2236 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 17, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

October 26, 2011; DG Flugzeugbau GmbH TN 

No 500/4, dated August 30, 2011; and DG 

Flugzeugbau Working Instruction No. 1, 

dated August 30, 2011, for related 

information. For service information related 

to this AD, contact DG–Flugzeugbau GmbH, 

Otto-Lilienthal-Weg 2, 76646 Bruchsal, 

Federal Republic of Germany; telephone: +49 

(0) 7251 3020140, fax: +49 (0) 7251 3020149; 

email: dirks@dg-flugzeugbau.de; Internet: 

www.dg-flugzeugbau.de. You may review 

copies of the referenced service information 

at the FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 

Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (816) 329–4148. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri on January 

10, 2012. 

John Colomy, 

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–744 Filed 1–13–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1342; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–038–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; DG 

Flugzeugbau GmbH Sailplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM); 

extension of the comment period. 

SUMMARY: We are revising an earlier 

NPRM for DG Flugzeugbau GmbH DG– 

500 Elan series sailplanes and Models 

DG–500M and DG–500MB powered 

sailplanes. This proposed AD results 

from mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) 

originated by an aviation authority of 

another country to identify and correct 

an unsafe condition on an aviation 

product. The MCAI describes the unsafe 

condition as incorrect re-installation of 

the rear cockpit securing rope for the 

headrest of the rear seat during 

maintenance, which could cause the 

rear seat to interfere with the control 

stick of the sailplane. We are issuing 

this proposed AD to require actions to 

correct the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by March 2, 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 W12–140, 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, DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH, Otto-Lilienthal-Weg 2, 76646 

Bruchsal, Federal Republic of Germany; 

telephone: +49 (0) 7251 3020140; fax: 

+49 (0) 7251 3020149; Internet: http:// 

www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/techmitteilungen-e.html; email: dirks@dgflugzeugbau.de. You may review copies 

of the referenced service information at 

the FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 

901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 

64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (816) 329–4148. 

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, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket 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: Jim 

Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 

Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 

telephone: (816) 329–4165; fax: (816) 

329–4090; email: 

jim.rutherford@faa.gov. 

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–2011–1342; Directorate Identifier 

2011–CE–038–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 because of 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 

We proposed to amend 14 CFR part 

39 with an earlier NPRM for the 

specified products, which was 

published in the Federal Register on 

December 7, 2011 (76 FR 76330). That 

earlier NPRM proposed to require 

actions intended to address the unsafe 

condition for the products listed above. 

Since that NPRM (76 FR 76330, 

December 7, 2011) was issued, we 

determined that all affected Model DG– 

500 Elan sailplanes were not included 

in the Applicability section. 

Relevant Service Information 

DG Flugzeugbau GmbH has issued 

Technical Note No. 500/05, dated 

September 19, 2011, and Working 

Instruction No. 1 for TN348/20, Issue 3, 

dated September 13, 2011. The actions 

described in this service information are 

intended to correct the unsafe condition 

identified in the MCAI. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the 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 this State of 

Design Authority, they have notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

MCAI and service information 

referenced above. We are proposing this 

AD because we evaluated all 

information and determined the unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Certain changes described above 

expand the scope of the earlier NPRM 

(76 FR 76330, December 7, 2011). As a 

result, we have determined that it is 

necessary to extend the comment period 

to provide additional opportunity for 

the public to comment on the proposed 

AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

will affect 16 products of U.S. registry. 

We also estimate that it would take 

about 2.5 work-hours per product to 

comply with the basic requirements of 

this proposed AD. The average labor 

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 17, 2012 / Proposed Rules 2237 

rate is $85 per work-hour. Required 

parts would cost about $1,088 per 

product. 

Based on these figures, we estimate 

the cost of the proposed AD on U.S. 

operators to be $20,808, or $1,300.50 per 

product. 

In addition, we estimate that any 

necessary follow-on actions would take 

about 0.5 work-hour, for a cost of $42.50 

per product. We have no way of 

determining the number of products 

that may need these actions. 

