Department of Transportation June 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified fire extinguishers. This action requires replacing each unairworthy portable fire extinguisher with an airworthy portable fire extinguisher. This amendment is prompted by an ongoing investigation that has established that unapproved Halon 1211 has been used to fill L'Hotellier portable fire extinguishers that are likely to be onboard various model helicopters. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent using contaminated gas that may reduce fire suppression and release toxic fumes that would endanger the safety of the helicopter and its occupants.

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the exemptions from the vision requirement in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for 18 individuals. FMCSA has statutory authority to exempt individuals from the vision requirement if the exemptions granted will not compromise safety. The Agency has concluded that granting these exemption renewals will provide a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety maintained without the exemptions for these commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 19 individuals for exemption from the prohibition against persons with insulin-treated diabetes mellitus (ITDM) operating commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) in interstate commerce. If granted, the exemptions would enable these individuals with ITDM to operate CMVs in interstate commerce.

This action amends Class D airspace within the Corpus Christi, TX, area by updating the geographic coordinates for Cabaniss Navy Outlying Field (NOLF). This action does not change the boundaries or operating requirements of the airspace.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the Sikorsky Model S-92A helicopters. This AD requires a nondestructive inspection (NDI), eddy current or fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI), of each main gearbox (MGB) upper housing assembly rib on the left, right, and forward MGB mounting foot at specified intervals based on the MGB upper housing assembly hours time-in-service (TIS). If there is a crack, this AD requires replacing the MGB upper housing assembly with an airworthy MGB upper housing assembly. This AD is prompted by a report of a crack found on the MGB upper housing assembly left mounting foot forward rib that cannot be detected visually. We are issuing this AD to prevent loss of the MGB and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD requires determining if affected seats and seating systems and their components are compliant with certain FAA regulations, and removing those seats, seating systems, and their components that are shown to be unsafe from the affected fleet. This AD was prompted by a determination that the affected seats and seating systems may not meet certain flammability, static strength, and dynamic strength criteria. Failure to meet static and dynamic strength criteria could result in injuries to the flightcrew and passengers during emergency landing conditions. In the event of an in-flight or post- emergency landing fire, failure to meet flammability criteria could result in an accelerated fire. We are issuing this AD to prevent accelerated fires and injuries to the flightcrew and passengers.

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 for 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 March 28, 2011, vol. 76, no. 59, pages 17181-17182. The FAA's Fuel Tank Flammability rule requires manufacturers to report to the FAA every six months for up to 5 years after the flammability reduction system is incorporated into the fleet. The data is needed to assure system performance meets that predicted at the time of certification.

This action proposes to amend Class E Airspace at Rutherfordton, NC, to accommodate the additional airspace needed for the Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) developed for Rutherford County Airport. This action would enhance the safety and airspace management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that 11 States have rescinded Notices of Intent (NOIs) to prepare 21 Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for proposed highway projects. The FHWA Division Offices, in consultation with the State departments of transportation (State DOTs), determined that six projects were no longer viable and have formally cancelled the projects. No further Federal resources will be expended on these projects; the environmental review process has been terminated. Seven projects have been reduced in scope or found not to have significant impacts and now meet the criteria for an Environmental Assessment (EA) or a Categorical Exclusion (CE). Six projects are currently undergoing re-scoping. After additional study, two individual projects were combined into a new single corridor project and a new EIS will be prepared.

These special conditions are issued for the Gulfstream GVI airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature(s) associated with single-occupant side-facing seats. 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.

These special conditions are issued for Boeing Model 747-8 airplanes. This airplane will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. These design features include a stairway between the main deck and upper deck. 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. Additional special conditions will be issued for other novel or unusual design features of Boeing 747-8 airplanes.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as:

We are superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. That AD currently requires an inspection to determine if a certain fuel pump housing electrical connector is installed. The existing AD also requires a revision to the FAA-approved airplane flight manual (AFM) to advise the flightcrew of the appropriate procedures for disabling certain fuel pump electrical circuits following failure of a fuel pump housing electrical connector if applicable. The existing AD also requires the deactivation of certain fuel tanks or fuel pumps and the installation of placards if applicable. The existing AD allows the optional replacement of the fuel pump housing electrical connectors with new, improved parts, which would terminate the AFM revisions, deactivation of certain fuel tanks and fuel pumps, and placard installation. This new AD instead requires replacing the fuel pump housing electrical connector assembly with a new part and doing repetitive inspections for continuity, resistance, and insulation resistance, and doing corrective actions if necessary. This AD was prompted by reports of failures of a certain fuel pump housing electrical connector. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct insulation resistance degradation and arcing in the potted backside of the electrical connector assembly of the fuel boost/ transfer pump housing, which could compromise its performance and cause an ignition source in the fuel tank, resulting in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.