Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 170 / Wednesday, September 3, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 52181 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–0190; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NM–188–AD; Amendment 

39–17959; AD 2014–17–06] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2011–17– 

08 for all Airbus Model A330–200 series 

airplanes, Model A330–200 Freighter 

series airplanes, and Model A330–300 

series airplanes. AD 2011–17–08 

required revising the maintenance 

program by incorporating certain 

Airworthiness Limitation Items (ALIs). 

This new AD requires a revision to the 

maintenance or inspection program, as 

applicable, to incorporate new or 

revised structural inspection 

requirements. This AD was prompted by 

a revision of certain airworthiness 

limitations items (ALI) documents, 

which specifies more restrictive 

instructions and/or airworthiness 

limitations. We are issuing this AD to 

detect and correct fatigue cracking, 

damage, and corrosion in certain 

structure, which could result in reduced 

structural integrity of the airplane. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

October 8, 2014. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in this AD 

as of October 8, 2014. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain other publication listed in 

this AD as of September 30, 2011 (76 FR 

53303, August 26, 2011). 

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD 

docket on the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=FAA-2014-0190; or in 

person at the Docket 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. 

For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus SAS— 

Airworthiness Office—EAL, 1 Rond 

Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac 

Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 

96; fax +33 5 61 93 45 80; email 

airworthiness.A330-A340@airbus.com; 

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

may view this referenced 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Vladimir Ulyanov, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; telephone 425–227–1138; 

fax 425–227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to supersede AD 2011–17–08, 

Amendment 39–16772 (76 FR 53303, 

August 26, 2011), which superseded AD 

2006–09–07, Amendment 39–14577 (71 

FR 25919, May 3, 2006). AD 2011–17– 

08 applied to all Airbus Model A330– 

200 series airplanes, Model A330–200 

Freighter series airplanes, and Model 

A330–300 series airplanes. The NPRM 

published in the Federal Register on 

April 8, 2014 (79 FR 19294). The NPRM 

was prompted by a revision of certain 

airworthiness limitations items (ALI) 

documents, which specifies more 

restrictive instructions and/or 

airworthiness limitations. The NPRM 

proposed to require revising the 

maintenance program by incorporating 

certain ALIs. We are issuing this AD to 

detect and correct fatigue cracking, 

damage, and corrosion in certain 

structure, which could result in reduced 

structural integrity of the airplane. 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA 

Airworthiness Directive 2012–0211, 

dated October 12, 2012 (referred to after 

this as the Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information, or ‘‘the 

MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe condition 

for all Airbus Model A330–200 series 

airplanes, Model A330–200 Freighter 

series airplanes, and Model A330–300 

series airplanes. The MCAI states: 

The airworthiness limitations are currently 

defined and published in the Airbus A330 

Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS). 

The airworthiness limitations applicable to 

the Damage Tolerant Airworthiness 

Limitation Items (DT ALI) are currently 

specified in Airbus A330 ALI, Airbus 

Document reference AI/SE–M4/95A.0089/97, 

which is approved by EASA and referenced 

in Airbus ALS Part 2. 

Issue 19 of the Airbus A330 ALI Document 

introduces more restrictive maintenance 

requirements and/or airworthiness 

limitations. Failure to comply with the 

relevant instructions could result in an 

unsafe condition. 

For the reasons described above, this 

[EASA] AD retains the requirements of EASA 

AD 2010–0174 [http://ad.easa.europa.eu/ 

blob/easa_ad_2010_0174_superseded.pdf/

AD_2010–0174_1] [which corresponds to 

FAA AD 2011–17–08, Amendment 39–16772 

(76 FR 53303, August 26, 2011)], which is 

superseded, and requires the implementation 

of the new or more restrictive maintenance 

instructions and/or airworthiness limitations 

as specified in Airbus A330 ALI Document 

reference AI/SE–M4/95A.0089/97 issue 19. 

The unsafe condition is fatigue 

cracking, damage, and corrosion in 

certain structure, which could result in 

reduced structural integrity of the 

airplane. You may examine the MCAI in 

the AD docket on the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!documentDetail;D=FAA-2014-0190- 

0002. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

received no comments on the NPRM (79 

FR 19294, April 8, 2014) or on the 

determination of the cost to the public. 

‘‘Contacting the Manufacturer’’ 

Paragraph in This AD 

Since late 2006, we have included a 

standard paragraph titled ‘‘Airworthy 

Product’’ in all MCAI ADs in which the 

FAA develops an AD based on a foreign 

authority’s AD. 