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 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 this 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), 

(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. 

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: 

DG Flugzeugbau GmbH: Docket No. Docket 

No. FAA–2011–1342; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–038–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by March 2, 

2012. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to DG Flugzeugbau GmbH 

Models DG–500 Elan Orion, DG–500 Elan 

Trainer, DG–500/20 Elan, and DG–500/22 

Elan sailplanes and Models DG–500M and 

DG–500MB powered sailplanes, all serial 

numbers, that are: 

(i) Equipped with a headrest on the rear 

seat; and 

(ii) Certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association of America 

(ATA) Code 25: Equipment/Furnishing. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) 

originated by an aviation authority of another 

country to identify and correct an unsafe 

condition on an aviation product. The MCAI 

describes the unsafe condition as incorrect 

re-installation of the rear cockpit securing 

rope for the headrest of the rear seat during 

maintenance. We are issuing this AD to 

correct the length of the rear cockpit headrest 

securing rope, which if too long, could cause 

the rear seat to interfere with the control stick 

of the sailplane and could result in loss of 

control of the sailplane. 

(f) Actions and Compliance 

Unless already done, do the following 

actions: 

(1) Within the next 30 days after the 

effective date of this AD, inspect the rear 

cockpit headrest securing rope to determine 

the length. Do the inspection as specified in 

Instruction No. 2 of DG Flugzeugbau GmbH 

Technical Note No. 500/05, dated September 

19, 2011. 

(i) If the length of the rear cockpit headrest 

securing rope is more than 450 millimeters 

(mm) or less than 400 mm, before further 

flight, adjust the length of the rear cockpit 

headrest securing rope to a length between 

400 mm and 450 mm as shown in Sketch 2 

of DG Flugzeugbau GmbH Working 

Instruction No. 1 for TN348/20, Issue 3, 

dated September 13, 2011. After doing the 

adjustment, do the action required in 

paragraph (f)(2) of this AD. 

(ii) If the length of the rear cockpit headrest 

securing rope is between 400 mm and 450 

mm, do the action required in paragraph 

(f)(2) of this AD. 

(2) Within 3 months after the effective date 

of this AD, replace the rear cockpit headrest 

securing rope with a rear cockpit headrest 

securing rope with a snap hook. Do the 

replacement following DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH Working Instruction No. 1 for TN348/ 

20, Issue 3, dated September 13, 2011, as 

specified in Instruction No. 3 of DG 

Flugzeugbau GmbH Technical Note No. 500/ 

05, dated September 19, 2011. 

(3) Replacement of the rear cockpit 

headrest securing rope with a rear cockpit 

headrest securing rope with a snap hook 

done before the effective date of this AD 

following DG Flugzeugbau GmbH Working 

Instruction No. 1 for TN348/20, Issue 2, is 

considered acceptable for compliance with 

paragraph (f)(2) of this AD. 

(4) Although the European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA) MCAI and DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH Technical Note No. 500/05, dated 

September 19, 2011, allows the inspection 

required in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD to be 

done by a pilot-owner, the U.S. regulatory 

system requires all actions required by this 

AD be done by a certified mechanic. 

(g) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, Standards Office, 

FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs 

for this AD, if requested using the procedures 

found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information to 

ATTN: Jim Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 

telephone: (816) 329–4165; fax: (816) 329– 

4090; email: jim.rutherford@faa.gov. Before 

using any approved AMOC on any sailplane 

to which the AMOC applies, notify your 

appropriate principal inspector (PI) in the 

FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), 

or lacking a PI, your local FSDO. 

(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. 

