Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 79 / Tuesday, April 24, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 24355 

(i) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, New York Aircraft 

Certification Office, ANE–170, 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 manager of the ACO, send it to ATTN: 

Program Manager, Continuing Operational 

Safety, FAA, New York ACO, 1600 Stewart 

Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, New York 

11590; telephone (516) 228–7300; fax (516) 

794–5531. 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. 

(j) Related Information 

Refer to MCAI Canadian Airworthiness 

Directive CF–2010–25, dated August 3, 2010; 

Bombardier Service Bulletin 605–24–002, 

dated December 7, 2009; and Bombardier 

Service Bulletin 605–24–004, dated January 

18, 2010; for related information. 

(k) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) You must use the following service 

information to do the actions required by this 

AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. The 

Director of the Federal Register approved the 

incorporation by reference (IBR) of the 

following service information under 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(i) Bombardier Service Bulletin 605–24– 

002, dated December 7, 2009. 

(ii) Bombardier Service Bulletin 605–24– 

004, dated January 18, 2010. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Bombardier, Inc., 400 CoˆteVertu Road West, Dorval, Que ́bec H4S 1Y9, 

Canada; phone: 514–855–5000; fax: 514–855– 

7401; email: thd.crj@aero.bombardier.com; 

Internet: http://www.bombardier.com. 

(3) You may review copies of the 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. 

(4) You may also review copies of the 

service information that is incorporated by 

reference at the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of this 

material at an NARA facility, call 202–741– 

6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/ 

federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on April 13, 

2012. 

John P. Piccola, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9568 Filed 4–23–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–0644; Directorate 

Identifier 2010–NM–265–AD; Amendment 

39–17026; AD 2012–08–09] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

The Boeing Company Model 777–200, 

–200LR, –300, –300ER, and 777F series 

airplanes. This AD was prompted by 

reports of cracks found in the Web 

pockets of the wing center section 

(WCS) spanwise beams. This AD 

requires repetitive detailed inspections 

and high frequency eddy current 

inspections for cracks of the WCS 

spanwise beams, and repair if necessary. 

We are issuing this AD to detect and 

correct cracking in the WCS spanwise 

beams, which could result in reduced 

structural integrity of the wings. 

DATES: This AD is effective May 29, 

2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in the AD 

as of May 29, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this 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 AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (phone: 800–647–5527) is 

Document Management Facility, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

James Sutherland, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, 

Seattle Aircraft Certification Office 

(ACO), 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; phone: 425– 

917–6533; fax: 425–917–6590; email: 

James.Sutherland@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to the specified products. That 

NPRM was published in the Federal 

Register on June 29, 2011 (76 FR 38072). 

That NPRM proposed to require 

repetitive detailed inspections and high 

frequency eddy current (HFEC) 

inspections for cracks of the WCS 

spanwise beams, and repair if necessary. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. The 

following presents the comments 

received on the proposal (76 FR 38072, 

June 29, 2011) and the FAA’s response 

to each comment. 

Requests to Reference Service Bulletin 

Information Notice (IN) and Revised 

Service Bulletin 

American Airlines (AAL) requested 

that we revise the NPRM (76 FR 38072, 

June 29, 2011) to refer to Boeing Service 

Bulletin Information Notice 777– 

57A0087 IN 01, dated March 24, 2011. 

AAL stated that this IN addresses 

information that is critical to the correct 

design and installation of repairs. If this 

IN is not incorporated, AAL asserted 

that the repairs could be designed and 

installed improperly. 

Boeing and Continental Airlines 

requested that we revise the NPRM 

(76 FR 38072, June 29, 2011) to refer to 

Boeing Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, 

Revision 1, dated August 24, 2011. They 

stated that without incorporating the 

latest issue of this service bulletin, the 

repairs provided in the original issue of 

this service bulletin could be installed 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES

24356 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 79 / Tuesday, April 24, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

improperly because the original issue of 

this service bulletin contains minor 

deficiencies. 

