51164 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 172 / Thursday, September 6, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 

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 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. 

(3) An AMOC approved previously in 

accordance with AD 2005–18–14 is approved 

as an AMOC for the corresponding 

provisions of this AD. 

Related Information 

(n) European Aviation Safety Agency 

airworthiness directive 2006–0114, dated 

May 10, 2006, also addresses the subject of 

this AD. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

(o) You must use the service bulletins 

identified in Table 1 of this AD to perform 

the actions that are required by this AD, 

unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

Dassault Service Bulletin F10–313, Revision 

1, dated May 10, 2006, in accordance with 5 

U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) On September 26, 2005 (70 FR 53540, 

September 9, 2005), the Director of the 

Federal Register approved the incorporation 

by reference of Dassault Alert Service 

Bulletin F10–A312, Revision 1, dated June 

27, 2005, including the Service Bulletins 

Compliance Card. 

(3) On April 26, 2005 (70 FR 18282, April 

11, 2005), the Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

Dassault Alert Service Bulletin F10–A312, 

dated February 25, 2005, including the 

Service Bulletins Compliance Card. 

(4) Contact Dassault Falcon Jet, P.O. Box 

2000, South Hackensack, New Jersey 07606, 

for a copy of this service information. You 

may review copies at the FAA, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue, 

SW., Renton, Washington; or at the National 

Archives and Records Administration 

(NARA). For information on the availability 

of this material at NARA, call 202–741–6030, 

or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federalregister/cfr/ibr-locations.html. 

TABLE 1.—SERVICE INFORMATION INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Service Bulletin Revision level Date 

Dassault Alert Service Bulletin F10–A312, including the Service Bulletins Compliance Card .............. Original .................. February 25, 2005. 

Dassault Alert Service Bulletin F10–A312, including the Service Bulletins Compliance Card .............. Revision 1 .............. June 27, 2005. 

Dassault Service Bulletin F10–313 ......................................................................................................... Revision 1 .............. May 10, 2006. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on August 

17, 2007. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–17288 Filed 9–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–27776; Directorate 

Identifier 2006–NM–170–AD; Amendment 

39–15189; AD 2007–18–09] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model 

A318, A319, A320, and A321 Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding an 

existing airworthiness directive (AD), 

which applies to all Airbus Model 

A318–100, A319–100, A320–200, A321–

100, and A321–200 series airplanes, and 

Model A320–111 airplanes. That AD 

currently requires an inspection to 

determine whether certain braking and 

steering control units (BSCUs) are 

installed or have ever been installed. 

For airplanes on which certain BSCUs 

are installed or have ever been installed, 

the existing AD requires an inspection 

of the nose landing gear (NLG) upper 

support, and corrective action if 

necessary; and a check of the NLG strut 

inflation pressure, and an adjustment if 

necessary. For some of these airplanes, 

the existing AD also requires a revision 

to the aircraft flight manual to 

incorporate an operating procedure to 

recover normal steering in the event of 

a steering failure. This new AD instead 

requires repetitive inspections of the 

NLG upper support, and related 

investigative/corrective actions in 

accordance with new service 

information; and removes the one-time 

inspection that was required by the 

existing AD. This new AD also provides 

an optional terminating action for the 

repetitive inspections. This AD results 

from a report of an incident where an 

airplane landed with the NLG turned 90 

degrees from centerline, and from 

additional reports of NLG upper support 

anti-rotation lugs rupturing in service. 

We are issuing this AD to prevent 

landings with the NLG turned 90 

degrees from centerline, which could 

result in reduced controllability of the 

airplane. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

October 11, 2007. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in the AD 

as of October 11, 2007. 

On November 30, 2005 (70 FR 70715, 

November 23, 2005), the Director of the 

Federal Register approved the 

incorporation by reference of a certain 

publication listed in the AD. 

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD 

docket on the Internet at http:// 

dms.dot.gov or in person at the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, 

DC. 

Contact Airbus, 1 Rond Point Maurice 

Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France, 

for service information identified in this 

AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim 

Dulin, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 

98057–3356; telephone (425) 227–2141; 

fax (425) 227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Examining the Docket 

You may examine the airworthiness 

directive (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 (800) 647–

5527) is located on the ground floor of 

the West Building at the DOT street 

address stated in the ADDRESSES section. 

