Department of Transportation February 15, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Chrysler Group, LLC, (Chrysler),\1\ has determined that certain model year 2011 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan multipurpose passenger vehicles manufactured between March 16, 2011 through March 22, 2011, do not fully comply with paragraph S4.3(d) of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 110, Tire selection and rims and motor home/recreation vehicle trailer load carrying capacity information for motor vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less. Chrysler has filed an appropriate report dated May 3, 2011, pursuant to 49 CFR Part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

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.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Eurocopter Deutschland (ECD) Model EC135 helicopters. This AD results from a mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) AD issued by the aviation authority of the Federal Republic of Germany, with which we have a bilateral agreement, to identify and correct an unsafe condition. The MCAI AD states that in the past, the FADEC FAIL caution light illuminated on a few EC135 T1 helicopters. It states that this was caused by a discrepancy in the parameters that was generated within the fuel main metering unit and transmitted to the FADEC. This discrepancy led to the display of the FADEC FAIL caution light and ``freezing'' of the fuel main metering valve at its position, resulting in loss of the automatic engine control in the affected system. With the MCAI AD, a synchronization procedure for pilots, which was already used in the past, is being reintroduced, which prevents the parameter discrepancy arising and thus sustains the automatic engine control. The AD actions are intended to prevent failure of the FADEC to automatically meter fuel, indicated by a FADEC FAIL cockpit caution light, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.