03-19584. Airworthiness Directives; Cessna Aircraft Company Models 401, 401A, 401B, 402, 402A, 402B, 411, and 411A Airplanes

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of the comment period.

SUMMARY:

This document provides additional time for the public to comment on a proposal to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 79-10-15 R2, which applies to all Cessna Aircraft Company (Cessna) Models 401, 401A, 401B, 402, 402A, 402B, 411, and 411A airplanes. AD 79-10-15 R2 currently requires repetitive inspections of the right and left wing spar lower cap areas for fatigue cracks and requires wing spar cap repair or replacement as necessary. Cessna has performed fatigue and crack growth analyses of the wings of these airplanes, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has evaluated this information and determined that a wing spar modification is necessary as well as periodic inspections. This proposed AD would require you to repetitively inspect the wing spar caps for fatigue cracks with any necessary repair or replacement on all airplanes and incorporate a spar strap modification on each wing spar on certain airplanes. Comments received on the original NPRM (68 FR 26239, May 15, 2003) specify additional time to respond to the proposed action. The actions specified by this proposed AD are intended to prevent wing spar cap failure due to undetected fatigue cracks. Such failure could result in loss of a wing with consequent loss of airplane control.

DATES:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) must receive any comments on this proposed rule on or before September 8, 2003. This is extended from August 8, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments to FAA, Central Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, Attention: Rules Docket No. 2002-CE-05-AD, 901 Locust, Room 506, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. You may view any comments at this location between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. You may also send comments electronically to the following address: [e-mail]. Comments sent electronically must contain “Docket No. 2002-CE-05-AD” in the subject line. If you send comments electronically as attached electronic files, the files must be formatted in Microsoft Word 97 for Windows or ASCII text.

You may get service information that applies to this proposed AD from the Cessna Aircraft Company, Product Support, P.O. Box 7706, Wichita, Kansas 67277; telephone: [phone]; facsimile: [phone]. You may also view this information at the Rules Docket at the address above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Nguyen, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Wichita Aircraft Certification Office, 1801 Airport Road, Mid-Continent Airport, Wichita, Kansas 67209; telephone: [phone]; facsimile: [phone].

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 28, 2003.

James E. Jackson,

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.