[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 216 (Wednesday, November 7, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 66762-66764]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-27124]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2012-1159; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-028-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for
certain Airbus Model A310-203, -204, -222, -304, -322, and -324
airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a design review of the fuel
tank access covers and analyses comparing compliance of the access
covers to different tire burst models. `Type 21' panels located within
the debris zone revealed that they could not sustain the impact of the
tire debris. This proposed AD would require modifying the wing manhole
surrounds and replacing certain fuel access panels. We are proposing
this AD to prevent a possibility of a fire due to tire debris impact on
the fuel access panels.
DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by December 24,
2012.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket
Operations, M-
[[Page 66763]]
30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue
SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
For service information identified in this proposed AD, contact
Airbus SAS--EAW (Airworthiness Office), 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte,
31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61
93 44 51; email [email protected]; Internet http://www.airbus.com.You may review copies of the referenced service
information at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind
Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For information on the availability of this
material at the FAA, call 425-227-1221.
Examining the AD Docket
You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov; or in person at the Docket Operations office
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. The AD docket contains this proposed AD, the regulatory
evaluation, any comments received, and other information. The street
address for the Docket Operations office (telephone (800) 647-5527) is
in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be available in the AD docket
shortly after receipt.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Rodina, Aerospace Engineer,
International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA,
1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057-3356; telephone (425) 227-2125;
fax (425) 227-1149.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or
arguments about this proposed AD. Send your comments to an address
listed under the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2012-1159;
Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-028-AD'' at the beginning of your
comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory,
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this proposed AD. We
will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend
this proposed AD based on those comments.
We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. We
will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact we
receive about this proposed AD.
Discussion
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical
Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has issued EASA
Airworthiness Directive 2012-0016, dated January 26, 2012 (referred to
after this as ``the MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for the
specified products. The MCAI states:
Following a design review of the fuel tank access covers and
further analyses aiming at comparing compliance of the access covers
to different tyre burst models, panels `Type 21' revealed to be a
matter of concern when located within the tyre debris zone. It has
been demonstrated that '`Type 21' Super Plastic Formed (SPF) panels
for fuel access, installed on left hand (LH) and right hand (RH)
wings at manhole positions No. 1 and No. 2 of A310 aeroplanes pre-
MSN500 could not sustain in an acceptable manner the impact of tyre
debris.
This condition, if not corrected, could result, following tyre
debris impact, in fuel leaking and consequently fire on that area of
the aeroplane.
For the reasons described above, this [EASA] AD requires the
replacement of SPF `Type 21' access panels with [type 11 access
panels with]`Type 11A' [associated clamp plates] or `Type 21R'
access panels and concurrent modification of the manhole surrounds
at positions No.1 and No.2 to prevent re-installation of `'Type 21'
panels at those positions.
You may obtain further information by examining the MCAI in the AD
docket.
Relevant Service Information
Airbus has issued Service Bulletin A310-57-2033, dated July 15,
1989, and Mandatory Service Bulletin A310-57-2097, Revision 01, dated
September 29, 2011. The actions described in this service information
are intended to correct the unsafe condition identified in the MCAI.
FAA's Determination and Requirements of This Proposed AD
This product has been approved by the aviation authority of another
country, and is approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant
to our bilateral agreement with the State of Design Authority, we have
been notified of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and service
information referenced above. We are proposing this AD because we
evaluated all pertinent information and determined an unsafe condition
exists and is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same
type design.
Costs of Compliance
Based on the service information, we estimate that this proposed AD
would affect about 56 products of U.S. registry. We also estimate that
it would take about 40 work-hours per product to comply with the basic
requirements of this proposed AD. The average labor rate is $85 per
work-hour. Required parts would cost about $6,340 per product. Where
the service information lists required parts costs that are covered
under warranty, we have assumed that there will be no charge for these
parts. As we do not control warranty coverage for affected parties,
some parties may incur costs higher than estimated here. Based on these
figures, we estimate the cost of the proposed AD on U.S. operators to
be $545,440, or $9,740 per product.
Authority for This Rulemaking
Title 49 of the United States Code specifies the FAA's authority to
issue rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, section 106, describes the
authority of the FAA Administrator. ``Subtitle VII: Aviation
Programs,'' describes in more detail the scope of the Agency's
authority.
We are issuing this rulemaking under the authority described in
``Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart III, Section 44701: General
requirements.'' Under that section, Congress charges the FAA with
promoting safe flight of civil aircraft in air commerce by prescribing
regulations for practices, methods, and procedures the Administrator
finds necessary for safety in air commerce. This regulation is within
the scope of that authority because it addresses an unsafe condition
that is likely to exist or develop on products identified in this
rulemaking action.
Regulatory Findings
We determined that this proposed AD would not have federalism
implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would not
have a substantial direct effect on the States, on the relationship
between the national Government and the States, or on the distribution
of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.
For the reasons discussed above, I certify this proposed
regulation:
1. Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive Order
12866;
2. Is not a ``significant rule'' under the DOT Regulatory Policies
and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979);
3. Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska; and
4. Will not have a significant economic impact, positive or
negative,
[[Page 66764]]
on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the
Regulatory Flexibility Act.
We prepared a regulatory evaluation of the estimated costs to
comply with this proposed AD and placed it in the AD docket.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39
Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by
reference, Safety.
The Proposed Amendment
Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the FAA proposes to amend 14 CFR part 39 as follows:
PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.
Sec. 39.13 [Amended]
2. The FAA amends Sec. 39.13 by adding the following new AD:
Airbus: Docket No. FAA-2012-1159; Directorate Identifier 2012-NM-
028-AD.
(a) Comments Due Date
We must receive comments by December 24, 2012.
(b) Affected ADs
None.
(c) Applicability
This AD applies to Airbus Model A310-203, -204, -222, -304, -
322, and -324 airplanes, certificated in any category, manufacturer
serial numbers 0378, 0392, 0399, 0404, 0406, 0407, 0409, 0410, 0412,
0413, 0416, 0418, 0419, 0421, 0422, 0424, 0425, 0427, 0428, 0429,
0431, 0432, 0434 to 0437 inclusive, 0439, 0440, 0441, 0443 to 0449
inclusive, 0451 to 0454 inclusive, 0456, 0457, 0458, 0467, 0472,
0473, 0475, 0476, 0478, 0480 to 0485 inclusive, and 0487 to 0499
inclusive.
(d) Subject
Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 57, Wings.
(e) Reason
This AD was prompted by a design review of the fuel tank access
covers and analyses comparing compliance of the access covers to
different tire burst models. `Type 21' panels located within the
debris zone revealed that they could not sustain the impact of the
tire debris. We are proposing this AD to prevent a possibility of a
fire due to tire debris impact on the fuel access panels.
(f) Compliance
You are responsible for having the actions required by this AD
performed within the compliance times specified, unless the actions
have already been done.
(g) Actions
Within 60 months after the effective date of this AD, do the
actions specified in paragraph (g)(1) or (g)(2) of this AD.
(1) Modify the wing manhole surrounds and replace the super
plastic formed (SPF) `Type 21' fuel access panels at positions 1 and
2 on the left- and right-hand wings with `Type 11' fuel access
panels with associated `Type 11A' clamp plates, in accordance with
the Accomplishment Instructions of Airbus Mandatory Service Bulletin
A310-57-2097, Revision 01, dated September 29, 2011.
(2) Modify the wing manhole surrounds and replace the SPF `Type
21' fuel access panels at positions 1 and 2 on the left- and right-
hand wings with `Type 21R' fuel access panels, in accordance with
the Accomplishment Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A310-57-
2033, dated July 15, 1989.
(h) Parts Installation Prohibition
After accomplishing the modification required by paragraph (g)
of this AD, no person may install SPF `Type 21' fuel access panels
at positions 1 and 2 on the left- and right-hand wings, on any
airplane.
(i) Other FAA AD Provisions
The following provisions also apply to this AD:
(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs): The Manager,
International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA,
has the authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using
the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14 CFR
39.19, send your request to your principal inspector or local Flight
Standards District Office, as appropriate. If sending information
directly to the International Branch, send it to ATTN: Dan Rodina,
Aerospace Engineer, International Branch, ANM-116, Transport
Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057-
3356; telephone (425) 227-2125; fax (425) 227-1149. Information may
be emailed to: [email protected]. Before using any
approved AMOC, notify your appropriate principal inspector, or
lacking a principal inspector, the manager of the local flight
standards district office/certificate holding district office. The
AMOC approval letter must specifically reference this AD.
(2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement in this AD to obtain
corrective actions from a manufacturer or other source, use these
actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective actions are considered
FAA-approved if they are approved by the State of Design Authority
(or their delegated agent). You are required to assure the product
is airworthy before it is returned to service.
(j) Related Information
(1) Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety Agency Airworthiness
Directive 2012-0016, dated January 26, 2012, and the service
information specified in paragraphs (j)(1)(i) and (j)(1)(ii) of this
AD, for related information.
(i) Airbus Service Bulletin A310-57-2033, dated July 15, 1989.
(ii) Airbus Mandatory Service Bulletin A310-57-2097, Revision
01, dated September 29, 2011.
(2) For service information identified in this AD, contact
Airbus SAS--EAW (Airworthiness Office), 1 Rond Point Maurice
Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96;
fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email [email protected];
Internet http://www.airbus.com. You may review copies of the
referenced service information at the FAA, Transport Airplane
Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For information on
the availability of this material at the FAA, call 425-227-1221.
Issued in Renton, Washington, on October 30, 2012.
Ali Bahrami,
Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-27124 Filed 11-6-12; 8:45 am]
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