11184 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 24, 2021 / Proposed Rules 

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. 

Issued on February 9, 2021. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03588 Filed 2–23–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2021–0023; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2020–01407–T] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Saab AB, 

Support and Services (Formerly 

Known as Saab AB, Saab Aeronautics) 

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 all 

Saab AB, Support and Services Model 

SAAB 2000 airplanes. This proposed 

AD was prompted by a report indicating 

that the left-hand main landing gear 

(MLG) collapsed after touchdown, 

causing severe damage to the airplane. 

This proposed AD would require 

modifying the MLG hydraulic transfer 

valve, as specified in a European Union 

Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, 

which is proposed for incorporation by 

reference. 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 April 12, 2021. 

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 

https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• 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. 

For material that will be incorporated 

by reference (IBR) in this AD, contact 

the EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 

50668 Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 

221 8999 000; email ADs@

easa.europa.eu; internet 

www.easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

IBR material on the EASA website at 

https://ad.easa.europa.eu. You may 

view this IBR material 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 in the AD docket on 

the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2021– 

0023. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2021– 

0023; 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Shahram Daneshmandi, Aerospace 

Engineer, Large Aircraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, FAA, 

2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 

98198; telephone and fax 206–231– 

3220; email Shahram.Daneshmandi@

faa.gov. 

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–2021–0023; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2020–01407–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 the 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 https://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. The 

agency will also post a report 

summarizing each substantive verbal 

contact received about this proposed 

AD. 

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 Shahram 

Daneshmandi, Aerospace Engineer, 

Large Aircraft Section, International 

Validation Branch, FAA, 2200 South 

216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; 

telephone and fax 206–231–3220; email 

Shahram.Daneshmandi@faa.gov. Any 

commentary that the FAA receives 

which is not specifically designated as 

CBI will be placed in the public docket 

for this rulemaking. 

Background 

The EASA, which is the Technical 

Agent for the Member States of the 

European Union, has issued EASA AD 

2020–0233, dated October 14, 2020 

(EASA AD 2020–0233) (also referred to 

as the Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information, or the 

MCAI), to correct an unsafe condition 

for all Saab AB, Support and Services 

Model SAAB 2000 airplanes. 

This proposed AD was prompted by 

a report indicating that the left-hand 

MLG collapsed after touchdown, 

causing severe damage to the airplane. 

The FAA is proposing this AD to 

address abnormal behavior of the MLG 

hydraulic transfer valve due to a 

restriction in hydraulic flow, which 

could cause the MLG hydraulic transfer 

valve to not function properly and fail 

to retract, extend, or lock the MLG, and 

possibly result in MLG collapse 

following landing and consequent 

damage to the airplane and injury to 

occupants. See the MCAI for additional 

background information. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

EASA AD 2020–0233 describes 

procedures for modifying the MLG 

hydraulic transfer valve. This 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 24, 2021 / Proposed Rules 11185 

modification includes installing a new 

relay, relocation of wiring, and 

installation of new wiring, to ensure 

that, when the emergency extension 

handle is used, the transfer valve 

solenoid is energized to force the 

transfer valve to the ‘‘gear down’’ 

position. This material is reasonably 

available because the interested parties 

have access to it through their normal 

course of business or by the means 

identified in the ADDRESSES section. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of This Proposed AD 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country, and is approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to the 

FAA’s bilateral agreement with the State 

of Design Authority, the FAA has been 

notified of the unsafe condition 

described in the MCAI referenced 

above. The FAA is proposing this AD 

because the FAA evaluated all the 

relevant information and determined 

the unsafe condition described 

previously is likely to exist or develop 

in other products of the same type 

design. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

EASA AD 2020–0233 described 

previously, as incorporated by 

reference, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this AD. 

Explanation of Required Compliance 

Information 

In the FAA’s ongoing efforts to 

improve the efficiency of the AD 

process, the FAA initially worked with 

Airbus and EASA to develop a process 

to use certain EASA ADs as the primary 

source of information for compliance 

with requirements for corresponding 

FAA ADs. The FAA has since 

coordinated with other manufacturers 

and civil aviation authorities (CAAs) to 

use this process. As a result, EASA AD 

2020–0233 will be incorporated by 

reference in the FAA final rule. This 

proposed AD would, therefore, require 

compliance with EASA AD 2020–0233 

in its entirety, through that 

incorporation, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD. 

Using common terms that are the same 

as the heading of a particular section in 

the EASA AD does not mean that 

operators need comply only with that 

section. For example, where the AD 

requirement refers to ‘‘all required 

actions and compliance times,’’ 

compliance with this AD requirement is 

not limited to the section titled 

‘‘Required Action(s) and Compliance 

Time(s)’’ in the EASA AD. Service 

information specified in EASA AD 

2020–0233 that is required for 

compliance with EASA AD 2020–0233 

will be available on the internet at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2021–0023 after the FAA final 

rule is published. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this proposed 

AD affects 8 airplanes of U.S. registry. 

