Department of Transportation December 28, 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Model 777-200, -200LR, -300, and -300ER series airplanes. This proposed AD would require, for certain airplanes, replacing certain boost pump relays with ground fault interrupter (GFI) relays. For certain other airplanes, this proposed AD would require installing new panels in the main equipment center, making certain wiring changes, installing new GFI relays in the new panels, and installing new electrical load management system (ELMS) software. For certain other airplanes, this proposed AD would require doing certain bond resistance measurements, and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD results from fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to prevent the potential of ignition sources inside fuel tanks, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information collection. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on September 23, 2010, vol. 75, no. 184, page 58014. The FAA requires that certain performance information be provided in the Rotorcraft Flight Manual in order to show compliance to the regulatory requirements. The flight manual, by regulation, must be furnished with each aircraft.

This action proposes to establish Class E Airspace at Wolfeboro, NH, to accommodate a new Area Navigation (RNAV) Global Positioning System (GPS) special Standard Instrument Approach Procedure (SIAP) serving Huggins Hospital Heliport. This action would enhance the safety and airspace management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations within the National Airspace System.

On August 5, 2010, the FAA published a notice in the Federal Register advising manufacturers of Foreign Object Debris (FOD) detection equipment that it was considering issuing waivers to Buy American requirements of 49 USC 50101 to foreign manufacturers of FOD detection equipment (Federal Register/Vol. 75, No. 150/Thursday, August 5, 2010/Notices, page 47344) The FAA has determined that two manufacturers with products containing 60% or more U.S. content and U.S. final assembly are able to produce sufficient and reasonable amounts of FOD detection equipment meeting the requirements of FAA Advisory Circular 150/5220-24. Subsequently, the FAA will issue Buy American Waivers based on the 60% U.S. content and U.S. final assembly. The FAA will not issue any Buy American Waivers based on insufficient quantity to foreign manufacturers.

This action amends Class E airspace for the Columbus, OH, area, to accommodate Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Port Columbus International Airport, Columbus, OH. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport.

This action establishes Class E airspace at Central City, NE, to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Central City MunicipalLarry Reineke Field Airport, Central City, NE. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport.

This action amends Class E airspace at Mansfield, OH, to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, Mansfield, OH. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport.

This action amends Class E airspace at Johnson, KS, to accommodate new Area Navigation (RNAV) Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAP) at Stanton County Municipal Airport, Johnson, KS. Minor adjustments to geographic coordinates would also be made. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport.

This action amends Class E airspace for Taos, NM. Decommissioning of the Ski non-directional beacon (NDB) at Taos Regional Airport, Taos, NM, has made this action necessary to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rule (IFR) operations at the airport.

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 the 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.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Model 737-200, -300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of certain fuselage frames and stub beams, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also provides for an optional repair, which would terminate the repetitive inspections. For airplanes on which a certain repair is done, this AD also requires repetitive inspections for cracking of certain fuselage frames and stub beams, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD results from reports of the detection of fatigue cracks at certain frame sections, in addition to stub beam cracking, caused by high flight cycle stresses from both pressurization and maneuver loads. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of certain fuselage frames and stub beams and possible severed frames, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the frames. This reduced structural integrity can increase loading in the fuselage skin, which will accelerate skin crack growth and could result in rapid decompression of the fuselage.

The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD), which applies to certain Model 747-200C, -200F, -400, -400D, and -400F series airplanes. That AD currently requires repetitive inspections for cracks in the overlapping (upper) skin of the upper fastener row of the lap joints of the fuselage skin in sections 41, 42, and 46; and related investigative and corrective actions, if necessary. This new AD expands the inspection area in the existing AD, and adds a modification of certain lap joints and certain post-repair inspections of the lap joints. Accomplishing the modification would end the repetitive inspections required by the existing AD for the length of lap joint that is modified. This AD results from a structural review of affected skin lap joints for widespread fatigue damage. We are issuing this AD to prevent fatigue cracking in certain lap joints, which could result in rapid depressurization of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking in the body skin around the aft corners of the nose wheel well; for certain airplanes, repetitive inspections for cracking in the skin splice plate at the aft corners of the nose wheel well; and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also requires repetitive post-modification inspections for cracking in the body skin and the skin splice plate; for certain airplanes, an inspection for steel cross-shaped doublers on the larger aluminum doublers; and corrective action if necessary. This AD also requires repetitive surface high frequency eddy current (HFEC) inspections of a certain bulkhead outer chord, skin splice plate, and outer chord radius filler for cracking; repetitive detailed inspections for cracking of the bulkhead frame web and body skin; and corrective actions if necessary. This AD provides for optional terminating action for certain repetitive inspections. This AD was prompted by reports of cracking of the fuselage skin and adjacent internal skin splice plate at the left and right nose wheel well aft corners, and the outer chord of the body station (BS) 400 bulkhead. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking of the fuselage skin or splice plate, which, together with cracking of the bulkhead outer chord, could result in large skin cracks and subsequent in-flight rapid decompression of the airplane.

This amendment supersedes an existing emergency airworthiness directive (EAD) for the specified Sikorsky model helicopters. The EAD requires inspecting the LITEF Attitude Heading and Reference System (AHRS) unit of the navigation system to determine if it is at a Mod Status ``18.'' If either AHRS unit is at Mod Status ``18,'' the EAD requires installing placards on the instrument panel to prohibit single pilot instrument flight rule (IFR) and single pilot night flight and reducing airspeeds to 120 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS) if both autopilots uncouple during instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) or night flight. The EAD also requires inserting minimum crew and airspeed limitations into the Limitations section of the applicable Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) to limit the minimum flight crew to 2 pilots for night flight and IFR flight and to reduce airspeed to 120 KIAS if both autopilots uncouple during IMC or night flight. This amendment contains the same requirements but draws the appropriate distinctions between IFR and IMC as used in the intended operating limitations. Also, unlike the EAD, this AD states the airspeed must be reduced to 120 KIAS if both autopilots uncouple during IMC or night flight. Further, we are removing the limitation contained in the Active Temporary Revisions relating to pilots keeping their hands and feet near the flight controls. This AD was prompted by the need to supersede the EAD to state the distinction between IFR and IMC as used in the operating limitations and to reduce the airspeed to 120 KIAS if both autopilots uncouple during IMC or night flight. The actions specified by this AD are intended to implement operating limitations based on an anomaly in the AHRS related to the 26 volt AC inverter that could result in a decoupling of both autopilots and to prevent loss of control of the helicopter during IMC and during night flight.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900 series airplanes. This AD requires inspections for scribe lines in the fuselage skin at lap joints, the splice strap at certain butt joints, the skin or doubler at certain approved repair doublers, and the skin at decal locations; and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This AD results from reports of scribe line damage found adjacent to the skin lap joints, decals, and wing-to-body fairings. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct scribe lines, which can develop into fatigue cracks in the skin. Undetected fatigue cracks can grow and cause sudden decompression of the airplane.