Federal Aviation Administration September 17, 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action proposes special conditions for the Embraer S.A. Model EMB-550 airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature(s) associated with the control surface awareness and mode annunciation of the electronic flight control system. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These proposed 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 superseding an existing airworthiness directive (AD) for 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. That AD currently requires initial and repetitive fluorescent penetrant inspections (FPI) for cracks in the blade loading and locking slots of the high-pressure compressor (HPC) drum rotor disk assembly rear drum. This new AD requires the same actions, requires replacement of the 13th, 14th, and 15th stage HPC seals with redesigned HPC seals as an additional action, and adds an optional terminating action to the repetitive inspection requirements by allowing replacement of the entire HPC drum rotor disk assembly with a redesigned HPC drum rotor disk assembly. This AD was prompted by Pratt & Whitney developing a redesigned HPC drum rotor disk assembly for certain affected engine models. We are issuing 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.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Piper Aircraft, Inc. Models PA-24, PA-24-250, and PA-24-260 airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of cracks developing in the stabilator horn assembly. This AD requires replacement of the stabilator horn assembly and/or repetitive inspections of the stabilator horn assembly for corrosion or cracks, as applicable. Corrosion or cracks could lead to failure of the stabilator horn. Consequently, failure of the stabilator horn could lead to a loss of pitch control in flight. We are issuing this AD to correct the unsafe condition on these products.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier Inc. Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports that the automatic de-icing mode became unavailable due to a failure of the timer and monitor unit (TMU). This AD requires replacing the TMU. We are issuing this AD to prevent loss of the automatic de- icing mode and consequent increased workload for the flightcrew, which, depending on additional failures, could lead to loss of control of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited (BHTC) Model 407 helicopters. This AD requires you to replace tailboom-attachment hardware (attachment hardware), and perform initial and recurring determinations of the torque on the nuts of the tailboom-attachment bolts (bolts) at all four attachment locations. This AD was prompted by a review of the tailboom-attachment installation, which revealed that the torque value of the bolts specified in the BHTC Model 407 Maintenance Manual and applied during manufacturing was incorrect and exceeded the torque range recommended for the bolts. The actions required by this AD are intended to prevent an over-torque of a bolt, bolt failure, loss of the tailboom, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.