Department of Transportation October 9, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

FMCSA announces its decision to renew the American Concrete Pumping Association (ACPA) exemption from the 30-minute rest break requirement in the Agency's hours-of-service (HOS) regulations for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers. The exemption enables all concrete pump operators, concrete pumping companies, and drivers who operate concrete pumps in interstate commerce to count on-duty time while attending equipment but performing no other work-related activity toward the 30-minute rest break provision of the HOS regulations. FMCSA has analyzed the exemption application and the public comments and has determined that the exemption, subject to the terms and conditions imposed, will achieve a level of safety that is equivalent to, or greater than, the level that would be achieved absent such exemption.

FMCSA requests comments on a petition submitted by the Washington Trucking Associations, Inc. (WTA) requesting a determination that the State of Washington's Meal and Rest Break Rules (MRB rules), as applied to drivers of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) subject to FMCSA's hours of service (HOS) regulations, are preempted by Federal law. FMCSA requests comments in response to this petition.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2019-05- 09, which applied to certain Airbus SAS Model A320-251N and -271N airplanes, and Model A321-253N airplanes. AD 2019-05-09 required repetitive detailed inspections of certain electrical harnesses for discrepancies, and corrective actions if necessary. AD 2019-05-09 also provided an optional terminating modification for the repetitive detailed inspections. This AD retains the actions of AD 2019-05-09, and adds a requirement for a terminating modification for the repetitive detailed inspections, as specified in a European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. This AD was prompted by reports of low clearance between the electrical harness and nearby hydraulic pipes in the inboard trailing edge of the wing. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This action amends the Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport, Mount Pleasant, IA. This action is due to an airspace review caused by the decommissioning of the Mount Pleasant non-directional beacon (NDB), which provided navigation information to the instrument procedures at this airport. Airspace redesign is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at this airport.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus SAS Model A330-941 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports indicating premature aging of certain chemical oxygen generators. This proposed AD would require repetitively removing the affected chemical oxygen generators and replacing them with serviceable parts, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which will be incorporated by reference. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Bombardier, Inc., Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701 & 702) airplanes; Model CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705) airplanes; Model CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) airplanes; and Model CL-600-2E25 (Regional Jet Series 1000) airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of incorrectly installed flight compartment door edge protection plates on both sides of the upper decompression panel. This proposed AD would require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate a functional check of the flight compartment door decompression latches. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

These special conditions are issued for the Bombardier Model No. DHC-8-100, DHC-8-200, DHC-8-300, and DHC-8-400 series airplanes. These airplanes, as modified by Voyageur Aerotech Inc. (Voyageur), will have novel or unusual design features when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. This design feature is a rechargeable lithium battery pack inside the Emergency Backup Power Supply. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. 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.