Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 50 / Thursday, March 15, 2007 / Proposed Rules 12127 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to Boeing Model 757–

200, –200PF, and –200CB series airplanes, 

certificated in any category; as identified in 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 757–53A0092, 

Revision 1, dated January 10, 2007. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from reports of scribe 

lines adjacent to the fuselage skin lap joints. 

We are issuing this AD to detect and correct 

cracks, which could grow and cause rapid 

decompression 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. 

Inspections 

(f) Perform detailed inspections to detect 

scribe lines and cracks of the fuselage skin, 

lap joints, circumferential butt splice strap, 

and external and internal approved repairs; 

and perform related investigative and 

corrective actions. Do the actions in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 

757–53A0092, Revision 1, dated January 10, 

2007, except as required by paragraph (g) of 

this AD. Do the actions within the applicable 

compliance times specified in paragraph 1.E. 

of the service bulletin, except as required by 

paragraph (h) of this AD. 

Exceptions to Service Bulletin Specifications 

(g) Where Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 

757–53A0092, Revision 1, dated January 10, 

2007, specifies to contact Boeing for 

appropriate repair instructions, repair using 

a method approved in accordance with the 

procedures specified in paragraph (j) of this 

AD. 

(h) Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 757–

53A0092, Revision 1, dated January 10, 2007, 

specifies compliance times relative to the 

date of issuance of the service bulletin; 

however, this proposed AD would require 

compliance before the specified compliance 

time relative to the effective date of the AD. 

Credit for Prior Accomplishment 

(i) Inspections done before the effective 

date of this AD in accordance with Boeing 

Alert Service Bulletin 757–53A0092, dated 

September 18, 2006, are acceptable for 

compliance with the corresponding 

requirements of paragraph (f) of this AD. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(j)(1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft 

Certification Office (ACO), FAA, has the 

authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if 

requested in accordance with the procedures 

found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

(2) Before using any AMOC approved in 

accordance with § 39.19 on any airplane to 

which the AMOC applies, notify the 

appropriate principal inspector in the FAA 

Flight Standards 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 an 

Authorized Representative for the Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes Delegation Option 

Authorization Organization who 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. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 1, 

2007. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–4742 Filed 3–14–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–27565; Directorate 

Identifier 2006–NM–215–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model 

A330 and A340–200 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 

Airbus Model A330–200, A330–300, 

A340–200, and A340–300 series 

airplanes; and Model A340–541 and 

–642 airplanes. The existing AD 

currently requires repetitively resetting 

the display units (DUs) for the 

electronic instrument system (EIS), 

either by switching them off and back 

on again or by performing a complete 

electrical shutdown of the airplane. This 

proposed AD would require installing 

new software, which would end the 

actions required by the existing AD. 

This proposed AD also would add 

additional airplanes that may be placed 

on the U.S. Register in the future. This 

proposed AD results from an incident in 

which all of the DUs for the EIS went 

blank simultaneously during flight. We 

are proposing this AD to prevent 

automatic reset of the DUs for the EIS 

during flight and consequent loss of 

data from the DUs, which could reduce 

the ability of the flightcrew to control 

the airplane during adverse flight 

conditions. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by April 16, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to submit comments on this 

proposed AD. 

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically. 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 

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

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Contact Airbus, 1 Rond Point Maurice 

Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France, 

for service information identified in this 

proposed AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim 

Backman, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; telephone 

(425) 227–2797; fax (425) 227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to submit any relevant 

written data, views, or arguments 

regarding this proposed AD. Send your 

comments to an address listed in the 

ADDRESSES section. Include the docket 

number ‘‘Docket No. FAA–2007–27565; 

Directorate Identifier 2006–NM–215–

AD’’ at the beginning of your comments. 

We specifically invite comments on the 

overall regulatory, economic, 

environmental, and energy aspects of 

the proposed AD. We will consider all 

comments received by the closing date 

and may amend the proposed AD in 

light of those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact with FAA 

personnel concerning this proposed AD. 

Using the search function of that Web 

site, anyone can find and read the 

comments in any of our dockets, 

including the name of the individual 

who sent the comment (or signed the 

comment on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review the DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78), or you may visit http:// 

dms.dot.gov. 


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12128 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 50 / Thursday, March 15, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

Examining the Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov, or in 

person at the Docket Management 

Facility office between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The Docket 

Management Facility office (telephone 

(800) 647–5227) is located on the plaza 

level of the Nassif Building at the DOT 

street address stated in the ADDRESSES

section. Comments will be available in 

the AD docket shortly after the Docket 

Management System receives them. 

