NRR) Vendor Inspection Program and associated inspection procedures are as follows:

IP# Title Date
IP 37804 Aircraft Impact Assessment 03/2020
IMC 0617 Vendor and Quality Assurance Implementation Inspection Reports 07/2024

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Inspection Reports

The purpose of inspection reports is to document the inspection scope, observation, and findings of inspections conducted by the NRC. The NRC performs inspections to oversee the commercial nuclear industry to determine whether its requirements are being met by applicants, licensees and their contractors. The NRC performs inspections to verify the quality and suitability of the aircraft impact assessment and review any issues identified during the analysis and the corrective actions associated with the issue.

THESE INSPECTIONS WERE LIMITED IN SCOPE AND DO NOT CONSTITUTE NRC ENDORSEMENT OF AN APPLICANT'S OVERALL AIRCRAFT IMPACT ASSESSMENT:

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Page Last Reviewed/Updated Friday, December 6, 2024