25986 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 90 / Thursday, May 8, 2008 / Rules and Regulations 

(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, under the 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 

the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 

has approved the information collection 

requirements and has assigned OMB Control 

Number 2120–0056. 

Related Information 

(h) Refer to MCAI European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) Airworthiness 

Directive 2007–0175, dated June 28, 2007; 

and Dassault Service Bulletin F50–483, dated 

June 6, 2007, including Erratum dated July 

2007; for related information. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

(i) You must use Dassault Service Bulletin 

F50–483, dated June 6, 2007, including 

Erratum dated July 2007, to do the actions 

required by this AD, unless the AD specifies 

otherwise. 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

this service information under 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Dassault Falcon Jet, P.O. Box 

2000, South Hackensack, New Jersey 07606. 

(3) You may review copies at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, Washington; or 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 April 23, 

2008. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager,Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–9895 Filed 5–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–28384; Directorate 

Identifier 2006–NM–165–AD; Amendment 

39–15516; AD 2008–10–10] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Boeing 

Model 737–600, –700, –700C, –800, and 

–900 Series Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Boeing Model 737–600, –700, –700C, 

–800, and –900 series airplanes. This 

AD requires revising the Airworthiness 

Limitations (AWLs) section of the 

Instructions for Continued 

Airworthiness by incorporating new 

limitations for fuel tank systems to 

satisfy Special Federal Aviation 

Regulation No. 88 requirements. This 

AD also requires the initial inspection of 

a certain repetitive AWL inspection to 

phase in that inspection, and repair if 

necessary. This AD results from a design 

review of the fuel tank systems. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent the potential 

for ignition sources inside fuel tanks 

caused by latent failures, alterations, 

repairs, or maintenance actions, which, 

in combination with flammable fuel 

vapors, could result in a fuel tank 

explosion and consequent loss of the 

airplane. 

DATES: This AD is effective June 12, 

2008. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of June 12, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707, 

Seattle, Washington 98124–2207. 

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 AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (telephone 800–647–5527) 

is the Document 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 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Samuel Spitzer, Aerospace Engineer, 

Propulsion Branch, ANM–140S, FAA, 

Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 

1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; telephone 

(425) 917–6510; fax (425) 917–6590. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an airworthiness 

directive (AD) that would apply to 

certain Boeing Model 737–600, –700, 

–700C, –800, and –900 series airplanes. 

That NPRM was published in the 

Federal Register on July 6, 2007 (72 FR 

36920). That NPRM proposed to require 

revising the Airworthiness Limitations 

(AWLs) section of the Instructions for 

Continued Airworthiness (ICA) by 

incorporating new limitations for fuel 

tank systems to satisfy Special Federal 

Aviation Regulation No. 88 

requirements. That NPRM also proposed 

to require the initial inspection of a 

certain repetitive AWL inspection to 

phase in that inspection, and repair if 

necessary. 

Actions Since NPRM Was Issued 

Since we issued the NPRM, Boeing 

has issued Temporary Revision (TR) 09–

020, dated March 2008. Boeing TR 09–

020 is published as Section 9 of the 

Boeing 737–600/700/800/900 

Maintenance Planning Data (MPD) 

Document, D626A001–CMR, Revision 

March 2008 (hereafter referred to as 

‘‘Revision March 2008 of the MPD’’). 

The NPRM referred to Revision March 

2006 of the MPD as the appropriate 

source of service information for 

accomplishing the proposed actions. 

Revision March 2008 of the MPD, 

among other actions, includes the 

following changes: 

• Removes the repetitive task interval 

of 36,000 flight cycles from AWLs No. 

28–AWL–01 and No. 28–AWL–03. 

• Revises the task description for 

AWL No. 28–AWL–01 to harmonize it 

with AWL No. 28–AWL–02 by removing 

references to certain station numbers. 

• Revises AWL No. 28–AWL–03 to 

reflect the new maximum loop 

resistance values associated with the 

lightning protection of the 

unpressurized fuel quantity indicating 

system (FQIS) wire bundle installations. 

