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Rules and Regulations Federal Register

14393 

Vol. 72, No. 59 

Wednesday, March 28, 2007 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2006–25850; Directorate 

Identifier 2006–NM–128–AD; Amendment 

39–15004; AD 2007–07–04] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; McDonnell 

Douglas Model MD–11 and –11F 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

McDonnell Douglas Model MD–11 and 

–11F airplanes. This AD requires 

revising the maintenance inspection 

program that provides for inspection of 

principal structural elements (PSEs) and 

replacement of safe-life parts, to 

incorporate a new revision to the MD– 

11 Airworthiness Limitations 

Instructions. The revision reduces 

inspection intervals for fatigue cracking 

of certain PSEs, and expands the 

inspection area for a certain other PSE. 

This AD results from a revised damage 

tolerance analysis. We are issuing this 

AD to detect and correct fatigue 

cracking of certain PSEs, which could 

adversely affect the structural integrity 

of the airplane. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective May 

2, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD 

docket on the Internet at http:// 

dms.dot.gov or in person at the Docket 

Management Facility, U.S. Department 

of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, 

SW., Nassif Building, Room PL–401, 

Washington, DC. 

Contact Boeing Commercial Aircraft 

Group, Long Beach Division, 3855 

Lakewood Boulevard, Long Beach, 

California 90846, Attention: Data and 

Service Management, Dept. C1–L5A 

(D800–0024), for the service information 

identified in this AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Maureen Moreland, Aerospace 

Engineer, Airframe Branch, ANM–120L, 

FAA, Los Angeles Aircraft Certification 

Office, 3960 Paramount Boulevard, 

Lakewood, California 90712–4137; 

telephone (562) 627–5238; fax (562) 

627–5210. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Examining the Docket 

You may examine the airworthiness 

directive (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 street address stated in the 

ADDRESSES section. 

Discussion 

The FAA issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to all McDonnell Douglas Model 

MD–11 and –11F airplanes. That NPRM 

was published in the Federal Register 

on September 20, 2006 (71 FR 54941). 

That NPRM proposed to require revising 

the maintenance inspection program 

that provides for inspection of principal 

structural elements (PSEs) and 

replacement of safe-life parts, to 

incorporate a new revision to the MD– 

11 Airworthiness Limitations 

Instructions (ALI). The revision would 

reduce inspection intervals for fatigue 

cracking of certain PSEs, and expand 

the inspection area for a certain other 

PSE. 

Comments 

We provided the public the 

opportunity to participate in the 

development of this AD. We have 

considered the comment received. 

Request To Extend Certain Initial 

Inspection Thresholds 

Boeing has requested that we provide 

an extension of the initial inspection 

threshold for certain airplanes. Boeing 

states that the ALI specified in the 

NPRM would require reducing the 

initial inspection threshold for PSE 

54.52.01.1 from 19,000 total flight cycles 

to 10,200 total flight cycles. Boeing adds 

that for PSEs 54.21.01.1 (54.52.01.1), 

57.21.02.1, and 57.23.01.1, a minimum 

of 24 months is required to accomplish 

the initial inspection after paragraph (f) 

of the NPRM is done; the initial 

inspection times for these PSEs were 

reduced. Boeing also states that, as of 

July 2006, there are approximately 50 

airplanes exceeding 10,000 total flight 

cycles. Boeing points out that the ALI 

would reduce the initial inspection 

threshold for PSEs 57.21.02.1 and 

57.23.01.1 from 19,900 total flight cycles 

to 15,750 and 15,250 total flight cycles 

respectively. Boeing notes that, as of 

July 2006, there are six airplanes with 

more than 12,000 total flight cycles. 

Additionally, Boeing points out that the 

ALI would reduce the repetitive 

inspection interval for PSE 57.21.05.1 

from 10,000 flight cycles to 3,200 flight 

cycles. Approximately 50 airplanes 

would have already accomplished the 

inspection, but would be planning for a 

10,000-flight-cycle repetitive interval 

instead of a 3,200-flight-cycle repetitive 

interval. Boeing asserts that a 

substantial increase in the compliance 

time requirements for those PSE 

inspections is necessary to prevent an 

immediate hardship on the operators of 

these airplanes. 

For the reasons cited by Boeing, we 

agree with its request to extend certain 

inspection compliance times. We have 

determined that PSE number 54.21.01.1, 

as cited in Boeing’s comment, is a 

typographical error and we have used 

the correct PSE number, 54.52.01.1, in 

this AD. We have added a new 

paragraph (h) to this AD to specify those 

certain PSE inspection compliance 

times, and re-identified the remaining 

paragraphs accordingly. 

