Department of Transportation November 2015 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FMCSA announces its plan to submit the Information Collection Request (ICR) described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review and approval and invites public comment on the approval of a new ICR titled, 391.41 CMV Driver Medication Form. This ICR is voluntary and may be utilized by medical examiners (MEs) responsible for issuing Medical Examiner's Certificates (MECs) to commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. MEs that choose to use this ICR will do so in an effort to communicate with treating healthcare professionals who are responsible for prescribing certain medications, so that the ME fully understands the reasons the medications have been prescribed. The information obtained by the ME when utilizing this ICR will assist the ME in determining if the driver is medically qualified under 49 CFR 391.41 and to ensure that there are no disqualifying medical conditions or underlying medical conditions and prescribed medications that could adversely affect their safe driving ability or cause incapacitation constituting a risk to the public.

Under 49 U.S.C. 10502, the Board revokes the class exemption as it pertains to the trackage rights described in Docket No. FD 35965 \1\ to permit the trackage rights to expire on January 1, 2020, as provided in the underlying temporary trackage rights agreement subject to the employee protective conditions set forth in Oregon Short Line RailroadAbandonment Portion Goshen Branch Between Firth & Ammon, in Bingham & Bonneville Counties, Idaho, 360 I.C.C. 91 (1979).

The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared for the Shawnee Parkway Project in Alexander, Pulaski, and Union Counties, Illinois.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, the FAA's exemption process. 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 propose to supersede airworthiness directive (AD) 2006-23- 17, which applies to certain Turbomeca S.A. Turmo IV A and IV C turboshaft engines. AD 2006-23-17 currently requires repetitive inspections of the centrifugal compressor intake wheel (inducer) blades for cracks and corrosion, replacement of parts that fail inspection, and replacement of the TU 197 standard centrifugal compressor. This proposed AD would require the same inspections but at revised intervals, add the replacement of the TU 215 standard centrifugal compressor, and require replacement of parts that fail inspection. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the centrifugal compressor inducer, which could lead to an uncontained blade release, damage to the engine, and damage to 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. 49 U.S.C. 44707 empowers the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide for the examination and rating of civilian schools giving instruction in flying. This CFR prescribes the requirements for issuing pilot school certificates, provisional pilot school certificates and associated ratings to qualified applicants.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces its findings on the Noise Compatibility Program submitted by the Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities (ADOT&PF) under the provisions of 49 U.S.C. (the Aviation Safety and Noise Abatement Act, hereinafter referred to as ``the Act'') and 14 CFR Part 150. These findings are made in recognition of the description of Federal and nonfederal responsibilities in Senate Report No. 96-52 (1980). On July 27, 2015, the FAA determined that the noise exposure maps (NEM) submitted by the ADOT&PF under Part 150 were in compliance with applicable requirements. On November 17, 2015, the FAA approved the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and Lake Hood Seaplane Base (LHD) noise compatibility program (NCP). Most of the recommendations of the program were approved.

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces that the Information Collection Requests (ICRs) abstracted below are being forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICRs describes the nature of the information collections and their expected burdens. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collections of information was published on March 3, 2015 (80 FR 11518).

This action proposes to establish Class E airspace at Willapa Harbor Heliport, South Bend, WA, to accommodate new standard instrument approach and departure procedures developed at the heliport. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the heliport.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Turbomeca S.A. Arriel 2B, 2B1, 2C, 2C1, 2C2, 2D, 2E, 2S1, and 2S2 turboshaft engines. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of an uncommanded in-flight shutdown of an Arriel 2 engine caused by rupture of the 41-tooth gear, which forms part of the bevel gear in the engine accessory gearbox (AGB). This proposed AD would require inspection, and, depending on the results, removal of the engine AGB. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the engine AGB, which could lead to in-flight shutdown, damage to the engine, and damage to the aircraft.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a determination that, in specific flight conditions, the allowable load limits on the vertical tail plane could be reached and possibly exceeded. Exceeding allowable load could result in detachment of the vertical tail plane. This AD requires modification of the pin programming flight warning computer (FWC) to activate the stop rudder input warning (SRIW) logic; and an inspection to determine the part numbers of the FWC and the flight augmentation computer (FAC), and replacement of the FWC and FAC if necessary. We are issuing this AD to prevent detachment of the vertical tail plane and consequent loss of control of the airplane.

FRA is issuing this interim interpretation to clarify provisions in its locomotive engineer and conductor qualification and certification regulations with respect to vision standards and testing. In particular, this document addresses further evaluation of persons who do not meet the vision threshold criteria provided for in those regulations, and provides best practices guidance for designing valid, reliable, and comparable vision field tests for assessing whether persons who do not meet those thresholds can perform safely as locomotive engineers and conductors.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of a RTCA Program Management Committee meeting.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)'s approval to renew an information collection. The collection involves a classification of air carriers known as air taxi operators and their filings of a one-page form that enables them to obtain economic authority from DOT. The information to be collected is necessary for DOT to determine whether an air taxi operator meets DOT's criteria for an economic authorization in accordance with DOT rules. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13.

