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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 199 (Monday, October 15, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 62466-62468]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-25253]

========================================================================
Proposed Rules
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

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.

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 199 / Monday, October 15, 2012 / 
Proposed Rules

[[Page 62466]]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2012-0946; Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-037-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; GA200 (Pty) Ltd Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all 
GA200 (Pty) Ltd Models GA200 and GA200C airplanes that would revise an 
existing AD. 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 failure of 
the wing strut bolt through the main spar. 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 November 29, 
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 
GippsAero, P.O. Box 881, Morwell, Victoria 3840, Australia, telephone: 
+ 61 (0) 3 5172 1200; fax + 61 (0) 3 5172 1201; email: 
support@gippsaero.com; Internet: www.gippsaero.com. 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: Doug Rudolph, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 
Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 
64106; telephone: (816) 329-4059; fax: (816) 329-4090; email: 
doug.rudolph@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-2012-0946; 
Directorate Identifier 2012-CE-037-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

    On August 31, 2012, we issued AD 2012-18-10, Amendment 39-17187 (77 
FR 55686, September 11, 2012). That AD required actions intended to 
address an unsafe condition on the products listed above.
    Since we issued AD 2012-18-10, Amendment 39-17187 (77 FR 55686, 
September 11, 2012), the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), which 
is the aviation authority for the Commonwealth of Australia, has issued 
AD AD/GA200/1, Amendment 1, dated September 21, 2012 (referred to after 
this as ``the MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for the specified 
products. The MCAI states:

    As a result of a reported case of failure of a strut on a GA200C 
aircraft, GippsAero has issued a mandatory service bulletin to alert 
operators and maintenance organisations and to provide inspection 
and rectification actions.
    This Airworthiness Directive makes this inspection and 
rectification action mandatory. Failure to complete the actions 
required by this service bulletin may result in wing strut bolt 
failure, resulting in wing structural failure.
    Amendment 1 is issued to revise the repeat inspection compliance 
time to 500 hours (previously 100 hours). The requirement service 
bulletin is also revised to provide a corrective action if the 
inboard (upper) strut fitting hole is found to be larger than 
specified. The initial inspection compliance time of 10 hours 
remains unchanged.

    This proposed AD would retain the actions required in AD 2012-18-
10, Amendment 39-17187 (77 FR 55686, September 11, 2012), change the 
compliance time for the repetitive inspections, and incorporate the 
revised service bulletin. You may obtain further information by 
examining the MCAI in the AD docket.

Relevant Service Information

    GippsAero has issued Mandatory Service Bulletin SB-GA200-2012-08, 
Issue 2, dated September 4, 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 the Proposed AD

    This product has been approved by the aviation authority of another

[[Page 62467]]

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.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this proposed AD will affect 3 products of U.S. 
registry. We also estimate that it would take about 2 work-hours per 
product to comply with the basic requirements of this proposed AD. The 
average labor rate is $85 per work-hour.
    Based on these figures, we estimate the cost of the proposed AD on 
U.S. operators to be $510, or $170 per product.
    In addition, we estimate that any necessary follow-on actions would 
take about 2 work-hours and require parts costing $400, for a cost of 
$570 per product. We have no way of determining the number of products 
that may need these actions.

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.

Sec.  39.13  [Amended]

    2. The FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by removing Amendment 39-17187 (77 FR 
55686, September 11, 2012), and adding the following new AD:

    GA200 (Pty) Ltd: Docket No. FAA-2012-0946; Directorate 
Identifier 2012-CE-037-AD.

(a) Comments Due Date

    We must receive comments by November 29, 2012.

(b) Affected ADs

    This AD revises AD 2012-18-10, Amendment 39-17187 (77 FR 55686, 
September 11, 2012).

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to GA200 (Pty) Ltd Models GA200 and GA200C 
airplanes, all serial numbers, certificated in any category.

(d) Subject

    Air Transport Association of America (ATA) Code 57: Wings.

(e) Reason

    This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness 
information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of another 
country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation 
product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as failure of the 
wing strut bolt through the main spar. We are issuing this AD to 
prevent failure of the wing strut bolt, which could result in wing 
failure.

(f) Actions and Compliance

    Unless already done, do the following actions.
    (1) Within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS) after September 14, 
2012 (the effective date retained from AD 2012-18-10, Amendment 39-
17187 (77 FR 55686, September 11, 2012)), inspect the inboard strut 
fitting following GippsAero Mandatory Service Bulletin SB-GA200-
2012-08, Issue 1, dated August 22, 2012; or GippsAero Mandatory 
Service Bulletin SB-GA200-2012-08, Issue 2, dated September 4, 2012. 
Repetitively thereafter inspect at intervals not to exceed 500 hours 
TIS following GippsAero Mandatory Service Bulletin SB-GA200-2012-08, 
Issue 2, dated September 4, 2012.
    (2) If the 100-hour TIS repetitive inspection previously 
required in AD 2012-18-10, Amendment 39-17187 (77 FR 55686, 
September 11, 2012) has already been done before the effective date 
of this AD following GippsAero Mandatory Service Bulletin SB-GA200-
2012-08, Issue 1, dated August 22, 2012, the next required 
inspections are due at intervals not to exceed 500 hours TIS after 
the last inspection following GippsAero Mandatory Service Bulletin 
SB-GA200-2012-08, Issue 2, dated September 4, 2012.
    (3) If any discrepancies are found during any of the inspections 
required by paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2) of this AD, before further 
flight after the inspection in which the discrepancy is found, take 
all necessary corrective actions following GippsAero Mandatory 
Service Bulletin SB-GA200-2012-08, Issue 1, dated August 22, 2012; 
or GippsAero Mandatory Service Bulletin SB-GA200-2012-08, Issue 2, 
dated September 4, 2012.

(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: Doug Rudolph, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Small 
Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 
64106; telephone: (816) 329-4059; fax: (816) 329-4090; email: 
doug.rudolph@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

[[Page 62468]]

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 Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) AD AD/
GA200/1, Amendment 1, dated September 21, 2012; GippsAero Mandatory 
Service Bulletin SB-GA200-2012-08, Issue 1, dated August 22, 2012; 
and GippsAero Mandatory Service Bulletin SB-GA200-2012-08, Issue 2, 
dated September 4, 2012, for related information. For service 
information related to this AD, contact GippsAero, P.O. Box 881, 
Morwell, Victoria 3840, Australia, telephone: + 61 (0) 3 5172 1200; 
fax + 61 (0) 3 5172 1201; email: support@gippsaero.com; Internet: 
www.gippsaero.com. 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 October 9, 2012.
Earl Lawrence,
Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-25253 Filed 10-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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