[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 2 (Thursday, January 3, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 275-277]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-31602]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 2 / Thursday, January 3, 2013 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 275]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2012-1346; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-047-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; REIMS Aviation S.A. Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for
REIMS AVIATION S.A. Model F406 airplanes. This proposed AD results from
mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an
aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe
condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe
condition as fretting (wear and/or chafing) found between the elevator
pushrod assembly and horizontal tail structure, which could cause the
elevator pushrod to jam and could result in loss of control. We are
issuing this proposed AD to require actions to address the unsafe
condition on these products.
DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by February 19,
2013.
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-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 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
For service information identified in this proposed AD, contact
REIMS Aviation Industries, A[eacute]rodrome de Reims Prunay, 51360
Prunay, France; telephone: 03.26.48.46.65; fax: 03.26.49.18.57;
Internet: http://www.geciaviation.com/en/. You may review copies of the
referenced service information at the FAA, Small Airplane Directorate,
901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For information on the
availability of this material at the FAA, call (816) 329-4148.
Examining the AD Docket
You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov; or in person at the Docket Management Facility
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 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: Albert Mercado, Aerospace Engineer,
FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City,
Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329-4119; fax: (816) 329-4090; email:
[email protected].
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-2012-1346;
Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-047-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 because of those comments.
We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://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 AD
No. 2012-0164, dated August 28, 2012 (referred to after this as ``the
MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for the specified products. The
MCAI states:
During maintenance, fretting has been found between the elevator
pushrod assembly and horizontal tail structure on Reims F406
aeroplanes. In addition, bending was found on a pushrod assembly
Part Number (P/N) 6015034-1. The investigation has not yet
established the exact cause(s) of these occurrences.
This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to
failure of a pushrod and consequent jamming of the elevator
controls, possibly resulting in loss of control of the aeroplane.
For the reasons described above, this AD requires inspection of
the pushrods and horizontal tail structure to detect fretting,
bending or eccentricity and, depending on findings, replacement with
a serviceable pushrod, or repair. This AD also requires the return
on replaced pushrods to RAI for investigation.
This AD is considered to be an interim action and further AD
action may follow.
You may obtain further information by examining the MCAI in the AD
docket.
Relevant Service Information
REIMS Aviation Industries has issued Service Bulletin No. F406-70,
dated July 16, 2012. The actions described in this service information
are intended to correct the unsafe condition identified in the MCAI.
FAA's Determination and Requirements of the 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 this State of Design Authority, they
have notified us of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and
service information referenced above. We are proposing this AD because
we evaluated all information and determined the unsafe condition exists
and is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type
design.
[[Page 276]]
Costs of Compliance
We estimate that this proposed AD would affect 7 products of U.S.
registry. We also estimate that it would take about 4 work-hours per
product to comply with the basic requirements of this proposed AD. The
average labor rate is $85 per work-hour.
Based on these figures, we estimate the cost of this proposed AD on
U.S. operators to be $2,380, or $340 per product.
In addition, we estimate that any necessary follow-on actions would
take about 2.5 work-hours and require parts costing $1,900, for a cost
of $2,112.50 per product. We have no way of determining the number of
products that may need these actions.
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, on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria
of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
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
0
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]
0
2. The FAA amends Sec. 39.13 by adding the following new AD:
REIMS Aviation S.A.: Docket No. FAA-2012-1346; Directorate
Identifier 2012-CE-047-AD.
(a) Comments Due Date
We must receive comments by February 19, 2013.
(b) Affected ADs
None.
(c) Applicability
This AD applies to Reims Aviation S.A. Model F406 airplanes,
serial numbers F406-0001 through F406-0096, certificated in any
category.
(d) Subject
Air Transport Association of America (ATA) Code 27: Flight
Controls.
(e) Reason
This AD was prompted by reports of fretting (wear and/or
chafing) found between the elevator pushrod assembly and horizontal
tail structure. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct any
discrepancies with the elevator pushrod assembly and the horizontal
tail structure, which could cause the elevator pushrod to fail.
Failure of the elevator pushrod could cause the flight control to
jam, which could result in loss of control.
(f) Actions and Compliance
Unless already done, do the following actions:
(1) Within the next 4 months after the effective date of this
AD, inspect the elevator pushrod assemblies, part number (P/N)
6015034-1, and the horizontal tail structure following the
Accomplishment Instructions in REIMS Aviation Industries Service
Bulletin No. F406-70, dated July 16, 2012.
(2) Before further flight after the inspection required in
paragraph (f)(1) of this AD, if fretting is found on the horizontal
tail structure, or the clearance between the elevator pushrod
assemblies and the horizontal tail structure is found to be
insufficient, or looseness at riveted end fittings is found on the
elevator pushrods, contact REIMS Aviation Industries at the address
specified in paragraph (h) of this AD for a repair scheme and
incorporate the repair scheme.
(3) Before further flight after the inspection required in
paragraph (f)(1) of this AD, if bending or eccentricity of an
elevator pushrod is found that exceeds the allowable limits, replace
each affected elevator pushrod with a serviceable part following
REIMS Aviation Industries Service Bulletin No. F406-70, dated July
16, 2012.
(g) Other FAA AD Provisions
The following provisions also apply to this AD:
(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs): The Manager,
Standards Office, FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs for this
AD, if requested using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send
information to ATTN: Albert Mercado, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Small
Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri
64106; telephone: (816) 329-4119; fax: (816) 329-4090; email:
[email protected]. Before using any approved AMOC on any
airplane to which the AMOC applies, notify your appropriate
principal inspector (PI) in the FAA Flight Standards District Office
(FSDO), or lacking a PI, your local FSDO.
(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.
(3) Reporting Requirements: For any reporting requirement in
this AD, a federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person
is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a
penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information
subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless
that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control
Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is
2120-0056. Public reporting for this collection of information is
estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per response, including the
time for reviewing instructions, completing and reviewing the
collection of information. All responses to this collection of
information are mandatory. Comments concerning the accuracy of this
burden and suggestions for reducing the burden should be directed to
the FAA at: 800 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591, Attn:
Information Collection Clearance Officer, AES-200.
(h) Related Information
Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD No.
2012-0164, dated August 28, 2012, and REIMS Aviation Industries
Service Bulletin No. F406-70, dated July 16, 2012, for related
information. For service information related to this AD, contact
REIMS Aviation Industries, A[eacute]rodrome de Reims Prunay, 51360
Prunay,
[[Page 277]]
France; telephone: 03.26.48.46.65; fax: 03.26.49.18.57; Internet:
http://www.geciaviation.com/en/. You may review copies of the
referenced service information at the FAA, Small Airplane
Directorate, 901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For
information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call
(816) 329-4148.
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on December 27, 2012.
John Colomy,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-31602 Filed 1-2-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P