(3) Reporting Requirements: For any 

reporting requirement in this AD, a federal 

agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a 

person is not required to respond to, nor 

shall a person be subject to a penalty for 

failure to comply with a collection of 

information subject to the requirements of 

the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that 

collection of information displays a current 

WREIER-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS

2238 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 10 / Tuesday, January 17, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 

Control Number for this information 

collection is 2120–0056. Public reporting for 

this collection of information is estimated to 

be approximately 5 minutes per response, 

including the time for reviewing instructions, 

completing and reviewing the collection of 

information. All responses to this collection 

of information are mandatory. Comments 

concerning the accuracy of this burden and 

suggestions for reducing the burden should 

be directed to the FAA at: 800 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591, Attn: 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, 

AES–200. 

(h) Related Information 

Refer to MCAI EASA AD No.: 2011–0191, 

dated September 30, 2011; DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH Technical Note No. 500/05, dated 

September 19, 2011; and DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH Working Instruction No. 1 for TN348/ 

20, Issue 3, dated September 13, 2011, for 

related information. For service information 

related to this AD, contact DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH, Otto-Lilienthal-Weg 2, 76646 

Bruchsal, Federal Republic of Germany; 

telephone: +49 (0) 7251 3020140; fax: +49 (0) 

7251 3020149; Internet: http://www.dgflugzeugbau.de/tech-mitteilungen-e.html; 

email: dirks@dg-flugzeugbau.de. You may 

review copies of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Small Airplane 

Directorate, 901 Locust, Kansas City, 

Missouri 64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, call 

(816) 329–4148. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 

10, 2012. 

John Colomy, 

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–745 Filed 1–13–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–0018; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–CE–042–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Pilatus 

Aircraft Ltd. Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Pilatus 

Aircraft Ltd. Models PC–6, PC–6–H1, 

PC–6–H2, PC–6/350, PC–6/350–H1, PC– 

6/350–H2, PC–6/A, PC–6/A–H1, PC–6/ 

A–H2, PC–6/B–H2, PC–6/B1–H2, PC–6/ 

B2–H2, PC–6/B2–H4, PC–6/C–H2, and 

PC–6/C1–H2 airplanes. This proposed 

AD results from mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) 

originated by an aviation authority of 

another country to identify and correct 

an unsafe condition on an aviation 

product. The MCAI describes the unsafe 

condition as loose elevator and rudder 

hinge bolts caused by incorrect torquing 

and locking of the bolts could lead to inflight failure of the elevator or rudder 

attachment. If not corrected, this failure 

could result in loss of control of the 

airplane. We are issuing this proposed 

AD to require actions to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by March 2, 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 

W12–140, 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 PILATUS 

AIRCRAFT LTD., Customer Liaison 

Manager, CH–6371 STANS, 

Switzerland; telephone: +41 (0) 41 619 

65 80; fax: +41 (0) 41 619 65 76; 

Internet: http://www.pilatusaircraft.com. You may review copies of 

the referenced service information at the 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 

Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call (816) 329– 

4148. 

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, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket 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: 

Doug Rudolph, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 

Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, 

Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329– 

4059; fax: (816) 329–4090; email: 

doug.rudolph@faa.gov. 

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–2011–0018; Directorate Identifier 

2011–CE–042–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 because of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

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 AD No. 

2011–0230, dated December 9, 2011 

(referred to after this as ‘‘the MCAI’’), to 

correct an unsafe condition for the 

specified products. The MCAI states: 

A case of loss of elevator and rudder hinge 

bolts on a PC–6 aeroplane has been reported. 

The results of the investigations indicate 

that the elevator and rudder hinge bolt loss 

are suspected to have been caused by an 

incorrect torque and locking of the bolts. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could lead to in-flight failure of the 

elevator or rudder attachment, possibly 

resulting in loss of control of the aeroplane. 

For the reasons described above, this AD 

requires the installation of a new locking 

screw and the modification of the installation 

of the hinge bolt. 

You may obtain further information by 

examining the MCAI in the AD docket. 

Relevant Service Information 

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. has issued PC–6 

Service Bulletin No. 55–001, Rev. No. 1, 

dated November 25, 2011. The actions 

described in this service information are 

intended to correct the unsafe condition 

identified in the MCAI. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country, and is approved for operation 

WREIER-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS