Department of Transportation June 19, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), in coordination with the National Weather Service (NWS), will transition seven (7) Area Forecasts (FAs), currently used as flight planning and pilot weather briefing aids, to digital and graphical alternatives. A joint-agency working group has concluded that these digital and graphical alternatives better-meet the needs of today's aviation users. Guidance with respect to the proper use of these alternatives is forthcoming.

As authorized by 46 U.S.C. 12121, the Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirement of the coastwise laws under certain circumstances. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

As authorized by 46 U.S.C. 12121, the Secretary of Transportation, as represented by the Maritime Administration (MARAD), is authorized to grant waivers of the U.S.-build requirement of the coastwise laws under certain circumstances. A request for such a waiver has been received by MARAD. The vessel, and a brief description of the proposed service, is listed below.

FMCSA announces receipt of applications from 34 individuals for exemption from the vision requirement for operating a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The applicants are unable to meet the vision requirement in one eye for various reasons. The exemptions will allow these individuals to operate CMVs in interstate commerce without meeting the prescribed vision requirement in one eye. At the end of the comment period, the Agency will grant exemptions to the applicants listed herein if there are no adverse comments that indicate the driver's ability will not achieve a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety that would be obtained by complying with the regulations. All comments will be reviewed and evaluated by FMCSA. Some individuals appearing in this notice may not receive exemptions based on comments received during the comment period. Individuals not granted an exemption may either be published at a future date based on further evaluation or may not be deemed to meet the aforementioned level of safety if granted an exemption. These individuals will be published in a quarterly notice of exemption denials. As always, any adverse comments received after the exemption is granted will be evaluated, and if they indicate that the driver is not achieving a level of safety equivalent to or greater than the level of safety that would be obtained by complying with the regulation, the exemption will be revoked. When granted, the exemptions will allow these individuals with vision deficiencies in one eye to operate in interstate commerce.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Embraer S.A. Model EMB-505 airplanes that would supersede AD 2013-22- 20. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated 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 cracks beyond acceptable limits in the carbon discs of the left hand (LH) and right hand (RH) brake assemblies. We are issuing this proposed AD to require actions to address the unsafe condition on these products.

Ford Motor Company (Ford) has determined that certain model year (MY) 2010-2014 Transit Connect vehicles do not fully comply with paragraph S5.1 of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 205, Glazing Materials. Ford has filed an appropriate report dated March 31, 2014, pursuant to 49 CFR part 573, Defect and Noncompliance Responsibility and Reports.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Agusta S.p.A. (Agusta) Model AB412 and AB412EP helicopters with a certain rotor brake pinion installed. This AD requires inspecting the rotor brake pinion for a crack, and replacing it if there is a crack. This AD is prompted by a report of a rotor brake pinion failure. These actions are intended to detect a crack on the rotor brake pinion and prevent failure of the rotor brake pinion, which could lead to detachment of parts inside the transmission and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2003-01-04 for BHTI Model 204B, 205A, 205A-1, 205B, and 212 helicopters. AD 2003-01-04 required inspecting the main rotor grip (grip) and reporting certain inspection results to the FAA. AD 2003-01-04 also required performing additional inspections, repair, or replacement depending on whether a crack or delamination was found, and determining and recording the hours time-in-service (TIS) and the engine start/stop cycles for each grip on a component history card or equivalent record. This new AD requires the same actions as AD 2003-01-04 but adds a retirement life to certain grips and expands the applicability to include the Model 210 helicopter and additional part-numbered grips. This AD was prompted by the discovery of additional cracked grips. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of a grip, separation of a main rotor blade, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.