[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 242 (Tuesday, December 17, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 76254-76255]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29988]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2013-0899; Notice No. 25-13-15-SC]
Special Conditions: Airbus, Model A350-900 Series Airplane;
Control Surface Awareness and Mode Annunciation
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed special conditions.
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SUMMARY: This action proposes special conditions for the Airbus Model
A350-900 series airplanes. These airplanes will have a novel or unusual
design feature(s) associated with control surface awareness and mode
annunciation provided by the electronic flight control system. The
applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These proposed
special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the
Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety
equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.
DATES: Send your comments on or before January 31, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2013-0899
using any of the following methods:
Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ and follow the online instructions for sending
your comments electronically.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Room
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except federal holidays.
Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Privacy: The FAA will post all comments it receives, without
change, to http://www.regulations.gov/, including any personal
information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the
docket Web site, anyone can find and read the electronic form of all
comments received into any FAA docket, including the name of the
individual sending the comment (or signing the comment for an
association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete Privacy Act
Statement can be found in the Federal Register published on April 11,
2000 (65 FR 19477-19478), as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov/.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
http://www.regulations.gov/ at any time. Follow the online instructions
for accessing the docket or go to the Docket Operations in Room W12-140
of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE.,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Jacobsen, FAA, Airplane and
Flightcrew Interface Branch, ANM-111, Transport Airplane Directorate,
Aircraft Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton,
Washington 98057-3356; telephone (425) 227-2011; facsimile (425) 227-
1320.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
We invite interested people to take part in this rulemaking by
sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the proposed special conditions,
explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting
data.
We will consider all comments we receive on or before the closing
date for comments. We may change these special conditions based on the
comments we receive.
Background
On August 25, 2008, Airbus applied for a type certificate for their
new Model A350-900 series airplane. Later, Airbus requested and the FAA
approved an extension to the application for FAA type certification to
June 28, 2009. The Model A350-900 series has a conventional layout with
twin wing-mounted Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. It features a twin
aisle 9-abreast economy class layout, and accommodates side-by-side
placement of LD-3 containers in the cargo compartment. The basic Airbus
Model A350-900 series configuration will accommodate 315 passengers in
a standard two-class arrangement. The design cruise speed is Mach 0.85
with a Maximum Take-Off Weight of 602,000 lbs. Airbus proposes the
Model A350-900 series to be certified for extended operations (ETOPS)
beyond 180 minutes at entry into service for up to a 420-minute maximum
diversion time.
These proposed special conditions for control surface awareness,
applicable to Airbus Model A350-900 series airplanes, propose suitable
flight control position annunciation and control system mode of
operation to be provided to the flight crew when a flight condition
exists in which nearly full surface authority (not crew-commanded) is
being utilized. Suitability of such a display must take into account
that some pilot-demanded maneuvers (e.g., rapid roll) are necessarily
associated with intended full performance, which may saturate the
surface. Therefore, simple alerting systems, which would function in
both intended or unexpected control-limiting situations, must be
properly balanced between needed crew awareness and nuisance features.
A monitoring system that might compare airplane motion and surface
deflection, and pilot side stick controller (SSC) demand could be
useful for elimination of nuisance alerting.
Type Certification Basis
Under Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.17, Airbus
must show that the Model A350-900 series meets the applicable
provisions of 14 CFR part 25, as amended by Amendments 25-1 through 25-
129.
If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness
regulations (i.e., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Model A350-900 series because of a
novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are prescribed
under Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the type certificate for that model be amended
later to include any other model that incorporates the same or similar
novel or unusual design feature, the proposed special conditions would
also apply to the other model under Sec. 21.101.
[[Page 76255]]
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Model A350-900 series must comply with the fuel vent
and exhaust emission requirements of 14 CFR part 34 and the noise
certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36 and the FAA must issue a
finding of regulatory adequacy under Sec. 611 of Public Law 92-574,
the ``Noise Control Act of 1972.''
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in 14 CFR 11.19,
under Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type-certification basis
under Sec. 21.17(a)(2).
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Airbus Model A350-900 series will incorporate the following
novel or unusual design features: electronic flight control system
providing control surface awareness and mode annunciation to the
flightcrew.
Discussion
With a response-command type flight control system and no direct
coupling from cockpit controller to control surface, the pilot is not
aware of actual surface position utilized to fulfill the requested
demand. Some unusual flight conditions, arising from atmospheric
conditions and/or airplane or engine failures, may result in full or
nearly full surface deflection. Unless the flightcrew is made aware of
excessive deflection or impending control surface limiting, piloted or
auto-flight system control of the airplane might be inadvertently
continued in such a manner to cause loss of control or other unsafe
stability or performance characteristics.
Applicability
As discussed above, these proposed special conditions apply to
Airbus Model A350-900 series airplanes. Should Airbus apply later for a
change to the type certificate to include another model incorporating
the same novel or unusual design feature, the proposed special
conditions would apply to that model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only certain novel or unusual design features
on the Airbus Model A350-900 series airplanes. It is not a rule of
general applicability.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, 44704.
The Proposed Special Conditions
Accordingly, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposes the
following special conditions as part of the type certification basis
for Airbus Model A350-900 series airplanes.
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1. Current airworthiness standards do not contain adequate safety
standards for the proposed design. In addition to the requirements of
Sec. Sec. 25.143, 25.671 and 25.672, the following proposed special
conditions apply:
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a. The system design must ensure that the flight crew is made suitably
aware whenever the primary control means nears the limit of control
authority.
Note: The term ``suitably aware'' indicates annunciations provided
to the flight crew that are appropriately balanced between nuisance and
that are necessary for crew awareness.
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b. If the design of the flight control system has multiple modes of
operation, a means must be provided to indicate to the crew any mode
that significantly changes or degrades the normal handling or
operational characteristics of the airplane.
Issued in Renton, Washington, on October 22, 2013.
Stephen P. Boyd,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-29988 Filed 12-16-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P