Discussion 

The FAA issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that 

supersedes AD 2005–24–06, amendment 

39–14386 (70 FR 70715, November 23, 

2005). The existing AD applies to all 

Airbus Model A318–100, A319–100, 

A320–200, A321–100, and A321–200 

series airplanes, and Model A320–111 


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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 172 / Thursday, September 6, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 51165 

airplanes. That NPRM was published in 

the Federal Register on April 5, 2007 

(72 FR 16749). That NPRM proposed to 

continue to require an inspection to 

determine whether certain braking and 

steering control units (BSCUs) are 

installed or have ever been installed. 

For airplanes on which certain BSCUs 

are installed or have ever been installed, 

that NPRM proposed to continue to 

require a revision to the aircraft flight 

manual (AFM) to incorporate an 

operating procedure to recover normal 

steering in the event of a steering 

failure. That NPRM also proposed to 

require repetitive inspections of the 

nose landing gear (NLG) upper support, 

and related investigative/corrective 

actions, and an optional terminating 

action for the repetitive inspections. 

Comments 

We provided the public the 

opportunity to participate in the 

development of this AD. We have 

considered the comments that have 

been received on the NPRM. 

Support for the AD 

The National Transportation Safety 

Board supports the adoption of the AD. 

Request To Revise ‘‘Optional 

Terminating Action’’ Reference 

Airbus requests that we rephrase the 

heading of paragraph (l), ‘‘Optional 

Terminating Action,’’ of the NPRM. 

Airbus states that the terminating action 

for the issue addressed by the NPRM is 

not yet available. According to Airbus, 

the terminating action will include 

implementation of a new BSCU 

standard, which is currently being 

defined. Therefore, Airbus suggests that 

instead of the title ‘‘Optional 

Terminating Action,’’ we use a different 

title, such as ‘‘Action that Renders Void 

the Requirements of this AD,’’ or 

equivalent wording. Airbus states that it 

is correct to say that the actions 

proposed in paragraph (l) of the NPRM 

would render void the requirements of 

this AD, and that no further action 

would be required by this AD. However, 

the terminating action for the issue will 

require installation of a new future 

BSCU standard. Airbus anticipates that 

it will require the installation of the 

future BSCU standard as a terminating 

action. 

We disagree with the request to 

rephrase the title of paragraph (l) of this 

AD. We consider the phrase ‘‘Action 

that Renders Void the Requirements of 

this AD,’’ to be equivalent to the 

existing title ‘‘Optional Terminating 

Action.’’ Furthermore, this AD is fully 

consistent with European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) airworthiness 

directive 2006–0174, dated June 21, 

2006, which is the parallel EASA 

airworthiness directive to this AD. If 

EASA supersedes airworthiness 

directive 2006–0174 for any reason, we 

will consider additional rulemaking. We 

have not changed the AD in this regard. 

Explanation of Editorial Change to 

Paragraph (l) 

Paragraph (l) of the NPRM referred to 

‘‘standard L4.1 and L4.5.’’ That 

paragraph should refer to ‘‘standard 

L4.1 or L4.5.’’ We have revised 

paragraph (l) of the final rule 

accordingly. This change will not affect 

accomplishment of the optional 

terminating action. 

Clarification of Alternative Method of 

Compliance (AMOC) Paragraph 

We have revised this action to clarify 

the appropriate procedure for notifying 

the principal inspector before using any 

approved AMOC on any airplane to 

which the AMOC applies. 

Conclusion 

We have carefully reviewed the 

available data, including the comments 

received, and determined that air safety 

and the public interest require adopting 

the AD with the changes described 

previously. We have determined that 

these changes will neither increase the 

economic burden on any operator nor 

increase the scope of the AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

This AD affects about 720 airplanes of 

U.S. registry. The following table 

provides the estimated costs for U.S. 

operators to comply with this AD. The 

average labor rate is $80 per work hour. 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Work hours Parts Cost per airplane Fleet cost 

Records review (required by AD 2005–24–06) ............. 1 .................. None $80 ..................................... $57,600. 

AFM revision (required by AD 2005–24–06) ................. 1 .................. None $80 ..................................... $57,600. 

Special detailed inspection in accordance with new 

service information (new action).

1 .................. None $80, per inspection cycle .. $57,600, per inspection 

cycle. 

