1622 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 11, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

b. The seat occupant is a child in a 

child restraint device. 

c. The seat occupant is a child not 

using a child restraint device. 

d. The seat occupant is a pregnant 

woman. 

2. The inflatable lapbelt must provide 

adequate protection for each occupant 

regardless of the number of occupants of 

the seat assembly, considering that 

unoccupied seats may have active 

seatbelts. 

3. The design must prevent the 

inflatable lapbelt from being either 

incorrectly buckled or incorrectly 

installed such that the inflatable lapbelt 

would not properly deploy. 

Alternatively, it must be shown that 

such deployment is not hazardous to the 

occupant and will provide the required 

head injury protection. 

4. It must be shown that the inflatable 

lapbelt system is not susceptible to 

inadvertent deployment as a result of 

wear and tear or inertial loads resulting 

from in-flight or ground maneuvers 

(including gusts and hard landings) 

likely to be experienced in service. 

5. Deployment of the inflatable lapbelt 

must not introduce injury mechanisms 

to the seated occupant or result in 

injuries that could impede rapid egress. 

This assessment should include an 

occupant who is in the brace position 

when it deploys and an occupant whose 

belt is loosely fastened. 

6. It must be shown that inadvertent 

deployment of the inflatable lapbelt, 

during the most critical part of the 

flight, will either not cause a hazard to 

the airplane or its occupants, or meets 

the requirements of § 25.1309(b). 

7. It must be shown that the inflatable 

lapbelt will not impede rapid egress of 

occupants 10 seconds after its 

deployment. 

8. The system must be protected from 

lightning and HIRF. The threats 

specified in existing regulations 

regarding lightning, § 25.1316, and 

existing HIRF special conditions for the 

Boeing Model 767 series aircraft, 

Special Conditions No. 25–ANM–18, are 

incorporated by reference for the 

purpose of measuring lightning and 

HIRF protection. For the purposes of 

complying with HIRF requirements, the 

inflatable lapbelt system is considered a 

‘‘critical system’’ if its deployment 

could have a hazardous effect on the 

airplane; otherwise, it is considered an 

‘‘essential’’ system. 

9. Inflatable lapbelts, once deployed, 

must not adversely affect the emergency 

lighting system (i.e., block proximity 

lights to the extent that the lights no 

longer meet their intended function). 

10. The inflatable lapbelt must 

function properly after loss of normal 

aircraft electrical power and after a 

transverse separation of the fuselage at 

the most critical location. A separation 

at the location of the lapbelt does not 

have to be considered. 

11. It must be shown that the 

inflatable lapbelt will not release 

hazardous quantities of gas or 

particulate matter into the cabin. 

12. The inflatable lapbelt installation 

must be protected from the effects of fire 

such that no hazard to occupants will 

result. 

13. There must be a means for a 

crewmember to verify the integrity of 

the inflatable lapbelt activation system 

prior to each flight, or it must be 

demonstrated to operate reliably 

between inspection intervals. The FAA 

considers the loss of the airbag system 

deployment function alone (i.e., 

independent of the conditional event 

that requires the airbag system 

deployment) to be a major failure 

condition. 

14. The inflatable material may not 

have an average burn rate of greater than 

2.5 inches/minute when tested using the 

horizontal flammability test as defined 

in 14 CFR part 25, appendix F, part I, 

paragraph (b)(5). 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on January 

5, 2012. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service, ANM–100. 

[FR Doc. 2012–350 Filed 1–10–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1139; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–021–AD; Amendment 

39–16911; AD 2011–27–09] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Socata 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Socata 

Model TBM 700 airplanes. This AD 

results from mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) 

issued by an aviation authority of 

another country to identify and correct 

an unsafe condition on an aviation 

product. The MCAI describes the unsafe 

condition as installation of the wrong 

(switched) aileron control cables in the 

wing. This unsafe condition could lead 

to restricted movement of the aileron, 

resulting in reduced control of the 

airplane. We are issuing this AD to 

require actions to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective February 15, 

2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in the AD 

as of February 15, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD 

docket on the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov or in person at 

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 service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Socata— 

Direction des Services—65921 Tarbes 

Cedex 9—France; telephone +33 (0) 62 

41 7300, fax +33 (0) 62 41 76 54, or for 

North America: Socata North America, 

7501 South Airport Road, North Perry 

Airport (HWO), Pembroke Pines, Florida 

33023; telephone: (954) 893–1400; fax: 

(954) 964–4141; email: 

mysocata@socata.daher.com; Internet: 

http://mysocata.com. You may review 

copies of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Small Airplane 

Directorate, 901 Locust, Kansas City, 

Missouri 64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (816) 329–4148. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Albert Mercado, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 

Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, 

Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329– 

4119; fax: (816) 329–4090; email: 

albert.mercado@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to the specified products. That 

NPRM was published in the Federal 

Register on October 21, 2011 (76 FR 

65419). That NPRM proposed to correct 

an unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

A TBM 700 operator reported a case of 

inverted installation of aileron control cables 

in the wing. The shortest cable was found 

installed instead of the longest one on wing 

tip side, with left hand (LH) threaded end in 

upper section. This wrong installation could 

have been caused by mistaken maintenance 

data. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could lead to restricted movement 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 11, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 1623 

of the aileron, resulting in reduced control of 

the aeroplane, particularly when operating 

under adverse flight conditions on landing 

and during avoidance manoeuvres. 

