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

76572 

Vol. 78, No. 243 

Wednesday, December 18, 2013 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–1028; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–NM–068–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Airbus Model A318–111 and –112 

airplanes, Model A319–111, –112, –113, 

–114, and –115 airplanes, Model A320– 

111, –211, –212, and –214 airplanes, 

and Model A321–111, –112, –211, –212, 

and –213 airplanes. This proposed AD 

was prompted by reports of broken aft 

engine mount retainers. This proposed 

AD would require inspecting the aft 

engine mount retainers for surface 

finish, and for cracks and failure, and 

replacement if necessary. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent failure of 

retainer brackets of the aft engine mount 

and consequent loss of the locking 

feature of the nuts of the inner and outer 

pins. Loss of the pins will result in the 

aft mount engine link no longer being 

secured to the aft engine mount. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by February 3, 2014. 

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, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For Airbus service information 

identified in this proposed AD, contact 

Airbus, Airworthiness Office—EIAS, 1 

Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 

Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 

61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email 

account.airworth-eas@airbus.com; 

Internet http://www.airbus.com. 

For Goodrich Corporation service 

information identified in this proposed 

AD, contact Goodrich Corporation, 

Aerostructures, 850 Lagoon Drive, Chula 

Vista, CA 91910–2098; phone: 619–691– 

2719; email: jan.lewis@goodrich.com; 

Internet: http://www.goodrich.com/

TechPubs. 

You may view this service 

information at the FAA, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, WA. For information on 

the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

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 Operations 

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: 

Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; telephone (425) 227–1405; 

fax (425) 227–1149. 

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–2013–1028; Directorate Identifier 

2013–NM–068–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 based on 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 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA 

Airworthiness Directive 2013–0050, 

dated March 5, 2013 (referred to after 

this as the Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information, or ‘‘the 

MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe condition 

for the specified products. The MCAI 

states: 

During in-service inspections, several aft 

engine mount retainers, fitted on aeroplanes 

equipped with CFM56–5/5B engines, have 

been found broken. 

The results of the investigations highlight 

that two different types of surface finish have 

been applied (respectively bright and dull 

material finishes), and that dull finish 

adversely affects the strength of the retainer 

with regard to fatigue properties of the part. 

The pins which attach the engine link to 

the aft mount are secured by two nuts, which 

do not have a self-locking feature; this 

function is provided by the retainer brackets. 

In case of failure of the retainer bracket, the 

locking feature of the nuts of the inner and 

outer pins is lost; as a result, these nuts could 

subsequently become loose. 

In case of full loss of the nuts, there is the 

potential to also lose the pins, in which case 

the aft mount link will no longer be secured 

to the aft engine mount. The same locking 

feature is used for the three link assemblies 

of the aft mount. 

For the reasons described above, this 

[EASA] AD requires a one-time detailed 

visual inspection (DVI) of the aft engine 

mount to identify the affected dull finish 

retainers [and for cracks and failure] and 

replace these [retainers] with serviceable 

retainers. This [EASA] AD also prohibits 

installation of any dull finish aft engine 

mount retainers. 

You may examine the MCAI in the AD 

docket on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating it in Docket No. FAA– 

2013–1028. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules 76573 

Relevant Service Information 

Airbus has issued Airbus Alert 

Operators Transmission (AOT) 

A71N001–12, Rev. 2, dated February 27, 

2013. 

Goodrich Corporation has issued 

Goodrich Service Bulletin RA32071– 

146, Rev. 2, dated July 26, 2012. 

The actions described in this service 

information are intended to correct the 

unsafe condition identified in the 

MCAI. 

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 our 

bilateral agreement with the State of 

Design Authority, we have been notified 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

MCAI and service information 

referenced above. We are proposing this 

AD because we evaluated all pertinent 

information and determined an unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 851 airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per product Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Inspection ............................... 3 work-hours × $85 per hour 

= $255 per inspection cycle 

for two engines.

$0 $255 per inspection cycle for 

two engines.

$217,005 per inspection cycle 

for two engines. 

We estimate the following costs to do 

any necessary replacements that would 

be required based on the results of the 

proposed inspection. We have no way of 

determining the number of aircraft that 

might need these replacements: 

ON-CONDITION COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per product 

Bracket replacement ................................ 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 per 

engine.

$10,000 $10,085 per engine. 

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 proposed 

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 airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

Airbus: Docket No. FAA–2013–1028; 

Directorate Identifier 2013–NM–068–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by February 3, 

2014. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to the Airbus airplanes 

identified in paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(4) 

of this AD, certificated in any category, all 

manufacturer serial numbers. 

(1) Airbus Model A318–111 and –112 

airplanes. 

(2) Airbus Model A319–111, –112, –113, 

–114, and –115 airplanes. 

(3) Airbus Model A320–111, –211, –212, 

and –214 airplanes. 

(4) Airbus Model A321–111, –112, –211, 

–212, and –213 airplanes. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 71, Powerplant. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by reports of 

broken aft engine mount retainers. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent failure of retainer 

brackets of the aft engine mount and 

consequent loss of the locking feature of the 

nuts of the inner and outer pins. Loss of the 


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76574 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

pins will result in the aft mount engine link 

no longer being secured to the aft engine 

mount. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Inspection 

Within 3 months after the effective date of 

this AD: Do a detailed inspection of the aft 

engine mount retainers for surface finish 

(dull or bright), and for cracks and failure, in 

accordance with Section 4.2.2, ‘‘Inspection 

Requirements,’’ of Airbus Alert Operators 

Transmission (AOT) A71N001–12, Rev. 2, 

dated February 27, 2013, except as specified 

in paragraph (h) of this AD. 

(h) Exception to Paragraph (g) of This AD 

The actions required by paragraph (g) of 

this AD are not required to be done on 

airplanes with manufacturer serial numbers 

4942 and higher, provided a review of 

maintenance records verifies that no aft 

engine mount retainers have been replaced 

since first flight of the airplane. 

(i) Repetitive Inspection and Retainer 

Replacement for Dull Finish Retainers 

If, during the detailed inspection required 

by paragraph (g) of this AD, any installed 

dull finish aft engine mount retainer is found 

without cracks and not failed: Do the actions 

specified in paragraphs (i)(1) and (i)(2) of this 

AD. 

(1) Within 25 flight cycles after doing the 

actions required by paragraph (g) of this AD, 

repeat the detailed inspection specified in 

paragraph (g) of this AD. 

(2) Within 50 flight cycles after doing the 

first detailed inspection specified in 

paragraph (g) of this AD: Replace all dull 

finish retainers with a new or serviceable 

retainer, in accordance with Section 4.2.3.1, 

‘‘Replacement Procedure,’’ of Airbus AOT 

A71N001–12, Rev. 2, dated February 27, 

2013. 

(j) Replacement of Cracked or Failed 

Retainers 

If, during any detailed inspection specified 

in paragraph (g) of this AD, any installed aft 

engine mount retainer is found cracked or 

failed: Before further flight, replace all 

affected aft engine mount retainers with a 

new or serviceable retainer, in accordance 

with Section 4.2.3, ‘‘Replacement 

Procedure,’’ of Airbus AOT A71N001–12, 

Rev. 2, dated February 27, 2013. 

(k) Parts Prohibition 

As of the effective date of this AD, no 

person may install any aft engine mount 

retainer with a dull finish on any airplane. 

The instructions of Airbus AOT A71N001– 

12, Revision 2, dated February 27, 2013; or 

the Accomplishment Instructions of 

Goodrich Service Bulletin RA32071–146, 

Rev. 2, dated July 26, 2012; can be used to 

verify the correct finish of the part. 

