Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Proposed Rules 15073 

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 reference this AD. 

(2) For Boeing Model 767–200, –300, 

–300F, and –400ER series airplanes: Rework 

the electrical bonding between the airplane 

structure and the pump housing of the 

override/jettison pumps in the left and right 

wing center auxiliary fuel tanks, and do the 

related investigative and applicable 

corrective actions. 

Credit for Actions Accomplished Previously 

(g) Actions done before the effective date 

of this AD in accordance with Boeing Special 

Attention Service Bulletin 747–28–2259, 

dated November 4, 2004, are acceptable for 

compliance with the corresponding 

requirements of paragraph (f)(1) of this AD. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(h)(1) The Manager, Seattle 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. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 

23, 2007. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–5928 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–27740; Directorate 

Identifier 2006–NM–290–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Boeing 

Model 737–600, –700, –700C, –800 and 

–900 Series Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

certain Boeing Model 737–600, –700, 

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

This proposed AD would require an 

inspection of the fillet sealant at the 

inboard and outboard sides of the 

receptacles in the wheel wells of the 

main landing gear, and related 

investigative/corrective actions if 

necessary. This proposed AD results 

from reports of in-production airplanes 

with missing or insufficient fillet sealant 

around the receptacles at the disconnect 

bracket. We are proposing this AD to 

prevent corrosion damage due to 

missing or insufficient fillet sealant. 

Such corrosion could result in 

insufficient electrical bonding between 

the connectors and the disconnect 

bracket, and consequent loss of the 

shielding that protects the wire bundles 

from lightning, electromagnetic 

interference (EMI), and high intensity 

radiated field (HIRF). Loss of lightning, 

EMI, and HIRF protection at those 

receptacles could cause failure of 

multiple electrical systems and 

subsequent loss of several critical 

control systems that are necessary for 

safe flight. In addition, a lightning strike 

could cause arcing in the fuel tank; this 

potential ignition source, in 

combination with flammable fuel 

vapors, could result in a fuel tank 

explosion and consequent loss of the 

airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by May 14, 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 Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, 

Washington 98124–2207, for the service 

information identified in this proposed 

AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Binh Tran, Aerospace Engineer, Systems 

and Equipment Branch, ANM–130S, 

FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification 

Office, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; telephone 

(425) 917–6485; fax (425) 917–6590. 

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 ‘‘FAA–2007–27740; Directorate 

Identifier 2006–NM–290–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 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. 

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 

We have received a report indicating 

that 333 Boeing Model 737–600, –700, 

–700C, –800 and –900 series airplanes 

in the production factory had missing or 

insufficient fillet sealant around the 

receptacles in the wheel wells of the 

main landing gear (MLG). Missing or 

insufficient fillet sealant could result in 

corrosion damage, and consequent 

insufficient electrical bonding between 

the connectors and the disconnect 

bracket. The loss of electrical bonding 

could result in loss of the shielding that 

protects the wire bundles from 

lightning, electromagnetic interference 

(EMI), and high intensity radiated field 

(HIRF). The loss of lightning, EMI, and 

HIRF protection at those receptacles 

could cause multiple electrical systems 

failures. Those failures could result in 

the loss of several critical control 

systems that are necessary for safe flight. 


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15074 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

In addition, a lightning strike could 

cause arcing in the fuel tank; this 

potential ignition source, in 

combination with flammable fuel 

vapors, could result in a fuel tank 

explosion and consequent loss of the 

airplane. 

Relevant Service Information 

We have reviewed Boeing Special 

Attention Service Bulletin 737–24–

1169, dated December 15, 2006. The 

service bulletin describes procedures for 

a detailed inspection of the fillet sealant 

at the inboard and outboard sides of the 

receptacles in the MLG wheel wells. For 

airplanes on which the sealant is 

missing or otherwise insufficient, the 

service bulletin describes the following 

related investigative and corrective 

actions: 

• An additional detailed inspection to 

detect signs of corrosion damage of the 

connector and receptacle; 

• Cleaning of any corrosion-free 

connector; 

• Cleaning of any receptacle that has 

corrosion damage on less than 20 

percent of the total surface area of the 

receptacle flange; 

• Replacement (with a new part 

having the same part number) of any 

receptacle that has corrosion on more 

than 20 percent of the total surface area 

of the receptacle flange; 

• Replacement of corroded 

connectors with connectors identified in 

the service bulletin; and 

• Application of fillet sealant around 

the receptacles. 

Accomplishing the actions specified 

in the service information is intended to 

adequately address the unsafe 

condition. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

We have evaluated all pertinent 

information and identified an unsafe 

condition that is likely to exist or 

develop on other airplanes of this same 

type design. For this reason, we are 

proposing this AD, which would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

the service information described 

previously. 

Costs of Compliance 

There are about 333 airplanes of the 

affected design in the worldwide fleet. 

The following table provides the 

estimated costs for U.S. operators to 

comply with this proposed AD. 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Work hours 

Average labor 

rate per 

hour 

Cost per airplane 

Number of 

U.S.-registered 

airplanes 

Fleet cost 

1 ....................................................................................................................... $80 $80 118 $9,440 

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 adding the following new 

airworthiness directive (AD): 

Boeing: Docket No. FAA–2007–27740; 

Directorate Identifier 2006–NM–290–AD. 

Comments Due Date 

(a) The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD action by May 14, 2007. 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to Boeing Model 737–

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

airplanes; certificated in any category; as 

identified in Boeing Special Attention 

Service Bulletin 737–24–1169, dated 

December 15, 2006. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from reports of inproduction airplanes with missing or 

insufficient fillet sealant around the 

receptacles installed in the wheel wells of the 

main landing gear (MLG). We are issuing this 

AD to prevent corrosion damage due to 

missing or insufficient fillet sealant. Such 

corrosion could result in insufficient 

electrical bonding between the connectors 

and the disconnect bracket, and consequent 

loss of the shielding that protects the wire 

bundles from lightning, electromagnetic 

interference (EMI), and high intensity 

radiated field (HIRF). Loss of lightning, EMI, 

and HIRF protection at those receptacles 

could cause failure of multiple electrical 

systems and subsequent loss of several 

critical control systems that are necessary for 

safe flight. In addition, a lightning strike 

could cause arcing in the fuel tank; this 

potential ignition source, in combination 

with flammable fuel vapors, could result in 

a fuel tank explosion and consequent loss of 

the airplane. 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 61 / Friday, March 30, 2007 / Proposed Rules 15075 

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. 

Inspection 

(f) Within 24 months after the effective 

date of this AD, perform a detailed inspection 

to determine if there is sufficient fillet sealant 

at the inboard and outboard sides of the 

receptacles in the MLG wheel wells, in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Boeing Special Attention 

Service Bulletin 737–24–1169, dated 

December 15, 2006. Do all applicable related 

investigative and corrective actions before 

further flight in accordance with the service 

bulletin. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(g)(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. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 

23, 2007. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–5907 Filed 3–29–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2006–26354; Directorate 

Identifier 2006–NM–196–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Empresa 

Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. 

(EMBRAER) Model EMB–135 Airplanes 

and Model EMB–145, –145ER, –145MR, 

–145LR, –145XR, –145MP, and –145EP 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM); 

reopening of comment period. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is revising an earlier 

NPRM for certain EMBRAER Model 

EMB–135 airplanes and Model EMB–

145, –145ER, –145MR, –145LR, –145XR, 

–145MP, and –145EP airplanes. The 

original NPRM would have required 

replacing the metallic tubes enclosing 

the vent and pilot valve wires in the 

left- and right-hand wing fuel tanks with 

non-conductive hoses. The original 

NPRM resulted from fuel system 

reviews conducted by the manufacturer. 

This action revises the original NPRM 

by adding airplanes to the applicability. 

We are proposing this supplemental 

NPRM to prevent an ignition source 

inside the fuel tank that could ignite 

fuel vapor and cause a fuel tank 

explosion and loss of the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this supplemental NPRM by April 24, 

2007. 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to submit comments on this 

supplemental NPRM. 

• 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 Empresa Brasileira de 

Aeronautica S.A. (EMBRAER), P.O. Box 

343–CEP 12.225, Sao Jose dos CamposSP, Brazil, for service information 

identified in this AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom 

Groves, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 

98057–3356; telephone (425) 227–1503; 

fax (425) 227–1503. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to submit any relevant 

written data, views, or arguments 

regarding this supplemental NPRM. 

Send your comments to an address 

listed in the ADDRESSES section. Include 

the docket number ‘‘Docket No. FAA–

2006–26354; Directorate Identifier 

2006–NM–196–AD’’ at the beginning of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this supplemental NPRM. We 

will consider all comments received by 

the closing date and may amend this 

supplemental NPRM in light of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments submitted, 

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 supplemental NPRM. 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. 

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 in the Nassif Building at the DOT 

street address stated in ADDRESSES. 

Comments will be available in the AD 

docket shortly after the Docket 

Management System receives them. 

Discussion 

We proposed to amend 14 CFR part 

39 with a notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM) for an airworthiness directive 

(AD) (the ‘‘original NPRM’’). The 

original NPRM applies to certain 

EMBRAER Model EMB–135 airplanes 

and Model EMB–145, –145ER, –145MR, 

–145LR, –145XR, –145MP, and –145EP 

airplanes. The original NPRM was 

published in the Federal Register on 

November 20, 2006 (71 FR 67082). The 

original NPRM proposed to require 

replacing the metallic tubes enclosing 

the vent and pilot valve wires in the 

left- and right-hand wing fuel tanks with 

non-conductive hoses. 

Comments 

We have considered the following 

comments on the original NPRM. 

Support for the NPRM 

Chautauqua Airlines expresses full 

support for the intent of the NPRM and 

the initiatives taken by the FAA to 

enhance safety. 

Request To Revise Service Information 

Reference 

EMBRAER requests that we revise the 

NPRM to refer to current service 

information. EMBRAER states that, 

although the NPRM specifies Service 

Bulletin 145–28–0023, Revision 05, 


pwalker on PROD1PC71 with PROPOSALS