Since we issued the NPRM (76 FR 

38072, June 29, 2011), Boeing has issued 

Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, Revision 

1, dated August 24, 2011, which 

incorporates the changes outlined in 

Boeing Service Bulletin Information 

Notice 777–57A0087 IN 01, dated 

March 24, 2011. Therefore, we agree to 

refer to Boeing Service Bulletin 777– 

57A0087, Revision 1, dated August 24, 

2011, not the earlier Boeing Service 

Bulletin Information Notice 777– 

57A0087 IN 01, dated March 24, 2011. 

Boeing Service Bulletin 777– 

57A0087, Revision 1, dated August 24, 

2011, was revised to, among other 

things, clarify and provide additional 

repair information. We have changed 

paragraphs (c), (g), and (h) of this AD to 

refer to Boeing Service Bulletin 777– 

57A0087, Revision 1, dated August 24, 

2011. We have also added new 

paragraph (i) to this AD to give credit to 

operators for actions done before the 

effective date of this AD in accordance 

with Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 777– 

57A0087, dated November 11, 2010, 

since accomplishment of that service 

bulletin adequately addresses the unsafe 

condition. We have re-identified 

subsequent paragraphs accordingly. 

Request To Clarify Inspection 

Terminology 

FedEx requested that we revise the 

NPRM (76 FR 38072, June 29, 2011) to 

refer to a detailed visual inspection, 

rather than a detailed inspection. The 

Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing 

Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, Revision 

1, dated August 24, 2011, calls out a 

‘‘detailed inspection.’’ FedEx indicated 

that, while it is clear that the inspection 

is meant to be a visual inspection, the 

term ‘‘visual’’ is not used anywhere in 

the definition in either Boeing Service 

Bulletin 777–57A0087, Revision 1, 

dated August 24, 2011, or in the NPRM. 

We disagree. The term ‘‘intensive’’ in 

the definition of a detailed inspection 

indicates that the inspection demands a 

higher level of scrutiny than using only 

visual means to find unsatisfactory 

conditions that are more difficult to 

detect. The mention of ‘‘elaborate 

procedures’’ used in the definition of a 

detailed inspection raises the awareness 

that extraordinary means of gaining 

access by removing adjacent items, defueling tanks, etc., are necessary to 

perform the inspection, and hence, the 

inspection cannot be performed by 

visual means only. We have not 

changed the final rule in this regard. 

Request To Provide Boeing With AMOC 

Authoring Authority 

FedEx suggested that the FAA provide 

Boeing with AMOC authoring authority 

for the proposed rule NPRM (76 FR 

38072, June 29, 2011) on an aircraft-byaircraft basis. 

We agree to clarify. Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes has received an 

Organization Designation Authorization 

(ODA), which provides Boeing with 

AMOC authoring authority. We 

included paragraph (j)(3) in the NPRM 

to reflect Boeing’s authorization. We 

have not changed the final rule in regard 

to this issue. 

Additional Change Made to This AD 

We have revised the wording of 

paragraph (i) of this AD; this change has 

not changed the intent of that 

paragraph. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comments received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting the AD 

with the changes described previously, 

and minor editorial changes. We have 

determined that these minor changes: 

• Are consistent with the intent that 

was proposed in the NPRM (76 FR 

38072, June 29, 2011) for correcting the 

unsafe condition; and 

• Do not add any additional burden 

upon the public than was already 

proposed in the NPRM (76 FR 38072, 

June 29, 2011). 

We also determined that these 

changes will not increase the economic 

burden on any operator or increase the 

scope of the AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 160 

airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per product Cost on U.S. operators 

Detailed inspection and 

high frequency eddy 

current inspection of 

spanwise beam.

50 work-hours × $85 per hour = $4,250 per inspection cycle.$0 $4,250 per inspection 

cycle.

$680,000 per inspection 

cycle. 

We have received no definitive data 

that would enable us to provide cost 

estimates for the on-condition repair 

actions specified in this AD. We have no 

way of determining the number of 

aircraft that might need these repairs. 

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 

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. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 79 / Tuesday, April 24, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 24357 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

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 FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new AD: 

2012–08–09 The Boeing Company: 

Amendment 39–17026; Docket No. 

FAA–2011–0644; Directorate Identifier 

2010–NM–265–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD is effective May 29, 2012. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to The Boeing Company 

Model 777–200, –200LR, –300, –300ER, and 

777F series airplanes, certificated in any 

category, as identified in Boeing Service 

Bulletin 777–57A0087, Revision 1, dated 

August 24, 2011. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC)/ 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of America 

Code 57: Wings. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by reports of cracks 

found in the web pockets of the wing center 

section (WCS) spanwise beams. We are 

issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking 

in the WCS spanwise beams, which could 

result in reduced structural integrity of the 

wings. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Repetitive Inspections 

At the later of the times specified in 

paragraphs (g)(1) and (g)(2) of this AD, do a 

detailed inspection and a high frequency 

eddy current inspection for cracks of the web 

pockets of the WCS spanwise beams numbers 

1, 2, and 3; and a detailed inspection for 

cracks of any previously installed repairs; in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Boeing Service Bulletin 777– 

57A0087, Revision 1, dated August 24, 2011. 

Repeat the inspections thereafter at intervals 

not to exceed 8,000 flight cycles. 

(1) Before the accumulation of 8,000 total 

flight cycles. 

(2) Within 6,000 flight cycles, or 1,125 

days, after the effective date of this AD, 

whichever occurs first. 

(h) Corrective Actions 

If any cracking is found during any 

inspection required by paragraph (g) of this 

AD, before further flight, repair the crack, 

including related investigative actions and all 

applicable corrective actions, in accordance 

with the Accomplishment Instructions of 

Boeing Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, 

Revision 1, dated August 24, 2011; except 

where Boeing Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, 

Revision 1, dated August 24, 2011, specifies 

to contact Boeing for repair instructions, 

before further flight, repair the cracking using 

a method approved in accordance with the 

procedures specified in paragraph (j) of this 

AD. 

(i) Credit for Actions Previous Actions 

This paragraph provides credit for actions 

required by paragraphs (g) and (h) of this AD 

if those actions were performed before the 

effective date of this AD using Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, dated 

November 11, 2010. 

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft 

Certification Office (ACO), 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 manager of the ACO, send it to the 

attention of the person identified in the 

Related Information section of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-ANMSeattle-ACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov. 

(2) 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. 

(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair 

required by this AD if it is approved by the 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes Organization 

Designation Authorization (ODA) that has 

been authorized by the Manager, Seattle 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. 

(k) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact James Sutherland, Aerospace 

Engineer, Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, 

FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office 

(ACO), 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; phone: 425–917– 

6533; fax: 425–917–6590; email: 

James.Sutherland@faa.gov. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) You must use the following service 

information to do the actions required by this 

AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. The 

Director of the Federal Register approved the 

incorporation by reference (IBR) of the 

following service information under 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51: 

(i) Boeing Service Bulletin 777–57A0087, 

Revision 1, dated August 24, 2011. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this 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. 

(3) You may review copies of the 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. 

(4) You may also review copies of the 

service information that is incorporated by 

reference at the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of this 

material at an NARA facility, call 202–741– 

6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/ 

federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on April 11, 

2012. 

John P. Piccola, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9398 Filed 4–23–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1165; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–NM–002–AD; Amendment 

39–17030; AD 2012–08–13] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

The Boeing Company Model 777–200 

and –300 series airplanes. This AD was 

prompted by reports of two failures of 

the single-tabbed bracket on the rudder. 

This AD requires replacing certain 

single-tabbed bonding brackets in the 

airplane empennage with two-tabbed 

bonding brackets. This AD also requires, 

for certain airplanes, installing new 

bonding jumpers, and measuring the 

resistance of the modified installation to 

verify resistance is within specified 

limits. We are issuing this AD to prevent 

failure of the bonding jumper bracket, 

which could result in loss of lightning 

protection ground path, which could 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES