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

15636 

Vol. 77, No. 52 

Friday, March 16, 2012 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0266; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–NM–061–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320 

series airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by reports of unsuccessful 

slide deployments during scheduled 

deployment tests, and failed functional 

tests of the release travel of the slide 

release mechanism. This proposed AD 

would require inspecting the off-wing 

slide release cables on the left- and 

right-hand sides to determine whether a 

certain part number is installed, and 

replacement if necessary. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent nonavailability of left- or right-hand offwing exit slides that could impair 

emergency evacuation of the passengers 

and flightcrew, and could result in 

personal injuries. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by April 30, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.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: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–40, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 

a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Airbus, 

Airworthiness Office—EAS, 1 Rond 

Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac 

Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 

96; fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email: 

account.airworth-eas@airbus.com; 

Internet http://www.airbus.com. You 

may review copies of the referenced 

service information at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 425–227– 

1221. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://www.regulations.

gov; or in person at the Docket 

Operations office between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this proposed AD, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

office (telephone (800) 647–5527) is in 

the ADDRESSES section. Comments will 

be available in the AD docket shortly 

after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; telephone 

(425) 227–1405; fax (425) 227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposed AD. Send your comments 

to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2012–0266; Directorate Identifier 

2011–NM–061–AD’’ at the beginning of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed AD based on those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http://www.

regulations.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA 

Airworthiness Directive 2011–0015, 

dated January 31, 2011 (referred to after 

this as ‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe 

condition for the specified products. 

The MCAI states: 

Several operators reported unsuccessful 

slide deployments during scheduled 

deployment tests and/or failed functional 

tests of the release travel of the slide release 

mechanism. 

Investigations revealed deformation of the 

PTFE (Teflon) ball guide strip of the release 

cable, Part Number (P/N) L32A319–160–001. 

In such a situation the travel of the cable 

could be insufficient to open the valve when 

opening the exit, thereby reducing the gas 

flow from the reservoir to the off-wing slide 

in automatic or manual mode. As a result, the 

aspirator will not ingest sufficient ambient 

air for slide inflation. 

This condition, if not corrected, could lead 

to the non-availability of LH [left-hand] and/ 

or RH [right-hand] off-wing exit slides for 

evacuation that would impair emergency 

evacuation of the aeroplane occupants, 

possibly resulting in personal injuries. 

For the reasons described above, this 

[EASA] AD requires the identification 

[inspection] and replacement of both Left 

hand (LH) and Right Hand (RH) off-wing 

slide release cables P/N L32A319–160–001 

with P/N L32A320–180, which have precise 

stainless steel ball bearing stripes instead of 

stamped PTFE stripes. 

You may obtain further information by 

examining the MCAI in the AD docket. 

Relevant Service Information 

Airbus has issued the service 

bulletins listed below. The actions 

described in this service information are 

intended to correct the unsafe condition 

identified in the MCAI. 

• Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28– 

1118, Revision 03, including Appendix 

1, dated May 12, 2009. 

• Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28– 

1132, Revision 04, including 

Appendices 1 and 2, dated February 1, 

2010. 

• Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28– 

1145, Revision 01, including Appendix 

01, dated April 27, 2007. 

• Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28– 

1154, Revision 01, dated April 7, 2008. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 52 / Friday, March 16, 2012 / Proposed Rules 15637 

• Airbus Service Bulletin A320–53– 

1227, Revision 01, dated May 31, 2010. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of This Proposed AD 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country, and is approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to our 

bilateral agreement with the State of 

Design Authority, we have been notified 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

MCAI and service information 

referenced above. We are proposing this 

AD because we evaluated all pertinent 

information and determined an unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

MCAI or Service Information 

This AD differs from the MCAI and/ 

or service information as follows: 

Although the MCAI states that no 

person may install an off-wing slide 

release cable having P/N L32A319–160– 

001 on any airplane after the 

modifications specified in paragraphs 

(g) or (h) of this AD have been done, or 

on airplanes that do not have P/N 

L32A319–160–001 installed as of the 

effective date of the MCAI, this AD 

requires that, as of the effective date of 

this AD, no person may install an offwing slide release cable having P/N 

L32A319–160–001 on any airplane. 

Costs of Compliance 

Based on the service information, we 

estimate that this proposed AD would 

affect about 694 products of U.S. 

registry. We also estimate that it would 

take about 39 work-hours per product to 

comply with the basic requirements of 

this proposed AD. The average labor 

rate is $85 per work-hour. Required 

parts would cost about $5,750 per 

product. Where the service information 

lists required parts costs that are 

covered under warranty, we have 

assumed that there will be no charge for 

these parts. As we do not control 

warranty coverage for affected parties, 

some parties may incur costs higher 

than estimated here. Based on these 

figures, we estimate the cost of the 

proposed AD on U.S. operators to be 

$6,291,110, or $9,065 per product. 

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 that 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. 

We prepared a regulatory evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this AD and placed it in the AD docket. 

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: 

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: 

Airbus: Docket No. FAA–2012–0266; 

Directorate Identifier 2011–NM–061–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by April 30, 

2012. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all Airbus Model A318– 

111, –112, –121, and –122 airplanes; Model 

A319–111, –112, –113, –114, –115, –131, 

–132, and –133 airplanes; and Model A320– 

111, –211, –212, –214, –231, –232, and –233 

airplanes; certificated in any category; all 

serial numbers. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 28: Fuel tanks; 53: Fuselage. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by reports of 

unsuccessful slide deployments during 

scheduled deployment tests, and failed 

functional tests of the release travel of the 

slide release mechanism. We are issuing this 

AD to prevent non-availability of left- or 

right-hand off-wing exit slides that could 

impair emergency evacuation of the 

passengers and flightcrew, and could result 

in personal injuries. 

(f) Compliance 

You are responsible for having the actions 

required by this AD performed within the 

compliance times specified, unless the 

actions have already been done. 

(g) Inspection and Modification 

Except as provided by paragraph (l) of this 

AD, within 36 months after the effective date 

of this AD, inspect the off-wing slide release 

cables on the left- and right-hand sides to 

determine whether part number (P/N) 

L32A319–160–001 is installed. A review of 

airplane maintenance records is acceptable in 

lieu of this inspection if the part number of 

the off-wing slide release cables can be 

conclusively determined from that review. If 

any off-wing slide release cable has P/N 

L32A319–160–001, before further flight, 

replace with a new off-wing slide release 

cable having P/N L32A320–180, in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A320– 

53–1227, Revision 01, dated May 31, 2010. 

(h) Optional Modification 

Installation of a shorter off-wing slide 

release cable having P/N L32A319–160–002 

with relocated inflation bottle during 

installation of the additional center tank, in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions of the applicable service bulletin 

identified in paragraphs (h)(1) through (h)(4) 

of this AD, is acceptable for compliance with 

the requirements of paragraph (g) of this AD. 

(1) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1118, 

Revision 03, including Appendix 1, dated 

May 12, 2009. 

(2) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1132, 

Revision 04, including Appendices 1 and 2, 

dated February 1, 2010. 

(3) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1145, 

Revision 01, including Appendix 01, dated 

April 27, 2007. 


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15638 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 52 / Friday, March 16, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

(4) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1154, 

Revision 01, dated April 7, 2008. 

(i) Parts Installation 

As of the effective date of this AD, no 

person may install an off-wing slide release 

cable having P/N L32A319–160–001 on any 

airplane. 

(j) Credit for Previous Actions 

This paragraph provides credit for the 

actions required by paragraph (g) of this AD, 

if installation of off-wing slide release cables 

having P/N L32A320–180 was done before 

the effective date of this AD using the 

applicable service bulletin identified in 

paragraph (j)(1) through (j)(6) of this AD. 

(1) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–53–1227, 

dated March 24, 2010. 

(2) Airbus Service BulletinA320–28–1132, 

dated October 13, 2004. 

(3) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1132, 

Revision 01, dated October 12, 2006. 

(4) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1132, 

Revision 02, dated November 12, 2008. 

(5) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1132, 

Revision 03, dated October 5, 2009. 

(6) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1145, 

dated February 28, 2006. 

(k) Exception 

Provided that off-wing slide release cables 

have not been replaced with a slide release 

cable having P/N L32A319–160–001, 

airplanes having Airbus modification 

150811, 26138, 37856, or 39673 installed in 

production are acceptable for compliance 

with the requirements of paragraph (g) of this 

AD. 

(l) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, International 

Branch, ANM–116, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, 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 local 

Flight Standards District Office, as 

appropriate. If sending information directly 

to the International Branch, send it to ATTN: 

Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057– 

3356; telephone (425) 227–1405; fax (425) 

227–1149. Information may be emailed to: 

9-ANM-116-AMOC-REQUESTS@faa.gov. 

Before using any approved AMOC, notify 

your appropriate principal inspector, or 

lacking a principal inspector, the manager of 

the local flight standards district office/ 

certificate holding district office. The AMOC 

approval letter must specifically reference 

this AD. 

(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. 

(m) Related Information 

Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA) Airworthiness Directive 

2011–0015, dated January 31, 2011; and the 

service information specified in paragraphs 

(m)(1) through (m)(5) of this AD; for related 

information: 

(1) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1118, 

Revision 03, including Appendix 1, dated 

May 12, 2009. 

(2) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1132, 

Revision 04, including Appendices 1 and 2, 

dated February 1, 2010. 

(3) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1145, 

Revision 01, including Appendix 01, dated 

April 27, 2007. 

(4) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1154, 

Revision 01, dated April 7, 2008. 

(5) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–53–1227, 

Revision 01, dated May 31, 2010. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 1, 

2012. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6465 Filed 3–15–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2009–0288; Directorate 

Identifier 2008–NM–214–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM); 

reopening of comment period. 

SUMMARY: We are revising an earlier 

proposed airworthiness directive (AD) 

for certain The Boeing Company Model 

737–600, –700, –700C, –800, –900 and 

–900ER series airplanes. That NPRM 

proposed to require modifying the fluid 

drain path in the wing leading edge 

area, forward of the wing front spar, and 

doing all applicable related investigative 

and corrective actions. That NPRM was 

prompted by a report of leaking fuel 

from the wing leading edge area at the 

inboard end of the number 5 leading 

edge slat. This action revises that NPRM 

by including installing new seal disks 

on the latches in the fuel shutoff valve 

access door as part of the modification 

and by specifying that certain 

inspections are detailed inspections. 

This action also revises the applicability 

to include additional airplanes. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent flammable 

fluids from accumulating in the wing 

leading edge, and draining inboard and 

onto the engine exhaust nozzle, which 

could result in a fire. Since these actions 

impose an additional burden over that 

proposed in the NPRM, we are 

reopening the comment period to allow 

the public the chance to comment on 

these proposed changes. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this supplemental NPRM by April 30, 

2012. 

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 

http://www.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: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 

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

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data 

& Services Management, P.O. Box 3707, 

MC 2H–65, Seattle, Washington 98124– 

2207; telephone 206–544–5000, 

extension 1; fax 206–766–5680; email 

me.boecom@boeing.com; Internet 

https://www.myboeingfleet.com. You 

may review copies of the referenced 

service information at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 425–227– 

1221. 

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 this proposed AD (74 

FR 15683, April 7, 2009), the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

the Docket Office (phone: 800–647– 

5527) is in the ADDRESSES section. 

Comments will be available in the AD 

docket shortly after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Chris Parker, Aerospace Engineer, 

Propulsion Branch, ANM–140S, FAA, 

Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 


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