Federal Aviation Administration July 25, 2019 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is amending a regulation to allow helicopter air ambulance (HAA) operators to conduct instrument flight rules departure and approach procedures at airports and heliports that do not have an approved weather reporting source. This rule applies to HAA aircraft without functioning severe weather detection equipment (airborne radar or lightning strike detection equipment), to permit instrument flight rules departure and approach procedures when the pilot in command reasonably determines that the operation will not encounter severe weather at the destination, the alternate destination, or along the route of flight. This amended rule also updates requirements to address the discontinuance of area forecasts and certain requirements concerning HAA departure procedures.

This action establishes Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Chase Field Industrial Airport, Beeville- Chase Field, TX. Controlled airspace is necessary to accommodate new standard instrument approach procedures developed at Chase Field Industrial Airport, for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2006-11-11, which applies to all The Boeing Company Model 757 airplanes. AD 2006-11-11 requires incorporating a new revision to the Airworthiness Limitations section of the Instructions of Continued Airworthiness to mandate certain repetitive inspections for fatigue cracking of principal structural elements (PSEs). Since AD 2006-11-11 was issued, the FAA has determined that new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. This proposed AD would require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.