FAA Federal Aviation Regulations (FARS, 14 CFR)

(a) Each cowling must be constructed and supported so that it can resist any vibration, inertia, and air loads to which it may be subjected in operation.

(b) There must be means for rapid and complete drainage of each part of the cowling in the normal ground and flight attitudes. Drain operation may be shown by test, analysis, or both, to ensure that under normal aerodynamic pressure distribution expected in service each drain will operate as designed. No drain may discharge where it will cause a fire hazard.

(c) Cowling must be at least fire resistant.

(d) Each part behind an opening in the engine compartment cowling must be at least fire resistant for a distance of at least 24 inches aft of the opening.

(e) Each part of the cowling subjected to high temperatures due to its nearness to exhaust sytem ports or exhaust gas impingement, must be fire proof.

(f) Each nacelle of a multiengine airplane with supercharged engines must be designed and constructed so that with the landing gear retracted, a fire in the engine compartment will not burn through a cowling or nacelle and enter a nacelle area other than the engine compartment.

(g) In addition, for commuter category airplanes, the airplane must be designed so that no fire originating in any engine compartment can enter, either through openings or by burn-through, any other region where it would create additional hazards.

[Doc. No. 4080, 29 FR 17955, Dec. 18, 1964; 30 FR 258, Jan. 9, 1965, as amended by Amdt. 23-18, 42 FR 15042, Mar. 17, 1977; Amdt. 23-34, 52 FR 1833, Jan. 15, 1987; 58 FR 18975, Apr. 9, 1993]