Department of Transportation May 17, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A300 airplanes and Model A310 airplanes and for certain Airbus Model A300-600 series airplanes. This proposed AD would require an inspection of the wing and center fuel tanks to determine if certain P-clips are installed and corrective action if necessary. This proposed AD also would require an inspection of electrical bonding points of certain equipment in the center fuel tank for the presence of a blue coat and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD also would require installation of new bonding leads and electrical bonding points on certain equipment in the wing, center, and trim fuel tanks, as necessary. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to ensure continuous electrical bonding protection of equipment in the wing, center, and trim fuel tanks and to prevent damage to wiring in the wing and center fuel tanks, due to failed P- clips used for retaining the wiring and pipes, which could result in a possible fuel ignition source in the fuel tanks.

The FAA is revising an earlier NPRM for an airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain Airbus Model A300 B2, A300 B4, and A300-600 series airplanes. The original NPRM would have superseded two existing ADs. One AD currently requires an inspection for cracks of the lower outboard flange of gantry No. 4 in the main landing gear (MLG) bay area, and repair if necessary. The other AD currently requires, among other actions, repetitive inspections of the gantry lower flanges, and repair if necessary. The original NPRM proposed to require new repetitive inspections for cracks in the lower flange of certain gantries, and repair if necessary, which ends the existing inspection requirements. The original NPRM also provided for optional terminating actions for the new repetitive inspections. This new action revises the original NPRM by including additional airplanes that were excluded from the applicability. We are proposing this supplemental NPRM to detect and correct fatigue cracks in the lower flanges of gantries 1 through 5 inclusive in the MLG bay area, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the fuselage, and consequent rapid decompression of the airplane.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain McDonnell Douglas transport category airplanes. This proposed AD would require fabrication and installation of a wire harness guard in the right wheel well of the main landing gear (MLG), and related investigative and corrective actions as necessary. For certain airplanes, the proposed AD also would require replacement of the electrical connectors of the auxiliary hydraulic pumps with improved electrical connectors and related investigative and corrective actions. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to prevent damage to the wire support bracket and wiring of the auxiliary hydraulic pump and, for certain airplanes, water intrusion through the electrical connectors of the auxiliary hydraulic pump. These conditions could lead to a potential ignition source in the right wheel well of the MLG around the fuel tank, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in fuel tank explosions and consequent loss of the airplane.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain McDonnell Douglas transport category airplanes. This AD requires an inspection to determine the part number of the upper and lower stop pad support fittings of all the lower cargo doors, repetitive inspections of all early configuration stop pad support fittings, and corrective action if necessary. This AD also provides an optional terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This AD results from a report of cracks found in the area of the upper and lower stop pad support fittings of the cargo door pan on numerous airplanes. We are issuing this AD to prevent cracks in the cargo door pan, which could result in the inability to fully pressurize an airplane, possible pressure loss, or possible rapid decompression of the airplane.

The FAA is superseding two existing airworthiness directives (ADs); one AD is applicable to all Boeing Model 747 airplanes and the other AD is applicable to certain Boeing Model 747 airplanes. The first AD currently requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the upper skin of the horizontal stabilizer center section and the rear spar upper chord, and repair if necessary. The other AD currently requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the upper skin of the outboard and center sections of the horizontal stabilizer and the rear spar structure, hinge fittings, terminal fittings, and splice plates; and repair if necessary. This new AD adds, for certain airplanes, repetitive inspections for cracking of the outboard and center sections of the horizontal stabilizer and repair if necessary. For certain other airplanes, this new AD adds a detailed inspection to determine the type of fasteners, related investigative actions, and repair if necessary. This new AD also revises the compliance times for certain inspections and adds alternative inspections for cracking of the upper skin of the center section and rear spar upper chord. This AD results from reports of cracking in the outboard and center section of the aft upper skin of the horizontal stabilizer, the rear spar chord, rear spar web, terminal fittings, and splice plates; and a report of fractured and cracked steel fasteners. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct this cracking, which could lead to reduced structural capability of the outboard and center sections of the horizontal stabilizer and could result in loss of control of the airplane.