This document publishes the final data on thefts of model year (MY) 2013 passenger motor vehicles that occurred in calendar year (CY) 2013, including theft rates for existing passenger motor vehicle lines manufactured in model year (MY) 2013.

This final rule corrects editorial errors, makes minor regulatory changes and, in response to requests for clarification, improves the clarity of certain provisions in the Hazardous Materials Regulations. The intended effect of this rule is to enhance the accuracy and reduce misunderstandings of the regulations. The amendments contained in this rule are non-substantive changes and do not impose new requirements.

FRA has become aware of occurrences when emergency window exits on passenger cars did not operate as intended because the emergency pull handle became detached from the window gasket when pulled, the gasket tore into multiple pieces, or the gasket was otherwise difficult to remove. While investigating these occurrences, FRA discovered that some railroads were not following, or did not clearly understand, the existing Federal regulations on the inspection, testing, and maintenance (ITM) of these window exits, particularly the requirement that a railroad must utilize a test sampling method that conforms with a formalized statistical test method. FRA does not believe any of these occurrences involved passengers or precluded passengers from opening a window in an emergency situation. However, in light of these concerns, FRA is issuing this document to provide information and guidance to railroads operating passenger train service on the existing regulatory requirements regarding ITM of emergency window exits.

These special conditions are issued for the Boeing Model 747-8 airplane. This airplane, as modified by Associated Air Center, will have novel or unusual design features associated with side-facing seats and airbag-equipped shoulder belts for these side-facing seats. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for these design features. 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.

We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2006-19- 12, which applies to certain The Boeing Model 777-200 and -300 series airplanes. AD 2006-19-12 currently requires inspecting the lower web of the aft fairing of the engine struts for any discoloration and doing any related investigative and corrective action if necessary; inspecting the heat shield castings for any damage and doing any corrective action if necessary; installing gap cover strips; and replacing insulation blankets with new insulation blankets. Since we issued AD 2006-19-12, we have received a report that an aft fairing lower spar web exceeded the allowable conductivity limits. This proposed AD would also require, depending on airplane configuration, one-time or repetitive detailed inspections for cracking and deformation, as applicable, of the aft fairing lower structure, and one-time or repetitive conductivity inspections of the aft fairing lower structure and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD also adds airplanes to the applicability. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct degradation of the aft fairing lower web, which could lead to cracking of the web and could allow flammable fluids to leak into the heat shield pan castings, and consequent increased risk of an uncontained fire and subsequent structural damage.

This NPRM provides interested parties with the opportunity to comment on proposed revisions to the FHWA and FTA joint regulations that implement the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation Act. The revisions are prompted by the enactment of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which requires rulemaking to address programmatic approaches. This NPRM proposes to revise the FHWA/FTA Environmental Impact and Related Procedures and Parks, Recreation Areas, Wildlife and Waterfowl Refuges, and Historic Sites regulations due to MAP-21 changes to the environmental review process that FHWA and FTA have not previously captured in other rulemakings, such as the use of programmatic agreements and the use of single final environmental impact statement/record of decision documents. In addition, FHWA and FTA propose changes to the regulatory text to improve readability and to reflect current practice, consistent with an Executive order to improve regulations and regulatory review. The FHWA and FTA seek comments on the proposals contained in this notice.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for REIMS AVIATION S.A. Model F406 airplanes. This AD revises AD 2015-16-07, which required inspection of the left-hand and right-hand rudder control pedal torque tubes, and, depending on findings, replacement with a serviceable part. This AD retains the actions of AD 2015-16-07 and adds additional acceptable serviceable replacement parts. The AD was prompted by reports of detachment of the pilot's rudder control pedal in flight. We are issuing this AD to require actions to address the unsafe condition on these products.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A330-200, A330-200 Freighter, and A330-300 series airplanes; and Model A340-200 and A340-300 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of cracked support strut body ends at a certain frame location of the trimmable horizontal stabilizer (THS). This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the strut ends of the THS support located at a certain frame in the tail cone, and replacement if necessary; and reinstallation or installation of reinforcing clamps on certain strut ends. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracked support strut body ends of the THS, which could lead to the loss of all four THS support struts, making the remaining structure unable to carry limit loads, resulting in the loss of the horizontal tail plane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Zodiac Aerotechnics (formerly Intertechnique Aircraft Systems) flightcrew oxygen mask regulators as installed on, but not limited to, various transport and small airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report that improper maintenance on oxygen mask regulators was found. This AD requires the identification and replacement of all potentially affected units. This AD also requires installation of a placard and revision of the airplane flight manual to include an operational procedure for use in case of depressurization. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct affected oxygen mask regulators, which could lead to inadequate protection to the affected flightcrew against hypoxia. Hypoxia can start from a headache and drowsiness and lead eventually to unconsciousness with severe consequence in terms of airplane controllability.