For the reasons described above, this AD 

requires an inspection to verify the correct 

installation of the aileron control cables and, 

in case of discrepancies, proper reinstallation of the cables in accordance with 

the approved design configuration. 

Even with potentially reduced aileron 

deflection, Socata’s analysis shows that 

the airplane is still capable of achieving 

its published cross wind landing limits. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

received no comments on the NPRM or 

on the determination of the cost to the 

public. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the available data and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting the AD 

as proposed. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

404 products of U.S. registry. We also 

estimate that it would take about 0.5 

work-hour per product to comply with 

the basic requirements of this AD. The 

average labor rate is $85 per work-hour. 

Required parts would cost about $0 per 

product. 

Based on these figures, we estimate 

the cost of the AD on U.S. operators to 

be $17,170, or $43 per product. 

In addition, we estimate that any 

necessary follow-on actions would take 

about 16 work-hours and require parts 

costing $0, for a cost of $1,360 per 

product. We have no way of 

determining the number of products 

that may need these actions. 

According to the manufacturer, some 

of the costs of this AD may be covered 

under warranty, thereby reducing the 

cost impact on affected individuals. We 

do not control warranty coverage for 

affected individuals. As a result, we 

have included all costs in our cost 

estimate. 

Authority for This Rulemaking 

Title 49 of the United States Code 

specifies the FAA’s authority to issue 

rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, 

section 106, describes the authority of 

the FAA Administrator. ‘‘Subtitle VII: 

Aviation Programs,’’ describes in more 

detail the scope of the Agency’s 

authority. 

We are issuing this rulemaking under 

the authority described in ‘‘Subtitle VII, 

Part A, Subpart III, Section 44701: 

General requirements.’’ Under that 

section, Congress charges the FAA with 

promoting safe flight of civil aircraft in 

air commerce by prescribing regulations 

for practices, methods, and procedures 

the Administrator finds necessary for 

safety in air commerce. This regulation 

is within the scope of that authority 

because it addresses an unsafe condition 

that is likely to exist or develop on 

products identified in this rulemaking 

action. 

Regulatory Findings 

We determined that this AD will not 

have federalism implications under 

Executive Order 13132. This AD will 

not have a substantial direct effect on 

the States, on the relationship between 

the national government and the States, 

or on the distribution of power and 

responsibilities among the various 

levels of government. 

For the reasons discussed above, I 

certify this AD: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866, 

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

the DOT Regulatory Policies and 

Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 

1979), 

(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska, and 

(4) Will not have a significant 

economic impact, positive or negative, 

on a substantial number of small entities 

under the criteria of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; 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 the NPRM, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Office 

(telephone (800) 647–5527) is in the 

ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 

available in the AD docket shortly after 

receipt. 

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: 

2011–27–09 Socata: Amendment 39–16911; 

Docket No. FAA–2011–1139; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–021–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This airworthiness directive (AD) becomes 

effective February 15, 2012. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Socata Model TBM 700 

airplanes, serial numbers (SN) 1 through 572, 

574, and 576, certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association of America 

(ATA) Code 27: Flight Controls. 

(e) Reason 

The MCAI describes the unsafe condition 

as installation of the wrong (switched) 

aileron control cables in the wing. This 

unsafe condition could lead to restricted 

movement of the aileron, resulting in 

reduced control of the airplane. We are 

issuing this AD to require actions to address 

the unsafe condition on these products. 

(f) Actions and Compliance 

Unless already done, do the following 

actions: 

(1) Within 12 months after February 15, 

2012 (the effective date of this AD) or within 

100 hours time-in-service (TIS) after February 

15, 2012 (the effective date of this AD), 

whichever occurs first, inspect the aileron 

control cables in left and right wings for 

proper installation following the 

accomplishment instructions of Daher-Socata 

Mandatory Service Bulletin SB 70–191–27, 

dated April 2011. 

(2) If during the inspection required by 

paragraph (f)(1) of this AD you find the 

cables are improperly installed, before 

further flight, remove the cables and correctly 

re-install the cables following the 

accomplishment instructions of Daher-Socata 

Mandatory Service Bulletin SB 70–191–27, 

dated April 2011. 

