This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

2234 

Vol. 77, No. 10 

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0017; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–039–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; DG 

Flugzeugbau GmbH Gliders 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for DG 

Flugzeugbau GmbH Models DG–500 

Elan Orion, DG–500 Elan Trainer, DG– 

500/20 Elan, DG–500/22 Elan, DG– 

500M, and DG–500MB gliders. This 

proposed AD results from mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI) originated 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 damage to the 

bulkhead of the glider’s center of gravity 

(CG) tow hook that, if not detected and 

corrected, may lead to failure of the 

fiberglass structure during a winch 

launch. We are issuing this proposed 

AD to require actions to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by March 2, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://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: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, M– 

30, West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact DG– 

Flugzeugbau GmbH, Otto-LilienthalWeg 2, 76646 Bruchsal, Federal 

Republic of Germany; telephone: +49 (0) 

7251 3020140, fax: +49 (0) 7251 

3020149; email: dirks@dgflugzeugbau.de; Internet: www.dgflugzeugbau.de. You may review copies 

of the referenced service information at 

the FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 

901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 

64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (816) 329–4148. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Management Facility between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this proposed AD, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Office 

(telephone (800) 647–5527) is in the 

ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 

available in the AD docket shortly after 

receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 

Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 

telephone: (816) 329–4165; fax: (816) 

329–4090; email: 

jim.rutherford@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposed AD. Send your comments 

to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2012–0017; Directorate Identifier 

2011–CE–039–AD’’ at the beginning of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed AD because of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

regulations.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA AD No.: 

2011–0209, dated October 26, 2011 

(referred to after this as ‘‘the MCAI’’), to 

correct an unsafe condition for the 

specified products. The MCAI states: 

Occurrence of damage of the bulkhead of 

CG tow hook and its glued joints to fuselage 

shell was reported. 

Investigation concluded that this damage 

may occur after wheel up landing. 

Damage of bulkheads for CG tow hook of 

the sailplane or powered sailplane, if not 

detected and corrected, may lead to failure of 

glass fibre structure during a winch launch. 

DG–Flugzeugbau GmbH developed and 

published Technical Note (TN) No 500/04 

with the associated Working Instruction No 

1 to detect and correct damaged CG tow hook 

bulkhead and its glued joints. 

For the above-mentioned reasons, this AD 

requires a one-time inspection of the CG tow 

hook and its reinforcement. 

The MCAI requires you to inspect the 

CG tow hook bulkhead for damage and 

reinforce the bulkhead. You may obtain 

further information by examining the 

MCAI in the AD docket. 

Relevant Service Information 

DG Flugzeugbau GmbH has issued TN 

No 500/4, dated August 30, 2011; and 

Working Instruction No. 1, dated August 

30, 2011. The actions described in this 

service information are intended to 

correct the unsafe condition identified 

in the MCAI. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the 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 our 

bilateral agreement with this State of 

Design Authority, they have notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

MCAI and service information 

referenced above. We are proposing this 

AD because we evaluated all 

information and determined the unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

WREIER-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 17, 2012 / Proposed Rules 2235 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

will affect 16 products of U.S. registry. 

We also estimate that it would take 

about 5 work-hours per product to 

comply with the basic requirements of 

this proposed AD. The average labor 

rate is $85 per work-hour. Required 

parts would cost about $1,030 per 

product. 

Based on these figures, we estimate 

the cost of the proposed AD on U.S. 

operators to be $23,280 or $1,455 per 

product. 

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 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) Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under 

the DOT Regulatory Policies and 

Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 

1979), 

(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska, and 

(4) 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. 

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 AD: 

DG Flugzeugbau GmbH: Docket No. FAA– 

2012–0017; Directorate Identifier 2011– 

CE–039–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by March 2, 

2012. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to DG Flugzeugbau GmbH 

Models DG–500 Elan Orion, DG–500 Elan 

Trainer, DG–500/20 Elan, DG–500/22 Elan, 

DG–500M, and DG–500MB gliders, all serial 

numbers (S/N), certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association of America 

(ATA) Code 53: Fuselage. 

(e) Reason 

This proposed AD was prompted by 

damage to the bulkhead of the glider’s center 

of gravity (CG) tow hook that, if not detected 

and corrected, may lead to failure of the 

fiberglass structure during a winch launch. 

We are issuing this proposed AD to require 

actions to address the unsafe condition on 

these products. 

(f) Actions and Compliance 

Unless already done, do the following 

actions: 

(1) For all gliders: Within 30 days after the 

effective date of this AD, inspect the 

bulkhead of the CG tow hook and the 

bulkhead’s glued joints for damage following 

DG Flugzeugbau GmbH TN No 500/4, dated 

August 30, 2011; and DG Flugzeugbau 

Working Instruction No. 1, dated August 30, 

2011. 

(2) For all gliders: If you find damage 

during the inspection required by paragraph 

(f)(1) of this AD, before further flight, 

reinforce the bulkhead of the CG tow hook 

following DG Flugzeugbau GmbH TN No 

500/4, dated August 30, 2011; and DG 

Flugzeugbau Working Instruction No. 1, 

dated August 30, 2011. 

(3) For all gliders: Unless already done as 

required by paragraph (f)(2) of this AD, 

within 5 months after the effective date of 

this AD, reinforce the bulkhead of the CG tow 

hook following DG Flugzeugbau GmbH TN 

No 500/4, dated August 30, 2011; and DG 

Flugzeugbau Working Instruction No. 1, 

dated August 30, 2011. 