Accordingly, we have revised 

paragraphs (f), (g), and (h) of this AD to 

refer to Revision March 2008 of the 

MPD. We also have added a new 

paragraph (j) to this AD specifying that 

actions done before the effective date of 

this AD in accordance with Revisions 

March 2006 through February 2008 of 

the MPD are acceptable for compliance 

with the corresponding requirements of 

paragraphs (g) and (h) of this AD. (In 

Revision March 2007 of the MPD, 

Boeing revised the document title to 

‘‘737–600/700/800/900.’’) 

We also have removed reference to 

36,000 total flight cycles from paragraph 

(h)(1) of this AD and revised the initial 

threshold for accomplishing AWL No. 

28–AWL–03 to within 120 months since 

the date of issuance of the original 

standard airworthiness certificate or the 

date of issuance of the original export 

certificate of airworthiness. 

Since publication of Revision March 

2006 of the MPD, Boeing has revised the 

contents of certain subsections of the 

MPD. Information pertaining to the fuel 

system AWLs has been removed from 

Subsection D, ‘‘AIRWORTHINESS 


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LIMITATIONS—SYSTEMS’’ and placed 

into a new Subsection E, 

‘‘AIRWORTHINESS LIMITATIONS—

FUEL SYSTEMS.’’ The subsequent 

subsections of the MPD were 

reidentified accordingly. Therefore, we 

have revised paragraphs (g)(1), (g)(2), 

and (g)(3) of this AD to refer to 

Subsections E, F, and G, respectively. 

Operators should note that we have 

revised paragraph (g) of this AD to 

require incorporating only AWLs No. 

28–AWL–01 through No. 28–AWL–22 

inclusive. AWL No. 28–AWL–23 was 

added in Revision May 2006 of the 

MPD, and AWL No. 28–AWL–24 was 

added in Revision October 2006 of the 

MPD. However, as an optional action, 

operators may incorporate those two 

AWLs as specified in paragraph (g) of 

this AD. 

Operators should also note that we 

have issued a separate NPRM (Docket 

No. FAA–2007–28661) that, in part, 

proposes to incorporate AWLs No. 28–

AWL–19 and No. 28–AWL–23 into the 

AWLs section of the ICA. That NPRM 

was published in the Federal Register 

on July 10, 2007 (72 FR 37479). 

We have also issued AD 2008–06–03, 

amendment 39–15415 (73 FR 13081, 

March 12, 2008) that, in part, requires 

revising the AWLs section of the ICA to 

incorporate AWLs No. 28–AWL–21, No. 

28–AWL–22, and No. 28–AWL–24. 

Therefore, we have added a new 

paragraph (k) to this AD specifying that 

incorporating AWLs No. 28–AWL–21, 

No. 28–AWL–22, and No. 28–AWL–24 

in accordance with paragraph (g) of this 

AD terminates the action required by 

paragraph (h)(1) of AD 2008–06–03. 

Other Changes Made to This AD 

For standardization purposes, we 

have revised this AD in the following 

ways: 

• We have added a new paragraph (i) 

to this AD to specify that no alternative 

inspections, inspection intervals, or 

critical design configuration control 

limitations (CDCCLs) may be used 

unless they are part of a later approved 

revision of Revision March 2008 of the 

MPD, or unless they are approved as an 

alternative method of compliance 

(AMOC). Inclusion of this paragraph in 

the AD is intended to ensure that the 

AD-mandated airworthiness limitations 

changes are treated the same as the 

airworthiness limitations issued with 

the original type certificate. 

• We have revised Note 2 of this AD 

to clarify that an operator must request 

approval for an AMOC if the operator 

cannot accomplish the required 

inspections because an airplane has 

been previously modified, altered, or 

repaired in the areas addressed by the 

required inspections. 

• We have revised paragraph (h) of 

this AD to specify that accomplishing 

AWL No. 28–AWL–03 as part of an 

FAA-approved maintenance program 

before the applicable compliance time 

constitutes compliance with the 

applicable requirements of that 

paragraph. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

considered the comments received from 

the six commenters. 

Request To Revise the Loop Resistance 

Values for AWL No. 28–AWL–03 

Boeing and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines 

(KLM) state that the loop resistance 

values for AWL No. 28–AWL–03 

specified in Revision March 2006 of the 

MPD are going to be revised, since those 

values are relevant for production 

airplanes. The commenters also state 

that the revised values will be more 

representative of the expected values for 

in-service airplanes. Boeing points out 

that, according to paragraph (h) of the 

NPRM, the revised values should be 

able to be used in accordance with a 

later revision of the MPD if the revision 

is approved by the Seattle Aircraft 

Certification Office (ACO), FAA. 

