Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 70 /Tuesday, April 13, 1999 /Rules and Regulations 17951

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

Air Transportation, Aircraft, Aviation

safety, Safety.

Adoption of the Amendment

Accordingly, pursuant to the

authority delegated to me by the

Administrator, the Federal Aviation

Administration amends part 39 of the

Federal Aviation Regulations (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. Section 39.13 is amended by

adding the following new airworthiness

directive:

99–08–14 Pratt & Whitney: Amendment 39–

11120. Docket 98–ANE–61–AD.

Applicability: Pratt & Whitney (PW)

PW2037, PW2040, PW2037M, PW2240,

PW2337, PW2043, PW2643, and PW2143,

series turbofan engines, installed on but not

limited to Boeing 757 series and Ilyushin IL–

96T series airplanes.

Note 1: This airworthiness directive (AD)

applies to each engine identified in the

preceding applicability provision, regardless

of whether it has been modified, altered, or

repaired in the area subject to the

requirements of this AD. For engines that

have been modified, altered, or repaired so

that the performance of the requirements of

this AD is affected, the owner/operator must

request approval for an alternative method of

compliance in accordance with paragraph (c)

of this AD. The request should include an

assessment of the effect of the modification,

alteration, or repair on the unsafe condition

addressed by this AD; and, if the unsafe

condition has not been eliminated, the

request should include specific proposed

actions to address it.

Compliance: Required as indicated, unless

accomplished previously. To prevent critical

life-limited rotating engine part failure,

which could result in an uncontained engine

failure and damage to the airplane,

accomplish the following:

(a) Within the next 30 days after the

effective date of this AD, revise the

manufacturer’s Time Limits section (TLS) of

the manufacturer’s engine manual, Part

Numbers (P/N’s) 1A6231 and 1B2412, as

appropriate for the PW PW2037, PW2040,

PW2037M, PW2240, PW2337, PW2043,

PW2643, and PW2143 series turbofan

engines, and for air carriers revise the

approved continuous airworthiness

maintenance program, by adding the

following:

‘‘MANDATORY INSPECTIONS

(1) Perform inspections of the following

parts at each piece-part opportunity in

accordance with the instructions provided in

the PW2000 series Engine Manuals:

Part nomenclature Part No. (P/N) Manual

section Inspection

Hub, 1st Stg Comp .................................................. 1A9001 (Assy P/N 1A9021) ................................... 72–31–04 Inspection—06.

(2) For the purposes of these mandatory

inspections, piece-part opportunity means:

(i) The part is considered completely

disassembled when done in accordance with

the disassembly instructions in the

manufacturer’s engine manual to either part

number level listed in the table above, and

(ii) The part has accumulated more than

100 cycles in service since the last piece-part

opportunity inspection, provided that the

part was not damaged or related to the cause

for its removal from the engine.’’

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of

this AD, and notwithstanding contrary

provisions in § 43.16 of Federal Aviation

Regulations (14 CFR 43.16), these enhanced

inspections shall be performed only in

accordance with the TLS of the appropriate

PW2000 series engine manuals.

(c) An alternative method of compliance or

adjustment of the compliance time that

provides an acceptable level of safety may be

used if approved by the Manager, Engine

Certification Office. Operators shall submit

their requests through an appropriate FAA

Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI), who

may add comments and then send it to the

Manager, Engine Certification Office.

Note 2: Information concerning the

existence of approved alternative methods of

compliance with this airworthiness directive,

if any, may be obtained from the Engine

Certification Office.

(d) Special flight permits may be issued in

accordance with §§ 21.197 and 21.199 of the

Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 21.197

and 21.199) to operate the aircraft to a

location where the requirements of this AD

can be accomplished.

(e) FAA-certificated air carriers that have

an approved continuous airworthiness

maintenance program in accordance with the

record keeping requirement of § 121.369(c) of

the Federal Aviation Regulations [14 CFR

121.369(c)] of this chapter must maintain

records of the mandatory inspections that

result from revising the Time Limits section

of the Instructions for Continuous

Airworthiness (ICA) and the air carrier’s

continuous airworthiness program.

Alternately, certificated air carriers may

establish an approved system of record

retention that provides a method for

preservation and retrieval of the maintenance

records that include the inspections resulting

from this AD, and include the policy and

procedures for implementing this alternate

method in the air carrier’s maintenance

manual required by § 121.369(c) of the

Federal Aviation Regulations [14 CFR

121.369(c)]; however, the alternate system

must be accepted by the appropriate PMI and

require the maintenance records be

maintained either indefinitely or until the

work is repeated. Records of the piece-part

inspections are not required under

§ 121.380(a)(2)(vi) of the Federal Aviation

Regulations [14 CFR 121.380(a)((2)(vi)]. All

other Operators must maintain the records of

mandatory inspections required by the

applicable regulations governing their

operations.

Note 3: The requirements of this AD have

been met when the engine manual changes

are made and air carriers have modified their

continuous airworthiness maintenance plans

to reflect the requirements in the engine

manuals.

(f) This amendment becomes effective on

May 13, 1999.

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on

April 2, 1999.

Jay J. Pardee,

Manager, Engine and Propeller Directorate,

Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 99–8864 Filed 4–12–99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 98–ANE–49–AD; Amendment

39–11119; AD 99–08–13]

RIN 2120–AA64

Airworthiness Directives; General

Electric Company CF6–80A, CF6–80C2,

and CF6–80E1 Series Turbofan

Engines

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a

new airworthiness directive (AD), that

requires revisions to the Life Limits

Section of the manufacturer’s

Instructions for Continued

Airworthiness (ICA) for General Electric

Company (GE) CF6–80A, CF6–80C2 and

CF6–80E1 series turbofan engines to
17952 Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 70 /Tuesday, April 13, 1999 /Rules and Regulations

include required enhanced inspection of

selected critical life-limited parts at

each piece-part exposure. This AD also

requires that an air carrier’s approved

continuous airworthiness maintenance

program incorporate these inspection

procedures. This amendment is

prompted by a Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) study of inservice events involving uncontained

failures of critical rotating engine parts

that indicated the need for improved

inspections. The improved inspections

are needed to identify those critical

rotating parts with conditions, which if

allowed to continue in service, could

result in uncontained failures. The

actions specified by this AD are

intended to prevent critical life-limited

rotating engine part failure, which could

result in an uncontained engine failure

and damage to the airplane.

DATES: Effective May 13, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The information contained

in this AD may be examined at the FAA,

New England Region, Office of the

Regional Counsel, 12 New England

Executive Park, Burlington, MA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Karen Curtis, Aerospace Engineer,

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine

and Propeller Directorate, 12 New

England Executive Park, Burlington, MA

01803–5299; telephone (781) 238–7192,

fax (781) 238–7199.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A

proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal

Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) to

include an airworthiness directive (AD)

that is applicable to GE CF6-80A, CF6–

80C2 and CF6–80E1 series turbofan

engines was published in the Federal

Register on July 28, 1998 (63 FR 40223).

That action proposed to require within

the next 30 days after the effective date

of this AD, revisions to the Life Limits

section of the Engine Manuals, and, for

air carriers, their approved continuous

airworthiness maintenance program.

The manufacturer of CF6–80A, CF6–

80C, and CF6–80E1 series turbofan

engines, has provided the FAA with a

detailed proposal that identifies and

prioritizes the critical life-limited

rotating engine parts with the highest

potential to hazard the airplane in the

event of failure, along with instructions

for enhanced, focused inspection

methods. These enhanced inspections

will be conducted at piece-part

opportunity, as defined in this AD,

rather than at specific inspection

intervals.

Interested persons have been afforded

an opportunity to participate in the

making of this amendment. Due

consideration has been given to the

comments received.

Four commenters note that some of

the tasks and subtasks that are

referenced in the Notice for Proposed

Rule Making (NPRM) require visual and

dimensional inspections in addition to

the nondestructive inspections

identified as part of the enhanced

inspection initiative. The commenters

recommend that the final rule be revised

to reflect only those tasks or subtasks

that are intended to be mandated by the

AD. The FAA concurs. The requested

changes are consistent with the

enhanced inspection initiative. The

compliance section of this final rule has

been changed to reference only the tasks

and subtasks of the mandated

inspections.

One commenter notes that the chapter

referenced for the CF6–80A high

pressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 disk

inspection in the table in paragraph (a)

of the NPRM is in error. The commenter

recommends changing the final rule to

reference the correct chapter (72–53–02

instead of 72–53–03). The FAA concurs.

The chapter reference for the CF6–80A

HPT stage 1 disk in the table in

paragraph (a) of the compliance section

of this AD has been changed to

reference chapter 72–53–02.

One commenter notes that the work

hours that are stated in the preamble for

the HPT rotor stage 1 and stage 2 disk

inspections are less than the

commenter’s estimate. The commenter

recommends that the final rule be

revised to note 18 hours instead of 8

hours for the mandated inspections. The

FAA does not concur. The FAA has

reviewed the work hour estimate that

includes 3 hours for eddy current

inspection and 5 hours for fluorescentpenetrant inspection (FPI) for each HPT

rotor disk for a total of 16 hours for the

two HPT rotor disks. The FAA believes

that 8 hours is a conservative estimate

for a part of average cleanliness that’s

being inspected under typical shop

conditions.

No other comments were received on

the economic analysis contained in the

NPRM. Based on that analysis, the FAA

has determined that the annual per

engine cost of $308 does not create a

significant economic impact on small

entities.

One commenter requests that the FAA

link the conduct of mandatory

inspections on whether the subject part

was removed from an engine while the

engine was installed on the airplane or

while the engine was removed and in an

overhaul shop. The commenter wishes

to exempt those parts that are removed

from installed engines from the focused

inspections. The FAA does not concur.

The mandatory inspections are based on

a single trigger. The trigger is a part

being completely disassembled using

the engine manual instructions (piecepart opportunity), and is not dependent

on whether an engine is installed on the

airplane. This final rule mandates that

the definition of piece-part opportunity

appears in the mandatory section of

each affected engine manual. This final

rule further mandates that an operator’s

continuous airworthiness maintenance

program be modified to capture those

engine manual changes.

Several commenters ask that the FAA

clarify the record keeping aspects of the

mandatory inspections resulting from

the required changes to the Original

Equipment Manufacturer’s manual and

operator’s continuous airworthiness

maintenance program. One commenter

believes that paragraph (e) of the

proposed AD is unclear and suggests

that it be revised by eliminating the

word ‘‘or’’ from the first sentence and

beginning a second sentence with ‘‘In

lieu of the record. * * *’’ Two

commenters state that the AD should be

revised to clearly specify which types of

maintenance records must be retained

(i.e., inspection results, defect reporting

requirements, date of performed

maintenance, signature of the person

performing the maintenance). These

commenters believe that these revisions

are necessary in order to avoid potential

differences in interpretation between

the air carriers and the FAA. And, one

commenter states that the AD should

clarify that there is no need for a special

form to comply with the AD record

keeping requirements. The FAA concurs

in part. Generally, record keeping

requirements are addressed in other

regulations and this AD does not change

those requirements. In order to allow

flexibility from operator to operator, the

FAA does not agree that the AD itself

specify the precise nature of the records

that will result from the required

changes to the manufacturer’s manual

and operator’s maintenance program.

The FAA has, however, revised

Paragraph (e) of this AD to clarify record

keeping aspects of the new mandatory

inspections.

After careful review of the available

data, including the comments noted

above, the FAA has determined that air

safety and the public interest require the

adoption of the rule with the changes

described previously. The FAA has

determined that these changes will

neither increase the economic burden

on any operator nor increase the scope

of the AD.

The regulations adopted herein will

not have substantial direct effects on the

States, on the relationship between the

national government and the States, or

on the distribution of power and
Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 70 /Tuesday, April 13, 1999 /Rules and Regulations 17953

responsibilities among the various

levels of government. Therefore, in

accordance with Executive Order 12612,

it is determined that this final rule does

not have sufficient federalism

implications to warrant the preparation

of a Federalism Assessment.

For the reasons discussed above, I

certify that this action (1) is not a

‘‘significant regulatory action’’ under

Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a

‘‘significant rule’’ under DOT

Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44

FR 11034, February 26, 1979); and (3)

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. A final evaluation has

been prepared for this action and it is

contained in the Rules Docket. A copy

of it may be obtained from the Rules

Docket at the location provided under

the caption ADDRESSES.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

Air Transportation, Aircraft, Aviation

safety, Safety.

Adoption of the Amendment

Accordingly, pursuant to the

authority delegated to me by the

Administrator, the Federal Aviation

Administration amends part 39 of the

Federal Aviation Regulations (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. Section 39.13 is amended by

adding the following new airworthiness

directive:

99–08–13 General Electric Company:

Amendment 39–11119. Docket 98–ANE–

49–AD.

Applicability: General Electric Company

CF6–80A, CF6–80C2 and CF6–80E1 series

turbofan engines, installed on but not limited

to Airbus A300, A310, and A330 series,

Boeing 747 and 767 series, and McDonnell

Douglas MD–11 series airplanes.

Note 1: This airworthiness directive (AD)

applies to each engine identified in the

preceding applicability provision, regardless

of whether it has been modified, altered, or

repaired in the area subject to the

requirements of this AD. For engines that

have been modified, altered, or repaired so

that the performance of the requirements of

this AD is affected, the owner/operator must

request approval for an alternative method of

compliance in accordance with paragraph (c)

of this AD. The request should include an

assessment of the effect of the modification,

alteration, or repair on the unsafe condition

addressed by this AD; and, if the unsafe

condition has not been eliminated, the

request should include specific proposed

actions to address it.

Compliance: Required as indicated, unless

accomplished previously. To prevent critical

life-limited rotating engine part failure,

which could result in an uncontained engine

failure and damage to the airplane,

accomplish the following:

(a) Within the next 30 days after the

effective date of this AD, revise the

manufacturer’s Life Limits Section of the

Instructions for Continued Airworthiness

(ICA), and for air carrier operations revise the

approved continuous airworthiness

maintenance program, by adding the

following:

‘‘MANDATORY INSPECTIONS

(1) Perform inspections of the following

parts at each piece-part opportunity in

accordance with the instructions provided in

the applicable manual provisions:

Part Nomenclature Part number (P/N) Inspect per engine manual chapter

For CF6–80A Engines:

Fan Rotor Disk Stage 1 .................... All ........................... 72–21–03, paragraph 3, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspect; and 72–21–03, paragraph 4, Eddy Current Inspect.

High Pressure Turbine Rotor Stage

1 Disk/Shaft.

All ........................... 72–53–02, paragraph 3, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspect Disk/Shaft per 70–32–

02; and 72–53–02, paragraph 6, Eddy Current Inspection.

High Pressure Turbine Rotor Stage

2 Disk.

All ........................... 72–53–06, paragraph 3, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspection; and 72–53–06,

paragraph 6, Eddy Current Inspection of Rim Boltholes for Cracks.

For CF6–80C2 Engines:

Fan Rotor Disk Stage 1 .................... All ........................... Task 72–21–03–200–000–004, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspection; and Task

72–21–03–200–000–008, Eddy Current Inspect Fan Rotor Disk Stage 1

Bore, Forward and Aft Hub Faces, and Bore Radii.

High Pressure Turbine (HPT) Rotor

Stage 1 Disk/Shaft.

All ........................... Task 72–53–02–200–000–001, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspect the HPT Rotor

Stage 1 Disk/Shaft; and Task 72–53–02–200–000–005, Eddy Current Inspection.

High Pressure Turbine (HPT) Rotor

Stage 2 Disk.

All ........................... Task 72–53–06–200–000–002, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspect the Stage 2

Disk; and Task 72–53–06–200–000–006, Eddy Current Inspection of the

HPTR Stage 2 Rim Boltholes.

For CF6–80E1 Engines:

Stage 1 Disk, Fan Rotor ................... All ........................... Task 72–21–03–230–051, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspection; and Task 72–21–

03–250–051 or 72–21–03–250–052, Eddy Current Inspection.

High Pressure Turbine (HPT) Rotor

Stage 1 Disk/Shaft.

All ........................... Task 72–53–02–230–051, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspection; and Task 72–53–

02–200–001–005, Eddy Current Inspection.

High Pressure Turbine (HPT) Rotor

Stage 2 Disk.

All ........................... Task 72–53–06–230–051, Fluorescent-Penetrant Inspection; and Task 72–53–

06–200–001–006, Eddy Current Inspection of the HPTR Stage 2 Rim

Boltholes.

(2) For the purposes of these mandatory

inspections, piece-part opportunity means:

(i) The part is considered completely

disassembled when done in accordance with

the disassembly instructions in the

manufacturer’s engine manual; and

(ii) The part has accumulated more than

100 cycles in service since the last piece-part

opportunity inspection, provided that the

part was not damaged or related to the cause

for its removal from the engine.’’

(b) Except as provided in paragraph (c) of

this AD, and notwithstanding contrary

provisions in § 43.16 of the Federal Aviation

Regulations (14 CFR 43.16), these mandatory

inspections shall be performed only in

accordance with the Life Limits Section of

the manufacturer’s ICA.

(c) An alternative method of compliance or

adjustment of the compliance time that

provides an acceptable level of safety may be

used if approved by the Manager, Engine

Certification Office. Operators shall submit

their requests through an appropriate FAA

Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI), who

may add comments and then send it to the

Manager, Engine Certification Office.

Note 2: Information concerning the

existence of approved alternative methods of

compliance with this airworthiness directive,

if any, may be obtained from the Engine

Certification Office.
17954 Federal Register / Vol. 64, No. 70 /Tuesday, April 13, 1999 /Rules and Regulations

(d) Special flight permits may be issued in

accordance with § § 21.197 and 21.199 of the

Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 21.197

and 21.199) to operate the aircraft to a

location where the requirements of this AD

can be accomplished.

(e) FAA-certificated air carriers that have

an approved continuous airworthiness

maintenance program in accordance with the

recordkeeping requirement of § 121.369 (c) of

the Federal Aviation Regulations [14 CFR

121.369 (c)] of this chapter must maintain

records of the mandatory inspections that

result from revising the Life Limits section of

the ICA and the air carrier’s continuous

airworthiness program. Alternately,

certificated air carriers may establish an

approved system of record retention that

provides a method for preservation and

retrieval of the maintenance records that

include the inspections resulting from this

AD, and include the policy and procedures

for implementing this alternate method in the

air carrier’s maintenance manual required by

§ 121.369 (c) of the Federal Aviation

Regulations [14 CFR 121.369 (c)]; however,

the alternate system must be accepted by the

appropriate PMI and require the maintenance

records be maintained either indefinitely or

until the work is repeated. Records of the

piece-part inspections are not required under

§ 121.380(a)(2)(vi) of the Federal Aviation

Regulations [14 CFR 121.380(a)(2)(vi)]. All

other Operators must maintain the records of

mandatory inspections required by the

applicable regulations governing their

operations.

Note 3: The requirements of this AD have

been met when the engine manual changes

are made and operators have modified their

continuous airworthiness maintenance plans

to reflect the requirements in the engine

manuals.

(f) This amendment becomes effective on

May 13, 1999.

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on

April 2, 1999.

Jay J. Pardee,

Manager, Engine and Propeller Directorate,

Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 99–8863 Filed 4–12–99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–U

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 98–ANE–47–AD; Amendment

39–11118; AD 99–08–12]

RIN 2120–AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Pratt &

Whitney JT9D Series Turbofan Engines

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a

new airworthiness directive (AD), that

requires revisions to the Engine Time

Limits section in the Engine Manual

(EM) for Pratt & Whitney (PW) JT9D

series turbofan engines to include

required enhanced inspection of

selected critical life-limited parts at

each piece-part exposure. This

amendment will also require an air

carrier’s approved continuous

airworthiness maintenance program to

incorporate these inspection

procedures. This amendment is

prompted by a Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) study of inservice events involving uncontained

failures of critical rotating engine parts

which indicated the need for improved

inspections. The improved inspections

are needed to identify those critical

rotating parts with conditions, that if

allowed to continue in service, could

result in uncontained failures. The

actions specified by this proposed AD

are intended to prevent critical lifelimited rotating engine part failure,

which could result in an uncontained

engine failure and damage to the

airplane.

DATES: Effective May 13, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The information referenced

in this AD may be examined at the

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),

New England Region, Office of the

Regional Counsel, 12 New England

Executive Park, Burlington, MA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tara

Goodman, Aerospace Engineer, Engine

Certification Office, FAA, Engine and

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803–

5299; telephone (781) 238–7130, fax

(781) 238–7199.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A

proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal

Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) to

include an airworthiness directive (AD)

that is applicable to Pratt & Whitney

JT9D series turbofan engines was

published in the Federal Register on

July 28, 1998 (63 FR 40220). That action

proposed to require revisions to the

Engine Time Limits section in the

Engine Manual (EM) for Pratt & Whitney

JT9D series turbofan engines to include

required enhanced inspection of

selected critical life-limited parts at

each piece-part exposure. That action

also proposed to require an air carrier’s

approved continuous airworthiness

maintenance program to incorporate

these inspection procedures.

Interested persons have been afforded

an opportunity to participate in the

making of this amendment. Due

consideration has been given to the

comments received.

One commenter notes that the JT9D

manual used by the operator [part

number (P/N) 770407] to maintain

JT9D–7A and –7J engines is not

included in paragraph (a), which lists

the JT9D manuals which require

revisions to the Engine Time Limits

Section by P/N. The FAA concurs.

Several engine manuals applicable to

certain JT9D–7 models are customized

for operators. Part numbers for these

engine manuals were inadvertently

omitted from the proposed rule.

Corrections for the engine manual

referenced by the commentor and for

other engine manuals have been

included in this AD.

Several commenters suggested that

the tables used to specify those parts

requiring mandatory inspections be

given standardized formats and that the

parts be identified by ‘‘all’’ rather than

by specific part number. The FAA does

not concur. FAA intentionally allowed

each manufacturer to choose a format

that fits their products manual.

Identification of parts requiring

mandatory inspections has been

accomplished by either part number

identification or use of the word ‘‘all’’.

Part number identification was chosen

by some manufacturers since the

processes and procedures needed to

conduct new inspections were not yet

developed for all parts of a certain type,

i.e., fan disks/hubs. FAA wants the

manufacturers to have flexibility in

managing how their manuals are

structured within Air Transport

Association code requirement and does

not consider mandating matters of

format appropriate.

Several commenters ask that the FAA

clarify the record keeping aspects of the

mandatory inspections resulting from

the required changes to the Original

Equipment Manufacturer’s manual and

operator’s continuous airworthiness

maintenance program. One commenter

believes that paragraph (e) of the NPRM

is unclear and suggests that it be revised

by eliminating the word ‘‘or’’ from the

first sentence and beginning a second

sentence with ‘‘In lieu of the record.

* * *’’ Two commenters state that the

AD should be revised to clearly specify

which types of maintenance records

must be retained (i.e., inspection results,

defect reporting requirements, date of

performed maintenance, signature of the

person performing the maintenance).

These commenters believe that these

revisions are necessary in order to avoid

potential differences in interpretation

between the air carriers and the FAA.

And, one commenter states that the AD

should clarify that there is no need for

a special form to comply with the AD

record keeping requirements. The FAA

concurs in part. Generally, record

keeping requirements are addressed in

other regulations and this AD does not