Federal Aviation Administration April 12, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has prepared the Purpose, Need, and Alternatives Working Paper for the Proposed Airfield Safety Enhancement Project (ASEP) including real property transactions at Tucson International Airport (TUS), Pima County, Arizona. The FAA initiated preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in response to a proposal by the Tucson Airport Authority (TAA). The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public that the Purpose, Need, and Alternatives Working Paper will be made available for public comment as part of a continued effort to engage the public in the scoping process for this project. FAA is seeking comments on the Working Paper. The FAA is the lead Federal agency for preparation of the EIS and will do so in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-15080). The preparation of the EIS will follow FAA regulations and policies for implementing NEPA published in FAA Order 1050.1F, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, and FAA Order 5050.4B, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Implementing Instructions for Airport Actions. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) and the National Guard Bureau (NGB) are cooperating agencies under 40 CFR 1501.6. This Purpose, Need, and Alternatives Working Paper provides background information on TUS, a description of the Proposed Action, and the Purpose and Need to which the FAA, USAF, and NGB are responding in evaluating the Proposed Action and various reasonable alternatives to the Proposed Action. In whole or in summary, the Purpose, Need, and Alternatives Working Paper will become part of the EIS. The FAA is not making a decision regarding the Proposed Action in this Working Paper.

These special conditions are issued for the Bombardier Inc. (Bombardier) Model BD-700-2A12 and BD-700-2A13 airplanes. These airplanes will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design feature is a fuselage fabricated using aluminum-lithium materials instead of conventional aluminum. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate fire-safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional fire-safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc., Model DHC-8-102, -103, and -106 airplanes; and Model DHC-8-200 and DHC-8-300 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of incorrect installation of the auto-ignition system due to crossed wires at one of the splices in the auto-relight system. This AD requires inspecting the auto-ignition system for correct wiring, and doing corrective actions if necessary. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain American Champion Aircraft Corp. Model 8KCAB airplanes. This AD requires fabrication and installation of a placard to prohibit aerobatic flight, inspection of the aileron hinge rib and support, and a reporting requirement of the inspection results to the FAA. This AD was prompted by a report of a cracked hinge support and cracked hinge ribs, which resulted in partial loss of control with the aileron binding against the cove. We are issuing this AD to correct the unsafe condition on these products.