The FAA estimates the following costs 

to comply with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS FOR REQUIRED ACTIONS

Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

20 work-hours × $85 per hour = $1,700 ..................................................................................... $1,875 $3,575 $28,600

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: 

Saab AB, Support and Services (Formerly 

Known as Saab AB, Saab Aeronautics): 

Docket No. FAA–2021–0023; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2020–01407–T. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) action by April 

12, 2021. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all Saab AB, Support 

and Services Model SAAB 2000 airplanes, 

certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 32, Landing gear. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
11186 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 24, 2021 / Proposed Rules 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by a report 

indicating that the left-hand main landing 

gear (MLG) collapsed after touchdown, 

causing severe damage to the airplane. The 

FAA is issuing this AD to address abnormal 

behavior of the MLG hydraulic transfer valve 

due to a restriction in hydraulic flow, which 

could cause the MLG hydraulic transfer valve 

to not function properly and fail to retract, 

extend, or lock the MLG, and possibly result 

in MLG collapse following landing and 

consequent damage to the airplane and injury 

to occupants. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Requirements 

Except as specified in paragraph (h) of this 

AD: Comply with all required actions and 

compliance times specified in, and in 

accordance with, European Union Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) AD 2020–0233, dated 

October 14, 2020 (EASA AD 2020–0233). 

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2020–0233 

(1) Where EASA AD 2020–0233 refers to its 

effective date, this AD requires using the 

effective date of this AD. 

(2) The ‘‘Remarks’’ section of EASA AD 

2020–0233 does not apply to this AD. 

(i) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, Large Aircraft 

Section, International Validation 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 Large Aircraft 

Section, International Validation Branch, 

send it to the attention of the person 

identified in paragraph (j)(2) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-AVS-AIR730-AMOC@faa.gov. Before using any 

approved AMOC, notify your appropriate 

principal inspector, or lacking a principal 

inspector, the manager of the responsible 

Flight Standards Office. 

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any 

requirement in this AD to obtain instructions 

from a manufacturer, the instructions must 

be accomplished using a method approved 

by the Manager, Large Aircraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, FAA; or 

EASA; or Saab AB, Support and Services’ 

EASA Design Organization Approval (DOA). 

If approved by the DOA, the approval must 

include the DOA-authorized signature. 

(3) Required for Compliance (RC): Except 

as required by paragraph (i)(2) of this AD, if 

any service information contains procedures 

or tests that are identified as RC, those 

procedures and tests must be done to comply 

with this AD; any procedures or tests that are 

not identified as RC are recommended. Those 

procedures and tests that are not identified 

as RC may be deviated from using accepted 

methods in accordance with the operator’s 

maintenance or inspection program without 

obtaining approval of an AMOC, provided 

the procedures and tests identified as RC can 

be done and the airplane can be put back in 

an airworthy condition. Any substitutions or 

changes to procedures or tests identified as 

RC require approval of an AMOC. 

(j) Related Information 

(1) For EASA AD 2020–0233, contact the 

EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 

Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 

000; email ADs@easa.europa.eu; Internet 

www.easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

EASA AD on the EASA website at https://

ad.easa.europa.eu. You may view this 

material 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. This 

material may be found in the AD docket on 

the internet at https://www.regulations.gov 

by searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2021–0023. 

(2) For more information about this AD, 

contact Shahram Daneshmandi, Aerospace 

Engineer, Large Aircraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, FAA, 2200 

South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; 

telephone and fax 206–231–3220; 

Shahram.Daneshmandi@faa.gov. 

Issued on February 1, 2021. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03575 Filed 2–23–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2021–0026; Project 

Identifier AD–2020–01164–T] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

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 all 

The Boeing Company Model 737–100, 

–200, –200C, –300, –400, and –500 

series airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by a report indicating that a 

crack was found on the splice angle 

flange that is attached to the station 

(STA) 540 bulkhead in the area between 

certain stringers. This proposed AD 

would require repetitive surface high 

frequency eddy current (HFEC) 

inspections at the radius of the left- and 

right side of the STA 540 bulkhead 

splice angle for any cracking and 

applicable on-condition 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 April 12, 2021. 

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 

https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• 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. 

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 562–797–1717; 

internet https://

www.myboeingfleet.com. You may view 

this referenced 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 on the internet 

at https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2021–0026. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2021– 

0026; 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

George Garrido, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Section, FAA, Los Angeles 

ACO Branch, 3960 Paramount 

Boulevard, Lakewood, CA 90712–4137; 

phone: 562–627–5232; fax: 562–627– 

5210; email: george.garrido@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites you to send any 

written relevant data, views, or 

arguments about this proposal. Send 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS