This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

73543 

Vol. 88, No. 206 

Thursday, October 26, 2023 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2023–2003; Project 

Identifier AD–2022–01620–T] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

certain The Boeing Company Model 757 

airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by reports of operators 

finding frequent and severe damage to 

the blowout vent grills of the aft soft 

bulkhead lining in the aft lower lobe 

cargo compartment. This proposed AD 

would require repetitive detailed 

inspections of certain decompression 

panels and pressure equalization valves, 

as applicable, in the forward and aft 

lower lobe cargo compartments for 

damage, and applicable on-condition 

actions. For certain airplanes, this 

proposed AD would also require 

replacement of a certain soft bulkhead 

with a rigid bulkhead. For certain other 

airplanes, this proposed AD would 

require installation of doublers to a 

certain bulkhead assembly panel. The 

FAA is proposing this AD to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this proposed AD by December 11, 

2023. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, 

using the procedures found in 14 CFR 

11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to

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.

AD Docket: You may examine the AD 

docket at regulations.gov under Docket 

No. FAA–2023–2003; or in person at 

Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this NPRM, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for Docket Operations is 

listed above. 

Material Incorporated by Reference: 

• For service information identified

in this NPRM, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, Attention: 

Contractual & Data Services (C&DS), 

2600 Westminster Blvd., MC 110–SK57, 

Seal Beach, CA 90740–5600; telephone 

562–797–1717; website 

myboeingfleet.com. 

• You may view this service

information at the FAA, Airworthiness 

Products Section, Operational Safety 

Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des 

Moines, WA. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call 206–231–3195. It is also available at 

regulations.gov by searching for and 

locating Docket No. FAA–2023–2003. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Katherine Venegas, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., 

Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone: 562– 

627–5353; email: Katherine.Venegas@

faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites you to send any 

written relevant data, views, or 

arguments about this proposal. Send 

your comments to an address listed 

under ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2023–2003; Project Identifier AD– 

2022–01620–T’’ at the beginning of your 

comments. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the 

proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. The FAA will consider 

all comments received by the closing 

date and may amend this proposal 

because of those comments. 

Except for Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) as described in the 

following paragraph, and other 

information as described in 14 CFR 

11.35, the FAA will post all comments 

received, without change, to 

regulations.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. The agency 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact received 

about this NPRM. 

Confidential Business Information 

CBI is commercial or financial 

information that is both customarily and 

actually treated as private by its owner. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt 

from public disclosure. If your 

comments responsive to this NPRM 

contain commercial or financial 

information that is customarily treated 

as private, that you actually treat as 

private, and that is relevant or 

responsive to this NPRM, it is important 

that you clearly designate the submitted 

comments as CBI. Please mark each 

page of your submission containing CBI 

as ‘‘PROPIN.’’ The FAA will treat such 

marked submissions as confidential 

under the FOIA, and they will not be 

placed in the public docket of this 

NPRM. Submissions containing CBI 

should be sent to Katherine Venegas, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 

South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; 

telephone: 562–627–5353; email: 

Katherine.Venegas@faa.gov. Any 

commentary that the FAA receives that 

is not specifically designated as CBI will 

be placed in the public docket for this 

rulemaking. 

Background 

Operators have found, on multiple 

aircraft, frequent and severe damage to 

the blowout vent grills of the aft soft 

bulkhead lining in the lower lobe cargo 

compartment. Damage to the grill 

assembly consisted of bent, fractured, 

and missing sections of tubing; 

deformed frames; and twisted cross 

members. Boeing investigated the 

reported damage and found the blowout 

vent grills are vulnerable to being 

damaged during baggage loading and 

unloading. Damage to the blowout vent 

grills in the forward and aft lower lobe 

cargo compartments could lead to latent 

failure of the decompression panels and 

pressure equalization valves. This latent 

failure, in combination with a fire, 

could make the cargo fire protection, 

detection, suppression, and 

containment system ineffective. Also, 


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73544 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 206 / Thursday, October 26, 2023 / Proposed Rules 

this latent failure, in combination with 

rapid decompression of the airplane, 

could prevent activation of the station 

(STA) 1640 decompression panels, 

which could damage the STA 1640 floor 

beam and cause loss of hydraulic 

systems components and flight control. 

This condition, if not addressed could 

result in the inability of the flightcrew 

to maintain safe flight and landing. 

FAA’s Determination 

The FAA is issuing this NPRM after 

determining that the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed Boeing Alert 

Requirements Bulletin 757–25A0319 

RB, dated March 24, 2023. This service 

information specifies procedures for 

repetitive detailed inspections of certain 

bulkhead (including STA 1640), 

sidewall, ceiling, and E5 EE rack 

decompression panels, and pressure 

equalization valves on certain airplanes, 

in the forward and aft lower lobe cargo 

compartments for damage; and 

applicable on-condition actions. Oncondition actions include repair or 

replacement of any damaged 

decompression panels or pressure 

equalization valves. For certain 

airplanes, this service information also 

specifies procedures for replacing the 

soft bulkhead at STA 1640 with a rigid 

bulkhead having decompression panels 

with billet grilles. For certain other 

airplanes, this service information 

specifies procedures for installing 

doublers to the bulkhead assembly 

panel at STA 1640. 

This service information is reasonably 

available because the interested parties 

have access to it through their normal 

course of business or by the means 

identified in ADDRESSES. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

the service information already 

described, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD. For 

information on the procedures and 

compliance times, see this service 

information at regulations.gov under 

Docket No. FAA–2023–2003. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 489 

airplanes of U.S. registry. The FAA 

estimates 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 ............................ Up to 21 work-hours × $85 per hour 

= $1,785 per inspection cycle.

$0 Up to $1,785 per inspection cycle.Up to $872,865 per inspection cycle. 

Replacement of soft bulkhead (100 

airplanes).

10 work-hours × $85 per hour = 

$850.

108,240 109,090 ......................... 10,909,000. 

Installation of doublers (7 airplanes) 2 work-hours × $85 per hour = $170 1,760 $1,930 ........................... 13,510. 

The FAA estimates the following 

costs to do any necessary repair or 

replacement that would be required 

based on the results of the proposed 

inspection. The agency has no way of 

determining the number of aircraft that 

might need this repair or replacement: 

ON-CONDITION COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Repair .............................................. 12 work-hours × $85 per hour = $1,020 ................................................... $54,120 $55,140 

Replacement .................................... 12 work-hour × $85 per hour = $1,020 ..................................................... 108,240 109,260 

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. 

The FAA is 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 

The FAA 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) Would not affect intrastate 

aviation in Alaska, and 

(3) Would 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: 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 206 / Thursday, October 26, 2023 / Proposed Rules 73545 

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: 

The Boeing Company: Docket No. FAA– 

2023–2003; Project Identifier AD–2022– 

01620–T. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by December 11, 

2023. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to The Boeing Company 

Model 757–200, –200PF, –200CB, and –300 

series airplanes, certificated in any category, 

as identified in Boeing Alert Requirements 

Bulletin 757–25A0319 RB, dated March 24, 

2023. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 25, Equipment/Furnishings. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by reports that 

operators have found, on multiple aircraft, 

frequent and severe damage to the blowout 

vent grills of the aft soft bulkhead lining in 

the lower lobe cargo compartment. The FAA 

is issuing this AD to address damage to the 

blowout vent grills in the forward and aft 

lower lobe cargo compartments that could 

lead to latent failure of the decompression 

panels and pressure equalization valves. This 

latent failure, in combination with a fire, 

could make the cargo fire protection, 

detection, suppression, and containment 

system ineffective. Also, this latent failure, in 

combination with rapid decompression of the 

airplane, could prevent activation of the 

station (STA) 1640 decompression panels, 

which could damage the STA 1640 floor 

beam and cause loss of hydraulic systems 

components and flight control. This unsafe 

condition, if not addressed, could result in 

the inability of the flightcrew to maintain 

safe flight and landing. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Required Actions 

