Originally Posted by
bajrbajr
SOT... but I don't quite understand this rule that the headrest must be down during take-off and landing. Perhaps it's to allow FA's to see passengers better, or for passengers to see better in an emergency situation... but these reasons seem insignificant compared to the rules allowing electronics and headphones during take-off and landing.
Crash survivability. FAA mandates that a seat pass dynamic G force deceleration and that includes a load path for the head