Department of Transportation October 23, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Mercedes-Benz AG and Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, (collectively, ``Mercedes-Benz'') have determined that certain model year (MY) 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 580 motor vehicles do not fully comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 118, Power-operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems. Mercedes-Benz filed a noncompliance report dated May 11, 2020, and subsequently petitioned NHTSA on June 3, 2020, for a decision that the subject noncompliance is inconsequential as it relates to motor vehicle safety. This notice announces receipt of Mercedes-Benz's petition.

This notice invites eligible and qualified training entities to apply to the Maritime Administration (MARAD) for designation as a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education (CoE). The National Defense Authorization Act of 2018 (the Act) provided the Secretary of Transportation with the discretionary authority to designate eligible and qualified entities as CoEs. CoE designations will serve to assist the maritime industry in obtaining and maintaining the highest quality workforce. On March 6, 2020, the agency published a final notice in the Federal Register announcing its voluntary program to identify and recommend qualified training providers for CoE designation and the agency intent to obtain a current Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number for the information collection requirements resulting from this action. OMB has since approved an information collection control number for collecting CoE applications. The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications from eligible and qualified training entities for CoE designation.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus SAS Model A350-941 and -1041 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a report that a welding quality issue has been identified in the gimbal joint of the air bleed duct located at each wing-to-pylon interface; the inner ring of a gimbal had deformed to an oval shape, which could lead to cracking caused by direct contact between metal parts. This proposed AD would require replacing affected bleed duct assemblies and bleed gimbals at the wing-to-pylon interface with a serviceable part, 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.

This action establishes area navigation (RNAV) routes T-301 and T-305 in the northcentral United States. The new RNAV routes expand the availability of RNAV routing in support of transitioning the National Airspace System (NAS) from ground-based to satellite-based navigation. Additionally, a portion of the new RNAV routes provide enroute structure where VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR) Federal airway segments were removed due to the Cape Girardeau, MO, VOR being decommissioned in support of the FAA's VOR Minimum Operational Network (MON) program.

These special conditions are issued for the Dassault Aviation (Dassault) Model Falcon 900 airplane. This airplane, as modified by Chicago Jet Group, will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. This design feature is Midcontinent Instrument TS835 Standby Batteries that contain rechargeable lithium batteries. 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.

These special conditions are issued for Boeing Model 737-300, -400, -700, -800, -8, and -9 series airplanes. These airplanes, as modified by Archeion Holdings, LLC (Archeion), will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. This design feature is a digital systems architecture for the installation of a system with wireless network and hosted application functionality that allows access, from sources internal to the airplane, to the airplane's internal electronic components. 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.