We have become aware that some 

operators have misunderstood or 

misinterpreted the Airworthy Product 

paragraph to allow the owner/operator 

to use messages provided by the 

manufacturer as approval of deviations 

during the accomplishment of an ADmandated action. The Airworthy 

Product paragraph does not approve 

messages or other information provided 

by the manufacturer for deviations to 

the requirements of the AD-mandated 

actions. The Airworthy Product 

paragraph only addresses the 

requirement to contact the manufacturer 

for corrective actions for the identified 

unsafe condition and does not cover 

deviations from other AD requirements. 

However, deviations to AD-required 

actions are addressed in 14 CFR 39.17, 

and anyone may request the approval 

for an alternative method of compliance 

to the AD-required actions using the 

procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

To address this misunderstanding and 

misinterpretation of the Airworthy 

Product paragraph, we have changed the 

paragraph and retitled it ‘‘Contacting the 

Manufacturer.’’ This paragraph now 

clarifies that for any requirement in this 

AD to obtain corrective actions from a 


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52182 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 170 / Wednesday, September 3, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

manufacturer, the actions must be 

accomplished using a method approved 

by the FAA, the European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA), or Airbus’s 

EASA design organization approval 

(DOA). 

The Contacting the Manufacturer 

paragraph also clarifies that, if approved 

by the DOA, the approval must include 

the DOA-authorized signature. The DOA 

signature indicates that the data and 

information contained in the document 

are EASA-approved, which is also FAAapproved. Messages and other 

information provided by the 

manufacturer that do not contain the 

DOA-authorized are not EASAapproved, unless EASA directly 

approves the manufacturer’s message or 

other information. 

This clarification does not remove 

flexibility previously afforded by the 

Airworthy Product paragraph. 

Consistent with long-standing FAA 

policy, such flexibility was never 

intended for required actions. This is 

also consistent with the 

recommendation of the Airworthiness 

Directive Implementation Aviation 

Rulemaking Committee to increase 

flexibility in complying with ADs by 

identifying those actions in 

manufacturers’ service instructions that 

are ‘‘Required for Compliance’’ with 

ADs. We continue to work with 

manufacturers to implement this 

recommendation. But once we 

determine that an action is required, any 

deviation from the requirement must be 

approved as an alternative method of 

compliance. 

We also have decided not to include 

a generic reference to either the 

‘‘delegated agent’’ or ‘‘design approval 

holder (DAH) with State of Design 

Authority design organization 

approval,’’ but instead we have 

provided the specific delegation 

approval granted by the State of Design 

Authority for the DAH throughout this 

AD. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the available data and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting this AD 

with the changes described previously 

and minor editorial changes. We have 

determined that these minor changes: 

• Are consistent with the intent that 

was proposed in the NPRM (79 FR 

19294, April 8, 2014) for correcting the 

unsafe condition; and 

• Do not add any additional burden 

upon the public than was already 

proposed in the NPRM (79 FR 19294, 

April 8, 2014). 

We also determined that these 

changes will not increase the economic 

burden on any operator or increase the 

scope of this AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 30 

airplanes of U.S. registry. 

The actions that are required by AD 

2011–17–08, Amendment 39–16772 (76 

FR 53303, August 26, 2011), and 

retained in this AD take about 1 workhour per product, at an average labor 

rate of $85 per work-hour. Based on 

these figures, the estimated cost of the 

actions that were required by AD 2011– 

17–08 is $85 per product. 

We also estimate that it would take 

about 1 work-hour per product to 

comply with the basic requirements of 

this AD. The average labor rate is $85 

per work-hour. Based on these figures, 

we estimate the cost of this AD on U.S. 

operators to be $2,550, or $85 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 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 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. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=FAA-2014-0190; 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 

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. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

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 FAA amends § 39.13 by 

removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

2011–17–08, Amendment 39–16772 (76 

FR 53303, August 26, 2011), and adding 

the following new AD: 

2014–17–06 Airbus: Amendment 39–17959. 

Docket No. FAA–2014–0190; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NM–188–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective October 8, 2014. 

(b) Affected ADs 

This AD replaces AD 2011–17–08, 

Amendment 39–16772 (76 FR 53303, August 

26, 2011). 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model A330–201, –202, 

–203, –223, –223F, –243, –243F, –301, –302, 

–303, –321, –322, –323, –341, –342, and –343 

airplanes; certificated in any category; all 

manufacturer serial numbers. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 05, Periodic inspections. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by a revision of 

certain airworthiness limitations items (ALI) 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 170 / Wednesday, September 3, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 52183 

documents, which specifies more restrictive 

instructions and/or airworthiness limitations. 