(3) After February 15, 2012 (the effective 

date of this AD), after each removal of the 

aileron control cables, you must re-install 

using the maintenance manual temporary 

revisions below: 

(i) For S/N 1 through 433: Socata TBM 700 

Model Maintenance Manual Temporary 

Revision No. TR040.27, dated April 2011. 

(ii) For S/N 434 through 572, 574 and 576: 

Socata TBM 850 Maintenance Manual 

Temporary Revision No. TR015.27, dated 

April 2011. 

(g) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, Standards Office, 

FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs 

for this AD, if requested using the procedures 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with RULES
1624 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 7 / Wednesday, January 11, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information to 

ATTN: Albert Mercado, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 

telephone: (816) 329–4119; fax: (816) 329– 

4090; email: albert.mercado@faa.gov. 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. 

(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: For any 

reporting requirement in this AD, 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. 

(h) Related Information 

Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA) AD No.: 2011–0101, dated 

May 25, 2011; Daher-Socata Mandatory 

Service Bulletin SB 70–191–27, dated April 

2011; Socata TBM 700 Model Maintenance 

Manual Temporary Revision No. TR040.27, 

dated April 2011; and Socata TBM 850 

Maintenance Manual Temporary Revision 

No. TR015.27, dated April 2011, for related 

information. 

(i) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) You must use the following service 

information to do the actions required by this 

AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. The 

Director of the Federal Register approved the 

incorporation by reference (IBR) of the 

following service information under 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51: 

(i) DAHER–SOCATA Mandatory Service 

Bulletin SB 70–191–27, dated April 2011; 

(ii) Socata TBM 700 Model Maintenance 

Manual Temporary Revision No. TR040.27, 

dated April 2011; and 

(iii) Socata TBM 850 Maintenance Manual 

Temporary Revision No. TR015.27, dated 

April 2011. 

(2) For service information related to this 

AD, contact Socata—Direction des Services— 

65921 Tarbes Cedex 9—France; telephone 

+33 (0) 62 41 7300, fax +33 (0) 62 41 76 54, 

or for North America: Socata North America, 

7501 South Airport Road, North Perry 

Airport (HWO), Pembroke Pines, Florida 

33023; telephone: (954) 893–1400; fax: (954) 

964–4141; email: 

mysocata@socata.daher.com; Internet: http:// 

mysocata.com. 

(3) You may review copies of the 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For information 

on the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call (816) 329–4148. 

(4) You may also review copies of the 

service information that is incorporated by 

reference at the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of this 

material at an NARA facility, call (202) 741– 

6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/ 

federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 

3, 2012. 

Earl Lawrence, 

Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–122 Filed 1–10–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1155; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–032–AD; Amendment 

39–16913; AD 2012–01–02] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; SchemppHirth Flugzeugbau GmbH Gliders 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH 

Model Discus 2cT gliders. This AD 

results from mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) 

issued by an aviation authority of 

another country to identify and correct 

an unsafe condition on an aviation 

product. The MCAI describes the unsafe 

condition as small cracks which have 

been found on engine pylons in the area 

of the lower engine support that have 

not been detected during the standard 

daily inspection. This condition, if not 

detected and corrected, could lead to an 

engine pylon failure resulting in loss of 

control of the glider. We are issuing this 

AD to require actions to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective February 15, 

2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in the AD 

as of February 15, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD 

docket on the Internet at http://www.

regulations.gov or in person at 

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 service information identified in 

this AD, contact Schempp-Hirth 

Flugzeugbau GmbH, Krebenstrasse 25, 

D–73230 Kirchheim/Teck, Germany; 

phone: +49 7021 7298–0; fax +49 7021 

7298–199; Internet: http://www.

schempp-hirth.com; email: info@

schempp-hirth.com. You may review 

copies of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Small Airplane 

Directorate, 901 Locust, Kansas City, 

Missouri 64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (816) 329–4148. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 

Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 

telephone: (816) 329–4165; fax: (816) 

329–4090; email: jim.rutherford@faa.

gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to the specified products. That 

NPRM was published in the Federal 

Register on October 21, 2011 (76 FR 

65421). That NPRM proposed to correct 

an unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

It has been reported that small cracks on 

engine pylons, in the area of the lower engine 

support, were not detected through the 

‘‘standard’’ inspection required by the daily 

inspection instructions. The cracks were 

discovered only after having significantly 

grown. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could lead to an engine pylon 

failure and consequent damage to the 

aeroplane or injury to people on the ground. 

For the reasons described above, this AD 

requires to replace the daily inspections 

pages of the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) 

that are describing the engine pylon 

inspection instructions, to inspect the 

affected engine pylon area in accordance 

with those instructions, and the replacement 

with a newly designed engine pylon in case 

of findings. 


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