Department of Transportation January 11, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document grants in full the petition of Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC., (MBUSA) in accordance with Sec. 543.9(c)(2) of 49 CFR Part 543, Exemption from the Theft Prevention Standard, for the S-Line Chassis vehicle line. This petition is granted because the agency has determined that the antitheft device to be placed on the line as standard equipment is likely to be as effective in reducing and deterring motor vehicle theft as compliance with the parts-marking requirements of the Theft Prevention Standard. MBUSA requested confidential treatment for some of the information and attachments it submitted in support of its petition. In a letter dated August 29, 2005, the agency granted the petitioner's request for confidential treatment of most aspects of its petition.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain Boeing Model 747-100, 747-100B, 747-100B SUD, 747-200B, 747-200C, 747-200F, 747-300, 747SR, and 747SP series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive detailed and ultrasonic inspections of the thrust links of the rear engine mounts for any crack or fracture and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD would require repetitive replacement of the thrust links with new or overhauled thrust links, which ends the repetitive detailed and ultrasonic inspections. This proposed AD results from the finding of fractured and cracked forward lugs of the rear engine mount thrust link on the number one strut on two airplanes. We are proposing this AD to prevent cracked or fractured thrust links that could lead to the loss of the load path for the rear engine mount bulkhead and damage to other primary engine mount structure, which could result in the in-flight separation of the engine from the airplane and consequent loss of control of the airplane.

On November 10, 2005, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a direct final rule to amend its regulation on the use of pilot supplemental oxygen with an effective date of January 9, 2006. The FAA received an adverse comment from the National Transportation Safety Board stating that the FAA relied on time of useful consciousness data that did not represent actual pilot performance under realistic decompression conditions. In accordance with Sec. 11.31, which states if the FAA receives an adverse comment it will notify the public by publishing a document in the Federal Register, the FAA is using this notice to withdraw this direct final rule in whole.