Department of Transportation June 21, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

These special conditions are issued to Rickenbacker Avionics, 2820 Bobmeyer Road, Hangar C-6, Hamilton, OH 45015, for a Supplemental Type Certificate for the Rockwell Twin Commander Model 690B airplane. This airplane will have novel and unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisaged in the applicable airworthiness standards. This novel and unusual design feature will include the installation of a two-tube Bendix/King EFS-50 Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS). The installation also includes components associated with this display system. The applicable regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate airworthiness standards for the protection of these systems from the effects of high intensity radiated fields (HIRF). These 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 the airworthiness standards applicable to these airplanes.

DOT intends to establish a system of records under the Privacy Act of 1974.

This action corrects a final rule published in the Federal Register on May 31, 2006 (71 FR 30828), which delegated various authorities vested in the Secretary of Transportation by the ``Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users'' (Pub. L. 109-59) and other laws to the Research and Innovative Technology Administrator; the Federal Aviation Administrator; the Federal Highway Administrator; the Federal Railroad Administrator; the National Traffic Highway Safety Administrator; the Federal Transit Administrator; the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administrator; the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator; and the Under Secretary for Transportation Policy.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain McDonnell Douglas Model MD-11 and -11F airplanes. The existing AD currently requires an initial general visual inspection of the power feeder cables of the integrated drive generator (IDG) and the fuel feed lines of engine pylons No. 1 and No. 3 on the wings for proper clearance and damage; corrective actions if necessary; and repetitive general visual inspections and a terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This proposed AD would continue to require the existing actions, and for certain airplanes, this proposed AD would require installation of new clamps on the power feeder cables of the IDG of engine pylons No. 1 and No. 3. This proposed AD results from reports of IDG power feeder cables riding against structure and fuel lines in the No. 1 and No. 3 pylons. We are proposing this AD to prevent potential chafing of the power feeder cables of the IDG in engine pylons No. 1 and No. 3 on the wings, and consequent arcing on the fuel lines in the engine pylons and possible fuel fire.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Fokker Model F27 Mark 500 airplanes. This proposed AD would require an inspection to determine whether certain main landing gear (MLG) drag stay units (DSUs) are installed. This proposed AD would also require an ultrasonic inspection to determine if certain tubes are installed in the affected DSUs of the MLG, and related investigative/ corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD results from a report that, due to fatigue cracking from an improperly machined radius of the inner tube, a drag stay broke, and, consequently, led to the collapse of the MLG during landing. We are proposing this AD to prevent such fatigue cracking, which could result in reduced structural integrity or collapse of the MLG.

On June 21, 2005, NHTSA published a final rule that made technical amendments to several regulations that reference NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline telephone number. The rule updated the Hotline telephone number and added our Web address to the information that NHTSA requires manufacturers and dealers to provide consumers. The effective date for those amendments to Part 571, Federal motor vehicle safety standards, Part 575, Consumer information; and Part 582, Insurance cost information regulation, is June 21, 2006. This document withdraws the June 21, 2005 amendments to part 571, in response to a request from General Motors and other motor vehicle manufacturers to have the effective date coincide with the traditional September 1 vehicle model year changeover date, this document changes the effective date of the amendments to September 1, 2006.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) to revise AD 68-17-03, which applies to all Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. (Pilatus) PC-6 series airplanes. AD 68-17-03 requires you to repetitively inspect the rudder end rib for cracks and replace the rudder end rib with a modified rudder end rib when you find cracks. Installing the modified rudder end rib terminates the repetitive inspection requirements of AD 68-17-03. Under a licensing agreement with Pilatus, Fairchild Republic Company (also identified as Fairchild Industries, Fairchild Heli Porter, or Fairchild-Hiller Corporation) produced Model PC-6 series airplanes (manufacturer serial numbers 2001 through 2092) in the United States. AD 68-17-03 was intended to apply to all affected serial numbers of Model PC-6 series airplanes listed on Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS) No. 7A15, including the Fairchild-produced airplanes. Consequently, this AD clarifies that all models of the PC-6 airplane on TCDS No. 7A15 (including those models produced under the licensing agreement by Fairchild Republic Company) are included in the applicability. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the rudder end rib, which could result in failure of the rudder end rib. This failure could result in loss of rudder control.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) that supersedes AD 2005-26-53, which applies to certain Pacific Aerospace Corporation Ltd. (PAC) 750XL airplanes. AD 2005-26-53 currently requires you to insert text into the Limitations Section of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) that reduces the maximum takeoff weight from 7,500 pounds to 7,125 pounds. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the airworthiness authority for New Zealand and the FAA's decision that the actions correct an unsafe condition. Consequently, this AD would require you to remove rivets that have not been fully age hardened and replace them with bolts, washers, and nuts in specific locations where reduction in rivet strength affects overall structural capability. This AD retains the actions of the previous AD until the rivets are replaced with the bolts, washers, and nuts. We are issuing this AD so that wing ultimate load requirements are met. If wing ultimate load requirements are not met, wing failure could result with consequent loss of control of the airplane.