Federal Aviation Administration December 13, 2017 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This action extends the expiration date for the Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) that prohibits certain flights in the territory and airspace of Somalia at altitudes below flight level (FL) 260 by all: United States (U.S.) air carriers; U.S. commercial operators; persons exercising the privileges of an airman certificate issued by the FAA, except when such persons are operating U.S.- registered aircraft for a foreign air carrier; and operators of U.S.- registered civil aircraft, except where the operator of such aircraft is a foreign air carrier. The FAA is taking this action because it has determined that there continues to be an unacceptable risk to U.S. civil aviation operating in the territory and airspace of Somalia at altitudes below FL260 resulting from terrorist and militant activity. The FAA also republishes, with minor revisions, the approval process and exemption information for this SFAR.

The FAA has determined that the minimum random drug and alcohol testing percentage rates for the period January 1, 2018, through December 31, 2018, will remain at 25 percent of safety- sensitive employees for random drug testing and 10 percent of safety- sensitive employees for random alcohol testing.

We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2016-01- 11, which applies to certain Airbus Model A320-211, -212, and -231 airplanes. AD 2016-01-11 requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the radius of the front spar vertical stringers and the horizontal floor beam on frame 36, repetitive inspections for cracking of the fastener holes of the front spar vertical stringers on frame 36, and repair if necessary. Since we issued AD 2016-01-11, we received a report that, during a center fuselage certification full scale fatigue test, cracks were found on the front vertical stringer at a certain frame. This proposed AD would add new thresholds and intervals for the repetitive inspections; would require, for certain airplanes, a modification of the center wing box area; and would expand the applicability. We are proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.