Except as specified by paragraph (h) of this 

AD: At the applicable times specified in the 

‘‘Compliance’’ paragraph of Boeing Alert 

Requirements Bulletin 757–25A0319 RB, 

dated March 24, 2023, do all applicable 

actions identified in, and in accordance with, 

the Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing 

Alert Requirements Bulletin 757–25A0319 

RB, dated March 24, 2023. 

Note 1 to paragraph (g): Guidance for 

accomplishing the actions required by this 

AD can be found in Boeing Alert Service 

Bulletin 757–25A0319, dated March 24, 

2023, which is referred to in Boeing Alert 

Requirements Bulletin 757–25A0319 RB, 

dated March 24, 2023. 

(h) Exceptions to Service Information 

Specifications 

Where the Compliance Time columns of 

the tables in the ‘‘Compliance’’ paragraph of 

Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757– 

25A0319 RB, dated March 24, 2023, use the 

phrase ‘‘the original issue date of 

Requirements Bulletin 757–25A0319 RB,’’ 

this AD requires replacing those words with 

‘‘the effective date of this AD.’’ 

(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, AIR–520 Continued 

Operational Safety Branch, 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 responsible Flight Standards Office, as 

appropriate. If sending information directly 

to the manager of the Continued Operational 

Safety Branch, send it to the attention of the 

person identified in paragraph (j)(1) of this 

AD. Information may be emailed to: 9-ANMLAACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov. 

(2) Before using any approved AMOC, 

notify your appropriate principal inspector, 

or lacking a principal inspector, the manager 

of the responsible Flight Standards Office. 

(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair, 

modification, or alteration required by this 

AD if it is approved by The Boeing Company 

Organization Designation Authorization 

(ODA) that has been authorized by the 

Manager, AIR–520 Continued Operational 

Safety Branch, FAA, to make those findings. 

To be approved, the repair method, 

modification deviation, or alteration 

deviation must meet the certification basis of 

the airplane, and the approval must 

specifically refer to this AD. 

(j) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Katherine Venegas, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des 

Moines, WA 98198; telephone: 562–627– 

5353; email: Katherine.Venegas@faa.gov. 

(2) Service information identified in this 

AD that is not incorporated by reference is 

available at the addresses specified in 

paragraphs (k)(3) and (4) of this AD. 

(k) 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 the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 

757–25A0319 RB, dated March 24, 2023. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data 

Services (C&DS), 2600 Westminster Blvd., 

MC 110–SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740–5600; 

telephone 562–797–1717; website 

myboeingfleet.com. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at the FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, 2200 South 216th 

St., Des Moines, WA. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, call 

206–231–3195. 

(5) You may view this material at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For information on 

the availability of this material at NARA, 

visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ 

ibr-locationsoremailfr.inspection@nara.gov. 

Issued on October 19, 2023. 

Caitlin Locke, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23521 Filed 10–25–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2023–2004; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2023–00977–T] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus SAS 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to 

supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

2022–01–07, which applies to certain 

Airbus SAS Model A350–941 and –1041 

airplanes. AD 2022–01–07 requires 

revising the existing maintenance or 

inspection program, as applicable, to 

incorporate new or more restrictive 

airworthiness limitations. Since the 

FAA issued AD 2022–01–07, the FAA 

has determined that new or more 

restrictive airworthiness limitations are 

necessary. This proposed AD would 

retain the actions required by AD 2022– 

01–07 and also require revising the 

existing maintenance or inspection 

program, as applicable, to incorporate 

new or more restrictive airworthiness 

limitations, as specified in a European 

Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 

AD, which is proposed for incorporation 

by reference (IBR). The FAA is 

proposing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this proposed AD by December 11, 

2023. 


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