Federal Aviation Administration August 1, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

These special conditions are issued for Airbus Model A350-900 airplanes. These airplanes have a novel or unusual design feature associated with control-surface awareness and mode annunciation provided by the electronic flight-control system. 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.

This action amends Class D and Class E Airspace at Hartford, CT, by updating the geographic coordinates of Hartford-Brainard Airport. This action does not change the boundaries or operating requirements of the airspace.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Beechcraft Corporation (Type Certificate Previously Held by Hawker Beechcraft Corporation; Raytheon Aircraft Company; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Inc. Ltd.) Model MU-300 airplanes, and Beechcraft Corporation (Type Certificate Previously Held by Hawker Beechcraft Corporation; Raytheon Aircraft Company; Beech Aircraft Corporation) Model 400, 400A, and 400T airplanes. This AD was prompted by multiple reports of fatigue cracking in the horizontal stabilizer ribs. This AD requires repetitive inspections of the horizontal stabilizer rib assemblies for cracking, and replacement if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct such cracking, which could result in the failure of the horizontal stabilizer and loss of pitch control of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Model A330-200 Freighter, A330-200 and -300, and A340-200, -300, -500, and -600 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reassessment of an unsafe condition related to MZ-type spoiler servo-controls (SSCs) that did not remain locked in the retracted position (hydraulic locking function) after manual depressurization of the corresponding hydraulic circuit. This reassessment resulted in the determination that performing repetitive operational tests of all SSC types is necessary. This AD requires repetitive operational tests of the hydraulic locking function on each SSC installed on the blue or yellow hydraulic circuits, and replacing any affected SSC with a serviceable SSC. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct loss of the hydraulic locking function during take-off, which, in combination with one inoperative engine, could result in reduced controllability of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Beechcraft Corporation (Type Certificate Previously Held by Hawker Beechcraft Corporation; Raytheon Aircraft Company) Model Hawker 800XP, 850XP, and 900XP airplanes. This AD was prompted by a design review that revealed there were no instructions to apply sealant to structural components in the fuel tank during the winglet installation process. This AD requires an inspection for the presence of sealant on doubler plate edges, doubler plate rivets, and adjacent skin in the fuel vent surge tanks; and corrective actions if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct missing sealant, which, during a lightning strike, could result in a potential source of ignition in a fuel tank and consequent explosion or fire and subsequent in-flight breakup of the airplane.