Department of Transportation July 2, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On May 23, 2012, NHTSA published a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to require the installation of electronic stability control (ESC) systems on truck tractors and large buses. NHTSA is announcing a public hearing to provide an opportunity for the public to present oral testimony regarding the proposal. The oral testimony provided at the public hearing will be transcribed and placed in the docket for this rulemaking.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of the eighth meeting of RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Battery and Battery SystemsSmall and Medium Sizes.

We are revising an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD) to supersede an existing AD for all The Boeing Company Model 767 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive inspections to detect discrepancies of the wiring and surrounding Teflon sleeves of the fuel tank boost pumps and override/jettison pumps; replacement of the sleeves with new sleeves, for certain airplanes; and repair or replacement of the wiring and sleeves with new parts, as necessary. The previous NPRM proposed to reduce the initial compliance time and repetitive inspection interval in the existing AD. The previous NPRM was prompted by fleet information indicating that the repetitive inspection interval in the existing AD is too long because excessive chafing of the sleeving continues to occur much earlier than expected between scheduled inspections. This action revises the previous NPRM by proposing a terminating action for the repetitive inspections, to eliminate wire damage. This action also removes certain airplanes from the applicability of the previous NPRM. We are proposing this supplemental NPRM to detect and correct chafing of the fuel pump wire insulation and consequent exposure of the electrical conductor, which could result in electrical arcing between the wires and conduit and consequent fire or explosion of the fuel tank. Since these actions impose an additional burden over that proposed in the previous NPRM, we are reopening the comment period to allow the public the chance to comment on these proposed changes.

This rulemaking would allow air carrier operators and commuter or on-demand operators that also conduct commercial air tour operations to combine the drug and alcohol testing required for each operation into one testing program. The current rule requires those operators to conduct separate testing programs for their air tour operations. This results in an unnecessary duplication of effort. The intended effect of this rulemaking is to decrease operating costs by eliminating the requirement for duplicate programs while maintaining the level of safety intended by the current drug and alcohol testing regulations. This proposal would also clarify existing instructions within the rule, correct an inadvertent typographical error, clarify an existing requirement by rearranging its numerical order, and remove language that describes a practice that has been discontinued.

We are rescinding an airworthiness directive (AD) for RRD BR700-715A1-30, BR700-715B1-30, and BR700-715C1-30 turbofan engines. The existing AD resulted from the need to reduce the published life limits of high-pressure (HP) turbine stage 1 discs, part numbers (P/Ns) BRH20130 and BRH20131, and HP turbine stage 2 discs, P/Ns BRH19423 and BRH19427. We are rescinding the existing AD because RRD has revised the approved published life limits of these parts to the same or higher limits as originally certified.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Empresa Brasileria de Aeron[aacute]utica S.A. (EMBRAER) Model EMB-505 airplanes. This 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 an inadequate amount of drain holes in the primary control surfaces (rudder, elevator, and aileron) and their tab surfaces, which may allow water to accumulate in the control surfaces. This condition could cause unbalanced flight control surfaces and reduced flutter margins, which could result in loss of control of the airplane. We are issuing this AD to require actions to address the unsafe condition on these products.