We agree that operators may use the 

revised loop resistance values for AWL 

No. 28–AWL–03 in accordance with 

Revision March 2008 of the MPD. As 

stated previously, we have revised this 

AD accordingly. 

Request To Extend the Task Intervals 

for Certain AWL Inspections 

KLM, on behalf of several operators, 

requests that we review a 45-page 

proposal to align certain airworthiness 

limitation item (ALI) intervals with the 

applicable maintenance significant item 

(MSI) and enhanced zonal analysis 

procedure (EZAP) intervals for Model 

737, 747, 757, 767, and 777 airplanes. 

The recommendations in that proposal 

ensure that the ALI intervals align with 

the maintenance schedules of the 

operators. Among other changes, the 

proposal recommends extending certain 

AWL inspection intervals from 10 years/ 

36,000 flight cycles to 12 years for 

Model 737–600, –700, –700C, –800, and 

–900 series airplanes. 

The Air Transport Association (ATA), 

on behalf of its member Delta Airlines 

(DAL), notes an inconsistency between 

the inspection interval specified in 

Revision March 2006 of the MPD and 

the compliance threshold specified in 

paragraph (h)(1) of the NPRM. 

Paragraph (h)(1) of the NPRM specifies 

accomplishing the initial inspection 

prior to the accumulation of 36,000 total 

flight hours, or 120 months since the 

date of issuance of the original standard 

airworthiness certificate or the date of 

issuance of the original export 

certificate of airworthiness, whichever 

occurs first. DAL requests that we revise 

the compliance threshold to 36,000 

‘‘total flight cycles.’’

We disagree with KLM’s request to 

extend certain AWL inspection intervals 

to 12 years. However, as stated 

previously, we have deleted the 36,000- 

total-flight-hour parameter from 

paragraph (h)(1) of this AD to 

correspond with the task interval for 

AWL No. 28–AWL–03 as specified in 

Revision March 2008 of the MPD. In 

developing an appropriate compliance 

time for this action, we considered the 

urgency associated with the subject 

unsafe condition and the practical 

aspect of accomplishing the required 

actions within a period of time that 

corresponds to the normal scheduled 

maintenance for most affected operators. 

However, according to the provisions of 

paragraph (l) of this AD, we might 

approve requests to adjust the 

compliance time if the request includes 

data that prove that the new compliance 

time would provide an acceptable level 

of safety. 

Request To Require the Incorporation 

of AWL No. 28–AWL–24 

The ATA, on behalf of its member 

Delta Airlines (DAL), notes that AD 

2008–06–03 requires a revision to the 

AWLs section of the Instructions for 

Continued Airworthiness to incorporate 

AWLs No. 28–AWL–21, No. 28–AWL–

22, and No. 28–AWL–24. DAL states 

that AD 2008–06–03 appears to 

duplicate the proposed requirements of 

the NPRM, and that it is more 

appropriate to have this AD require the 

incorporation of AWLs No. 28–AWL–

21, No. 28–AWL–22, and No. 28–AWL–

24. 

We infer that the commenters request 

that we delete paragraph (h)(1) from AD 

2008–06–03, and revise this AD to 

require incorporating AWL No. 28–

AWL–24 into the AWLs section of the 

Instructions for Continued 

Airworthiness. (This AD requires the 

incorporation of AWLs No. 28–AWL–01 

through No 28–AWL–22 and specifies 

that AWL No. 28–AWL–24 may be 

incorporated as an optional action.) We 

do not agree to revise this AD or AD 

2008–06–03. Revision March 2008 of 

the MPD contains an applicability 

column that identifies the airplane 

configuration to which the AWL 

applies. That AWL is required only for 

airplanes that have that configuration. If 


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the applicability column identifies a 

service bulletin, then the operator 

would not need to adhere to the AWL 

until the airplane is modified in 

accordance with that service bulletin. 

There is no penalty for incorporating the 

AWL before accomplishing the actions 

specified in the service bulletin, and 

doing so actually reduces the paperwork 

burden for the FAA and the operators by 

incorporating subsections E, F, and G in 

their entirety. 

Also, it is necessary to have AD 2008–

06–03 require the incorporation of 

AWLs No 28–AWL–21, No. 28–AWL–

22, and No. 28–AWL–24, since those 

AWLs are tied to the design change 

required by paragraph (g) of AD 2008–

06–03. If an operator were to comply 

with AD 2008–06–03 before complying 

with this AD and did not revise its MPD 

concurrently with accomplishing the 

design change, then the operations 

checks required by those AWLs would 

not be performed at the proper time. 

However, we do not intend for 

operators to incorporate AWLs No. 28–

AWL–21 and No. 28–AWL–22 into the 

AWLs section of the Instructions for 

Continued Airworthiness twice by two 

separate airworthiness directives. As 

stated previously, we have added a new 

paragraph (k) to this AD specifying that 

incorporating AWLs No. 28–AWL–21, 

No. 28–AWL–22, and No. 28–AWL–24 

in accordance with paragraph (g) of this 

AD terminates the action required by 

paragraph (h)(1) of AD 2008–06–03. 

Request To Issue Separate 

Airworthiness Directives 

The ATA, on behalf of its member 

American Airlines (AAL), requests that 

we delete the initial inspection and 

repair specified in paragraph (h) of the 

NPRM and address those actions with a 

separate airworthiness directive. AAL 

states that the different actions and 

compliance times proposed in 

paragraphs (g) and (h) of the NPRM 

create confusion and difficulty in 

tracking compliance. AAL also states 

that it will not be able to say it is fully 

compliant with the requirements of the 

NPRM by December 16, 2008, because it 

will still be in the process of completing 

the initial inspection and repair 

specified in paragraph (h) of the NPRM. 

AirTran Airways states that it is 

unclear as to why AWL No. 28–AWL–

03 is given special consideration in 

paragraph (h) of the NPRM. AirTran 

Airways also states that, although it is 

not affected by the compliance time 

specified in paragraph (h)(2) of the 

NPRM, it assumes that there are other 

operators who will be affected by it due 

to the age of the fleet. AirTran Airways, 

therefore, requests that we substantiate 

why the NPRM contains a more 

restrictive requirement for AWL No. 28–

AWL–03. 

We disagree with issuing a separate 

airworthiness directive to address the 

requirements of the paragraph (h) of this 

AD. Some airplanes might have already 

passed the age when the initial 

inspection required by AWL No. 28–

AWL–03 should have been 

accomplished. The intent of paragraph 

(h) of this AD is to phase in that 

inspection for those airplanes. Further, 

paragraph (h)(2) of this AD provides a 

24-month grace period for an airplane 

that has already exceeded the 

compliance threshold specified in 

paragraph (h)(1) of this AD. No change 

to this AD is necessary in this regard. 

Request To Revise Appendix 1 

Boeing requests that we revise 

Appendix 1 of the NPRM to add an 

additional ATA section for AWL No. 

28–AWL–02 and for AWL No. 28–

AWL–17. The ATA, on behalf of its 

member DAL, requests that we revise 

Appendix 1 of the NPRM as follows: (1) 

add the task title for AWLs No. 28–

AWL–08, No. 28–AWL–12, No. 28–

AWL–13, and No. 28–AWL–22 based on 

the information found in the MPD, (2) 

add the ‘‘ALI/CDCCL’’ designation, 

airplane maintenance manual (AMM) 

reference, and task title for AWL No. 

28–AWL–20 based on the information 

in the MPD, and (3) delete any duplicate 

sources of service information and 

reference a single source document that 

provides the task instructions necessary 

to comply with the AWLs. 

We disagree with revising the AMM 

references, since we have deleted 

Appendix 1 from this AD. The purpose 

of Appendix 1 was to assist operators in 

identifying the AMM tasks that could 

affect compliance with a CDCCL. 

However, we have also received several 

similar comments regarding the 

appendices in other NPRMs that address 

the same unsafe condition on other 

Boeing airplanes. Those comments 

indicate that including non-required 

information in those NPRMs has caused 

confusion. Further, Revision March 

2008 of the MPD contains most of the 

updated information that is listed in 

Appendix 1 of the NPRM. Therefore, we 

have removed Appendix 1 from this AD. 