(l) Credit for Previous Actions 

This paragraph provides credit for actions 

required by paragraphs (g), (i), and (j) of this 

AD, if those actions were performed before 

the effective date of this AD using Airbus 

AOT A71N001–12, Rev. 1, dated August 9, 

2012. 

(m) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, International 

Branch, ANM–116, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, 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 local 

Flight Standards District Office, as 

appropriate. If sending information directly 

to the International Branch, send it to ATTN: 

Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057–3356; 

telephone (425) 227–1405; fax (425) 227– 

1149. Information may be emailed to: 9- 

ANM-116-AMOC-REQUESTS@faa.gov. 

Before using any approved AMOC, notify 

your appropriate principal inspector, or 

lacking a principal inspector, the manager of 

the local flight standards district office/

certificate holding district office. The AMOC 

approval letter must specifically reference 

this AD. 

(2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement 

in this AD to obtain corrective actions from 

a manufacturer, use these actions if they are 

FAA-approved. Corrective actions are 

considered FAA-approved if they were 

approved by the State of Design Authority (or 

its delegated agent, or by the Design 

Approval Holder with a State of Design 

Authority’s design organization approval). 

For a repair method to be approved, the 

repair approval must specifically refer to this 

AD. You are required to ensure the product 

is airworthy before it is returned to service. 

(n) Special Flight Permits 

Special flight permits may be issued in 

accordance with sections 21.197 and 21.199 

of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 

21.197 and 21.199) to operate the airplane to 

a location where the airplane can be 

modified (if the operator elects to do so), 

provided no dull finish aft engine mount 

retainers that are cracked or have failed are 

installed. 

(o) Related Information 

(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information (MCAI) European 

Aviation Safety Agency Airworthiness 

Directive 2013–0050, dated March 5, 2013, 

for related information. This MCAI may be 

found in the AD docket on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating it in Docket No. FAA–2013– 

1028. 

(2) For Airbus service information 

identified in this AD, contact Airbus, 

Airworthiness Office—EIAS, 1 Rond Point 

Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, 

France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 

5 61 93 44 51; email account.airworth-eas@

airbus.com; Internet http://www.airbus.com. 

(3) For Goodrich Corporation service 

information identified in this AD, contact 

Goodrich Corporation, Aerostructures, 850 

Lagoon Drive, Chula Vista, CA 91910–2098; 

phone: 619–691–2719; email: jan.lewis@

goodrich.com; Internet: http://

www.goodrich.com/TechPubs. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on 

December 9, 2013. 

John P. Piccola, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–30030 Filed 12–17–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

38 CFR Part 3 

RIN 2900–A082 

Burial Benefits 

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs. 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans 

Affairs (VA) proposes to clarify, 

reorganize, and rewrite in plain 

language its regulations that govern 

entitlement to monetary burial benefits, 

which include burial allowances for 

service-connected and non-serviceconnected deaths, a plot or interment 

allowance, and reimbursement of 

transportation expenses. The 

amendments would also establish rules 

to support VA’s automated payment of 

burial allowances to surviving spouses, 

conversion to flat-rate burial and plot or 

interment allowances that are equal to 

the maximum benefit authorized by law, 

and priority of payment to non-spouse 

survivors. 

DATES: VA must receive comments on or 

before January 17, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be 

submitted through http://

www.regulations.gov; by mail or handdelivery to Director, Regulations 

Management (02REG), Department of 

Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue 

NW., Room 1068, Washington, DC 

20420; or by fax to (202) 273–9026. 

Comments should indicate that they are 

submitted in response to ‘‘RIN 2900– 

A082, Burial Benefits.’’ Copies of 

comments received will be available for 

public inspection in the Office of 

Regulation Policy and Management, 

Room 1063B, between the hours of 8:00 

a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through 

Friday (except holidays). Please call 

(202) 461–4902 for an appointment. 

This is not a toll-free number. In 

addition, during the comment period, 


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