38072 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 29, 2011 / Proposed Rules 

(n) As of the effective date of this AD, no 

person may install any rudder identified in 

Table 4 of this AD on any airplane. 

FAA AD Differences 

Note 1: This AD differs from the MCAI 

and/or service information as follows: No 

differences. 

Other FAA AD Provisions 

(o) The following provisions also apply to 

this AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, International 

Branch, ANM–116, 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: 

Dan Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind 

Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98057– 

3356; telephone (425) 227–2125; fax (425) 

227–1149. Information may be e-mailed to: 

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

Before using any approved AMOC, notify 

your appropriate principal inspector, or 

lacking a principal inspector, the manager of 

the local flight standards district office/ 

certificate holding district office. The AMOC 

approval letter must specifically reference 

this AD. 

(2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement 

in this AD to obtain corrective actions from 

a manufacturer or other source, use these 

actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective 

actions are considered FAA-approved if they 

are approved by the State of Design Authority 

(or their delegated agent). You are required 

to assure the product is airworthy before it 

is returned to service. 

(3) Reporting Requirements: A federal 

agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a 

person is not required to respond to, nor 

shall a person be subject to a penalty for 

failure to comply with a collection of 

information subject to the requirements of 

the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that 

collection of information displays a current 

valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 

Control Number for this information 

collection is 2120–0056. Public reporting for 

this collection of information is estimated to 

be approximately 5 minutes per response, 

including the time for reviewing instructions, 

completing and reviewing the collection of 

information. All responses to this collection 

of information are mandatory. Comments 

concerning the accuracy of this burden and 

suggestions for reducing the burden should 

be directed to the FAA at: 800 Independence 

Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20591, Attn: 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, 

AES–200. 

Related Information 

(p) Refer to MCAI EASA Airworthiness 

Directive 2010–0144, dated July 16, 2010; 

and Airbus Mandatory Service Bulletins 

A310–55–2049 and A300–55–6048, both 

dated March 16, 2010; for related 

information. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 16, 

2011. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–16367 Filed 6–28–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–0644; Directorate 

Identifier 2010–NM–265–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Model 777 Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for the 

products listed above. This proposed 

AD would require repetitive detailed 

inspection and high frequency eddy 

current (HFEC) inspections for cracks of 

the wing center section (WCS) spanwise 

beams, and repair if necessary. This 

proposed AD was prompted by reports 

of cracks found in the web pockets of 

the WCS spanwise beams. We are 

proposing this AD to detect and correct 

cracking in the WCS spanwise beams, 

which could result in reduced structural 

integrity of the wings. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by August 15, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data 

& Services Management, P.O. Box 3707, 

MC 2H–65, Seattle, Washington 98124– 

2207; telephone 206–544–5000, 

extension 1; fax 206–766–5680; e-mail 

me.boecom@boeing.com; Internet 

https://www.myboeingfleet.com. You 

may review copies of the referenced 

service information at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 425–227– 

1221. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Management Facility between 

9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this proposed AD, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Office 

(phone: 800–647–5527) is in the 

ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 

available in the AD docket shortly after 

receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Duong Tran, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, 

Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 

1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; phone: (425) 

917–6452; Fax: (425) 917–6590; e-mail: 

duong.tran@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposal. Send your comments to 

an address listed under the ADDRESSES

section. Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA– 

2011–0644; Directorate Identifier 2010– 

NM–265–AD’’ at the beginning of your 

comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed AD because of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

We have received reports of cracking 

in the wing center section (WSC) 

spanwise beams. Two operators 

reported finding a crack in the web 

pockets of WCS spanwise beams on two 

airplanes. In the first report, 

metallurgical testing showed the cracks 

were the result of fatigue from reverse 

bending (diagonal tension buckling). 

If cracking at multiple locations 

occurs in multiple spanwise beams, the 

WCS spanwise beams might not be able 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 29, 2011 / Proposed Rules 38073 

to carry design loads. This could result 

in the loss of the WCS load path. We are 

proposing this AD to detect and correct 

cracking in the WCS spanwise beams, 

which could result in reduced structural 

integrity of the wings. 

