Federal Aviation Administration March 23, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This Notice is a correction to a document published by the same title on March 7, 2012 (FR Doc. 2012-5923), page 13683. In that document the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION was inadvertently left out. This notice announces the bi-annual meeting of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aeronautical Charting Forum (ACF) to discuss informational content and design of aeronautical charts and related products, as well as instrument flight procedures development policy and design criteria.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Pratt & Whitney PW4050, PW4052, PW4056, PW4060, PW4060A, PW4060C, PW4062, PW4062A, PW4152, PW4156, PW4156A, PW4158, PW4160, PW4460, PW4462, and PW4650 turbofan engines, including models with any dash number suffix. This AD was prompted by reports of five engine in-flight shutdowns and seven unplanned engine removals. This AD requires inspections, cleaning, and engine modifications to address coking in the No. 4 bearing compartment and in the oil pressure and scavenge tubes. We are issuing this AD to prevent an engine fire, a fractured fan drive shaft, and damage to the airplane.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Pratt & Whitney PW4052, PW4152, PW4056, PW4156A, PW4060, PW4060A, PW4060C, PW4062, PW4062A, PW4158, PW4460, PW4462, PW4164, PW4164C, PW4164C/B, PW4168, and PW4168A turbofan engines with certain high- pressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 front hubs installed. This proposed AD was prompted by Pratt & Whitney's updated low-cycle-fatigue analysis that indicated certain HPT stage 1 front hubs could initiate a crack prior to the published life limit. This proposed AD would require removing the affected HPT stage 1 front hubs from service using a drawdown plan. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the HPT stage 1 front hub, which could lead to an uncontained engine failure and damage to the airplane.

These special conditions are issued for the installation of an inflatable three-point restraint safety belt with an integrated airbag device at the aft position in two-place side-facing divan seats on the Embraer S.A. aircraft model EMB-505. These airplanes, as modified by the installation of these inflatable safety belts, will have novel and unusual design features associated with the upper-torso restraint portions of the three-point safety belts, which contain an integrated airbag device. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A340-211, -212, -311, and -312 airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking at the fastener hole area just above stringer 28, of both left- and right-hand fuselage frame 39.1, and repair if necessary. This AD was prompted by a determination that certain airplanes were not included in a certain airworthiness limitation item (ALI) task (inspections for cracking of the fuselage frame 39.1) and that the inspections must be done to address the identified unsafe condition. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking in the fuselage that could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.