Request To Revise Note 2 

Boeing requests that we revise Note 2 

of the NPRM to clarify the need for an 

AMOC. Boeing states that the current 

wording is difficult to follow, and that 

the note is meant to inform operators 

that an AMOC to the required MPD 

AWLs might be required if an operator 

has previously modified, altered, or 

repaired the areas addressed by the 

limitations. Boeing requests that we 

revise Note 2 as follows: 

• Add the words ‘‘according to 

paragraph (g)’’ at the end of the first 

sentence. 

• Replace the words ‘‘revision to’’

with ‘‘deviation from’’ in the last 

sentence. 

• Delete the words ‘‘(g) or’’ and ‘‘as 

applicable’’ from the last sentence. 

As stated previously, we have 

clarified the language in Note 2 of this 

AD for standardization with other 

similar ADs. The language the 

commenter requests that we change 

does not appear in the revised note. 

Therefore, no additional change to this 

AD is necessary in this regard. 

Request To Extend the Grace Period for 

AWL No. 28–AWL–03 

KLM expects to have problems 

accomplishing the initial inspection of 

AWL No. 28–AWL–03 within the 24- 

month grace period. The commenter 

states that if it does the check and does 

not reach the specified values, then tank 

entry outside of heavy maintenance 

would be necessary. The commenter 

also states that it would be helpful to 

plan to do this inspection during an 

overhaul. 

We infer that KLM requests that we 

extend the grace period for AWL No. 

28–AWL–03 in paragraph (h)(2) of this 

AD to allow accomplishing the initial 

inspection during a regularly scheduled 

‘‘D’’ check (about 6 years). We disagree 

with extending the grace period to 6 

years. In developing an appropriate 

compliance time for this action, we 

considered the safety implications, the 

rate of lightning strikes in the fleet, and 

the average age of the fleet. In 

consideration of these items, we have 

determined that an initial compliance 

time of 120 months (as discussed 

previously) with a grace period of 24 

months will ensure an acceptable level 

of safety. We have not changed the grace 

period for AWL No. 28–AWL–03 in this 

regard. 

Request To Revise the Estimated Costs 

Table 

The ATA, on behalf of its member 

DAL, states that it disagrees with the 

cost estimate for accomplishing the 

inspection provided in the ‘‘Estimated 

Costs’’ table of the NPRM because it 

does not include the time required for 

accomplishing the additional repetitive 

inspections. DAL also states that it will 

take much more than eight hours to 

accomplish the initial inspection. 

We infer the commenters request that 

we revise the ‘‘Estimated Cost’’ table in 

this AD to reflect the cost of 


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accomplishing the repetitive 

inspections. We do not agree because 

the repetitive inspections are not 

directly required by this AD. This AD 

only requires the change to the 

maintenance program via a revision to 

the MPD, and the initial 

accomplishment of AWL No. 28–AWL–

03. Section 91.403(c) of the Federal 

Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 

91.403(c)) requires the repetitive 

inspections once the maintenance 

program is changed. Although DAL 

states the initial inspection takes more 

than 8 hours, it has not provided an 

estimate. Therefore, we have not 

changed this AD in this regard. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comments received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting the AD 

with the changes described previously. 

We also determined that these changes 

will not increase the economic burden 

on any operator or increase the scope of 

the AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

There are about 1,960 airplanes of the 

affected design in the worldwide fleet. 

The following table provides the 

estimated costs, at an average labor rate 

of $80 per work hour, for U.S. operators 

to comply with this AD. 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Work hours Parts Cost per 

airplane 

Number of 

U.S.-registered 

airplanes 

Fleet cost 

AWLs revision ....................................................................... 8 None ............ $640 682 $436,480 

Inspection .............................................................................. 8 None ............ 640 682 436,480 

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 

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 

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. 

You can find our regulatory 

evaluation and the estimated costs of 

compliance in the AD Docket. 

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 adding 

the following new AD: 

2008–10–10 Boeing: Amendment 39–15516. 

Docket No. FAA–2007–28384; 

Directorate Identifier 2006–NM–165–AD. 

Effective Date 

(a) This airworthiness directive (AD) is 

effective June 12, 2008. 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to Boeing Model 737–

600, –700, –700C, –800, and –900 series 

airplanes, certificated in any category, with 

an original standard airworthiness certificate 

or original export certificate of airworthiness 

issued before March 31, 2006. 

Note 1: Airplanes with an original standard 

airworthiness certificate or original export 

certificate of airworthiness issued on or after 

March 31, 2006, must already be in 

compliance with the airworthiness 

limitations specified in this AD because 

those limitations were applicable as part of 

the airworthiness certification of those 

airplanes. 

Note 2: This AD requires revisions to 

certain operator maintenance documents to 

include new inspections. Compliance with 

these inspections is required by 14 CFR 

91.403(c). For airplanes that have been 

previously modified, altered, or repaired in 

the areas addressed by these inspections, the 

operator may not be able to accomplish the 

inspections described in the revisions. In this 

situation, to comply with 14 CFR 91.403(c), 

the operator must request approval for an 

alternative method of compliance (AMOC) 

according to paragraph (l) of this AD. The 

request should include a description of 

changes to the required inspections that will 

ensure the continued operational safety of 

the airplane. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from a design review 

of the fuel tank systems. We are issuing this 

AD to prevent the potential for ignition 

sources inside fuel tanks caused by latent 

failures, alterations, repairs, or maintenance 

actions, which, in combination with 

flammable fuel vapors, could result in a fuel 

tank explosion and consequent loss of the 

airplane. 

Compliance 

(e) You are responsible for having the 

actions required by this AD performed within 

the compliance times specified, unless the 

actions have already been done. 

Service Information Reference 

(f) The term ‘‘Revision March 2008 of the 

MPD,’’ as used in this AD, means Boeing 

Temporary Revision (TR) 09–020, dated 

March 2008. Boeing TR 09–020 is published 

as Section 9 of the Boeing 737–600/700/800/ 

900 Maintenance Planning Data (MPD) 

Document, D626A001–CMR, Revision March 

2008. 


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Revision to Airworthiness Limitations 

(AWLs) Section 

(g) Before December 16, 2008, revise the 

AWLs section of the Instructions for 

Continued Airworthiness (ICA) by 

incorporating into the MPD the information 

in the subsections specified in paragraphs 

(g)(1), (g)(2), and (g)(3) of this AD; except that 

the initial inspection required by paragraph 

(h) of this AD must be done at the applicable 

compliance time specified in that paragraph. 

Accomplishing the revision in accordance 

with a later revision of the MPD is an 

acceptable method of compliance if the 

revision is approved by the Manager, Seattle 

Aircraft Certification Office (ACO), FAA. 

(1) Subsection E, ‘‘AIRWORTHINESS 

LIMITATIONS—FUEL SYSTEMS,’’ of 

Revision March 2008 of the MPD. 

(2) Subsection F, ‘‘PAGE FORMAT: FUEL 

SYSTEM AIRWORTHINESS LIMITATIONS,’’

of Revision March 2008 of the MPD. 

(3) Subsection G, ‘‘AIRWORTHINESS 

LIMITATIONS—FUEL SYSTEM AWLs,’’

AWLs No. 28–AWL–01 through No. 28–

AWL–22 inclusive, of Revision March 2008 

of the MPD. As an optional action, AWLs No. 

28–AWL–23 and No. 28–AWL–24, as 

identified in Subsection G of Revision March 

2008 of the MPD, also may be incorporated 

into the AWLs section of the ICA. 

Initial Inspection and Repair if Necessary 

(h) At the later of the compliance times 

specified in paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(2) of 

this AD, do a special detailed inspection of 

the lightning shield to ground termination on 

the out-of-tank fuel quantity indication 

system (FQIS) wiring to verify functional 

integrity, in accordance with AWL No. 28–

AWL–03 of Subsection G of Revision March 

2008 of the MPD. If any discrepancy is found 

during the inspection, repair the discrepancy 

before further flight in accordance with AWL 

No. 28–AWL–03 of Subsection G of Revision 

March 2008 of the MPD. Accomplishing the 

actions required by this paragraph in 

accordance with a later revision of the MPD 

is an acceptable method of compliance if the 

revision is approved by the Manager, Seattle 

ACO. Accomplishing AWL No. 28–AWL–03 

as part of an FAA-approved maintenance 

program before the applicable compliance 

time specified in paragraph (h)(1) or (h)(2) of 

this AD constitutes compliance with the 

requirements of this paragraph. 

