Department of Transportation January 12, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB's) revision of a current information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on October 24, 2008, vol. 73, no. 207, page 63541. The rule allows experienced pilots who would otherwise qualify as flight instructors or check airmen, but who are not eligible to hold the requisite medical certificate, to perform flight instructor or check airmen functions in a simulator.

These special conditions are issued for Boeing Model 757 series airplanes. These airplanes, as modified by American Airlines, Inc., will have a novel or unusual design feature associated with seats that include non-traditional, large, non-metallic panels that would affect survivability during a post-crash fire event. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. 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 airworthiness standards.

This document revises an earlier supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), applicable to certain Boeing Model 737-300, -400, - 500, -600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900, and 747-400 series airplanes; and Model 757, 767, and 777 airplanes. The first supplemental NPRM would have required modifying the static inverter by replacing resistor R170 with a new resistor and relocating the new resistor. This new action revises the first supplemental NPRM by adding certain airplanes to the applicability, changing certain airplane groups, and adding certain part numbers. The actions specified by this second supplemental NPRM are intended to prevent a standby static inverter from overheating, which could result in smoke in the flight deck and cabin and loss of the electrical standby power system. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 737-300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This proposed AD would require modifying the control power wiring of the normal supply fan and the low flow sensor for the equipment cooling system of the electronic flight instrument system (EFIS). This proposed AD results from a report of loss of both the normal EFIS cooling supply and the indication of EFIS cooling loss due to a single failure of the battery bus, causing eventual power-down of the EFIS displays; the standby attitude indication is also powered by this battery bus. We are proposing this AD to prevent loss of all attitude indications from both the standby indicator and EFIS displays, which could decrease the ability of the flightcrew to maintain the safe flight and landing of the airplane.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 747-200C and 747-200F series airplanes. This proposed AD would require installing larger moisture shrouds and additional drain lines in the electrical/electronic equipment center. This proposed AD results from reports of water contamination in the electrical/electronic units in the main equipment center. We are proposing this AD to prevent water contamination in the electrical/ electronic units in the main equipment center, which could result in an electrical short and potential loss of several functions essential for safe flight.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.