Conclusion 

We have carefully reviewed the 

available data, including the comment 

received, and determined that air safety 

and the public interest require adopting 

the AD with the change described 

previously. These changes will neither 

increase the economic burden on any 

operator nor increase the scope of the 

AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

There are about 102 airplanes of the 

affected design in the worldwide fleet. 

This AD affects about 93 airplanes of 


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14394 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 59 / Wednesday, March 28, 2007 / Rules and Regulations 

U.S. registry. The maintenance and 

inspection program revision takes about 

1 work hour per airplane, at an average 

labor rate of $80 per work hour. Based 

on these figures, the estimated cost of 

the AD for U.S. operators is $7,440, or 

$80 per airplane, per inspection cycle. 

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 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 that this AD: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866; 

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

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 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. 

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 Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) amends § 39.13 

by adding the following new 

airworthiness directive (AD): 

2007–07–04 McDonnell Douglas: 

Amendment 39–15004. Docket No. 

FAA–2006–25850; Directorate Identifier 

2006–NM–128–AD. 

Effective Date 

(a) This AD becomes effective May 2, 2007. 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to all McDonnell 

Douglas Model MD–11 and –11F airplanes, 

certificated in any category. 

Note 1: This AD requires revisions to 

certain operator maintenance documents to 

incorporate new inspections for fatigue 

cracking of principal structural elements 

(PSEs). Compliance with these inspections is 

required by 14 CFR 91.403(c). For airplanes 

that have been previously modified, altered, 

or repaired in the areas addressed by these 

inspections, the operator may not be able to 

incorporate the inspections described in the 

revisions. In this situation, to comply with 14 

CFR 91.403(c), the operator must request 

approval for an alternative method of 

compliance according to paragraph (i) of this 

AD. The request should include a description 

of changes to the required inspections that 

will ensure the continued damage tolerance 

of the affected structure. The FAA has 

provided guidance for this determination in 

Advisory Circular (AC) 25–1529–1. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from a revised damage 

tolerance analysis. We are issuing this AD to 

detect and correct fatigue cracking of certain 

principal structural elements (PSEs), which 

could adversely affect the structural integrity 

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. 

Revision of Airworthiness Limitations 

Section 

(f) Except as provided by paragraph (h) of 

this AD: Within 18 months after the effective 

date of this AD, revise the Airworthiness 

Limitations section of the Instructions for 

Continued Airworthiness, Airworthiness 

Limitations Instructions (ALI), according to a 

method approved by the Manager, Los 

Angeles Aircraft Certification Office (ACO), 

FAA. Boeing MD–11 ALI, Report Number 

MDC–K5225, Revision 11, dated March 2006, 

is one approved method. 

(g) Except as provided by paragraph (i) of 

this AD: After the actions specified in 

paragraph (f) of this AD have been done, no 

alternative inspection intervals or 

replacement times may be approved for the 

PSEs and safe-life limited parts specified in 

Boeing MD–11 ALI Report Number MDC–

K5225, Revision 11, dated March 2006. 

Compliance Times for Inspections 

(h) Accomplish the initial threshold and 

repetitive inspection intervals specified in 

the ALI, as applicable, at the times specified 

in paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(2) of this AD. 

(1) For PSEs 54.52.01.1, 57.21.02.1, and 

57.23.01.1: Accomplish the initial inspection 

within 24 months after accomplishment of 

the requirements in paragraph (f) of this AD, 

or within the initial inspection interval 

specified in the ALI, whichever occurs later. 

(2) For airplanes on which the initial 

inspection of PSE 57.21.05.1 has been 

accomplished as of the effective date of this 

AD: Repeat the inspection within 24 months 

after accomplishment of the requirements in 

paragraph (f) of this AD, or within 3,200 

flight cycles after accomplishment of the 

initial inspection, whichever occurs later. 

Repeat the inspection thereafter at intervals 

not to exceed 3,200 flight cycles. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(i)(1) The Manager, Los Angeles ACO, has 

the authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, 

if requested in accordance with the 

procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

(2) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair 

required by accomplishing the actions of 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, Los Angeles ACO, to make those 

findings. For a repair method to be approved, 

the repair must meet the certification basis of 

the airplane, and the approval must 

specifically refer to this AD. 

(3) 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. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

(j) None. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 

19, 2007. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–5554 Filed 3–27–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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