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 AD will 

not have federalism implications under 

Executive Order 13132. This AD will 

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 this AD: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866; 

(2) Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under 

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 AD 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, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 


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51166 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 172 / Thursday, September 6, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 

Adoption of the Amendment 

■ Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA amends 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 39–14386 (70 

FR 70715, November 23, 2005) and by 

adding the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

2007–18–09 AIRBUS: Amendment 39–

15189. Docket No. FAA–2007–27776; 

Directorate Identifier 2006–NM–170–AD. 

Effective Date 

(a) This AD becomes effective October 11, 

2007. 

Affected ADs 

(b) This AD supersedes AD 2005–24–06. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to all Airbus Model 

A318, A319, A320, and A321 airplanes. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from a report of an 

incident where an airplane landed with the 

nose landing gear (NLG) turned 90 degrees 

from centerline, and from additional reports 

of NLG upper support anti-rotation lugs 

rupturing in service. We are issuing this AD 

to prevent landings with the NLG turned 90 

degrees from centerline, which could result 

in reduced controllability 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 Certain Requirements of AD 

2005–24–06 

Records Review 

(f) Within 5 days after November 30, 2005 

(the effective date of AD 2005–24–06), 

perform a records review to determine 

whether the airplane is equipped with or has 

ever been equipped with an enhanced 

manufacturing and maintainability (EMM) 

braking and steering control unit (BSCU) part 

number (P/N) E21327001 (standard L4.1, 

installed by Airbus Modification 26965, or 

Airbus Service Bulletin A320–32–1912) or 

P/N E21327003 (standard L4.5, installed by 

Airbus Modification 33376, or Airbus Service 

Bulletin A320–32–1261). Airbus Service 

Bulletin A320–32–1310, dated February 8, 

2006, is one approved method for doing the 

records review. 

(g) For airplanes on which a records review 

required by paragraph (f) of this AD 

conclusively determines that the airplane is 

not and never has been equipped with a 

BSCU P/N E21327001 or P/N E21327003, no 

further action is required by this AD. 

Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) Revision 

(h) For airplanes that are not specified in 

paragraph (g) of this AD and on which Airbus 

Modification 31152 has not been 

incorporated in production (i.e., applicable 

only to aircraft with steering powered by the 

green hydraulic system): Within 10 days after 

November 30, 2005, revise the Limitation 

Section of the Airbus A318/319/320/321 

Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) to include the 

following information. This may be done by 

inserting a copy of this AD into the AFM: 

‘‘The ECAM message, in case of a nose 

wheel steering failure, will be worded as 

follows: 

—‘‘WHEEL N/W STRG FAULT’’ for aircraft 

with the FWC E3 and subsequent standards 

—‘‘WHEEL N.W. STEER FAULT’’ for aircraft 

with the FWC E2 Standard. 

■ If the L/G SHOCK ABSORBER FAULT 

ECAM caution is triggered at any time in 

flight, and the WHEEL N/W STRG FAULT 

ECAM caution is triggered after the landing 

gear extension: 

• When all landing gear doors are 

indicated closed on ECAM WHEEL page, 

reset the BSCU: 

—A/SKID&N/W STRG—OFF THEN ON 

• If the WHEEL N/W STRG FAULT ECAM 

caution is no longer displayed, this indicates 

a successful nose wheel re-centering and 

steering recovery. 

—Rearm the AUTO BRAKE, if necessary. 

• If the WHEEL N/W STRG FAULT ECAM 

caution remains displayed, this indicates that 

the nose wheel steering remains lost, and that 

the nose wheels are not centered. 

—During landing, delay nose wheel 

touchdown for as long as possible. 

—Refer to the ECAM STATUS. 

■ If the WHEEL N/W STRG FAULT ECAM 

caution appears, without the L/G SHOCK 

ABSORBER FAULT ECAM caution: 

—No specific crew action is requested by the 

WHEEL N/W STRG FAULT ECAM caution 

procedure. 

—Refer to the ECAM STATUS.’’

Note 1: When a statement identical to that 

in paragraph (h) of this AD has been included 

in the general revisions of the AFM, the 

general revisions may be inserted into the 

AFM, and the copy of this AD may be 

removed from the AFM. 