Relevant Service Information 

We reviewed Boeing Alert Service 

Bulletin 777–57A0087, dated November 

11, 2010. Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 

777–57A0087, dated November 11, 2010 

describes procedures for a detailed 

inspection and high frequency eddy 

current (HFEC) inspection for cracks in 

the WCS web pockets of spanwise 

beams numbers 1, 2, and 3; a detailed 

inspection for cracks of any previously 

installed repairs; and repair including 

doing a related investigation action and 

all applicable corrective actions, if 

necessary. Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 

777–57A0087, dated November 11, 2010 

also describes methods for repairing 

cracking by following procedures in 

Appendix A, B, or C or by contacting 

Boeing for repair instructions, 

depending on the size and location of 

the crack. The related investigative 

action is doing a HFEC inspection for 

cracking around the edge of the cutout, 

for which the corrective action is 

contacting Boeing. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all the relevant information 

and determined the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop in other products of this same 

type design. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

the service information described 

previously, except as discussed under 

‘‘Differences Between the Proposed AD 

and the Service Information.’’ 

Differences Between the Proposed AD 

and the Service Information 

Although Boeing Alert Service 

Bulletin 777–57A0087, dated November 

11, 2010, specifies to contact the 

manufacturer for instructions on how to 

repair certain conditions, this proposed 

AD would require repairing those 

conditions in one of the following ways: 

• Per a repair method approved by 

the FAA or an FAA authorized 

representative, or 

• Using data to meet the certification 

basis of the airplane, and that have been 

approved by the Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes Organization Designation 

Authorization (ODA) whom we have 

authorized to make those findings. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 160 airplanes of U.S. registry and 

920 airplanes of international registry 

(including domestic). 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

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

operators 

Detailed inspection and high 

frequency eddy current inspection of spanwise beams.

50 work-hours × $85 per hour 

= $4,250 per inspection 

cycle.

$0 $4,250 per inspection cycle ..... $680,000 = 160 airplanes × 

$4,250 per inspection cycle. 

We have received no definitive data 

that would enable us to provide cost 

estimates for the on-condition repair 

actions specified in this proposed AD. 

We have no way of determining the 

number of aircraft that might need these 

repairs. 

Authority for This Rulemaking 

Title 49 of the United States Code 

specifies the FAA’s authority to issue 

rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, 

section 106, describes the authority of 

the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII: 

Aviation Programs, describes in more 

detail the scope of the Agency’s 

authority. 

We are issuing this rulemaking under 

the authority described in Subtitle VII, 

Part A, Subpart III, Section 44701: 

‘‘General requirements.’’ Under that 

section, Congress charges the FAA with 

promoting safe flight of civil aircraft in 

air commerce by prescribing regulations 

for practices, methods, and procedures 

the Administrator finds necessary for 

safety in air commerce. This regulation 

is within the scope of that authority 

because it addresses an unsafe condition 

that is likely to exist or develop on 

products identified in this rulemaking 

action. 

Regulatory Findings 

We determined that this proposed AD 

would not have federalism implications 

under Executive Order 13132. This 

proposed AD would not have a 

substantial direct effect on the States, on 

the relationship between the national 

Government and the States, or on the 

distribution of power and 

responsibilities among the various 

levels of government. 

For the reasons discussed above, I 

certify this proposed regulation: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866, 

(2) Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under 

the DOT Regulatory Policies and 

Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 

1979), 

(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska, and 

(4) Will not have a significant 

economic impact, positive or negative, 

on a substantial number of small entities 

under the criteria of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

The Proposed Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA proposes to amend 14 CFR part 

39 as follows: 

PART 39—AIRWORTHINESS 

DIRECTIVES 

1. The authority citation for part 39 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701. 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

The Boeing Company: Docket No. FAA– 

2011–0644; Directorate Identifier 2010– 

NM–265–AD. 

Comments Due Date 

(a) We must receive comments by August 

15, 2011. 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to The Boeing 

Company Model 777–200, –200LR, –300, 

–300ER, and 777F series airplanes, 

certificated in any category, as identified in 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
38074 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 125 / Wednesday, June 29, 2011 / Proposed Rules 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, 

dated November 11, 2010. 

Subject 

(d) Joint Aircraft System Component 

(JASC)/Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 57: Wings. 