Note 3: For the purposes of this AD, a 

special detailed inspection is: ‘‘An intensive 

examination of a specific item, installation, 

or assembly to detect damage, failure, or 

irregularity. The examination is likely to 

make extensive use of specialized inspection 

techniques and/or equipment. Intricate 

cleaning and substantial access or 

disassembly procedure may be required.’’

(1) Within 120 months since the date of 

issuance of the original standard 

airworthiness certification or the date of 

issuance of the original export certificate of 

airworthiness. 

(2) Within 24 months after the effective 

date of this AD. 

No Alternative Inspections, Inspection 

Intervals, or Critical Design Configuration 

Control Limitations (CDCCLs) 

(i) After accomplishing the actions 

specified in paragraphs (g) and (h) of this AD, 

no alternative inspections, inspection 

intervals, or CDCCLs may be used unless the 

inspections, intervals, or CDCCLs are part of 

a later revision of Revision March 2008 of the 

MPD that is approved by the Manager, Seattle 

ACO; or unless the inspections, intervals, or 

CDCCLs are approved as an AMOC in 

accordance with the procedures specified in 

paragraph (l) of this AD. 

Credit for Actions Done According to 

Previous Revisions of the MPD 

(j) Actions done before the effective date of 

this AD in accordance with the following 

MPDs are acceptable for compliance with the 

corresponding requirements of paragraphs (g) 

and (h) of this AD: Section 9 of the Boeing 

737–600/700/700C/700IGW/800/900 MPD 

Document, D626A001–CMR, Revision March 

2006; Revision May 2006; Revision October 

2006; Revision November 2006; or Revision 

November 2006 R1; and Section 9 of the 

Boeing 737–600/700/800/900 MPD 

Document, D626A001–CMR, Revision March 

2007; Revision March 2007 R1; Revision 

March 2007 R2; or Revision February 2008. 

Terminating Action for AD 2008–06–03, 

Amendment 39–15415 

(k) Incorporating AWLs No. 28–AWL–21, 

No. 28–AWL–22, and No. 28–AWL–24 into 

the AWLs section of the ICA in accordance 

with paragraph (g) of this AD terminates the 

action required by paragraph (h)(1) of AD 

2008–06–03. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(l)(1) The Manager, Seattle ACO, has the 

authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if 

requested in accordance with the procedures 

found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

(2) To request a different method of 

compliance or a different compliance time 

for this AD, follow the procedures in 14 CFR 

39.19. 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. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

(m) You must use Boeing Temporary 

Revision 09–020, dated March 2008, to the 

Boeing 737–600/700/800/900 Maintenance 

Planning Data (MPD) Document, D626A001–

CMR, to do the actions required by this AD, 

unless the AD specifies otherwise. Boeing 

Temporary Revision 09–020 is published as 

Section 9 of the Boeing 737–600/700/800/900 

Maintenance Planning Data (MPD) 

Document, D626A001–CMR, Revision March 

2008. 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

this service information under 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, 

Washington 98124–2207. 

(3) You may review copies of the service 

information incorporated by reference at the 

FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington; or 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/ 

code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on April 29, 

2008. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–9919 Filed 5–7–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–28386; Directorate 

Identifier 2006–NM–162–AD; Amendment 

39–15512; AD 2008–10–06] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Boeing 

Model 747–400, –400D, and –400F 

Series Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Boeing Model 747–400, –400D, and 

–400F series airplanes. This AD requires 

revising the FAA-approved maintenance 

program by incorporating new 

airworthiness limitations (AWLs) for 

fuel tank systems to satisfy Special 

Federal Aviation Regulation No. 88 

requirements. This AD also requires the 

initial inspection of certain repetitive 

AWL inspections to phase in those 

inspections, and repair if necessary. 

This AD results from a design review of 

the fuel tank systems. We are issuing 

this AD to prevent the potential for 

ignition sources inside fuel tanks caused 

by latent failures, alterations, repairs, or 

maintenance actions, which, in 

combination with flammable fuel 

vapors, could result in a fuel tank 

explosion and consequent loss of the 

airplane. 

DATES: This AD is effective June 12, 

2008. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of June 12, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Boeing 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with RULES