New Requirements of This AD 

Inspection Thresholds 

(i) For airplanes that are not specified in 

paragraph (g) of this AD, at the earlier of the 

times specified in paragraphs (i)(1) and (i)(2) 

of this AD: Do a special detailed inspection 

(boroscopic) for broken or cracked NLG 

upper support lugs and missing cylinder 

lugs, and do all applicable related 

investigative/corrective actions before further 

flight. Do all actions in accordance with 

Airbus Technical Note 957.1901/05, dated 

October 18, 2005; or the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A320–

32–1310, dated February 8, 2006. After the 

effective date of this AD, only Airbus Service 

Bulletin A320–32–1310, dated February 8, 

2006, may be used. Where the service 

bulletin specifies that restoring the NLG is 

necessary in accordance with Airbus 

recommendations, this AD requires restoring 

the NLG in accordance with a method 

approved by the Manager, International 

Branch, ANM–116, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, FAA; or the European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) (or its delegated 

agent). Repeat the inspection thereafter at the 

applicable interval specified in paragraph (j) 

or (k) of this AD. 

(1) Within 100 flight cycles following an 

electronic centralized aircraft monitoring 

(ECAM) caution ‘‘L/G SHOCK ABSORBER 

FAULT’’ associated with at least one of the 

following centralized fault display system 

(CFDS) messages specified in paragraph 

(i)(1)(i), (i)(1)(ii), or (i)(1)(iii) of this AD. 

(i) ‘‘N L/G EXT PROX SNSR 24GA TGT 

POS.’’

(ii) ‘‘N L/G EXT PROX SNSR 25GA TGT 

POS.’’

(iii) ‘‘N L/G SHOCK ABSORBER FAULT 

2526GM.’’

(2) At the later of the times specified in 

paragraphs (i)(2)(i) and (i)(2)(ii) of this AD. 

(i) Within 20 months, 6,000 flight hours, or 

4,500 flight cycles since the date of issuance 

of the original French standard airworthiness 

certificate, or the original French export 

certificate of airworthiness, whichever occurs 

first. 

(ii) Within 6 months, 1,800 flight hours, or 

1,350 flight cycles after the effective date of 

this AD, whichever occurs first. 

Repetitive Inspection Intervals 

(j) For airplanes not specified in paragraph 

(g) of this AD that are equipped with EMM 

BSCU standard L4.1 or L4.5: Repeat the 

inspection specified in paragraph (i) of this 

AD thereafter at intervals not to exceed the 

earliest of 6 months; 1,800 flight hours; 1,350 

flight cycles; or 100 flight cycles following 

certain ECAM cautions and CFDS messages, 

as specified in paragraph (i)(1) of this AD. 

(k) For airplanes not specified in paragraph 

(g) of this AD that are equipped with EMM 

BSCU standard L4.8 or a non-EMM BSCU: 

Repeat the inspection specified in paragraph 

(i) of this AD thereafter at intervals not to 

exceed the earliest of 20 months; 6,000 flight 

hours; 4,500 flight cycles; or 100 flight cycles 

following certain ECAM cautions and CFDS 

messages, as specified in paragraph (i)(1) of 

this AD. 

Note 2: For the purposes of this AD, a 

special detailed inspection is: ‘‘An intensive 

examination of a specific item, installation, 

or assembly to detect damage, failure, or 

irregularity. The examination is likely to 

make extensive use of specialized inspection 

techniques and/or equipment. Intricate 

cleaning and substantial access or 

disassembly procedure may be required.’’

Optional Terminating Action 

(l) For airplanes that are not specified in 

paragraph (g) of this AD: Installation of an 

NLG with new upper support anti-rotation 

lugs and new cylinder lugs, or installation of 

an NLG that was never driven by EMM BSCU 

standard L4.1 or L4.5; combined with 


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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 172 / Thursday, September 6, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 51167 

installation of an EMM BSCU standard L4.8 

or a non–EMM BSCU; constitutes terminating 

action for the requirements of this AD. Do the 

installations in accordance with a method 

approved by either the Manager, 

International Branch, ANM–116; or the 

EASA (or its delegated agent). Chapter 32 of 

the Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 Aircraft 

Maintenance Manual (AMM) is one approved 

method for doing the installations. 

No Report Required 

(m) Although Airbus Service Bulletin 

A320–32–1310, dated February 8, 2006, 

specifies sending certain inspection results to 

Airbus, this AD does not include that 

requirement. 