(4) For gliders with S/N 5E1 through S/N 

5E23: While doing the modification required 

by paragraph (f)(2) or (f)(3) of this AD, install 

a new adapted tow hook access cover 

following DG Flugzeugbau GmbH TN No 

500/4, dated August 30, 2011; and DG 

Flugzeugbau Working Instruction No. 1, 

dated August 30, 2011. 

(5) For all gliders: Although the EASA 

MCAI and DG Flugzeugbau GmbH TN No 

500/4, dated August 30, 2011, allow the 

inspection required by paragraph (f)(1) of this 

AD to be done by a pilot-owner, the U.S. 

regulatory system requires all actions of this 

AD to be done by a certified mechanic. 

(g) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, Standards Office, 

FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs 

for this AD, if requested using the procedures 

found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information to 

ATTN: Jim Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 

telephone: (816) 329–4165; fax: (816) 329– 

4090; email: jim.rutherford@faa.gov. 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. 

(2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement 

in this AD to obtain corrective actions from 

a manufacturer or other source, use these 

actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective 

actions are considered FAA-approved if they 

are approved by the State of Design Authority 

(or their delegated agent). You are required 

to assure the product is airworthy before it 

is returned to service. 

(3) Reporting Requirements: For any 

reporting requirement in this AD, a federal 

agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a 

person is not required to respond to, nor 

shall a person be subject to a penalty for 

failure to comply with a collection of 

information subject to the requirements of 

the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that 

collection of information displays a current 

valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 

Control Number for this information 

collection is 2120–0056. Public reporting for 

this collection of information is estimated to 

be approximately 5 minutes per response, 

including the time for reviewing instructions, 

completing and reviewing the collection of 

information. All responses to this collection 

of information are mandatory. Comments 

concerning the accuracy of this burden and 

suggestions for reducing the burden should 

be directed to the FAA at: 800 Independence 

Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591, Attn: 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, 

AES–200. 

(h) Related Information 

Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA) AD No.: 2011–0209, dated 

WREIER-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS

2236 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 17, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

October 26, 2011; DG Flugzeugbau GmbH TN 

No 500/4, dated August 30, 2011; and DG 

Flugzeugbau Working Instruction No. 1, 

dated August 30, 2011, for related 

information. For service information related 

to this AD, contact DG–Flugzeugbau GmbH, 

Otto-Lilienthal-Weg 2, 76646 Bruchsal, 

Federal Republic of Germany; telephone: +49 

(0) 7251 3020140, fax: +49 (0) 7251 3020149; 

email: dirks@dg-flugzeugbau.de; Internet: 

www.dg-flugzeugbau.de. You may review 

copies of the referenced service information 

at the FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 

Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (816) 329–4148. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri on January 

10, 2012. 

John Colomy, 

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–744 Filed 1–13–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1342; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–038–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; DG 

Flugzeugbau GmbH Sailplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM); 

extension of the comment period. 

SUMMARY: We are revising an earlier 

NPRM for DG Flugzeugbau GmbH DG– 

500 Elan series sailplanes and Models 

DG–500M and DG–500MB powered 

sailplanes. This proposed AD results 

from mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) 

originated 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 incorrect re-installation of 

the rear cockpit securing rope for the 

headrest of the rear seat during 

maintenance, which could cause the 

rear seat to interfere with the control 

stick of the sailplane. We are issuing 

this proposed AD to require actions to 

correct the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by March 2, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://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: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH, Otto-Lilienthal-Weg 2, 76646 

Bruchsal, Federal Republic of Germany; 

telephone: +49 (0) 7251 3020140; fax: 

+49 (0) 7251 3020149; Internet: http:// 

www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/techmitteilungen-e.html; email: dirks@dgflugzeugbau.de. You may review copies 

of the referenced service information at 

the FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 

901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 

64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (816) 329–4148. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Management Facility between 

9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this proposed AD, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Office 

(telephone (800) 647–5527) is in the 

ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 

available in the AD docket shortly after 

receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 

Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 

telephone: (816) 329–4165; fax: (816) 

329–4090; email: 

jim.rutherford@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposed AD. Send your comments 

to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2011–1342; Directorate Identifier 

2011–CE–038–AD’’ at the beginning of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed AD because of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

We proposed to amend 14 CFR part 

39 with an earlier NPRM for the 

specified products, which was 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 7, 2011 (76 FR 76330). That 

earlier NPRM proposed to require 

actions intended to address the unsafe 

condition for the products listed above. 

Since that NPRM (76 FR 76330, 

December 7, 2011) was issued, we 

determined that all affected Model DG– 

500 Elan sailplanes were not included 

in the Applicability section. 

Relevant Service Information 

DG Flugzeugbau GmbH has issued 

Technical Note No. 500/05, dated 

September 19, 2011, and Working 

Instruction No. 1 for TN348/20, Issue 3, 

dated September 13, 2011. The actions 

described in this service information are 

intended to correct the unsafe condition 

identified in the MCAI. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the 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 our 

bilateral agreement with this State of 

Design Authority, they have notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

MCAI and service information 

referenced above. We are proposing this 

AD because we evaluated all 

information and determined the unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Certain changes described above 

expand the scope of the earlier NPRM 

(76 FR 76330, December 7, 2011). As a 

result, we have determined that it is 

necessary to extend the comment period 

to provide additional opportunity for 

the public to comment on the proposed 

AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

will affect 16 products of U.S. registry. 

We also estimate that it would take 

about 2.5 work-hours per product to 

comply with the basic requirements of 

this proposed AD. The average labor 

WREIER-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS