Southwest Airlines

Document ID: FAA-2007-29333-0007
Document Type: Public Submission
Agency: Federal Aviation Administration
Received Date: November 12 2007, at 04:19 PM Eastern Standard Time
Date Posted: November 14 2007, at 12:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
Comment Start Date: November 1 2007, at 12:00 AM Eastern Standard Time
Comment Due Date: November 13 2007, at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time
Tracking Number: 80362d43
View Document:

This is comment on Rule

Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 737-600, -700, -700C, - 800, and -900 Series Airplanes

View Comment

References: AD 2004-18-06 SB 737-53-1232 Southwest Airlines offers the following comment: The proposed AD and Service Bulletin 737-53-1232 do not address the issue of how to accomplish the inspection in an area with a previously installed repair. AD 2004-18-06, the chemical milled AD for the classic fleet, does address this issue in paragraph (i) Exceptions to Service Bulletin Procedures and states the following: (i) For airplanes subject to the requirements of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this AD: Inspections are not required in areas that are spanned by an FAA- approved repair that has a minimum of 3 rows of fasteners above and below the chem-milled step. If an external doubler covers the chem-milled step, but does not span it by a minimum of 3 rows of fasteners above and below, in lieu of requesting approval for an alternative method of compliance (AMOC), one method of compliance with the inspection requirement of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this AD is to inspect all chemical-milled steps covered by the repair using internal nondestructive test (NDT) methods in accordance with Boeing 737 Non-Destructive Test NDT Manual, Part 6, Subject 53-30-20. Southwest Airlines asks that a provision similar to the above be added to the proposed AD to avoid extensive AMOC requests on a likely issue such as previously installed repairs.