Credit Paragraph 

(n) Inspections done before the effective 

date of this AD in accordance with Chapter 

12, Subject 12–14–32 of the Airbus A318/ 

A319/A320/A321 AMM, as revised by Airbus 

A318/A319/A320/A321 AMM Temporary 

Revision 12–001, dated November 13, 2005, 

are acceptable for compliance with the 

requirements of paragraph (i) of this AD. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs) 

(o)(1) The Manager, International Branch, 

ANM–116, 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 

(p) EASA airworthiness directive 2006–

0174, dated June 21, 2006, also addresses the 

subject of this AD. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

(q) You must use Airbus Technical Note 

957.1901/05, dated October 18, 2005; or 

Airbus Service Bulletin A320–32–1310, 

dated February 8, 2006; as applicable, to 

perform the actions that are required by this 

AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

Airbus Service Bulletin A320–32–1310, 

dated February 8, 2006, in accordance with 

5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) On November 30, 2005 (70 FR 70715, 

November 23, 2005), the Director of the 

Federal Register approved the incorporation 

by reference of Airbus Technical Note 

957.1901/05, dated October 18, 2005. 

(3) Contact Airbus, 1 Rond Point Maurice 

Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France, for a 

copy of this service information. You may 

review copies at the FAA, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, 

Washington; or at the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of this 

material at NARA, call 202–741–6030, or go 

to: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/ 

cfr/ibr-locations.html. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on August 

17, 2007. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–17385 Filed 9–5–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–27975 Directorate 

Identifier 2007–CE–041–AD; Amendment 

39–15187; AD 2007–18–07] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Piaggio Aero 

Industries S.p.A. Model P–180 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for the 

products listed above. This AD results 

from mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) 

issued by an aviation authority of 

another country to identify and correct 

an unsafe condition on an aviation 

product. The MCAI describes the unsafe 

condition as: 

Several aircraft, at the factory, presented 

some debris in the hydraulic fluid of the 

steering system. Investigations revealed that 

some components of the steering system can 

be responsible for the fluid contamination 

because of an initial pollution on their 

manufacturing. 

If not corrected, a contaminated fluid could 

cause malfunction and a possible jamming of 

the steering system. 

We are issuing this AD to require 

actions to correct the unsafe condition 

on these products. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

October 11, 2007. 

On October 11, 2007, the Director of 

the Federal Register approved the 

incorporation by reference of certain 

publications listed in this AD. 

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD 

docket on the Internet at http:// 

dms.dot.gov or in person at Document 

Management Facility, U.S. Department 

of Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sarjapur Nagarajan, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 

Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, 

Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329–

4145; fax: (816) 329–4090. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to the specified products. That 

NPRM was published in the Federal 

Register on July 16, 2007 (72 FR 38800). 

That NPRM proposed to correct an 

unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

Several aircraft, at the factory, presented 

some debris in the hydraulic fluid of the 

steering system. Investigations revealed that 

some components of the steering system can 

be responsible for the fluid contamination 

because of an initial pollution on their 

manufacturing. 

If not corrected, a contaminated fluid could 

cause malfunction and a possible jamming of 

the steering system. 

The superseded Airworthiness Directive 

(AD) 2007–0088–E was previously issued to 

address the unsafe condition. 

The present Airworthiness Directive 

expands applicability of this AD to all P.180 

‘Avanti’ series aircraft and the list of 

defective components as listed in revision 1 

of Piaggio Aero Industries Mandatory Service 

Bulletin No 80–0236. This AD also requires 

Temporary Changes to the respective 

Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) and Aircraft 

Maintenance Manual (AMM) and introduces 

procedures to recondition defective units. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

considered the comment received. 

Comment Issue: Replacement of Nose 

Landing Gear 

One commenter suggests that the nose 

landing gear (NLG) does not need to be 

replaced as required in paragraph 

(f)(2)(ii) of this AD, but rather the 

steering actuator and manifold mounted 

to the NLG need to be replaced. 

We agree with the commenter that it 

is the steering actuator and the manifold 

that need to be replaced and not the 

entire NLG. However, the service 

bulletin requires removing and sending 

the original NLG to a Messier-Dowty 

engineer to do the actuator and 

manifold replacement. The service 

bulletin then requires installing a 

serviceable NLG. The replacement NLG 

could be the original, which has been 

rebuilt according to Annex 8 of Piaggio 

Aero Industries S.p.A. Service Bulletin 

(Mandatory) N.: 80–0236 Rev. 1, dated 

May 15, 2007 (Messier-Dowty Service 

Bulletin No. P180–32–24, dated May 15, 

2007), or it could be an exchanged NLG 

that complies with this AD. We have 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with RULES