[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 96 (Friday, May 19, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 22904-22907]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10032]
========================================================================
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.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 96 / Friday, May 19, 2017 / Proposed
Rules
[[Page 22904]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2017-0472; Directorate Identifier 2016-NM-148-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all
Airbus Model A310-203, -221, -222, -304, -322, -324, and -325
airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by an evaluation by the design
approval holder (DAH) indicating that the wing bottom skin at the main
landing gear (MLG) reinforcing plate is subject to widespread fatigue
damage (WFD). This proposed AD would require a modification of the wing
bottom skin at the MLG reinforcing plate. We are proposing this AD to
address the unsafe condition on these products.
DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by July 3, 2017.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR
11.43 and 11.45, 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: Deliver to Mail address above between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
For service information identified in this NPRM, contact Airbus
SAS, Airworthiness Office--EAW, 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 view this 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 by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2017-
0472; 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
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-2017-0472;
Directorate Identifier 2016-NM-148-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
Fatigue damage can occur locally, in small areas or structural
design details, or globally, in widespread areas. Multiple-site damage
is widespread damage that occurs in a large structural element such as
a single rivet line of a lap splice joining two large skin panels.
Widespread damage can also occur in multiple elements such as adjacent
frames or stringers. Multiple-site damage and multiple-element damage
cracks are typically too small initially to be reliably detected with
normal inspection methods. Without intervention, these cracks will
grow, and eventually compromise the structural integrity of the
airplane. This condition is known as widespread fatigue damage. It is
associated with general degradation of large areas of structure with
similar structural details and stress levels. As an airplane ages, WFD
will likely occur, and will certainly occur if the airplane is operated
long enough without any intervention.
The FAA's WFD final rule (75 FR 69746, November 15, 2010) became
effective on January 14, 2011. The WFD rule requires certain actions to
prevent structural failure due to WFD throughout the operational life
of certain existing transport category airplanes and all of these
airplanes that will be certificated in the future. For existing and
future airplanes subject to the WFD rule, the rule requires that DAHs
establish a limit of validity (LOV) of the engineering data that
support the structural maintenance program. Operators affected by the
WFD rule may not fly an airplane beyond its LOV, unless an extended LOV
is approved.
The WFD rule (75 FR 69746, November 15, 2010) does not require
identifying and developing maintenance actions if the DAHs can show
that such actions are not necessary to prevent WFD before the airplane
reaches the LOV. Many LOVs, however, do depend on accomplishment of
future maintenance actions. As stated in the WFD rule, any maintenance
actions necessary to reach the LOV will be mandated by airworthiness
directives through separate rulemaking actions.
In the context of WFD, this action is necessary to enable DAHs to
propose LOVs that allow operators the longest operational lives for
their airplanes, and still ensure that WFD will not occur.
[[Page 22905]]
This approach allows for an implementation strategy that provides
flexibility to DAHs in determining the timing of service information
development (with FAA approval), while providing operators with
certainty regarding the LOV applicable to their airplanes.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical
Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA
Airworthiness Directive 2016-0170, dated August 19, 2016 (referred to
after this as the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information, or
``the MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for all Airbus Model
A310-203, -221, -222, -304, -322, -324, and -325 airplanes. The MCAI
states:
In response to the FAA Part 26 rule, wing structural items of
the Airbus A310 design that are deemed potentially susceptible to
Widespread Fatigue Damage (WFD) have been assessed. The bottom skin
at the main landing gear (MLG) reinforcing plate has been
highlighted as an area susceptible to Multi Site Damage (MSD).
This condition, if not corrected, could reduce the structural
integrity of the wing.
Airbus performed a detailed widespread fatigue damage tolerance
analysis of the bottom skin at the MLG reinforcing plate, and
concluded that a modification is necessary to the fastener holes at
the inboard edge of the reinforcing plate forward of the rear spar.
The modification consists of inspection [related investigative
actions of a check and a rotating probe inspection] and a first
oversize of the critical holes on the first two rows of fasteners
[and corrective actions, e.g., repair]. Airbus modification 13751
was introduced and Service Bulletin (SB) A310-57-2104 was issued to
provide in-service modification instructions. The accomplishment of
this modification at the specified time will recondition/renovate/
extend the life of the fastener holes in the bottom skin at the MLG
reinforcing plate and prevent the development of MSD up to the
Extended Service Goal (ESG).
For the reasons described above, this [EASA] AD requires certain
modifications to the wing bottom skin at the MLG reinforcing plate,
forward of the wing rear spar [including related investigative
actions of a check and a rotating probe inspection and corrective
actions, e.g., repair].
You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2017-
0472.
Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51
We reviewed Airbus Service Bulletin A310-57-2104, dated December
15, 2015. The service information describes procedures for a
modification of the left hand (LH) and right hand (RH) wing bottom skin
at the MLG reinforcing plate, including related investigative actions
and applicable corrective actions. This service information is
reasonably available because the interested parties have access to it
through their normal course of business or by the means identified in
the ADDRESSES section.
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.
Explanation of Compliance Time
The compliance time for the replacement specified in this proposed
AD for addressing WFD was established to ensure that discrepant
structure is replaced before WFD develops in airplanes. Standard
inspection techniques cannot be relied on to detect WFD before it
becomes a hazard to flight. We will not grant any extensions of the
compliance time to complete any AD-mandated service bulletin related to
WFD without extensive new data that would substantiate and clearly
warrant such an extension.
