Federal Aviation Administration November 2, 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes. This proposed AD would require revising the Airworthiness Limitations Items (ALI) of the maintenance requirements manual to require additional inspection requirements of the maintenance requirements manual for certain principal structural elements (PSEs) related to fuselage cutouts and to reduce an inspection threshold for an existing ALI task on the aft entry door. This proposed AD results from data obtained from the manufacturer's fatigue testing. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of certain PSEs, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

The FAA amends and supersedes proposed special conditions for the Boeing Model 777 series airplanes. The previous notice (Notice No. 25-06-09-SC) published on October 18, 2006 (71 FR 61432), did not reflect the final FAA position on the novel design feature, and was thus in error. This airplane, modified by Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, will have novel or unusual design features associated with overhead cross aisle stowage compartments. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for these design features. These amended proposed special conditions contain the additional safety standards the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.