Federal Aviation Administration April 5, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of the seventh meeting of RTCA Special Committee 225, Rechargeable Lithium Batteries and Battery Systems, Small and Medium Size.

This action modifies four VOR Federal airways, revokes one VOR Federal airway, and establishes three area navigation (RNAV) routes in the vicinity of Windsor Locks, CT. The FAA is taking this action to adjust the airway route structure due to the planned decommissioning of the Bradley VHF omnirange/tactical air navigation (VORTAC) aid located on Bradley International Airport, Windsor Locks, CT. This action also adjusts the termination point of V-203 due to Canadian airspace reconfiguration.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain BAE SYSTEMS (OPERATIONS) LIMITED Model BAe 146 and Model Avro 146-RJ airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of cracking and surface anomalies of the fuselage skin at the water trap/air drier unit of the forward discharge valve due to corrosion. This proposed AD would require repetitive detailed inspections for bulging, surface anomalies, and cracking of the fuselage skin adjacent to the discharge valves, repair if necessary, and application of additional sealant in the affected area if necessary. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct bulging, surface anomalies, and cracking that could propagate towards the forward discharge valve outlet and result in the failure of the fuselage skin, leading to a possible sudden loss of cabin pressure.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Bombardier, Inc. Model BD-100-1A10 (Challenger 300) airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports that the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator (HSTA) no-back and the number 1 motor brake assembly (MBA) can both fail dormant. This AD requires revising the airplane maintenance schedule to include new functional tests of the HSTA no-back and HSTA brake system. We are issuing this AD to prevent dormant failure of the HSTA no-back and the number 1 MBA, which along with additional component failure could result in an uncontrollable horizontal stabilizer surface runaway without the ability to retrim, and consequent loss of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, and -900 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of heat damage to the inner wall of the thrust reversers, which could result in separation of adjacent components and consequent structural damage to the airplane, damage to other airplanes, and injury to people on the ground. This AD requires modifying the thrust reverser inner walls, inspecting for damage of the upper and lower inner wall insulation blankets, measuring the electrical conductivity on the aluminum upper compression pads 2 and 3 as applicable, inspecting for discrepancies of the inner wall of the thrust reverser, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also requires, for certain airplanes, doing various concurrent actions (including replacing the inner wall blanket insulation, installing updated full-authority digital electronic control software, and modifying the thrust reverser inner wall and insulation blankets). We are issuing this AD to correct the unsafe condition on these products.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A340-500 and -600 series airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections of the forward and aft attachment fittings and of the swan neck for cracks, and replacing the attachment fittings and the swan neck with serviceable ones if necessary. This AD was prompted by reports of cracks on the forward attachment fittings of the left and right sides of the forward hinge of the nose landing gear (NLG) aft door. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks of the forward attachment fittings and the swan neck, which could lead to the in-flight detachment of the NLG aft door and result in injury to persons on the ground or damage to the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 757 airplanes. This AD requires replacing the power control relays for the fuel boost pumps and override pumps with new relays having a ground fault interrupter (GFI) feature. This AD also requires an electrical bonding resistance measurement for certain GFI relays to verify that certain bonding requirements are met. This AD also requires, for certain airplanes, an inspection to ensure that certain screws are properly installed, and installing longer screws if necessary. This AD was prompted by fuel system reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We are issuing this AD to prevent damage to the fuel pumps caused by electrical arcing that could introduce an ignition source in the fuel tank, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.