[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3614-3615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1743]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee--New Task
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of a new task assignment for the Aviation Rulemaking
Advisory Committee (ARAC).
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SUMMARY: Notice is given of a new task assigned to and accepted by the
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC). This notice informs the
public of the activities of ARC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph A. Hawkins, Director, Office of
Rulemaking, ARM-1, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-9677 or fax
(202) 267-5075.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The FAA has established an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee
to provide advice and recommendations to the FAA Administrator, through
the Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification, on the
full range of the FAA's rulemaking activities with respect to aviation-
related issues. This includes obtaining advice and recommendations on
the FAA's commitment to harmonize its Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR)
and practices with its trading partners in Europe and Canada.
The Task
This notice is to inform the public that the FAA has asked ARAC to
provide advice and recommendation on the following harmonization task:
Prevention of Fuel Tank Explosions
Prepare a report to the FAA/JAA that provides specific
recommendations and proposed regulatory text that will eliminate or
significantly reduce the hazards associated with explosive vapors in
transport category airplane fuel tanks. Proposed regulatory text should
ensure that new type designs, in-production airplanes and the existing
fleet of transport airplanes are designed and operated so that during
normal operation (up to maximum certified operating temperatures) the
presence of explosive fuel air vapors in all fuel tanks is eliminated,
significantly reduced or controlled to the extent that there could not
be a catastrophic event. (This task addresses means of reducing
explosion hazards by eliminating or controlling explosive fuel vapors.
The FAA is also engaged in a separate activity to evaluate whether
additional actions should be taken to ensure that ignition sources are
not present within fuel tanks. Therefore, control of ignition sources
is not within the scope of this task.) In developing recommendations
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to the authorities, a report should be generated that includes the
following:
(1) An analysis of the threat of fuel tank explosion due to
internal and external tank ignition sources for the major fuel system
designs making up the transport fleet, including transport airplanes
with heat sources adjacent to or within the fuel tanks. The SAFER data
presented to the FAA in 1978, which includes evaluation of fuel tank
safety in both operational and post crash conditions, should be used as
a starting point for determining the level of safety.
(2) An analysis of various means of reducing or eliminating
exposure to operation of transport airplane fuel tanks with explosive
fuel air mixtures (e.g. inerting, cooling of lower center tank
surfaces, combination of cooling and modified fuel properties, etc.) or
eliminating the resultant hazard if ignition does occur (installation
of selective/voided/full tank reticulating foam, explosion suppression
systems). Technical discussion of the feasibility, including cost/
benefit analysis, of implementing each of the options on a fleet
retrofit, current production, and new type design airplanes should also
be provided.
(3) An analysis of the cost/benefit of modified fuel properties
that reduce exposure to explosive vapors within fuel tanks. The FAA has
asked industry through the American Petroleum Institute to provide
pertinent information on fuel properties. The degree of modification to
fuel properties necessary to eliminate or significantly reduce exposure
to explosive fuel tank ullage spaces in fleet operation must be
determined by the group. Factors that may enhance the benefits of
modified fuels, such as cooling provisions incorporated to reduce fuel
tank temperatures, should be considered. Cost information for the
various options should be developed. Information regarding the effects
of modified fuel properties on airplane operations, such as engine air/
ground starting at low temperatures, maintenance impact, emissions and
fuel freeze point, should be analyzed by the group and be provided.
(4) Review comments to the April 3, 1997, Federal register notice
(62 FR 16014) and any additional information such that validated cost
benefit data of a certifiable system is provided for the various
options proposed by commenters. This information will be used in
preparing regulatory action.
Note: In many cases specific cost data provided in the comments
to the notice was competition sensitive; therefore the ARAC group
should contact commenters directly and request participation in the
group.
(5) Recommended objective regulatory actions that will eliminate,
significantly reduce or control the hazards associated with explosive
fuel air mixtures in all transport airplane fuel tanks to the extent
that there could not be a catastrophic event.
In addition to the above task, the working group should support the
FAA in evaluation of application of the proposed regulation to the
various types of transport airplanes (turbopropeller, business jets,
large transports, and other turbine-powered aircraft types which may be
affected by a change in fuel properties/availability) and any impact on
small businesses.
This activity will be tasked for a 6-month time limit to complete
the task defined above. The FAA will consider the recommendations
produced by ARAC and initiate future FAA regulatory action. However, if
the group is unable to provide the FAA with proposed regulatory
language within this time period, the FAA will initiate rulemaking
independently. Participants of the ARAC should be prepared to
participate on a full-time basis for a 6-month period if necessary.
ARAC Acceptance of Task
ARAC has accepted this task and has chosen to assign it to a new
Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group. The new working group will serve
as staff to the ARAC Executive Committee to assist ARAC in the analysis
of the assigned task. Working group recommendations must be reviewed
and approved by ARAC. If ARAC accepts the working group's
recommendations, it will forward them to the FAA as ARAC
recommendations.
The Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group should coordinate with
other harmonization working groups, organizations, and specialists as
appropriate. The working group will identify to ARAC the need for
additional new working groups when existing groups do not have the
appropriate expertise to address certain tasks.
Working Group Activity
The Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group is expected to comply
with the procedures adopted by ARAC. As part of the procedures, the
working group is expected to:
1. Recommend a work plan for completion of the task, including the
rationale supporting such a plan, for consideration at the ARAC
Executive Committee meeting held following publication of this notice.
2. Give a detailed conceptual presentation of the proposed
recommendations, prior to proceeding with the work stated in item 3
below.
3. Draft a report and/or any other collateral documents the working
group determines to be appropriate.
4. Provide a status report at each meeting of the ARAC Executive
Committee.
Participation in the Working Group
The Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group will be composed of
experts having an interest in the assigned task. A working group member
need not be a representative of a member of the full committee.
An individual who has expertise in the subject matter and wishes to
become a member of the working group should write to the person listed
under the caption FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT expressing that
desire, describing his or her interest in the tasks, and stating the
expertise he or she would bring to the working group. All requests to
participate must be received no later than February 2, 1998. The
requests will be reviewed by the ARAC chair, the executive director,
and the working group chair, and the individuals will be advised
whether or not the request can be accommodated.
The Secretary of Transportation has determined that the formation
and use of ARAC are necessary and in the public interest in connection
with the performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law.
Meetings of the ARAC Executive Committee will be open to the
public. Meetings of the Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group will not
be open to the public, except to the extent that individuals with an
interest and expertise are selected to participate. No public
announcement of working group meetings will be made.
Issued in Washington, DC, on January 20, 1998.
Joseph A. Hawkins,
Executive Director, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 98-1743 Filed 1-21-98; 1:48 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M
