This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains regulatory documents having general

applicability and legal effect, most of which

are keyed to and codified in the Code of

Federal Regulations, which is published under

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Rules and Regulations Federal Register

2437 

Vol. 77, No. 11 

Wednesday, January 18, 2012 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 25 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0015; Special 

Conditions No. 25–455–SC] 

Special Conditions: Gulfstream 

Aerospace Corporation, Model GVI 

Airplane; Rechargeable Lithium 

Batteries and Rechargeable LithiumBattery Systems 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final special conditions; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: These special conditions are 

issued for the Gulfstream Aerospace 

Corporation (GAC) Model GVI airplane. 

This airplane will have a novel or 

unusual design feature associated with 

the installation of rechargeable lithium 

batteries and rechargeable lithiumbattery systems. The applicable 

airworthiness regulations do not contain 

adequate or appropriate safety standards 

for this design feature. These special 

conditions contain the additional safety 

standards that the Administrator 

considers necessary to establish a level 

of safety equivalent to that established 

by the existing airworthiness standards. 

DATES: The effective date of these 

special conditions is January 9, 2012. 

We must receive your comments by 

March 5, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by docket number FAA–2012–0015 

using any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and follow 

the online instructions for sending your 

comments electronically. 

• Mail: Send comments to Docket 

Operations, M–30, U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Room W12–140, West 

Building Ground Floor, Wahsington, 

DC, 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: Take 

comments to Docket Operations in 

Room W12–140 of the West Building 

Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 

8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except federal holidays. 

• Fax: Fax comments to Docket 

Operations at (202) 493–2251. 

Privacy: The FAA will post all 

comments it receives, without change, 

to http://regulations.gov, including any 

personal information the commenter 

provides. Using the search function of 

the docket web site, anyone can find 

and read the electronic form of all 

comments received into any FAA 

docket, including the name of the 

individual sending the comment (or 

signing the comment for an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). DOT’s 

complete Privacy Act Statement can be 

found in the Federal Register published 

on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477–19478), 

as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov. 

Docket: Background documents or 

comments received may be read at 

http://www.regulations.gov at any time. 

Follow the online instructions for 

accessing the docket or go to the Docket 

Operations in Room W12–140 of the 

West Building Ground Floor at 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

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

through Friday, except federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nazih Khaouly, Airplane and Flight 

Crew Interface Branch, ANM–111, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, Washington 98057–3356; 

telephone (425) 227–2432; facsimile 

(425) 227–1320. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA 

has determined that notice of, and 

opportunity for prior public comment 

on, these special conditions are 

impracticable because these procedures 

would significantly delay issuance of 

the design approval and thus delivery of 

the affected aircraft. In addition, the 

substance of these special conditions 

has been subject to the public comment 

process in several prior instances with 

no substantive comments received. The 

FAA therefore finds that good cause 

exists for making these special 

conditions effective upon issuance. 

Comments Invited 

We invite interested people to take 

part in this rulemaking by sending 

written comments, data, or views. The 

most helpful comments reference a 

specific portion of the special 

conditions, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. 

We will consider all comments we 

receive by the closing date for 

comments. We may change these special 

conditions based on the comments we 

receive. 

Background 

On March 29, 2005, GAC applied for 

an FAA type certificate for its new 

Model GVI passenger airplane (hereafter 

referred to as ‘‘the GVI’’). On September 

28, 2006, GAC re-applied for the GVI 

type certificate to adhere to the 

application effectivity established by 

Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations 

(14 CFR) 21.17(c), and on July 31, 2011, 

GAC requested an extension of 

application in accordance with 

§ 21.17(d)(2). The FAA concurred with 

this request and established a new 

effective application date of September 

18, 2007. The GVI airplane will be an 

all-new, two-engine jet transport 

airplane. The maximum takeoff weight 

will be 99,600 pounds, with a maximum 

passenger count of 19 passengers. 

Type Certification Basis 

Under the provisions of Title 14, Code 

of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.17, 

GAC must show that the GVI meets the 

applicable provisions of 14 CFR part 25, 

as amended by Amendments 25–1 

through 25–120, 25–122, 25–124, and 

25–132 thereto. If the Administrator 

finds that the applicable airworthiness 

regulations (i.e., 14 CFR part 25) do not 

contain adequate or appropriate safety 

standards for the GVI because of a novel 

or unusual design feature, special 

conditions are prescribed under the 

provisions of § 21.16. 

Special conditions are initially 

applicable to the model for which they 

are issued. Should the type certificate 

for that model be amended later to 

include any other model that 

incorporates the same novel or unusual 

design feature, the special conditions 

would also apply to the other model. 

In addition to the applicable 

airworthiness regulations and special 

conditions, the GVI must comply with 


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2438 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 18, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

the fuel vent and exhaust emission 

requirements of 14 CFR part 34 and the 

noise certification requirements of 14 

CFR part 36; and the FAA must issue a 

finding of regulatory adequacy under 

§ 611 of Public Law 92–574, the ‘‘Noise 

Control Act of 1972.’’ 

The FAA issues special conditions, as 

defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in accordance 

with § 11.38, and they become part of 

the type-certification basis under 

§ 21.17(a)(2). 

Novel or Unusual Design Features 

The GVI will incorporate the 

following novel or unusual design 

features: Rechargeable lithium batteries 

and rechargeable lithium-battery 

systems. 

Discussion 

The current regulations governing 

installation of batteries in large, 

transport-category airplanes were 

derived from Civil Air Regulations 

(CAR) Part 4b.625(d) as part of the recodification of CAR 4b that established 

14 CFR part 25 in February 1965. The 

new battery requirements, § 25.1353(c) 

(1) through (c)(4), basically reworded 

the CAR requirements. 

Increased use of nickel-cadmium (NiCd) batteries in small airplanes resulted 

in increased incidents of battery fires 

and failures, which led to additional 

rulemaking affecting large, transportcategory airplanes as well as small 

airplanes. On September 1, 1977, and 

March 1, 1978, respectively, the FAA 

issued § 25.1353(c)(5) and (c)(6), 

governing Ni-Cd battery installations on 

large, transport-category airplanes. 

The proposed use of rechargeable 

lithium batteries and rechargeable 

lithium-battery systems for equipment 

and systems on the GVI have prompted 

the FAA to review the adequacy of these 

existing regulations. Our review 

indicates that the existing regulations do 

not adequately address several failure, 

operational, and maintenance 

characteristics of rechargeable lithium 

batteries and rechargeable lithiumbattery systems that could affect the 

safety and reliability of the GVI 

rechargeable lithium batteries and 

rechargeable lithium-battery-system 

installations. 

At present, commercial aviation has 

limited experience with the use of 

rechargeable lithium batteries and 

rechargeable lithium-battery systems in 

aviation applications. However, other 

users of this technology, ranging from 

wireless telephone manufacturers to the 

electric vehicle industry, have noted 

safety problems with lithium batteries. 

These problems include overcharging, 

over-discharging, and cell-component 

flammability. 

1. Overcharging 

In general, lithium batteries are 

significantly more susceptible than their 

Ni-Cd or lead-acid counterparts to 

internal failures that can result in selfsustaining increases in temperature and 

pressure (i.e., thermal runaway). This is 

especially true for overcharging, which 

causes heating and destabilization of the 

components of the lithium-battery cell, 

which can lead to the formation, by 

plating, of highly unstable metallic 

lithium. The metallic lithium can ignite, 

resulting in a self-sustaining fire or 

explosion. The severity of thermal 

runaway due to overcharging increases 

with increased battery capacity due to 

the higher amount of electrolyte in large 

batteries. 

2. Over-Discharging 

Discharge of some versions of the 

lithium-battery cell, beyond a certain 

voltage (typically 2.4 volts), can cause 

corrosion of the electrodes in the cell, 

resulting in loss of battery capacity that 

cannot be reversed by recharging. This 

loss of capacity may not be detected by 

the simple voltage measurements 

commonly available to flight 

crewmembers as a means of checking 

battery status, a problem shared with 

Ni-Cd batteries. 

3. Flammability of Cell Components 

Unlike Ni-Cd and lead-acid cells, 

some types of lithium-battery cells use 

flammable liquid electrolytes. The 

electrolyte can serve as a source of fuel 

for an external fire if the cell container 

is breached. 

The problems that lithium-battery 

users experience raise concerns about 

the use of these batteries in commercial 

aviation. The intent of these special 

conditions is to establish appropriate 

airworthiness standards for lithiumbattery installations in the GVI, and to 

ensure, as required by §§ 25.601 and 

25.1309, that these battery installations 

will not result in an unsafe condition. 

To address these concerns, these 

special conditions adopt the following 

requirements: 

• Those sections of § 25.1353 that are 

applicable to lithium batteries. 

• The flammable-fluid fire-protection 

requirements of § 25.863. In the past, 

this rule was not applied to batteries in 

transport-category airplanes because the 

electrolytes in lead-acid and Ni-Cd 

batteries are not considered flammable. 

• New requirements to address 

hazards of overcharging and overdischarging that are unique to 

rechargeable lithium batteries. 

• Section 25.1529, Instructions for 

Continued Airworthiness, must include 

maintenance requirements to ensure 

that batteries used as spares are 

maintained in an appropriate state of 

charge, and installed lithium batteries 

are sufficiently charged at appropriate 

intervals. These instructions must also 

describe proper repairs, if allowed, and 

battery part-number configuration 

control. 

In issuing these special conditions, 

the FAA requires that: 

(1) All characteristics of the lithium 

batteries and their installation that 

could affect safe operation of the GVI 

are addressed, and 

(2) Appropriate Instructions for 

Continued Airworthiness, which 

include maintenance requirements, are 

established to ensure the availability of 

electrical power from the batteries when 

needed. 

The intent of these proposed special 

conditions is to establish appropriate 

airworthiness standards for rechargeable 

lithium-battery and rechargeable 

lithium-battery system installations in 

the GVI and to ensure, as required by 

§§ 25.1309 and 25.601, that these battery 

installations are not hazardous or 

unreliable. 

Applicability 

As discussed above, these special 

conditions are applicable to the GVI. 

Should GAC apply at a later date for a 

change to the type certificate to include 

another model incorporating the same 

novel or unusual design feature, the 

special conditions would apply to that 

model as well. 

Conclusion 

This action affects only certain novel 

or unusual design features on the GVI. 

It is not a rule of general applicability. 

The substance of these special 

conditions has been subjected to the 

notice and comment period in several 

prior instances and has been derived 

without substantive change from those 

previously issued. It is unlikely that 

prior public comment would result in a 

significant change from the substance 

contained herein. Therefore, because a 

delay would significantly affect the 

certification of the airplane, which is 

imminent, the FAA has determined that 

prior public notice and comment are 

unnecessary and impracticable, and 

good cause exists for adopting these 

special conditions upon issuance. The 

FAA is requesting comments to allow 

interested persons to submit views that 

may not have been submitted in 

response to the prior opportunities for 

comment described above. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 11 / Wednesday, January 18, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 2439 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25 

Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting 

and recordkeeping requirements. 

The authority citation for these 

special conditions is as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 

44702, 44704. 

The Special Conditions 

Accordingly, pursuant to the 

authority delegated to me by the 

Administrator, the following special 

conditions are issued as part of the typecertification basis for the GVI. 

In lieu of the requirements of 

§ 25.1353(c)(1) through (c)(4) at 

amendment 25–42, lithium batteries and 

battery installations on the GVI must be 

designed and installed as follows: 

(1) Safe lithium battery-cell 

temperatures and pressures must be 

maintained during any charging or 

discharging condition, and during any 

failure of the battery-charging or batterymonitoring system not shown to be 

extremely remote. The lithium-battery 

installation must preclude explosion in 

the event of those failures. 

(2) Design of lithium batteries must 

preclude the occurrence of selfsustaining, uncontrolled increases in 

temperature or pressure. 

(3) No explosive or toxic gases 

emitted by any lithium battery in 

normal operation, or as the result of any 

failure of the battery-charging or batterymonitoring system, or battery 

installation which is not shown to be 

extremely remote, may accumulate in 

hazardous quantities within the 

airplane. 

(4) Installations of lithium batteries 

must meet the requirements of 14 CFR 

25.863(a) through (d). 

(5) No corrosive fluids or gases that 

may escape from any lithium battery 

may damage surrounding structure or 

any adjacent systems, equipment, or 

electrical wiring of the airplane in such 

a way as to cause a major or more-severe 

failure condition, as determined in 

accordance with 14 CFR 25.1309(b). 

(6) Each lithium-battery installation 

must have provisions to prevent any 

hazardous effect on structure or 

essential systems caused by the 

maximum amount of heat the battery 

can generate during a short circuit of the 

battery or of its individual cells. 

(7) Lithium-battery installations must 

have a system to control automatically 

the charging rate of the battery to 

prevent battery overheating or 

overcharging, and 

(i) A battery-temperature-sensing and 

over-temperature-warning system with a 

means to automatically disconnect the 

battery from its charging source in the 

event of an over-temperature condition 

or, 

(ii) A battery-failure sensing-andwarning system with a means to 

automatically disconnect the battery 

from its charging source in the event of 

battery failure. 

(8) Any lithium-battery installation, 

the function of which is required for 

safe operation of the airplane, must 

incorporate a monitoring-and-warning 

feature that will provide an indication 

to the appropriate flight crewmembers 

whenever the state-of-charge of the 

batteries has fallen below levels 

considered acceptable for dispatch of 

the airplane. 

(9) The instructions for continued 

airworthiness required by § 25.1529 

(and § 26.11) must contain maintenance 

steps to assure that the lithium batteries 

are sufficiently charged at appropriate 

intervals specified by the battery 

manufacturer. The instructions for 

continued airworthiness must also 

contain procedures to ensure the 

integrity of lithium batteries in spares 

storage to prevent the replacement of 

batteries, the function of which are 

required for safe operation of the 

airplane, with batteries that have 

experienced degraded charge-retention 

ability or other damage due to 

prolonged storage at a low state-ofcharge. Precautions should be included 

in the continued-airworthiness 

maintenance instructions to prevent 

mishandling of lithium batteries, which 

could result in a short circuit or other 

unintentional damage that could result 

in personal injury or property damage. 

GAC must show compliance with the 

requirements of these special conditions 

by test and/or analysis. The aircraft 

certification office, or its designees, will 

find compliance in coordination with 

the FAA Transport Standards Staff. 

Note 1: The term ‘‘sufficiently charged’’ 

means that the battery retains enough of a 

charge, expressed in ampere-hours, to ensure 

that the battery cells are not damaged. A 

battery cell may be damaged by reducing the 

battery’s charge below a point where the 

battery’s ability to charge and retain a full 

charge is reduced. This reduced charging and 

charge-retention capability would be greater 

than the reduction that may result from 

normal operational degradation. 

Note 2: These special conditions are not 

intended to replace § 25.1353(c) in the 

certification basis of the GVI. These special 

conditions apply only to lithium batteries 

and rechargeable lithium-battery-system 

installations. The requirements of 

§ 25.1353(c) remain in effect for batteries and 

battery installations on the GVI that do not 

use lithium batteries. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on January 

9, 2012. 

K.C. Yanamura, 

Assistant Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–798 Filed 1–17–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0014; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–044–AD; Amendment 

39–16915; AD 2011–27–51] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Hawker 

Beechcraft Corporation Models 1900, 

1900C, and 1900D Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Models 

1900, 1900C, and 1900D airplanes. This 

emergency AD was sent previously to 

all known U.S. owners and operators of 

these airplanes. This AD requires 

inspecting the elevator bob-weight and 

attaching linkage for correct installation 

and for damage or deformation to the 

weight and/or weight bracket with 

corrective action as necessary. This AD 

was prompted by reports of the elevator 

bob-weight (stabilizer weight) traveling 

past its stop bolt, which allowed the 

attaching linkage to move over-center, 

resulting in reduced nose down elevator 

control, which could result in loss of 

control of the airplane. We are issuing 

this AD to detect and correct conditions 

that could result in reduced nose down 

elevator control and loss of control of 

the airplane. 

DATES: This AD is effective January 18, 

2012 to all persons except those persons 

to whom it was made immediately 

effective by Emergency AD 2011–27–51, 

issued on December 23, 2011, which 

contained the requirements of this 

amendment. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication identified in the 

AD as of January 18, 2012. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by March 5, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, 

using the procedures found in 14 CFR 

11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following 

methods: 


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