Costs of Compliance
We estimate that this proposed AD affects 8 airplanes of U.S.
registry.
We estimate the following costs to comply with this proposed AD:
Estimated Costs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cost per Cost on U.S.
Action Labor cost Parts cost product operators
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modification........................... 52 work-hours x $85 per hour = $4,420....................... $12,000 $16,420 $131,360
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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:
[[Page 22906]]
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 airworthiness
directive (AD):
Airbus: Docket No. FAA-2017-0472; Directorate Identifier 2016-NM-
148-AD.
(a) Comments Due Date
We must receive comments by July 3, 2017.
(b) Affected ADs
None.
(c) Applicability
This AD applies to Airbus Model A310-203, -221, -222, -304, -
322, -324, and -325 airplanes, certificated in any category, all
manufacturer serial numbers.
(d) Subject
Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 57, Wings.
(e) Reason
This AD was prompted by an evaluation by the design approval
holder (DAH) indicating that the wing bottom skin at the main
landing gear (MLG) reinforcing plate is subject to widespread
fatigue damage (WFD). We are issuing this AD to prevent multi-site
damage in the bottom skin at the MLG reinforcing plate, which could
result in reduced structural integrity of the wing.
(f) Compliance
Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified,
unless already done.
(g) Modification
Within the compliance times defined in table 1 to paragraph (g)
of this AD, table 2 to paragraph (g) of this AD, or table 3 to
paragraph (g) of this AD, as applicable to airplane type and
utilization: Do a modification of the left-hand (LH) and right-hand
(RH) wing bottom skin at the MLG reinforcing plate, including all
related investigative actions and applicable corrective actions, in
accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of Airbus Service
Bulletin A310-57-2104, dated December 15, 2015, except as required
by paragraph (h) of this AD. All related investigative and
applicable corrective actions must be done before further flight.
For purposes of this AD, the term ``short range'' applies to
airplanes with an average flight time (AFT) lower than 1.5 flight
hours (FH) per flight cycle, and the term ``long range'' applies to
airplanes with an average flight time equal to or higher than 1.5 FH
per flight cycle. For determining the ``short range'' and ``long
range'' airplanes, the AFT is the total accumulated flight hours,
counted from take-off to touch-down, divided by the total
accumulated flight cycles at the effective date of this AD.
Table 1 to Paragraph (g) of This AD--Model A310-200 Series Airplanes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compliance Time (whichever occurs later, A or B)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A............................ Before exceeding 28,800 flight cycles
(FC) or 57,600 FH, whichever occurs
first since first flight of the
airplane.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
B............................ Within 960 FC, or 1,920 FH, or 12 months,
whichever occurs first after the
effective date of this AD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 2 to paragraph (g) of this AD--A310-300 ``short-range'' Airplanes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compliance Time (whichever occurs later, A or B)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A............................ Before exceeding 27,700 FC or 77,700 FH,
whichever occurs first since first
flight of the airplane.
B............................ Within 920 FC, or 2,580 FH, or 12 months,
whichever occurs first after the
effective date of this AD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table 3 to paragraph (g) of this AD--A310-300 ``short-range'' Airplanes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Compliance Time (whichever occurs later, A or B)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A............................ Before exceeding 20,500 FC or 102,500 FH,
whichever occurs first since first
flight of the airplane.
B............................ Within 680 FC, or 3,420 FH, or 12 months,
whichever occurs first after the
effective date of this AD.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(h) Exception to Service Information Specifications
Where Airbus Service Bulletin A310-57-2104, dated December 15,
2015, specifies to contact Airbus for appropriate action, and
specifies that action as ``RC'' (Required for Compliance): Before
further flight, accomplish corrective actions in accordance with the
procedures specified in paragraph (i)(2) of this AD.
(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 manager of the International Branch, send it to the
attention of the person identified in paragraph (j)(2) of this AD.
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.
(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any requirement in this AD
to obtain corrective actions from a manufacturer, the action must be
accomplished using a method approved by the Manager, International
Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; or the
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); or Airbus's EASA Design
Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by the DOA, the approval
must include the DOA-authorized signature.
(3) Required for Compliance (RC): Except as required by
paragraph (h) of this AD, if any service information contains
procedures or tests that are identified as RC, those procedures and
tests must be done to comply with this AD; any procedures or tests
that are not identified as RC are recommended. Those procedures and
tests that are not identified as RC may be deviated from using
accepted methods in accordance with the operator's maintenance or
inspection program without obtaining approval of an AMOC, provided
the procedures and tests identified as RC can be done and the
airplane can be put back in an airworthy condition. Any
substitutions or changes to procedures or tests identified as RC
require approval of an AMOC.
(j) Related Information
(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information
(MCAI) EASA Airworthiness Directive 2016-0170, dated August 19,
2016, for related information.
[[Page 22907]]
This MCAI may be found in the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-
2017-0472.
(2) For more information about this AD, 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.
(3) For service information identified in this AD, contact
Airbus SAS, Airworthiness Office--EAW, 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 view this 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 May 10, 2017.
Michael Kaszycki,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-10032 Filed 5-18-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P