Federal Aviation Administration January 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Fokker Services B.V. Model F.28 Mark 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a design review that revealed no controlled bonding provisions are present on a number of critical locations inside the fuel tanks or connected to the walls of the fuel tanks. This proposed AD would require installing additional and improved bonding provisions in the fuel tanks and revising the airplane maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, by incorporating fuel airworthiness limitation items and critical design configuration control limitations (CDCCLs). We are proposing this AD to prevent an ignition source in the fuel tank vapor space, which could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Fokker Services B.V. Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by the need for more restrictive fuel airworthiness limitations. This proposed AD would require revising the maintenance program or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate certain fuel system airworthiness limitations. We are proposing this AD to reduce the potential of ignition sources inside fuel tanks, which, in combination with flammable fuel vapors, could result in fuel tank explosions and consequent loss of the airplane.

This action establishes Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface at Bowman Regional Airport, Bowman, ND, to accommodate new standard instrument approach procedures for the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the airport. Class E airspace extending upward from 700 feet above the surface would be removed at Bowman Municipal Airport, Bowman, ND, due to closure of the air traffic control tower. The FAA found it necessary to establish airspace at Bowman Regional Airport to accommodate standard instrument approach procedures (SIAPs) at the airport. The FAA is taking this action to enhance the safety and management of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) operations at the Bowman Regional Airport.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of Title 14 of the Code of Federal 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 or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of Title 14 of the Code of Federal 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 or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2001-12- 18, for certain CASA Model CN-235 series airplanes. AD 2001-12-18 currently requires modification of the rigging of the engine control cable assembly and replacement of either the entire engine control cable assembly or a segment of the control cables. Since we issued AD 2001-12-18, we have received reports of new occurrences of cable disruption on a certain part number; the disruption is caused by microcracks along the cable surface. This proposed AD would retain the requirements of AD 2001-12-18. This proposed AD would also require repetitive replacements of each power lever and condition lever Teleflex cable with a new or serviceable part and would remove airplanes from the applicability. We are proposing this AD to prevent fatigue of the engine control cables, leading to breakage of the cables, which could result in reduced controllability of the airplane.

We are revising an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD) for certain B/E Aerospace protective breathing equipment (PBE) that is installed on airplanes. The NPRM proposed inspecting the PBE to determine if the pouch has the proper vacuum seal and replacing if necessary. The NPRM was prompted by reports of a compromise in the vacuum seal of the pouch that contains the PBE. This action revises the NPRM by requiring replacement of the PBE following newly issued service information regardless of inspection results. We are proposing this supplemental NPRM (SNPRM) to correct the unsafe condition on these products. Since these actions impose an additional burden over that proposed in the NPRM, we are reopening the comment period to allow the public the chance to comment on these proposed changes.

This action amends the city designation of the Class D airspace at Broomfield, CO, changing the designation to Denver, CO, and the airport name to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport. The name and associated city location of the airport are updated to coincide with the FAA's aeronautical database. This does not affect the charted boundaries or operating requirements of the airspace.

The FAA is issuing this notice to advise the public of the Twenty-Fifth RTCA Special Committee 217 meeting.

Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C. App. 2), notice is hereby given of a teleconference of the Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). The Teleconference will take place on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 starting at 3:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time and will last approximately one hour. The agenda and call-in number will be posted at least one week in advance at https://www.faa.gov/go/ ast. The purpose of this teleconference is to review the International Space Policy Working Group findings and recommendations regarding a potential modification of current U.S. policy on the launching of U.S. technology on Indian launch vehicles. Interested members of the public may submit relevant written statements for the COMSTAC members to consider under the advisory process. Statements may concern the issues and agenda items mentioned above and/or additional issues that may be relevant for the U.S. commercial space transportation industry. Interested parties wishing to submit written statements should contact Michael Beavin, COMSTAC Executive Director, (the Contact Person listed below) in writing (mail or email) by January 22, 2016, so that the information can be made available to COMSTAC members for their review and consideration before the January 27 teleconference. Written statements should be supplied in the following formats: One hard copy with original signature and/or one electronic copy via email. An agenda will be posted on the FAA Web site at www.faa.gov/go/ast. Individuals who plan to participate and need special assistance should inform the Contact Persons listed below in advance of the meeting.