Unsafe Condition 

(e) This AD was prompted by reports of 

cracks found in the web pockets of the wing 

center section spanwise beams. We are 

issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking 

in the WCS spanwise beams, which could 

result in reduced structural integrity of the 

wings. 

Compliance 

(f) Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

Repetitive Inspections and Corrective 

Actions 

(g) At the later of the times specified in 

paragraphs (g)(1) and (g)(2) of this AD, do a 

detailed inspection and a high frequency 

eddy current inspection for cracks of the web 

pockets of the WCS spanwise beams numbers 

1, 2, and 3; and a detailed inspection for 

cracks of any previously installed repairs; in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 

777–57A0087, dated November 11, 2010. 

Repeat the inspections thereafter at intervals 

not to exceed 8,000 flight cycles. 

(1) Before the accumulation of 8,000 total 

flight cycles. 

(2) Within 6,000 flight cycles, or 1,125 

days, after the effective date of this AD, 

whichever occurs first. 

(h) If any cracking is found during any 

inspection required by paragraph (g) of this 

AD, before further flight, repair the crack, 

including related investigative actions and all 

applicable corrective actions, in accordance 

with the Accomplishment Instructions of 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, 

dated November 11, 2010; except where 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, 

dated November 11, 2010, specifies to 

contact Boeing for repair instructions, before 

further flight, repair the cracking using a 

method approved in accordance with the 

procedures specified in paragraph (i) of this 

AD. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(i)(1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft 

Certification Office (ACO), 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 manager of the ACO, send it to the 

attention of the person identified in the 

Related Information section of this AD. 

Information may be e-mailed to: 9-ANMSeattle-ACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov. 

(2) 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. 

(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair 

required by this AD if it is approved by the 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes Organization 

Designation Authorization (ODA) that has 

been authorized by the Manager, Seattle ACO 

to make those findings. For a repair method 

to be approved, the repair must meet the 

certification basis of the airplane, and the 

approval must specifically refer to this AD. 

Related Information 

(j) For more information about this AD, 

contact Duong Tran, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, Seattle 

Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind 

Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98057– 

3356; phone: (425) 917–6452; fax: (425) 917– 

6590; e-mail: duong.tran@faa.gov. 

(k) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, Attention: Data & Services 

Management, P.O. Box 3707, MC 2H–65, 

Seattle, Washington 98124–2207; telephone 

206–544–5000, extension 1; fax 206–766– 

5680; e-mail me.boecom@boeing.com; 

Internet https://www.myboeingfleet.com. You 

may review copies of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., 

Renton, Washington 98057–3356. For 

information on the availability of this 

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

Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 17, 

2011. 

Kalene C. Yanamura, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–16368 Filed 6–28–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–0645; Directorate 

Identifier 2010–NM–009–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Model 747–100, 747–100B, 

747–200B, 747–200C, 747–200F, 747– 

300, 747SR, and 747SP Series 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to 

supersede an existing airworthiness 

directive (AD) that applies to certain 

Model 747 series airplanes. The existing 

AD currently requires repetitive 

inspections for cracks of the fuselage 

skin lap splice between body station 

(BS) 400 and BS 520 at stringers S–6L 

and S–6R, and repair if necessary. This 

proposed AD would shorten the interval 

for the repetitive inspections, require 

modification for certain airplanes, and 

require certain post-modification 

inspections for other airplanes. This 

proposed AD results from reports of 

multiple adjacent cracks on an airplane, 

and a recent fleet-wide evaluation of 

widespread fatigue damage of skin lap 

joints, which indicated the need for 

revised procedures and reduced 

compliance times. We are proposing 

this AD to detect and correct cracking of 

the fuselage skin lap splice between BS 

400 and BS 520 at stringers S–6L and 

S–6R. Such cracking could result in 

sudden loss of cabin pressurization and 

the inability of the fuselage to withstand 

fail-safe loads. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by August 15, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data 

& Services Management, P.O. Box 3707, 

MC 2H–65, Seattle, Washington 98124– 

2207; telephone 206–544–5000, 

extension 1; fax 206–766–5680; e-mail 

me.boecom@boeing.com; Internet 

https://www.myboeingfleet.com. You 

may review copies of the referenced 

service information at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 425–227– 

1221. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Management Facility between 

9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this proposed AD, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Office 

(telephone 800–647–5527) is in the 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS