Department of Transportation April 5, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA proposes to amend certain airworthiness regulations applicable to cabin pressurization systems and oxygen dispensing equipment on transport category airplanes to accommodate airplane operations into or out of airports with elevations at or above 8,000 feet above sea level. Currently, the FAA makes and documents equivalent level of safety findings when an airplane manufacturer or modifier proposes to certify airplane cabin pressurization systems used for operations into or out of airports with elevations at or above 8,000 feet. In addition, the FAA grants exemptions from the automatic oxygen mask presentation requirements for operations into or out of airports with elevations at or above 14,000 feet. This proposed action is necessary to relieve the burden on industry and the FAA that results from project-specific equivalent level of safety (ELOS) requests and petitions for exemption to accommodate operations at high elevation airports for transport category airplanes.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Models PC-6, PC-6/350, PC-6/350-H1, PC-6/ 350-H2, PC-6/A, PC-6/A-H1, PC-6/A-H2, PC-6/B-H2, PC-6/B1-H2, PC-6/B2- H2, PC-6/B2-H4, PC-6/C-H2, PC-6/C1-H2, PC-6-H1, and PC-6-H2 airplanes. 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 flap actuator taper pins that were not swaged during the manufacturing process. We are issuing this proposed AD to require actions to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action proposes to amend Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface in Monroe-Walton County Airport, Monroe, GA, to accommodate airspace reconfiguration due to the decommissioning of the Monroe non-directional radio beacon and cancellation of the NDB approach. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at this airport. This action also would update the geographic coordinates of this airport.