E8-14480. Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model A330 and A340 Airplanes

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION:

Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); reopening of comment period.

SUMMARY:

The FAA is revising an earlier supplemental NPRM (SNPRM) for an airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all Airbus Model A330-200, A330-300, A340-200, and A340-300 series airplanes; and Model A340-541 and A340-642 airplanes. The original NPRM would have superseded an existing AD that currently requires operators to revise the Airworthiness Limitations section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) to incorporate new information. This information includes, for all affected airplanes, decreased life limit values for certain components; and for Model A330-200 and -300 series airplanes, new inspections, compliance times, and new repetitive intervals to detect fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in certain structures. The original NPRM proposed to revise the ALS, for all affected airplanes, by adding new Airworthiness Limitations Items (ALIs) to incorporate service life limits for certain items and inspections to detect fatigue cracking, accidental damage or corrosion in certain structures, in accordance with the revised ALS of the ICA. The original NPRM resulted from the issuance of new and more restrictive service life limits and structural inspections based on fatigue testing and in-service findings. The first supplemental NPRM revised the original NPRM by adding airplanes, adding new requirements, and including more restrictive compliance thresholds and intervals. This new action revises the first supplemental NPRM by adding a new weight variant configuration, and including more restrictive compliance thresholds and intervals. We are proposing this second supplemental NPRM to detect and correct fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in principal structural elements, and to prevent failure of certain life-limited parts, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

DATES:

We must receive comments on this supplemental NPRM by July 21, 2008.

ADDRESSES:

Use one of the following addresses to submit comments on this proposed AD.

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your comments electronically.
• Government-wide rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your comments electronically.
• Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
• Fax: [phone].
• Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Contact Airbus, 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France, for service information identified in this proposed AD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tim Backman, Aerospace Engineer International Branch, ANM-116, FAA, International Branch, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98055-4056; telephone [phone]; fax [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

We invite you to submit any relevant written data, views, or arguments regarding this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed in the ADDRESSES section. Include the docket number “Docket No. FAA-2007-27715; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-140-AD” at the beginning of your comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this supplemental NPRM. We will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend this supplemental NPRM in light of those comments.

We will post all comments submitted, without change, to http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal information you provide. We will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact with FAA personnel concerning this proposed AD. Using the search function of that Web site, anyone can find and read the comments in any of our dockets, including the name of the individual who sent the comment (or signed the comment on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

Examining the Docket

You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov, or in person at the Docket Operations office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Docket Operations office (telephone [phone]) is located on the ground level of the West Building at the DOT street address stated in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be available in the AD docket shortly after the Docket Management System receives them.

Discussion

We proposed to amend part 39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) with a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR part 39 to include an AD that supersedes AD 2006-09-07, amendment 39-14577 (71 FR 25919, May 3, 2006). The existing AD applies to all Airbus Model A330-200, A330-300, A340-200, and A340-300 series airplanes; and Model A340-541 and A340-642 airplanes. The first supplemental NPRM was published in the Federal Register on August 16, 2007 (72 FR 45965). The original NPRM proposed to revise the ALS, for all affected airplanes, by adding new Airworthiness Limitations Items (ALIs) to incorporate service life limits for certain items and inspections to detect fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in certain structures, in accordance with the revised ALS of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA). The first supplemental NPRM proposed to add airplanes, add new requirements, and include more restrictive compliance thresholds and intervals.

Actions Since First Supplemental NPRM Was Issued

Since we issued the first supplemental NPRM, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Community, issued EASA airworthiness directive 2008-0023, dated February 6, 2008.

The EASA advises that Airbus has revised Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0089/97, “A330 Airworthiness Limitation Items (ALI),” from Issue 14, dated October 10, 2005, to Issue 15, dated March 26, 2007, to add a new weight variant configuration and include more restrictive compliance thresholds and intervals.

Incorporating this revision into the ALS of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness is intended to ensure the continued structural integrity of these airplanes.

Explanation of Additional Changes to the First Supplemental NPRM

For standardization purposes, we have revised this AD in the following ways:

We have revised paragraph (i) of this AD to specify that no alternative inspections/limitation tasks or inspection/limitation task intervals may be used unless the inspections/limitation tasks or inspection/limitation task intervals are part of a later approved revision of the documents specified in paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(2) of this AD, as applicable, or unless they are approved as an alternative method of compliance (AMOC). Inclusion of this paragraph in the AD is intended to ensure that the AD-mandated airworthiness limitations changes are treated the same as the airworthiness limitations issued with the original type certificate.

We have simplified the language in Note 1 of this AD to clarify that an operator must request approval for an AMOC if the operator cannot accomplish the required inspections because an airplane has been previously modified, altered, or repaired in the areas addressed by the required inspections.

FAA's Determination and Proposed Requirements of the Supplemental NPRM

The changes discussed above expand the scope of the first supplemental NPRM; therefore, we have determined that it is necessary to reopen the comment period to provide additional opportunity for public comment on this second supplemental NPRM.

Costs of Compliance

This proposed AD would affect about 41 airplanes of U.S. registry. The following table provides the estimated costs for U.S. operators to comply with this proposed AD.

