Federal Aviation Administration April 13, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C. App. 2), notice is hereby given of a meeting of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). The meeting will take place on Thursday, May 21, 2009, starting at 8 a.m. at the Federal Aviation Administration Headquarters Building, 800 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC, in the Bessie Coleman Conference Center, located on the 2nd Floor. This will be the forty-ninth meeting of the COMSTAC.

This action proposes to modify Class E airspace at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, CO. Additional controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate aircraft using the Instrument Landing System (ILS) Localizer/Distance Measuring Equipment (LOC/DME) Standard Instrument Approach Procedure (SIAP) at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, CO. The geographic coordinates are being updated to coincide with the FAA's National Aeronautical Charting Office. The FAA is proposing this action to enhance the safety and management of aircraft operations at Montrose Regional Airport, Montrose, CO.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued 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: Rubs between the pipe and the bulkhead may lead to premature wearing and finally rupture of the P3 air pipe. The loss of P3 air pressure would then force the fuel control system to idle which could have a detrimental effect in critical phases of flight. We are proposing this AD to prevent an uncommanded power loss, which could result in an emergency autorotation landing or accident.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for Honeywell International Inc. ALF502 series and LF507 series turbofan engines with certain fuel manifold assemblies installed. That AD currently requires initial and repetitive on-wing eddy current or in-shop fluorescent penetrant inspections of certain part number (P/N) fuel manifold assemblies for cracks, and replacement of cracked fuel manifolds with serviceable manifolds. This proposed AD would continue to require inspecting those fuel manifolds for cracks, would also add leak checks of certain additional P/N fuel manifolds, and would specify replacement of the affected manifolds as an optional terminating action in lieu of the repetitive inspections. This proposed AD results from reports of fire in the engine nacelle. We are proposing this AD to detect cracks in certain fuel manifolds and fuel leaks from other fuel manifolds, which could result in a fire in the engine nacelle and a hazard to the aircraft.

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for GE CF6-80A series turbofan engines with certain stage 1 high-pressure turbine (HPT) rotor disks, installed. This AD requires removal from service of those stage 1 HPT rotor disks within 30 days after the effective date of the AD. This AD results from the FAA learning that those disks are susceptible to cracks developing at the aft chamfer of the blade dovetail slots. We are issuing this AD to prevent cracks developing at the aft chamfer of the blade dovetail slots that could propagate to a failure of the disk and cause an uncontained engine failure and damage to the airplane.