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2004-14-09 for certain Airbus Model A320-211, -212, and -231 airplanes. AD 2004-14-09 required repetitive inspections for fatigue cracking of the lower surface panel on the wing center box, and repair if necessary; and modification of the lower surface panel on the wing center box, which constitutes terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This new AD retains the requirements of AD 2004-14-09, reduces the compliance times for the repetitive inspections, and requires an additional repair for certain airplanes. This AD was prompted by a determination that, based on the average flight duration, the average weight of fuel at landing is higher than that defined for the analysis of the fatigue-related tasks; and that shot peening might have been improperly done on the chromic acid anodizing (CAA) protection, which would adversely affect fatigue crack protection. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of the lower surface panel on the wing center box, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Fokker Services B.V. Model F.28 Mark 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 airplanes. This AD was prompted by a design review, which revealed that no controlled bonding provisions are present on a number of critical locations outside the fuel tank. This AD requires installing additional and improved fuel system bonding provisions, and revising the airplane maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, by incorporating fuel airworthiness limitation items and critical design configuration control limitations. We are issuing this AD to prevent an ignition source in the fuel tank vapor space, which could result in a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of the airplane.

To update and clarify the Administrator's rulemaking authority to be consistent with other parts of its regulations, the FAA is amending the authority citation for part 97.

This action withdraws a Final rule; technical amendment published in the Federal Register on November 30, 2015, amending Class E airspace at Elmira/Corning Regional Airport, Elmira, NY; Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport, Ithaca, NY; and Duchess County Airport, Poughkeepsie, NY is being withdrawn. The FAA has determined that withdrawal of the final rule is warranted as additional analysis is needed.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bombardier, Inc. Model BD-700-1A10 and BD-700-1A11 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of operator inability to open the main passenger door following severe hot soak conditions. This proposed AD would require the incorporation of a new configuration to the passenger door external handle detent to enhance the performance across the full range of the airplane operating temperatures. We are proposing this AD to prevent thermal expansion and permanent deformation at severe hot soak conditions, creating high friction between the spring pot housing and the slider that could result in inability to open the main passenger door and impede evacuation in the event of an emergency.

This action proposes to establish Class D airspace and Class E surface area airspace at Lake City, FL, providing the controlled airspace required for the Air Traffic Control Tower at Lake City Gateway Airport. This action also would amend existing Class E airspace by recognizing the airport's name change. Controlled airspace is necessary for the safety and management of instrument flight rules (IFR) operations at the airport.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Agusta S.p.A. (Agusta) Model AB139 and AW139 helicopters. This AD requires inspecting each full ice protection system tail rotor slip ring (slip ring) for chatter marks, witness marks, or scoring, and determining the depth of each mounting hole. Based on the findings from the inspection, this AD requires either re-identifying the slip ring or replacing the slip ring. This AD is prompted by two incidents of the slip ring body separating from the supporting flange due to improper torque. These actions are intended to prevent separation of the mounting flange from the slip ring body and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-400 series airplanes, as modified by a certain supplemental type certificate. This AD was prompted by the discovery of a design drawing error regarding placards that identified incorrect squibs and pressure switches for certain fire extinguisher bottles. This AD requires a detailed inspection of certain cargo placards to determine if they are the correct placards and in the correct location, a detailed inspection of the harnesses to verify that they are marked and installed correctly, and corrective action if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct incorrectly installed harnesses for the cargo fire suppression system bottles, which could result in an incorrect activation sequence of the bottles, the inability to suppress a cargo fire quickly, and a possible uncontrollable fire.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A330-200 Freighter, A330-200, A330-300, A340-200, and A340-300 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports that the inner bore of some main landing gear (MLG) unit bogie beams were insufficiently re-protected against corrosion after inspection or maintenance actions were accomplished. This AD requires for certain MLG units, determining which revision of the component maintenance manual (CMM) was used to accomplish the most recent MLG unit overhaul; a detailed inspection for missing or damaged paint, and if necessary, a detailed inspection of the cadmium plating for discrepancies, measurement of the depth of the cadmium plating, a general visual inspection of the base metal for corrosion or damage, a detailed inspection of repaired areas for cracking or corrosion; and corrective actions if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct corrosion in the bore of each MLG unit bogie beam, which could result in collapse of a MLG unit, and subsequent damage to the airplane and injury to occupants.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Fokker Services B.V. Model F.28 Mark 0070 and 0100 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by accomplishment of a taxi-out checklist which revealed that the elevator movement was partially obstructed due to rotation of the flight control lock adjuster bracket. This proposed AD would require a one-time inspection of the elevator tension control regulator for discrepancies, and corrective actions if necessary. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct discrepancies of the elevator tension control regulators, which could result in jamming of the elevator mechanism and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane.

We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Dassault Aviation Model MYSTERE-FALCON 900 airplanes, FALCON 900EX airplanes, and FALCON 2000EX airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a report that during a test flight, it was found that the yaw damper on the takeoff roll can increase the Minimum Control Speed on Ground (Vmcg). This proposed AD would require revising the airplane flight manual to incorporate procedures for the flightcrew to check that the yaw damper is set to off before takeoff. We are proposing this AD to ensure that the flightcrew has procedures to set the yaw damper to ``off'' before takeoff, which, if activated, could result in reduced control of the airplane if one engine were to fail during takeoff.

We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2011-17- 09 for all Airbus Model A330-200 series airplanes, -200 Freighter series airplanes, and -300 series airplanes, and AD 2012-25-12, for all Airbus Model A330-200 series airplanes and -300 series airplanes. AD 2011-17-09 currently requires revisions to certain operator maintenance documents to include new inspections. AD 2012-25-12 currently requires replacing certain main landing gear (MLG) bogie beams before reaching new reduced life limits. Since we issued AD 2011-17-09 and AD 2012-25- 12, we have determined that more restrictive instructions and/or airworthiness limitations should be incorporated into the maintenance or inspection program, as applicable. This proposed AD would require revising the maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or revised airworthiness limitation requirements. This AD results from revisions to the Airworthiness Limitations section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) to include new or more restrictive life limits and/or replacements. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in principal structural elements, and possible failure of certain life limited parts, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Piper Aircraft, Inc. Model PA-46-500TP airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report of the wing upper skin joints being manufactured without sealant, which allows water to enter and stay in sealed, bonded stringers. This AD requires inspecting the upper wing surface for sealant; inspecting the wing stringers for water intrusion; inspecting for deformation and corrosion if evidence of water intrusion exists; and taking corrective actions as necessary. We are issuing this AD to correct the unsafe condition on these products.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all ATRGIE Avions de Transport R[eacute]gional Model ATR42 airplanes. This AD was prompted by several reports of a cracked floor beam at frame (FR) 26, and of discrepancies in certain wing inspection tasks in maintenance documents that could lead to errors in scheduling inspection intervals of structurally significant items (SSIs). This AD requires repetitive inspections of certain floor beams and revision of the maintenance or inspection program to include inspections of several areas of the wings. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct any cracking of the floor beam at FR 26 and several areas of the wings, which could lead to reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

This notice concerns two petitions for waiver submitted to the FAA by Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX): (1) A petition to waive the requirement that a waiver request be submitted at least 60 days before the effective date of the waiver unless good cause for later submission is shown in the petition; and (2) a petition to waive the requirement that analysis must establish designated impact limit lines to bound the area where debris with a ballistic coefficient of three or more pounds per square foot is allowed to impact if the flight safety system (FSS) functions properly.