2023-16365. Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 757–200, –200CB, and –200PF series airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of cracks found at the main deck cargo door forward and aft hinge attachment holes. This proposed AD would require a maintenance records check for repairs at the forward and aft hinge areas of the main deck cargo door cutout; repetitive open-hole high frequency eddy current (HFEC) inspections for cracks in the unrepaired areas of the bear strap, skin, doubler, and upper sill chord at the main deck cargo door forward and aft hinge attachment holes; and corrective actions. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES:

The FAA must receive comments on this proposed AD by September 18, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.

• Fax: [phone].

• 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.

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA–2023–1488; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains this NPRM, any comments received, and other information. The street address for Docket Operations is listed above.

Material Incorporated by Reference:

• For service information identified in this NPRM, contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data Services (C&DS), 2600 Westminster Blvd., MC 110–SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740–5600; telephone [phone]; website myboeingfleet.com.

• You may view this service information at the FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, Operational Safety Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 206–231–3195. It is also available at regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA–2023–1488.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Wayne Ha, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or arguments about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed under ADDRESSES . Include “Docket No. FAA–2023–1488; Project Identifier AD–2023–00182–T” at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend this proposal because of those comments.

Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR 11.35, the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. The agency will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact received about this NPRM.

Confidential Business Information

CBI is commercial or financial information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments responsive to this NPRM contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to this NPRM, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission containing CBI as “PROPIN.” The FAA will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public docket of this NPRM. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Wayne Ha, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: [phone]; email: [e-mail]. Any commentary that the FAA receives that is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this rulemaking.

Background

The FAA has received a report of cracks on three Model 757–200PF airplanes at the main deck cargo door forward and aft hinge attachment holes found while the airplanes were undergoing a routine maintenance check. The airplanes had reached between 16,380 and 19,221 total flight cycles and between 24,646 and 28,158 total flight hours at the time of the crack findings. It has been determined that certain existing maintenance inspections are not sufficient to detect cracks around attachment holes in areas where the hinge obstructs the inspection, without the removal of the main deck cargo door hinge fasteners. Undetected cracks in the main deck cargo door hinge could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

After the cracking was reported on Model 757–200PF series airplanes, Boeing conducted a cross-model evaluation and crack-growth analysis on Model 757–200 and –200CB series airplanes because the fuselage design in the affected location is the same on all three airplane models. The FAA has determined that the unsafe condition could exist on Model 757–200, –200CB, and –200PF series airplanes.

FAA's Determination

The FAA is issuing this NPRM after determining that the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type design.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

The FAA reviewed Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB, dated January 3, 2023. This service information specifies procedures for a maintenance records check for repairs at the forward and aft hinge areas of the main deck cargo door cutout; repetitive open-hole high frequency eddy current (HFEC) inspections for cracks in the unrepaired areas of the bear strap, skin, doubler, and upper sill chord at the main deck cargo door forward and aft hinge attachment holes; and corrective actions including obtaining and following procedures for alternative inspections and crack repairs.

This service information is reasonably available because the interested parties have access to it through their normal course of business or by the means identified in ADDRESSES .

Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM

This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified in the service information already described except for any differences identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of this proposed AD. For information on the procedures and compliance times, see this service information at regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA–2023–1488.

Costs of Compliance

The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would affect 445 airplanes of U.S. registry. The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed AD:

Estimated Costs

Action	Labor cost	Parts cost	Cost per product	Cost on U.S. operators
Maintenance records check	1 work-hour * × $85 per hour = $85	$0	$85	$37,825
HFEC inspections	26 work-hours × $85 per hour = $2,210, per inspection cycle	0	2,210	983,450
* The time to do the maintenance records check will vary by operator but would likely take no more than 1 work-hour per airplane.

The FAA has received no definitive data on which to base the cost estimates for the crack repairs specified in this AD.

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.

The FAA is 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

The FAA 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 this proposed regulation:

(1) Is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866,

(2) Would not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and

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

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

• Air transportation
• Aircraft
• Aviation safety
• Incorporation by reference
• 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 FAA amends § 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness directive:

The Boeing Company: Docket No. FAA–2023–1488; Project Identifier AD–2023–00182–T.

(a) Comments Due Date

The FAA must receive comments on this airworthiness directive (AD) by September 18, 2023.

(b) Affected ADs

None.

(c) Applicability

This AD applies to The Boeing Company Model 757–200, –200CB, and –200PF series airplanes, certificated in any category, as identified in Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB, dated January 3, 2023.

(d) Subject

Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 53, Fuselage.

(e) Unsafe Condition

This AD was prompted by a report indicating an operator has found cracks on three Model 757–200PF airplanes at the main deck cargo door forward and aft hinge attachment holes. The FAA is issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the main deck cargo door hinge area. Undetected cracks in the main deck cargo door hinge could result in reduced structural integrity of the aircraft.

(f) Compliance

Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified, unless already done.

(g) Required Actions

Except as specified by paragraph (h) of this AD: At the applicable times specified in the “Compliance” paragraph of Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB, dated January 3, 2023, do all applicable actions identified in, and in accordance with, the Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB, dated January 3, 2023.

Note 1 to paragraph (g): Guidance for accomplishing the actions required by this AD can be found in Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 757–53A0106, dated January 3, 2023, which is referred to in Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB, dated January 3, 2023.

(h) Exceptions to Service Information Specifications

(1) Where the Compliance Time column and notes of the tables in the “Compliance” paragraph of Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB, dated January 3, 2023, use the phrase “the original issue date of Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB,” this AD requires using “the effective date of this AD.”

(2) Where Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB, dated January 3, 2023, specifies contacting Boeing for repair instructions and doing the repair, this AD requires doing the repair, or doing the alternative inspections and applicable on-condition actions, before further flight using a method approved in accordance with the procedures specified in paragraph (i) of this AD.

(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

(1) The Manager, Continued Operational Safety Branch, FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14 CFR 39.19, send your request to your principal inspector or responsible Flight Standards Office, as appropriate. If sending information directly to the manager of the certification office, send it to the attention of the person identified in paragraph (j) of this AD. Information may be emailed to: [e-mail].

(2) Before using any approved AMOC, notify your appropriate principal inspector, or lacking a principal inspector, the manager of the responsible Flight Standards Office.

(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable level of safety may be used for any repair, modification, or alteration required by this AD if it is approved by The Boeing Company Organization Designation Authorization (ODA) that has been authorized by the Manager, Continued Operational Safety Branch, FAA, to make those findings. To be approved, the repair method, modification deviation, or alteration deviation must meet the certification basis of the airplane, and the approval must specifically refer to this AD.

(j) Related Information

For more information about this AD, contact Wayne Ha, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: [phone]; email: [e-mail].

(k) Material Incorporated by Reference

(1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference (IBR) of the service information listed in this paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.

(2) You must use this service information as applicable to do the actions required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.

(i) Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–53A0106 RB, dated January 3, 2023.

(ii) [Reserved]

(3) For service information identified in this AD, contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data Services (C&DS), 2600 Westminster Blvd., MC 110–SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740–5600; telephone [phone]; website myboeingfleet.com.

(4) You may view this service information at the FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, Operational Safety Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 206–231–3195.

(5) You may view this service information that is incorporated by reference at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, email [e-mail], or go to: www.archives.gov/​federal-register/​cfr/​ibr-locations.html.

Issued on July 8, 2023.

Michael Linegang,

Acting Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification Service.