Federal Aviation Administration November 25, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action proposes to establish Class E airspace at Tower, MN. Controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) at Tower Municipal Airport, Tower, MN. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) aircraft operations at Tower Municipal Airport.

This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for the specified Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) model helicopters. That AD currently requires certain checks of the magnetic chip detector plug (chip detector) and the main gearbox (MGB) oil-sight glass, certain inspections of the lubrication pump (pump), and replacing the MGB and the pump with an airworthy MGB and pump, if necessary. Also, the AD requires that before a pump or MGB with any hours time-in-service (TIS) can be installed, it must meet the AD requirements. This AD adds all serial-numbered pumps to the applicability and requires using an improved procedure for detecting oil pump wear. This amendment is prompted by additional cases of MGB lubrication pump deterioration and a further investigation that determined that all serial-numbered pumps might be affected and the development of an improved procedure that is more accurate for detecting oil pump wear earlier. The actions specified by this AD are intended to implement improved procedures to detect a failing MGB oil pump, prevent failure of the MGB pump, seizure of the MGB, loss of drive to an engine and main rotor, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

The FAA adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Maule Aerospace Technology, Inc. M-4, M-5, M-6, and M-7 series and Model M-8-235 airplanes. This AD requires you to paint the top of the rear elevator control horn, the elevator control cable end attached to the top of the rear control horn, the bottom of the forward elevator control horn, and the elevator control cable end attached to the bottom of the forward control horn. This AD also requires you to insert a supplement into your maintenance program (maintenance manual). This AD results from two reports of accidents where reversed elevator control rigging was a factor. We are issuing this AD to reduce the likelihood of a mechanic rigging the elevator controls backwards, which could result in elevator movement in the opposite direction from control input. This condition could lead to loss of control.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as:

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 757 airplanes. This AD requires sealing the fasteners on the front and rear spars inside the left and right main fuel tanks and on the rear spar and lower panel of the center fuel tank. This AD also requires inspections of the wire bundle support installations to verify if certain clamps are installed and if Teflon sleeving covers the wire bundles inside the left and right equipment cooling system bays, on the left and right rear spars, and on the left and right front spars; and corrective actions if necessary. This AD results from a fuel system review conducted by the manufacturer. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct improper wire bundle support installation and sleeving and to prevent improperly sealed fasteners in the main and center fuel tanks from becoming an ignition source, in the event of a fault current, which could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.