Federal Aviation Administration 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 737-200, -300, and -400 series airplanes. This AD requires replacing the existing fueling float switch in the auxiliary fuel tank with a new, improved fueling float switch, installing a new liner system inside the float switch conduit, and performing related investigative and other specified actions. This AD results from reports of chafing of the direct-current-powered float switch wiring insulation in the center fuel tank. We are issuing this AD to prevent contamination of the fueling float switch of the auxiliary fuel tank by moisture or fuel, and chafing of the float switch wiring against the float switch conduit in the fuel tank, which could present an ignition source inside the fuel tank that could cause a fire or explosion.

The FAA is superseding two existing airworthiness directives (AD) that apply to certain Airbus Model A300 B2, A300 B4, and A300-600 series airplanes. One AD currently requires an inspection for cracks of the lower outboard flange of gantry No. 4 in the main landing gear (MLG) bay area, and repair if necessary. The other AD currently requires, among other actions, repetitive inspections of the gantry lower flanges, and repair if necessary. This new AD requires new repetitive inspections for cracks in the lower flange of certain gantries, and repair if necessary, which ends the existing inspection requirements. This new AD also provides for optional terminating actions for the new repetitive inspections. This AD results from a report of a large fatigue crack along the outboard flange of beam No. 4 and a subsequent determination that existing inspections are inadequate. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracks in the lower flanges of gantries 1 through 5 inclusive in the MLG bay area, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the fuselage, and consequent rapid decompression of the airplane.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering a proposal to change a portion of the airport from aeronautical use to non-aeronautical use and to authorize the release 4.105 acres of vacant airport property for an exchange of property between the Cambridge Area Regional Airport Authority and Dunning Investment Company, Ltd. The land was conveyed to the Cambridge Area Regional Airport Authority in Deed Volume 364, page 656 of the Recorder's Office, Guernsey County, Ohio. The land was acquired under FAA Project No. 3-39-0013-0303. There are no impacts to the airport by allowing the airport to dispose of the property. Approval does not constitute a commitment by the FAA to financially assist in the disposal of the subject airport property nor a determination of eligibility for grant-in-aid funding from the FAA. In exchange, the Cambridge Regional Airport Authority will receive a parcel of land adjacent to Cambridge Municipal Airport. This parcel is necessary to meet design standards for future airport development as indicated on the Airport Layout Plan for Cambridge Municipal Airport. In accordance with section 47107(h) of title 49, United States Code, this notice is required to be published in the Federal Register 30 days before modifying the land-use assurance that requires the property to be used for an aeronautical purpose.

The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all Airbus Model A330, A340-200, and A340-300 series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive inspections of a certain bracket that attaches the flight deck instrument panel to the airplane structure; replacement of the bracket with a new, improved bracket; and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD would add a requirement for replacement of the existing bracket with a titanium- reinforced bracket, which would end the repetitive inspections in the existing AD. This proposed AD would also require related investigative and corrective actions while accomplishing the replacement, and would reduce the applicability in the existing AD. This proposed AD results from a report of cracking damage found on certain brackets that were replaced per the requirements in the existing AD. We are proposing this AD to prevent a cracked bracket. Failure of this bracket, combined with failure of the horizontal beam, could result in collapse of the left part of the flight deck instrument panel, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all BAE Systems (Operations) Limited Model BAe 146 and Avro 146-RJ airplanes equipped with certain hydraulic accumulators. This proposed AD would require inspecting the hydraulic accumulators to identify certain serial numbers, and replacing any affected accumulator with a new or serviceable accumulator. Operators may delay doing the replacement by doing repetitive inspections of the affected hydraulic accumulators for signs of failure (leaking or cracking), and replacing any failed accumulator with a new or serviceable unit. This proposed AD results from a report that one hydraulic accumulator failed in service, which caused the loss of the yellow hydraulic system when the airplane was configured for landing. We are proposing this AD to prevent damage to the pressure skin, failure of certain hydraulic systems, contamination of the cabin with hydraulic mist, increased workload for the flightcrew associated with the loss of one or more hydraulic circuits, and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) that supersedes AD 2003-13-04, which applies to certain Pilatus Aircraft Ltd (Pilatus) Model PC-6 airplanes. AD 2003-13-04 currently requires you to inspect the integral fuel tank wing ribs for cracks and the top and bottom wing skins for distortion, repair any cracks or distortion before further flight, and do a fuel tank ventilating system installation. Since we issued AD 2003-13-04, the FAA determined the action should also apply to all the models of the PC-6 airplanes listed in the type certificate data sheet of Type Certificate (TC) No. 7A15 that were produced in the United States through a licensing agreement between Pilatus and Fairchild Republic Company (also identified as Fairchild Industries, Fairchild Heli Porter, or Fairchild-Hiller Corporation). In addition, the intent of the applicability of AD 2003- 13-04 was to apply to all the affected serial numbers of the airplane models listed in TC No. 7A15. This AD retains all the actions of AD 2003-13-04, adds those Fairchild Republic Company airplanes to the applicability of this AD, and lists the individual specific airplane models. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the ribs of the inboard integral fuel tanks in the left and right wings, which could lead to wing failure during flight with consequent loss of control of the airplane.

Pursuant to FAA's rulemaking provisions governing the application, processing, and disposition of petitions for exemption part 11 of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations(14 CFR), this notice contains a summary of certain petitions seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of any petition or its final disposition.

These special conditions are issued for certain Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 900EX and Falcon 2000EX airplanes. These airplanes will have an advanced enhanced flight visibility system (EFVS). The EFVS is a novel or unusual design feature which consists of a head up display (HUD) system modified to display forward-looking infrared (FLIR) imagery. 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 modifies Class E airspace at Fremont, MI. Standard Instrument Approach Procedures have been developed for Fremont Municipal Airport, Fremont, MI. Controlled airspace extending upward from 700 feet or more above the surface of the earth is needed to contain aircraft executing these approaches. This action increases the area of the existing controlled airspace for Fremont, MI.

This action revokes the Class E2 Surface Area airspace for Elko Municipal-J.C. Harris Field, Elko, NV. The FAA is taking this action due to the closure of the Elko Municipal Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT).

The U.S. Army will soon be changing the name of Fort (Ft.) Wainwright Army Airfield (AAF) to Ladd AAF. This action amends the airport name accordingly for each of the Class D and Class E airspace descriptions in FAA Order 7400.9N. This action also amends an altitude omission which currently does not exist in the FAA Order 7400.9N. This action also redefines the airspace description to account for recent updates to the airfield coordinates.

This action proposes to revise Class E airspace at Mountain Village, AK. Two new Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) are being developed along with a Departure Procedure (DP) for the Mountain Village Airport. Adoption of this proposal would result in revision of existing Class E airspace upward from 700 feet (ft.) above the surface at Mountain Village Airport, Mountain Village, AK.

On June 23, 2006, we published a document on proposed special conditions for Cessna Aircraft Company on the Model 510 airplane for turbofan engines and engine location. There was an error in the background of the document in reference to the future type certificate number. This notice removes that sentence from the background; no change to the proposed special conditions portion is necessary.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Twin Commander Aircraft Corporation (Twin Commander) Models 690, 690A, and 690B airplanes. This AD requires you to inspect, visually and using fluorescent dye penetrant, the support structures for the inboard and center aileron hinge fittings on both wings for cracks and replace any cracked support structure. This AD requires you to reinforce the support structures for the inboard and center aileron hinge fittings on both wings. This AD results from reports that cracks were found in the support structures for the inboard and center aileron hinge fittings on both wings. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the support structures for the inboard and center aileron hinge fittings on both wings, which could result in aileron failure. This failure could lead to reduced controllability or loss of control of the airplane.

The FAA adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) for some Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) MU-2B series airplanes. This AD requires you to verify that the current flight idle blade angles are set at 12 degrees. If not already set at that angle, set the flight idle blade angles to 12 degrees. This AD results from a recent safety evaluation that used a data-driven approach to analyze the design, operation, and maintenance of the MU-2B series airplanes in order to determine their safety and define what steps, if any, are necessary for their safe operation. Part of that evaluation was the identification of unsafe conditions that exist or could develop on the affected type design airplanes. We are issuing this AD to prevent incorrect flight idle blade angle settings. This unsafe condition, if not corrected, could lead to an asymmetric thrust situation in certain flight conditions, which could result in airplane controllability problems.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is amending certain operating regulations to allow passengers or aircraft operators to furnish and use more types of Child Restraint Systems (CRS) on aircraft. This rule will allow the use of CRSs that the FAA approves under the aviation standards of Technical Standard Order C-100b, Child Restraint Systems. In addition, the rule will allow the use of CRSs approved by the FAA under its certification regulations regarding the approval of materials, parts, processes, and appliances. Current rules allow passengers and aircraft operators to furnish and use CRSs that meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 213 (FMVSS No. 213), or the standards of the United Nations, or that are approved by a foreign government. The intended effect of this regulation is to increase the number of CRS options that are available for use on aircraft, while maintaining safe standards for certification and approval. In addition, more CRS options may increase the voluntary use of CRSs on aircraft and, in turn, improve children's safety.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all BAE Systems (Operations) Limited Model BAe 146 airplanes. This proposed AD would require inspecting the three-phase circuit breakers and three-phase circuit breaker panels for discrepancies; and fixing any discrepancy and replacing unserviceable units with new units, if necessary. This proposed AD results from reports of three-phase circuit breakers overheating on in-service airplanes. We are proposing this AD to prevent failure of a three-phase circuit breaker. Such failure could prevent an electrical load from being isolated from its electrical supply, which could result in smoke or fire in the flight deck.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 757-200 and -300 series airplanes. This proposed AD would require changes to existing wiring; installation of new circuit breakers, relays, relay connectors, and wiring; and replacement of certain circuit breakers with higher-rated circuit breakers. For certain airplanes, this proposed AD also requires modification of wiring of the control module assembly for the electrical systems. This proposed AD results from an in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems review. We are proposing this AD to ensure that the flightcrew is able to turn off electrical power to the IFE system through utility bus switches in the flight compartment. The flightcrew's inability to turn off power to the IFE system during a non-normal or emergency situation could result in the inability to control smoke or fumes in the airplane flight deck or cabin.

The FAA is correcting a typographical error in an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that was published in the Federal Register on June 28, 2006 (71 FR 36671). The error resulted in the misidentification of the manufacturer name in the product identification line of the regulatory text. This AD applies to certain Boeing Model 757-200 series airplanes. This AD requires a one-time deactivation of the auxiliary fuel system, repetitive venting and draining of the auxiliary fuel tank sumps, and revising the Limitations section of the airplane flight manual to limit the maximum cargo weight.

This amendment establishes, amends, suspends, or revokes Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs) and/or Weather Takeoff Minimums for operations at certain airports. These regulatory actions are needed because of the adoption of new or revised criteria, or because of changes occurring in the National Airspace System, such as the commissioning of new navigational facilities, addition of new obstacles, or changes in air traffic requirements. These changes are designed to provide safe and efficient use of the navigable airspace and to promote safe flight operations under instrument flight rules at the affected airports.

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier Model DHC-8-400 series airplanes. This proposed AD would require inspecting for fouling and chafing damage of the outboard brake control cable of the main landing gear, replacing the control cable if necessary, reworking the control cable cover, and, if applicable, manufacturing/installing an offset plate on the control cable cover. This proposed AD is prompted by a review of brake control cable operation conducted by the manufacturer. We are proposing this AD to prevent abrasion and wear of the outboard brake control cable, which could lead to cable separation and reduced control of airplane braking.

This action proposes special conditions for the Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 7X airplane. This airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature(s) associated with use of a hydrophobic coating, rather than windshield wipers, as the means to maintain a clear portion of the windshield during precipitation conditions, as required by the airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These proposed 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 notice proposes to modify the Class E airspace area at Honolulu International Airport, HI. The establishment of an Area Navigation (RNAV) Required Navigation Performance (RNP) Instrument Approach Procedures (IAP) to Runway (RWY) 08L and 26L at Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, HI has made this proposal necessary. Additional controlled airspace extending upward from 700 feet or more above the surface of the earth is needed to contain aircraft executing the RNAV (RNP) IAP to RWY 08L/26L at Honolulu International Airport. The intended effect of this proposal is to provide adequate controlled airspace for Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at Honolulu International Airport, Honolulu, HI.

The FAA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve a current information collection. FOQA is a voluntary program for the routine collection and analysis of digital flight data from airplane operations. The purpose is to enable early corrective action for potential threats to safety.