We are issuing this AD to detect and correct 

fatigue cracking, damage, and corrosion in 

certain structure, which could result in 

reduced structural integrity of the airplane. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Retained Maintenance Program Revision 

This paragraph restates the requirements of 

paragraph (h) of AD 2011–17–08, 

Amendment 39–16772 (76 FR 53303, August 

26, 2011), with no changes. Within 3 months 

after September 30, 2011 (the effective date 

of this AD 2011–17–08): Revise the 

maintenance program by incorporating 

Airbus Document AI/SE–M4/95A.0089/97, 

‘‘A330 Airworthiness Limitation Items,’’ 

Issue 17, dated May 28, 2010. At the times 

specified in Airbus Document AI/SE–M4/

95A.0089/97, ‘‘A330 Airworthiness 

Limitation Items,’’ Issue 17, dated May 28, 

2010, comply with all applicable 

maintenance requirements and associated 

airworthiness limitations included in Airbus 

Document AI/SE–M4/95A.0089/97, ‘‘A330 

Airworthiness Limitation Items,’’ Issue 17, 

dated May 28, 2010. 

(h) Retained Requirement: No Alternative 

Intervals or Limits 

This paragraph restates the requirements of 

paragraph (i) of AD 2011–17–08, Amendment 

39–16772 (76 FR 53303, August 26, 2011), 

with no changes. Except as provided by 

paragraphs (i) and (k)(1) of this AD, after 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

paragraph (g) of this AD, no alternatives to 

the maintenance tasks, intervals, or 

limitations specified in paragraph (g) of this 

AD may be used. 

(i) New Maintenance or Inspection Program 

Revision 

(1) Within 3 months after the effective date 

of this AD: Revise the maintenance or 

inspection program, as applicable, by 

incorporating Airbus Document AI/SE–M4/

95A.0089/97, ‘‘A330 Airworthiness 

Limitation Items,’’ Issue 19, dated March 23, 

2012; ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 of ALI Document 

(referenced in ALS Part 2) Damage Tolerant 

Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT ALI),’’ 

variation reference 0GVLG120018/C0S, dated 

October 24, 2012; and ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 

of ALI Document (referenced in ALS Part 2) 

Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation 

Items (DT ALI),’’ variation reference 

0GVLG130002/C01, dated March 26, 2013. 

(2) Comply with all applicable instructions 

and airworthiness limitations included in 

Airbus Document AI/SE M4/95A.0089/97, 

‘‘A330 Airworthiness Limitation Items,’’ 

Issue 19, dated March 23, 2012; ‘‘Variation to 

Issue 19 of ALI Document (referenced in ALS 

Part 2) Damage Tolerant Airworthiness 

Limitation Items (DT ALI),’’ variation 

reference 0GVLG120018/C0S, dated October 

24, 2012; and ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 of ALI 

Document (referenced in ALS Part 2) Damage 

Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT 

ALI),’’ variation reference 0GVLG130002/

C01, dated March 26, 2013. The initial 

compliance times for the actions specified 

Airbus Document AI/SE–M4/95A.0089/97, 

‘‘A330 Airworthiness Limitation Items,’’ 

Issue 19, dated March 23, 2012; ‘‘Variation to 

Issue 19 of ALI Document (referenced in ALS 

Part 2) Damage Tolerant Airworthiness 

Limitation Items (DT ALI),’’ variation 

reference 0GVLG120018/C0S, dated October 

24, 2012; and ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 of ALI 

Document (referenced in ALS Part 2) Damage 

Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT 

ALI),’’ 0GVLG130002/C01, dated March 26, 

2013; are at the times specified in Airbus 

Document AI/SE–M4/95A.0089/97, ‘‘A330 

Airworthiness Limitation Items,’’ Issue 19, 

dated March 23, 2012; ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 

of ALI Document (referenced in ALS Part 2) 

Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation 

Items (DT ALI),’’ variation ref. 

0GVLG120018/C0S, dated October 24, 2012; 

and ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 of ALI Document 

(referenced in ALS Part 2) Damage Tolerant 

Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT ALI),’’ 

variation ref. 0GVLG130002/C01, dated 

March 26, 2013; or within 3 months after the 

effective date of this AD, whichever occurs 

later. Accomplishing the revision in this 

paragraph ends the requirements in 

paragraph (g) of this AD. 

(j) New Optional Compliance 

Compliance with tasks 533021–02–01, 

533021–02–02, and 533021–02–03, specified 

in ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 of ALI Document 

(referenced in ALS Part 2) Damage Tolerant 

Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT ALI),’’ 

variation ref. 0GVLG120022/C0S, dated 

December 21, 2012, may be used as a method 

of compliance to tasks 533021–01–01, 

533021–01–02, 533021–01–03 specified in 

Section 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 of Section 2, 

‘‘Airworthiness Limitations,’’ of Airbus 

Document AI/SE M4/95A.0089/97, ‘‘A330 

Airworthiness Limitation Items,’’ Issue 19, 

dated March 23, 2012. 

(k) New Requirement: No Alternative 

Intervals or Limits 

Except as provided by paragraph (j) of this 

AD, after the maintenance or inspection 

program, as applicable, has been revised as 

required by paragraph (i) of this AD, no 

alternative actions (e.g., inspections) or 

intervals may be used unless the actions or 

intervals are approved as an alternative 

method of compliance (AMOC) under the 

provisions of paragraph (l)(1) of this AD. 

(l) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, International 

Branch, 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: Vladimir Ulyanov, Aerospace 

Engineer, International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–1138; 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. AMOCs 

approved previously for AD 2011–17–08, 

Amendment 39–16772 (76 FR 53303, August 

26, 2011), are approved as AMOCs for the 

corresponding provisions of paragraph (g) of 

this AD. 

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any 

requirement in this AD to obtain corrective 

actions from a manufacturer, the action must 

be accomplished using a method approved 

by the Manager, International Branch, ANM– 

116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; or 

the European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA); or Airbus’s EASA Design 

Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by 

the DOA, the approval must include the 

DOA-authorized signature. 

(m) Related Information 

Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information (MCAI) European 

Aviation Safety Agency Airworthiness 

Directive 2012–0211, dated October 12, 2012, 

for related information. You may examine the 

MCAI in the AD docket on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov/

#!documentDetail;D=FAA-2014-0190-0002. 

(n) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

(IBR) of the service information listed in this 

paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 

part 51. 

(2) You must use this service information 

as applicable to do the actions required by 

this AD, unless this AD specifies otherwise. 

(3) The following service information was 

approved for IBR October 8, 2014. 

(i) Airbus Document AI/SE–M4/95A.0089/ 

97, ‘‘A330 Airworthiness Limitation Items,’’ 

Issue 19, dated March 23, 2012. 

(ii) ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 of ALI Document 

(referenced in ALS Part 2) Damage Tolerant 

Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT ALI),’’ 

variation ref. 0GVLG120018/C0S, dated 

October 24, 2012. 

(iii) ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 of ALI 

Document (referenced in ALS Part 2) Damage 

Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT 

ALI),’’ variation ref. 0GVLG120022/C0S, 

dated December 21, 2012. 

(iv) ‘‘Variation to Issue 19 of ALI Document 

(referenced in ALS Part 2) Damage Tolerant 

Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT ALI),’’ 

variation ref. 0GVLG130002/C01, dated 

March 26, 2013. 

(4) The following service information was 

approved for IBR on September 30, 2011 (76 

FR 53303, August 26, 2011). 

(i) Airbus Document AI/SE–M4/95A.0089/ 

97, ‘‘A330 Airworthiness Limitation Items,’’ 

Issue 17, dated May 28, 2010. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(5) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus SAS—Airworthiness 

Office—EAL, 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 

31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 

5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 93 45 80; email 

airworthiness.A330-A340@airbus.com; 

Internet http://www.airbus.com. 


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52184 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 170 / Wednesday, September 3, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

(6) 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. 

(7) You may view this service information 

that is incorporated by reference 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/ibrlocations.html. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on August 

15, 2014. 

Michael Kaszycki, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–20258 Filed 9–2–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–0061; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–NM–029–AD; Amendment 

39–17949; AD 2014–16–25] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2007–06– 

12 for certain Airbus Model A330–200 

and A330–300 airplanes. This new AD 

reduces the compliance times for 

reinforcing the structure of the center 

fuselage. This AD was prompted by a 

new fatigue and damage tolerance 

evaluation that revealed the compliance 

time for an existing reinforcement of the 

fuselage has to be reduced. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent fatigue 

cracking of the fuselage, which could 

result in reduced structural integrity of 

the fuselage. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

October 8, 2014. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in this AD 

as of October 8, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD 

docket on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov/

#!docketDetail;D=FAA-2014-0061; or in 

person at the Docket 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. 

For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus SAS, 

Airworthiness Office—EAL, 1 Rond 

Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac 

Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 

96; fax +33 5 61 93 45 80; email 

airworthiness.A330-A340@airbus.com; 

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

may view this referenced 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Vladimir Ulyanov, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; telephone 425–227–1138; 

fax 425–227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to supersede AD 2007–06–12, 

Amendment 39–14993 (72 FR 12555, 

March 16, 2007). AD 2007–06–12 

applied to certain Airbus Model A330– 

200 and A330–300 airplanes. The 

NPRM published in the Federal 

Register on February 27, 2014 (79 FR 

11016). 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA 

Airworthiness Directive 2013–0016, 

dated January 16, 2013 (referred to after 

this as the Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information, or ‘‘the 

MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe condition 

for certain Airbus Model A330–200 and 

A330–300 airplanes. The MCAI states: 

During the fatigue tests (EF2) of the Airbus 

A330 test fuselage, initiation and 

development of cracks were evidenced at the 

circumferential joint of frame 53.3. 

This condition, if not corrected, could lead 

to a reduction in the structural integrity of 

the fuselage. 

EASA issued AD 2006–0266 [(http://

ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/easa_ad_2006_0266_

Superseded.pdf/AD_2006–0266_1), which 

corresponds to FAA AD 2007–06–12, 

Amendment 39–14993 (72 FR 12555, March 

16, 2007)], which took over the requirements 

of Direction Ge ́ne ́rale de L’aviation Civile 

[DGAC] France AD F–2003–415 for A330– 

300 pre-mod 41652S11819, and required 

reinforcement of the circumferential joint of 

frame 53.3 by application of Airbus Service 

Bulletin (SB) A330–53–3143 on A330–300 

post modification 41652S11819 and pre-mod 

49202, and all A330–200 pre-mod 49202 in 

order to improve the fatigue life. 

Since that [EASA] AD was issued, in the 

frame of a new fatigue and damage tolerance 

evaluation taking into account the aeroplane 

utilisation, the thresholds for the 

reinforcement were reassessed and the 

conclusion is that some thresholds must be 

reduced. 

For the reason described above, this 

[EASA] AD retains the requirements of EASA 

AD 2006–0266, which is superseded, and 

requires reinforcement of structure of the 

centre fuselage at the upper circumferential 

joint of frame 53.3 within the new 

thresholds. 

You may examine the MCAI in the 

AD docket on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov/

#!documentDetail;D=FAA-2014-0061- 

0002. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

received no comments on the NPRM (79 

FR 11016, February 27, 2014) or on the 

determination of the cost to the public. 

‘‘Contacting the Manufacturer’’ 

Paragraph in This AD 

Since late 2006, we have included a 

standard paragraph titled ‘‘Airworthy 

Product’’ in all MCAI ADs in which the 

FAA develops an AD based on a foreign 

authority’s AD. 

The MCAI or referenced service 

information in an FAA AD often directs 

the owner/operator to contact the 

manufacturer for corrective actions, 

such as a repair. Briefly, the Airworthy 

Product paragraph allowed owners/

operators to use corrective actions 

provided by the manufacturer if those 

actions were FAA-approved. In 

addition, the paragraph stated that any 

actions approved by the State of Design 

Authority (or its delegated agent) are 

considered to be FAA-approved. 

In the NPRM (79 FR 11016, February 

27, 2014), we proposed to prevent the 

use of repairs that were not specifically 

developed to correct the unsafe 

condition, by requiring that the repair 

approval provided by the State of 

Design Authority or its delegated agent 

specifically refer to this FAA AD. This 

change was intended to clarify the 

method of compliance and to provide 

operators with better visibility of repairs 

that are specifically developed and 

approved to correct the unsafe 

condition. In addition, we proposed to 

change the phrase ‘‘its delegated agent’’ 

to include a design approval holder 

(DAH) with State of Design Authority 

design organization approval (DOA), as 

applicable, to refer to a DAH authorized 

to approve required repairs for the 

proposed AD. 

No comments were provided to the 

NPRM (79 FR 11016, February 27, 2014) 

about these proposed changes. However, 

a comment was provided for an NPRM 


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