Department of Transportation November 3, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Umlaut Engineering GmbH (previously P3 Engineering GmbH) HAFEX (Halon-free) hand-held fire extinguishers (fire extinguishers).This AD was prompted by a report of a safety issue on certain fire extinguishers, where certain environmental factors may prohibit the discharge of the fire extinguisher. This AD requires repetitively inspecting the fire extinguisher, and depending on the results, removing the fire extinguisher from service. This AD also prohibits installing an affected fire extinguisher unless it passes the required inspections. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is considering amending Circular 4702.1B, Title VI Requirements and Guidelines for Federal Transit Administration Recipients (Title VI Circular) to incorporate lessons learned since its issuance on October 1, 2012. The Title VI Circular provides guidance and instructions to FTA recipients of Federal financial assistance on how to comply with requirements under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the DOT Title VI regulations at 49 CFR part 21, which prohibit discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in federally funded programs. The agency is seeking suggestions from all transit stakeholdersincluding transit agencies, transit riders and community members, planning officials, States, cities, and the private sectoron enhancements that could be made to the Title VI Circular to provide clarity, to ensure Title VI requirements are met, and to advance equity. Specifically, FTA seeks input on requirements related to public participation, service and fare equity, facility equity analyses, implementation of rider conduct policies, and additional technical resources for determining and documenting disparate impact.

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. The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on January 13, 2021. The information is used to determine if applicants satisfy requirements for renewing a launch license to protect the public from risks associated with reentry operations.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Diamond Aircraft Industries GmbH (DAI) Model DA 42, DA 42 M-NG, and DA 42 NG airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as dissolved or detached fuel tank hose material entering the main fuel tank chambers, which could result in restricted fuel flow with consequent fuel starvation. This proposed AD would require removing the fuel tank connection hoses from service and inspecting the fuel tank connection hoses for damage and detached rubber material. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of Federal Aviation 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 nor omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2020-21- 05, which applied to all Airbus SAS Model A330-200 Freighter, A330-200, A330-300, A330-900, A340-200, A340-300, A340-500, and A340-600 series airplanes. AD 2020-21-05 required repetitive inspections of certain fuel pumps for cavitation erosion, replacement if necessary, revision of the operator's minimum equipment list (MEL), and accomplishment of certain maintenance actions related to defueling and ground fuel transfer operations. This AD retains the requirements of AD 2020-21-05, revises certain compliance times, and expands the applicability; as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. This AD was prompted by reports of a fuel pump showing cavitation erosion that exposed the fuel pump power supply wires, and by a determination that certain compliance times need to be revised and that additional airplanes are subject to the unsafe condition. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.