Federal Aviation Administration May 24, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

The FAA is correcting a final rule published on November 15, 2010. That rule required design approval holders of certain existing airplanes and all applicants for type certificates of future transport category airplanes to establish a limit of validity of the engineering data that supports the structural maintenance program (hereinafter referred to as LOV). It also required that operators of any affected airplane incorporate the LOV into the maintenance program for that airplane. This document corrects errors in codified text of that document.

We are superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Continental Motors, Inc. (CMI) models TSIO-520, TSIO-550-K, TSIOF-550K, and IO-550-N series reciprocating engines with new or rebuilt CMI starter adapters installed between January 1, 2011 and November 20, 2011. That AD currently requires replacing affected CMI starter adapters with starter adapters eligible for installation. This AD requires the same actions, but to an expanded population of reciprocating engines. This AD was prompted by two additional reports received of fractures in starter adapter gear shafts in certain additional part number (P/N) CMI starter adapters since we issued the existing AD. We are issuing this AD to prevent starter adapter gear shaft failure which could cause oil scavenge pump failure and engine in-flight shutdown.

This action changes the designated controlling agency for restricted area R-2502E, Fort Irwin, CA, from the Federal Aviation Administration, High-Desert Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), Edwards, CA, to FAA, Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). This change will improve the efficiency of air traffic operations in the vicinity of Fort Irwin, CA.

We propose to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all Pratt & Whitney Division (Pratt & Whitney) PW4052, PW4056, PW4060, PW4062, PW4062A, PW4074, PW4077, PW4077D, PW4084D, PW4090, PW4090-3, PW4152, PW4156A, PW4158, PW4164, PW4168, PW4168A, PW4460, and PW4462 turbofan engines. The existing AD currently requires initial and repetitive fluorescent penetrant inspections (FPI) for cracks in the blade locking and loading slots of the high-pressure compressor (HPC) drum rotor disk assembly rear drum. Since we issued that AD, Pratt & Whitney has developed a redesigned HPC drum rotor disk assembly for certain affected engine models. This proposed AD would also require replacement of the 13th, 14th, and 15th stage HPC seals as an additional action and would add an optional terminating action to the repetitive inspection requirements by allowing replacement of the entire HPC drum rotor disk assembly. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of the HPC drum rotor disk assembly, which could lead to an uncontained engine failure, and damage to the airplane.