Estimated Costs

Action	Work hour	Average labor rate per hour	Parts	Cost per airplane	Number of U.S.-registered airplanes	Fleet cost
Revise the ALS, required by AD 2006-09-07	1	$80	None	$80	20	$1,600
Revise the ALS, new proposed action	1	80	None	80	41	3,280

Authority for This Rulemaking

Title 49 of the United States Code specifies the FAA's authority to issue rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, Section 106, describes the authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the Agency's authority.

We are issuing this rulemaking under the authority described in Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart III, Section 44701, “General requirements.” Under that section, Congress charges the FAA with promoting safe flight of civil aircraft in air commerce by prescribing regulations for practices, methods, and procedures the Administrator finds necessary for safety in air commerce. This regulation is within the scope of that authority because it addresses an unsafe condition that is likely to exist or develop on products identified in this rulemaking action.

Regulatory Findings

We have determined that this proposed AD would not have federalism implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would not have a substantial direct effect on the States, on the relationship between the national Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government.

For the reasons discussed above, I certify that the proposed regulation:

1. Is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866;

2. Is not a “significant rule” under the DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); and

3. Will not have a significant economic impact, positive or negative, on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act.

We prepared a regulatory evaluation of the estimated costs to comply with this supplemental NPRM and placed it in the AD docket. See the ADDRESSES section for a location to examine the regulatory evaluation.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

• Air transportation
• Aircraft
• Aviation safety
• Safety

The Proposed Amendment

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the FAA proposes to amend 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

PART 39—AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.

§ 39.13

[Amended]

2. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amends § 39.13 by removing amendment 39-14577 (71 FR 25919, May 3, 2006) and adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD):

Airbus: Docket No. FAA-2007-27715; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-140-AD.

Comments Due Date

(a) The FAA must receive comments on this AD action by July 28, 2008.

Affected ADs

(b) This AD supersedes AD 2006-09-07.

Applicability

(c) This AD applies to all Airbus Model A330 and A340 airplanes, certificated in any category.

Note 1:

This AD requires revisions to certain operator maintenance documents to include new inspections. Compliance with these inspections is required by 14 CFR 91.403(c). For airplanes that have been previously modified, altered, or repaired in the areas addressed by these inspections, the operator may not be able to accomplish the inspections described in the revisions. In this situation, to comply with 14 CFR 91.403(c), the operator must request approval for an alternative method of compliance according to paragraph (j)(1) of this AD. The request should include a description of changes to the required inspections that will ensure the continued operational safety of the airplane.

Unsafe Condition

(d) This AD results from the issuance of new and more restrictive service life limits and structural inspections based on fatigue testing and in-service findings. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in principal structural elements, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

Compliance

(e) You are responsible for having the actions required by this AD performed within the compliance times specified, unless the actions have already been done.

Restatement of Requirements of AD 2006-09-07

Airworthiness Limitations Revision

(f) Within 3 months after June 7, 2006 (the effective date of AD 2006-09-07): Revise the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness by incorporating into the ALS the documents in paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2) of this AD, as applicable, until paragraph (h) of this AD is accomplished.

(1) Airbus Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0089/97, “A330 Airworthiness Limitations Items,” Issue 12, dated November 1, 2003, as specified in Section 9-2 of the Airbus A330 Maintenance Planning Document (MPD).

(2) Section 9-1, “Life limits/Monitored parts,” Revision 05, dated April 7, 2005, of the Airbus A330 and A340 MPDs.

(g) Except as provided by paragraph (h) or (j) of this AD: After the actions in paragraph (f) of this AD have been accomplished, no alternative inspections or inspection intervals may be approved for the structural elements specified in the documents listed in paragraph (f) of this AD.

New Requirements of This AD

ALS Revision

(h) Within 3 months after the effective date of this AD: Revise the ALS of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness to incorporate the documents specified in paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(2) of this AD, as applicable. Accomplishing the revision in this paragraph terminates the requirements in paragraph (f) of this AD.

(1) Airbus Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0089/97, “A330 Airworthiness Limitation Items (ALI),” Issue 15, dated March 26, 2007; or Airbus Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0051/97, “A340 Airworthiness Limitations Items,” Issue 10, dated February 1, 2007.

(2) Sub-part 1-2 “Life Limits,” and Sub-part 1-3 “Demonstrated Fatigue Lives,” of Airbus A330 or A340 ALS Part 1, “Safe Life Airworthiness Limitation Items,” Revision 01, dated March 30, 2007, as applicable.

(i) After accomplishing the actions specified in paragraph (h) of this AD, no alternative inspections/limitation tasks or inspection/limitation task intervals may be used unless the inspections/limitation tasks or inspection/limitation task intervals are part of a later approved revision of the documents specified in paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(2) of this AD, as applicable, that is approved by the Manager, International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; or unless the inspection/limitation task or inspection/limitation task interval is approved as an alternative method of compliance (AMOC) in accordance with the procedures specified in paragraph (j)(1) of this AD.

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

(j)(1) The Manager, International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested in accordance with the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19.

(2) To request a different method of compliance or a different compliance time for this AD, follow the procedures in 14 CFR 39.19. Before using any approved AMOC on any airplane to which the AMOC applies, notify your appropriate principal inspector (PI) in the FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), or lacking a PI, your local FSDO.

Related Information

(k) European Aviation Safety Agency airworthiness directives 2008-0023, dated February 6, 2008, 2007-0133, dated May 11, 2007, and 2007-0158, dated June 4, 2007; also address the subject of this AD.

Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 13, 2008.

Ali Bahrami,

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.