[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 33 (Wednesday, February 19, 1997)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 7375-7376]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-3959]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. 96-CE-69-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. (Formerly
Piper Aircraft Corporation) PA-31, PA-31P, PA-31T, and PA-42 Series
Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM).
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SUMMARY: Recently, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that applied to The New Piper
Aircraft, Inc. (Piper) PA-31, PA-31P, and PA-31T series airplanes. The
NPRM would have required incorporating a main landing gear (MLG)
inboard door hinge and attachment angle assembly, part number (P/N)
47529-32, as terminating action for the repetitive inspection
requirement of Airworthiness Directive (AD) 80-26-05. The Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) has received a comment to the NPRM that
specifies fatigue cracking of the P/N 47529-32 MLG inboard door hinge
and attachment angle assembly on the affected airplanes. The Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) reviewed manufacturer's service history
and service difficulty reports in the FAA database associated with the
P/N 47529-32 main landing gear hinge assembly, and has determined that
more information and analysis are needed to propose any AD action. The
purpose of this ANPRM is to seek comments from interested persons
regarding the service history of P/N 47529-32 hinge assemblies. All
comments will be evaluated by the FAA and the FAA will research the
situation to decide whether additional rulemaking is needed.
DATES: Comments must be received by May 16, 1997.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments in triplicate to the FAA, Central Region,
Office of the Assistant Chief Counsel, Attention: Rules Docket No. 96-
CE-69-AD, Room 1558, 601 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.
Comments may be inspected at this location between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, holidays excepted.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christina Marsh, Aerospace Engineer,
FAA, Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office, Campus Building, 1701
Columbia Avenue, suite 2-160, College Park, Georgia 30337-2748;
telephone (404) 305-7362; facsimile (404) 305-7348.
[[Page 7376]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
Interested persons are invited to participate in the making of any
proposed rulemaking actions that may occur as a result of this ANPRM by
submitting such written data or views as they may desire.
Communications should identify the Rules Docket number and be submitted
in triplicate to the address specified above. All communications
received on or before the closing date for comments, specified above,
will be considered before any proposed rulemaking is initiated.
All comments submitted will be available, both before and after the
closing date for comments, in the Rules Docket for examination by
interested persons. A report that summarizes each FAA-public contact
concerned with the substance of this document will be filed in the
Rules Docket.
Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments
submitted in response to this notice must submit a self-addressed,
stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments
to Docket No. 96-CE-69-AD.'' The postcard will be date stamped and
returned to the commenter.
Availability of ANPRM
Any person may obtain a copy of this ANPRM by submitting a request
to the FAA, Central Region, Office of the Assistant Chief Counsel,
Attention: Rules Docket No. 96-CE-69-AD, Room 1558, 601 E. 12th Street,
Kansas City, Missouri 64106.
Discussion
A proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14
CFR part 39) to include an AD that would apply to Piper Models PA-31,
PA-31-325, PA-31-350, PA-31P, PA-31T1, and PA-31T airplanes was
published in the Federal Register as a notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM) on December 7, 1995 (60 FR 62774). The action proposed to
supersede AD 80-26-05, Amendment 39-3994, with a new AD that would (1)
retain the requirement of repetitively inspecting the MLG inboard door
hinges and attachment angles for cracks, and replacing any cracked MLG
inboard door hinge or attachment angle; and (2) require incorporating a
MLG inboard door hinge and attachment angle assembly of improved design
(part number 47529-32) or FAA-approved hinges and angles made of steel
as terminating action for the repetitive inspection requirement.
Accomplishment of the proposed inspections would be in accordance with
Piper Service Bulletin (SB) No. 682, dated July 24, 1980.
Explanation of Comments Received
The comment received on the NPRM contained information that the
improved hinge assemblies, part number (P/N) 47529-32, are also
susceptible to fatigue cracking, and that installing this assembly
should not eliminate the need for the repetitive inspections currently
required by AD 80-26-05. The commenter states that its airplane fleet
has experienced three failures and three incidents related to fatigue
cracking of the P/N 47529-32 hinge assemblies.
The FAA conducted a review of the manufacturer's service history
and service difficulty reports in the FAA database associated with the
P/N 47529-32 main landing gear hinge assembly. Based on a review of
this information, including the information received from the
commenter, the FAA has determined that more information and analysis
are needed before hinge assembly replacements are mandated through an
AD as terminating action for the repetitive inspections currently
required by AD 80-26-05.
FAA's Determination of the Best Action To Take
With the above information in mind, the FAA is issuing an advance
notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to provide an opportunity for the
general public to participate in the decision as to what course of
rulemaking the FAA should take. Interested persons are encouraged to
provide information that describes what they consider the best action
(if any) to be taken regarding the P/N 47529-32 main landing gear hinge
assembly. The FAA is especially interested in comments and viewpoints
on the following:
1. What is the Model designation of your airplane, serial number,
and total hours time-in-service (TIS)?
2. What P/N MLG inboard door hinge assemblies are installed in the
airplane?
3. How many hours TIS are on the MLG inboard door hinge assemblies?
4. Have you ever had to replace a P/N 47529-32 MLG inboard door
hinge assembly on the airplane? If so, what was the reason and
approximately how many hours TIS were on each replaced assembly?
Additional Helpful Information
The following information shows the part numbers (P/N) for MLG
inboard door hinge assembles that each Piper PA-31, PA-31P, PA-31T, and
PA-42 series airplane was equipped with at manufacture:
Airplanes Equipped With Piper P/N 46653-00 (embossed forging number
46652)
Models PA-31, PA-31-300, and PA-31-325 airplanes, serial numbers
31-2 through 31-8012077;
Model PA-31-350 airplanes, serial numbers 31-5001 through 31-
8052168;
Model PA-31P airplanes, serial numbers 31P-3 through 31P-7730012;
PA-31T airplanes, serial numbers 31T-7400002 through 31T-8020076;
and
PA-31T1 airplanes, serial numbers 31T-7804001 through 31T-8004040.
Airplanes Equipped With Piper P/N 47529-32 (embossed forging number
46652-2)
Models PA-31, PA-31-300, and PA-31-325 airplanes, serial numbers
31-8012078 through 31-8312019;
Model PA-31-350 airplanes, serial numbers 31-8052169 through 31-
8553002;
Model PA-31T airplanes, serial numbers 31T-8020077 through 31T-
8120104;
Model PA-31T1 airplanes, serial numbers 31T-8004041 through 31T-
8104073, 31T-8104101; 31T-8304001 through 31T-8304003; and 31T-1104004
through 31T-1104017;
Model PA-31T2 airplanes, serial numbers 31T-8166001 through 31T-
8166076, and 31T-1166001 through 31T-1166008;
Model PA-31T3 airplanes, serial numbers 31T-8275001 through 31T-
8475001, and 31T-5575001;
Model PA-31P-350 airplanes, serial numbers 31P-8414050;
Models PA-42 and PA-42-720 airplanes, serial numbers 42-7800001
through 42-8301002, and 42-5501003 through 42-5501060; and
Model PA-42-1000 airplanes, serial numbers 42-5527001 through 42-
5527040.
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on February 11, 1997.
Henry A. Armstrong,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 97-3959 Filed 2-18-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-U
