Federal Aviation Administration June 17, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This document revises an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to certain Boeing Model 767-200 and -300 series airplanes. That proposed rule would have required replacing certain door-mounted escape slides and slide-raft assemblies with new slide-raft assemblies; replacing certain escape system latches with new latches; and modifying or replacing certain counterbalance assemblies with new counterbalance assemblies; as applicable. This new action revises the proposed rule by extending the compliance time, adding requirements to install a longer firing cable and test the valve of the inflation trigger system of the slide-raft, and, for certain airplanes, adding procedures to adjust the door counter balance systems. The actions specified by this new proposed AD are intended to prevent the escape slides and slide-rafts of the forward and mid-cabin entry and service doors from being too steep for evacuation in the event that the airplane rotates onto the aft fuselage into the extreme tip-back condition. In the extreme tip-back condition, the forward and mid-cabin exits could result in steeper sliding angles, which could cause injury to passengers and crewmembers during an emergency evacuation. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain Airbus Model A300, A310, and A300-600 series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive detailed visual inspections to detect cracks in the pylon thrust and sideload fitting of the wing, and replacement of any cracked pylon thrust and sideload fitting with a new fitting. This proposed AD would reduce the threshold and repetitive intervals for the detailed inspection for certain airplanes and would reduce the applicability of the existing AD. This proposed AD results from issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the pylon thrust and sideload fitting of the wing, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.