Discussion 

On August 18, 2005, we issued AD 

2005–17–18, amendment 39–14239 (70 

FR 50166, August 26, 2005), for certain 

Airbus Model A330–200, A330–300, 

A340–200, and A340–300 series 

airplanes; and Model A340–541 and 

–642 airplanes. That AD requires 

repetitively resetting the display units 

(DUs) for the electronic instrument 

system (EIS), either by switching them 

off and back on again or by performing 

a complete electrical shutdown of the 

airplane. That AD resulted from an 

incident in which all of the DUs for the 

EIS went blank simultaneously during 

flight. We issued that AD to prevent 

automatic reset of the DUs for the EIS 

during flight and consequent loss of 

data from the DUs, which could reduce 

the ability of the flightcrew to control 

the airplane during adverse flight 

conditions. 

Actions Since Existing AD Was Issued 

After the issuance of AD 2005–17–18, 

the Direction Ge ́ne ́rale de l’Aviation 

Civile (DGAC), which is the 

airworthiness authority for France, 

issued French emergency airworthiness 

directive UF–2005–166, dated 

September 23, 2005, which was 

superseded by F–2005–166 R1, dated 

October 26, 2005. Those French 

airworthiness directives cancelled 

French airworthiness directive UF–

2005–150, dated August 10, 2005 

(referred to in AD 2005–17–18), and 

required that the resets be done only by 

the aircraft flightcrew in accordance 

with Airbus A330 Airplane Flight 

Manual (AFM) Temporary Revision (TR) 

4.03.00/26 and A340 AFM TR 4.03.00/ 

37, both dated October 11, 2005; as 

applicable. We determined at that time 

that further rulemaking was not 

necessary, because AD 2005–17–18 

adequately addresses the unsafe 

condition by requiring the resets to be 

done either by certificated maintenance 

personnel or by the flightcrew. In 

addition, we approved TRs 4.03.00/26 

and 4.03.00/37 as alternative methods of 

compliance (AMOC) to the requirements 

of paragraph (f) of AD 2005–17–18 

(addressed in paragraph (j)(3) of this 

proposed AD). 

In the preamble to AD 2005–17–18, 

we specified that the actions required by 

that AD were considered ‘‘interim 

action’’ and that the manufacturer was 

developing a modification to address 

the unsafe condition. We indicated that 

we may consider further rulemaking 

once the modification was developed, 

approved, and available. The 

manufacturer now has developed such a 

modification, and we now have 

determined that further rulemaking 

action is indeed necessary; this 

proposed AD follows from that 

determination. 

Relevant Service Information 

Airbus has issued the primary service 

bulletins in the following table: 

PRIMARY SERVICE BULLETINS

Airbus Service Bulletin— For Model— 

A330–31–3087, dated June 26, 2006 ................ A330–201, –202, –203, –223, –243, –301, –302, –303, –321, –322, –323, –341, –342, and 

–343 airplanes. 

A340–31–4100, dated June 26, 2006 ................ A340–211, –212, –213, –311, –312, and –313 airplanes. 

A340–31–5021, dated June 26, 2006 ................ A340–541 and –642 airplanes. 

These primary service bulletins 

describe procedures for installing 

electronic instrument system 2 (EIS2) 

software standard L6–1, which would 

end the actions required by AD 2005–

17–18. 

Airbus also has issued the service 

bulletins in the following table: 

ADDITIONAL SERVICE BULLETINS

Airbus Service Bulletin— Describes procedures for— Which must be done prior to the actions specified in Airbus Service Bulletin— 

A330–31–3069, Revision 01, dated December 

27, 2004.

Installing EIS2 software standard L5 ............... A330–31–3087, dated June 26, 2006. 

A330–31–3056, Revision 02, dated March 24, 

2003.

Installing Thales display system standard L4 .. A330–31–3087, dated June 26, 2006. 

A340–31–4087, Revision 01, dated December 

27, 2004.

Installing EIS2 software standard L5 ............... A340–31–4100, dated June 26, 2006. 

A340–31–5012, Revision 01, dated December 

27, 2004.

Installing EIS2 software standard L5 ............... A340–31–5021, dated June 26, 2006. 

Accomplishing the actions specified 

in the service information is intended to 

adequately address the unsafe 

condition. The European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA), which is the 

Technical Agent for the Member States 

of the European Union, mandated the 

service information and issued EASA 

airworthiness directive 2006–0196, 

dated July 10, 2006 (which cancels 

French airworthiness directive F–2005–

166 R1), to ensure the continued 

airworthiness of these airplanes in the 

European Union. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

These airplane models are 

manufactured in France and are type 

certificated for operation in the United 

States under the provisions of section 

21.29 of the Federal Aviation 

Regulations (14 CFR 21.29) and the 

applicable bilateral airworthiness 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 50 / Thursday, March 15, 2007 / Proposed Rules 12129 

agreement. Pursuant to this bilateral 

airworthiness agreement, the EASA has 

kept the FAA informed of the situation 

described above. We have examined the 

EASA’s findings, evaluated all pertinent 

information, and determined that AD 

action is necessary for airplanes of this 

type design that are certificated for 

operation in the United States. 

This proposed AD would supersede 

AD 2005–17–18 and would retain the 

requirements of the existing AD. This 

proposed AD would also require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

service bulletins described previously, 

which would end the repetitive actions 

required by AD 2005–17–18. This 

proposed AD also would add additional 

airplanes that are subject to the 

identified unsafe condition of this 

proposed AD and that may be placed on 

the U.S. Register in the future. 

Difference Between the EASA 

Airworthiness Directive and This 

Proposed AD 

The applicability of EASA 

airworthiness directive 2006–0196 

excludes certain airplanes on which 

Airbus Service Bulletin A330–31–3087, 

A340–31–4100, or A340–31–5021 has 

been done in service. However, we have 

not excluded those airplanes in the 

applicability of this proposed AD; 

rather, this proposed AD includes a 

requirement to accomplish the actions 

specified in the original issue of those 

service bulletins. This requirement 

would ensure that the actions specified 

in the service bulletins and required by 

this proposed AD are accomplished on 

all affected airplanes. Operators must 

continue to operate the airplane in the 

configuration required by this proposed 

AD unless an AMOC is approved. 

Costs of Compliance 

The following table provides the 

estimated costs for U.S. operators to 

comply with this proposed AD. The 

average labor rate per hour is $80. 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Work hour(s) Parts Cost per airplane 

Number of 

U.S.-registered 

airplanes 

Fleet cost 

Resetting the DUs (required by AD 2005–

17–18).

1 .................................. None ............................ $80, per reset .............. 27 $2,160, per reset. 

Installation of new software (new proposed 

action).

3 .................................. The manufacturer 

states that it will supply required parts to 

the operators at no 

cost.

$240 ............................ 27 $6,480. 

Additional requirement 

(new proposed action).

Between 1 and 5 depending on the airplane configuration.The manufacturer 

states that it will supply required parts to 

the operators at no 

cost.

Between $80 and 

$400, depending on 

the airplane configuration.

27 Between $2,160 and 

$10,800, depending 

on the configuration 

of the fleet. 

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 have 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 that the 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); 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. 

We prepared a regulatory evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this proposed AD and placed it in the 

AD docket. See the ADDRESSES section 

for a location to examine the regulatory 

evaluation. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, 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 Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) amends § 39.13 

by removing amendment 39–14239 (70 

FR 50166, August 26, 2005) and adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

Airbus: Docket No. FAA–2007–27565; 

Directorate Identifier 2006–NM–215–AD. 

Comments Due Date 

(a) The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD action by April 16, 2007. 

Affected ADs 

(b) This AD supersedes AD 2005–17–18. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to Airbus Model A330 

and A340 airplanes; certificated in any 

category; on which one of the Airbus 

Electronic Instrument System 2 (EIS2) 

software versions listed in Table 1 of this AD 


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12130 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 50 / Thursday, March 15, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

is installed; excluding those airplanes on which Airbus Modification 53063 has been 

done in production. 

TABLE 1.—APPLICABILITY

EIS2 software version 

Installed by this 

Airbus modification in production Or installed by one of these Airbus service bulletins in service 

L4–1 ........................... 51153 A330–31–3056, A330–31–3057, or A340–31–5001. 

L5 ............................... 51974 A330–31–3056, A330–31–3069, A340–31–4087, or A340–31–5012. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from an incident in 

which all of the display units (DUs) for the 

EIS went blank simultaneously during flight. 

We are issuing this AD to prevent automatic 

reset of the DUs for the EIS during flight and 

consequent loss of data from the DUs, which 

could reduce the ability of the flightcrew to 

control the airplane during adverse flight 

conditions. 

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. 

Requirements of AD 2005–17–18 

Resetting the DUs for the EIS 

(f) For Model A330–201, –202, –203, –223, 

–243, –301, –321, –322, –323, –341, –342, 

and –343 airplanes; and Model A340–211, 

–212, –213, –311, –312, –313, –541, and –642 

airplanes: Within 2 days after September 12, 

2005 (the effective date of AD 2005–17–18), 

or within 4 days after the last reset of the DUs 

for the EIS or complete electrical shutdown 

of the airplane, whichever is first: Reset the 

DUs for the EIS by doing the actions in either 

paragraph (f)(1) or (f)(2) of this AD. 

Thereafter, do the actions in paragraph (f)(1) 

or (f)(2) of this AD at intervals not to exceed 

4 days. 

(1) Switch off each DU for the EIS, wait 5 

seconds or longer, and switch the DU back 

on again, in accordance with Airbus All 

Operator Telex (AOT) A330–31A3092 (for 

Model A330–201, –202, –203, –223, –243, 

–301, –321, –322, –323, –341, –342, and –343 

airplanes), A340–31A4102 (for A340–211, 

–212, –213, –311, –312, and –313 airplanes), 

or A340–31A5023 (for Model A340–541 and 

–642 airplanes), all dated August 1, 2005, as 

applicable. This action may be performed by 

the flight deck crew or by certificated 

maintenance personnel. 

(2) Perform a complete electrical shutdown 

of the airplane. 

New Requirements of This AD 

Installation of New Software 

(g) For airplanes other than those identified 

in paragraph (f) of this AD: Within 2 days 

after the effective date of this AD, or within 

4 days after the last reset of the DUs for the 

EIS or complete electrical shutdown of the 

airplane, whichever is first, do the reset 

specified in paragraph (f) of this AD and 

repeat thereafter at intervals not to exceed 4 

days, until the installation required by 

paragraph (h) of this AD has been done. 

(h) For all airplanes: Within 7 months after 

the effective date of this AD, install EIS2 

software standard L6–1 in accordance with 

the applicable service bulletin identified in 

Table 2 of this AD. Accomplishing the 

installation ends the actions required by 

paragraphs (f) and (g) of this AD. 

TABLE 2.—SERVICE BULLETINS FOR INSTALLATION OF NEW SOFTWARE

Airbus service bulletin— For model—

(1) A330–31–3087, dated June 26, 2006 .......... A330–201, –202, –203, –223, –243, –301, –302, –303, –321, –322, –323, –341, –342, and 

–343 airplanes. 

(2) A340–31–4100, dated June 26, 2006 .......... A340–211, –212, –213, –311, –312, and –313 airplanes. 

(3) A340–31–5021, dated June 26, 2006 .......... A340–541 and –642 airplanes. 

Additional Requirements 

(i) Prior to accomplishing the requirements 

specified in paragraph (g) of this AD, do the 

applicable action(s) specified in Table 3 of 

this AD. 

TABLE 3.—ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

For airplanes identified in— Install— In accordance with Airbus service bulletin—

(1) Paragraph (h)(1) of this AD ......................... (i) EIS2 software standard L5 .......................... A330–31–3069, Revision 01, dated December 

27, 2004. 

(ii) Thales display system standard L4 ............ A330–31–3056, Revision 02, dated March 24, 

2003. 

(2) Paragraph (h)(2) of this AD ......................... EIS2 software standard L5 ............................... A340–31–4087, Revision 01, dated December 

27, 2004. 

(3) Paragraph (h)(3) of this AD ......................... EIS2 software standard L5 ............................... A340–31–5012, Revision 01, dated December 

27, 2004. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(j)(1) The Manager, International Branch, 

ANM–116, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs 

for this AD, if requested in accordance with 

the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

(2) Before using any AMOC approved in 

accordance with § 39.19 on any airplane to 

which the AMOC applies, notify the 

appropriate principal inspector in the FAA 

Flight Standards Certificate Holding District 

Office. 

(3) AMOCs approved previously in 

accordance with AD 2005–17–18 are 

approved as AMOCs for the corresponding 

provisions of paragraph (f) of this AD. 

Related Information 

(k) European Aviation Safety Agency 

airworthiness directive 2006–0196, dated 

July 10, 2006, also addresses the subject of 

this AD. 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 50 / Thursday, March 15, 2007 / Proposed Rules 12131 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 7, 

2007. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–4741 Filed 3–14–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–27212; Directorate 

Identifier 2007–CE–011–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Air Tractor, 

Inc. Models AT–602, AT–802, and AT–

802A Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to supersede 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2006–22–

08, which applies to all Air Tractor, Inc. 

(Air Tractor) Models AT–602, AT–802, 

and AT–802A airplanes. AD 2006–22–

08 currently requires you to repetitively 

inspect the engine mount for any cracks, 

repair or replace any cracked engine 

mount, and report any cracks found to 

the FAA. Since we issued AD 2006–22–

08, the FAA has received reports of two 

Model AT–802A airplanes with cracked 

engine mounts (at 2,815 hours time-inservice (TIS) and 1,900 hours TIS) 

below the initial compliance time in AD 

2006–22–08. The FAA has determined 

that an initial inspection at 1,300 hours 

TIS is required instead of 4,000 hours 

TIS required by AD 2006–22–08. 

Consequently, this proposed AD would 

retain the actions of AD 2006–22–08 

while requiring the initial inspection at 

1,300 hours TIS. We are proposing this 

AD to detect and correct cracks in the 

engine mount, which could result in 

failure of the engine mount. Such failure 

could lead to separation of the engine 

from the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by May 14, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to comment on this proposed 

AD: 

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–

0001. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 

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

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

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

instructions for submitting comments. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Air Tractor, 

Inc., P.O. Box 485, Olney, Texas 76374; 

telephone: (940) 564–5616; facsimile: 

(940) 564–5612. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Andrew McAnaul, Aerospace Engineer, 

ASW–150 (c/o MIDO–43), 10100 

Reunion Place, Suite 650, San Antonio, 

Texas 78216; telephone: (210) 308–

3365; facsimile: (210) 308–3370. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments 

regarding this proposed AD. Send your 

comments to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include the docket 

number, ‘‘FAA–2007–27212; Directorate 

Identifier 2007–CE–011–AD’’ at the 

beginning of your comments. We 

specifically invite comments on the 

overall regulatory, economic, 

environmental, and energy aspects of 

the proposed AD. We will consider all 

comments received by the closing date 

and may amend the proposed AD in 

light of those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

concerning this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

Two reports from Air Tractor of 

cracked engine mounts resulting from 

fatigue caused us to issue AD 2006–22–

08, Amendment 39–14805 (71 FR 

62910, October 27, 2006). AD 2006–22–

08 currently requires the following on 

all Air Tractor Models AT–602, AT–802, 

and AT–802A airplanes: 

• Inspect (initially and repetitively) 

the engine mount for any cracks; 

• Repair or replace any cracked 

engine mount; and 

• Report any cracks found to the 

FAA. 

Since we issued AD 2006–22–08, the 

FAA has received reports of two Model 

AT–802A airplanes with cracked engine 

mounts (at 2,815 hours TIS and 1,900 

hours TIS) below the initial compliance 

time in AD 2006–22–08. The FAA has 

determined that an initial inspection at 

1,300 hours TIS is required instead of 

4,000 hours TIS as required by AD 

2006–22–08. 

This condition, if not corrected, could 

result in failure of the engine mount. 

Such failure could lead to separation of 

the engine from the airplane. 

Relevant Service Information 

We have reviewed Snow Engineering 

Co. Service Letter #253, dated December 

12, 2005, revised January 22, 2007. 

The service information describes 

procedures for performing a visual 

inspection for cracks of the engine 

mount and requesting a repair scheme 

from the manufacturer. 

Snow Engineering Co. has a licensing 

agreement with Air Tractor that allows 

them to produce technical data to use 

for Air Tractor products. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all information and 

determined the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. This proposed AD would 

supersede AD 2006–22–08 with a new 

AD that would require you to 

repetitively inspect the engine mount 

for any cracks, repair or replace any 

cracked engine mount, and report any 

cracks found to the FAA. To repair a 

cracked engine mount, you would 

obtain an FAA-approved repair scheme 

from Air Tractor following the 

instructions in the service information. 

This proposed AD would require you 

to use the service information described 

previously to perform these actions. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 368 

airplanes in the U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to do 

each required inspection: 


rmajette on PROD1PC67 with PROPOSALS