Federal Aviation Administration March 31, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action removes a provision in part 71 that excludes from Class A airspace, that portion of U.S. domestic airspace that overlies the Santa Barbara and Farallon Islands and the airspace south of latitude 25[deg]04'00'' North (overlying and in the vicinity of the Florida Keys). The effect of this provision is that the airspace from 18,000 feet MSL up to and including Flight Level (FL) 600 (within the excluded areas) is classified as Class G (uncontrolled) airspace which limits the flexibility for air traffic control operations.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Weatherly Aircraft Company Models 201, 201A, 201B, 201C, 620, 620A, 620B, 620B-TG, and 620TP airplanes. This AD requires visually inspecting the center and outer wing front spar lower hinge fittings for cracks and corrosion and taking all necessary corrective actions. This AD also requires sending the inspection results to the FAA. This AD was prompted by a report of cracks found on the center wing front spar lower hinge fitting. We are issuing this AD to correct the unsafe condition on these products.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 747-100, 747-100B, 747-100B SUD, 747-200B, 747-300, 747SR, and 747SP series airplanes. This AD was prompted by an evaluation by the design approval holder (DAH) indicating that the upper chords of the upper deck floor beams are subject to widespread fatigue damage (WFD). This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracks at the floor panel attachment fastener holes; repetitive inspections for cracks in the upper and lower chords of the upper deck floor beams at permanent fastener locations; repetitive inspections for cracks in certain repaired and modified areas; and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This AD also requires repetitive replacement of the upper chords of the upper deck floor beams, including pre-replacement inspections and corrective action if necessary; and post-replacement repetitive inspections and repair if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of the upper chords of the upper deck floor beams. Undetected cracking could result in large deflection or deformation of the upper deck floor beams, resulting in damage to wire bundles and control cables for the flight control system, and reduced controllability of the airplane. Multiple adjacent severed floor beams could result in rapid decompression of the airplane.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2014-07-04R1 for certain Model S-92A helicopters. AD 2014-07-04R1 required repetitive inspections in the upper deck area for incorrectly installed clamps and chafing between the electrical wires and the hydraulic lines and replacing any unairworthy wires or hydraulic lines. This new AD requires altering the wiring system in the upper deck area to correct the unsafe condition described in AD 2014-07-04R1. We are issuing this AD to prevent a fire in an area of the helicopter without extinguishing capability and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.