Federal Aviation Administration November 17, 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of Federal Aviation Regulations. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, the FAA's exemption process. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion nor omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

These special conditions are issued for the Airbus Defense and Space S.A. (Airbus) Model C212-CC/-CD/-CE/-CF/-DF/-DE airplanes. This airplane, as modified by Airbus Defense and Space, Inc., 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 the emergency lighting installation that contain rechargeable lithium batteries. 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.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 747-100B SUD, 747-200B, 747-200C, 747-200F, 747-300, 747SP, 747-400, 747-400D, and 747-400F series airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a determination that a certain fastener type that penetrates the fuel tank walls has insufficient bond to the structure, and energy from a lightning strike or high-powered short circuit could cause arcing to occur at the ends of fasteners in the fuel tanks. This proposed AD would require, for certain airplanes, reconfiguring the clamps of certain wire bundles, applying sealant to certain fasteners that penetrate the fuel tank walls, installing cushion clamps and polytetrafluoroethylene (TFE) sleeves, inspecting to determine if sealant was applied to certain fasteners, and applying sealant if necessary. This proposed AD would also require, for all airplanes, revising the maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new, more restrictive airworthiness limitations. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA is revising a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would have applied to certain The Boeing Company Model 757-200, - 200CB, and -300 series airplanes. This action revises the NPRM by including additional airplanes that are also subject to the identified unsafe condition. Since this change would impose an additional burden over that in the NPRM, the FAA is requesting comments on this SNPRM.