Department of Transportation April 13, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C. App. 2), notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). The meeting will take place on Thursday, May 21, 2009, starting at 8 a.m. at the Federal Aviation Administration Headquarters Building, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, in the Bessie Coleman Conference Center, located on the 2nd Floor. This will be the forty-ninth meeting of the COMSTAC.

This action proposes to modify Class E airspace at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, CO. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate aircraft using the Instrument Landing System (ILS) Localizer/Distance Measuring Equipment (LOC/DME) Standard Instrument Approach Procedure (SIAP) at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, CO. The geographic coordinates are being updated to coincide with the FAA's National Aeronautical Charting Office. The FAA is proposing this action to enhance the safety and management of aircraft operations at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, CO.

The Surface Transportation Board seeks written public comments on the independent study prepared by Christensen Associates, Inc., entitled Supplemental Report to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board on Capacity and Infrastructure Investment, released on April 8, 2009 (Report). This report supplements an earlier report by Christensen Associates, released in November 2008, A Study of Competition in the U.S. Freight Railroad Industry and Analysis of Proposals That Might Enhance Competition.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as: Rubs between the pipe and the bulkhead may lead to premature wearing and finally rupture of the P3 air pipe. The loss of P3 air pressure would then force the fuel control system to idle which could have a detrimental effect in critical phases of flight. We are proposing this AD to prevent an uncommanded power loss, which could result in an emergency autorotation landing or accident.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Honeywell International Inc. ALF502 series and LF507 series turbofan engines with certain fuel manifold assemblies installed. That AD currently requires initial and repetitive on-wing eddy current or in-shop fluorescent penetrant inspections of certain part number (P/N) fuel manifold assemblies for cracks, and replacement of cracked fuel manifolds with serviceable manifolds. This proposed AD would continue to require inspecting those fuel manifolds for cracks, would also add leak checks of certain additional P/N fuel manifolds, and would specify replacement of the affected manifolds as an optional terminating action in lieu of the repetitive inspections. This proposed AD results from reports of fire in the engine nacelle. We are proposing this AD to detect cracks in certain fuel manifolds and fuel leaks from other fuel manifolds, which could result in a fire in the engine nacelle and a hazard to the aircraft.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Honeywell International Inc. ALF502L-2 and ALF502L-2C turbofan engines with certain high-pressure compressor (HPC) first stage discs installed. This AD requires performing a dimensional inspection to determine if excessive disc balance material was removed and a magnetic particle inspection if the disc passes the dimensional inspection. This AD results from reports of discs found with excessive material removed from the balancing locations of the disc. We are issuing this AD to prevent the discs from fracturing before reaching the currently published life limit. A disc fracture could result in an uncontained failure of the disc and damage to the airplane.

In accordance with the procedures governing the application for, and the processing of, special permits from the Department of Transportation's Hazardous Material Regulations (49 CFR Part 107, Subpart B), notice is hereby given that the Office of Hazardous Materials Safety has received the applications described herein. This notice is abbreviated to expedite docketing and public notice. Because the sections affected, modes of transportation, and the nature of application have been shown in earlier Federal Register publications, they are not repeated here. Requests for modification of special permits (e.g., to provide for additional hazardous materials, packaging design changes, additional mode of transportation, etc.) are described in footnotes to the application number. Application numbers with the suffix ``M'' denote a modification request. These applications have been separated from the new application for special permits to facilitate processing.