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

13620 

Vol. 89, No. 37 

Friday, February 23, 2024 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2024–0234; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2023–01215–A] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; GA8 Airvan 

(Pty) Ltd Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

certain GA8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd Model 

GA8 and GA8–TC320 airplanes. This 

proposed AD was prompted by reports 

of insufficient electrical bonding of the 

solenoid (relay) box assembly that could 

result in degraded performance, errors, 

or intermittent failures of equipment 

connected to electrical Bus 1, Bus 2, 

associated electrical control, and 

protective devices fitted within or 

attached to the solenoid box. This 

proposed AD would require inspecting 

for an existing wire connecting the relay 

box earth point to the ground power 

socket, and if one is not present, 

installing a mechanical connection. The 

FAA is proposing this AD to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this NPRM by April 8, 2024. 

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 

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: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

AD Docket: You may examine the AD 

docket at regulations.gov under Docket 

No. FAA–2024–0234; or in person at 

Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this NPRM, the mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI), any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

Material Incorporated by Reference: 

• For service information identified 

in this NPRM, contact GA8 Airvan (Pty) 

Ltd, P.O. Box 881, Morwell, Victoria 

3840, Australia; phone: +61 (0)3 5172 

1200; email: TECHPUBS@

gippsaero.com.au; website: 

gippsaero.com.au. 

• You may view this service 

information at the FAA, Airworthiness 

Products Section, Operational Safety 

Branch, 901 Locust, Kansas City, MO 

64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (817) 222–5110. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Doug Rudolph, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, 

Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: 

(816) 329–4059; email: doug.rudolph@

faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites you to send any 

written relevant data, views, or 

arguments about this proposal. Send 

your comments to an address listed 

under ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2024–0234; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2023–01215–A’’ at the beginning 

of your comments. The most helpful 

comments reference a specific portion of 

the proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. The FAA will consider 

all comments received by the closing 

date and may amend this proposal 

because of those comments. 

Except for Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) as described in the 

following paragraph, and other 

information as described in 14 CFR 

11.35, the FAA will post all comments 

received, without change, to 

regulations.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. The agency 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact received 

about this NPRM. 

Confidential Business Information 

CBI is commercial or financial 

information that is both customarily and 

actually treated as private by its owner. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt 

from public disclosure. If your 

comments responsive to this NPRM 

contain commercial or financial 

information that is customarily treated 

as private, that you actually treat as 

private, and that is relevant or 

responsive to this NPRM, it is important 

that you clearly designate the submitted 

comments as CBI. Please mark each 

page of your submission containing CBI 

as ‘‘PROPIN.’’ The FAA will treat such 

marked submissions as confidential 

under the FOIA, and they will not be 

placed in the public docket of this 

NPRM. Submissions containing CBI 

should be sent to Doug Rudolph, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 

Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, 

NY 11590. Any commentary that the 

FAA receives which is not specifically 

designated as CBI will be placed in the 

public docket for this rulemaking. 

Background 

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority 

(CASA), which is the aviation authority 

for Australia, has issued CASA 

Australia AD GA8/11, dated November 

21, 2023 (CASA Australia AD GA8/11) 

(also referred to as the MCAI), to correct 

an unsafe condition on all GA8 Airvan 

(Pty) Ltd Model GA8 and GA8–TC320 

airplanes. The MCAI states that 

operators made two reports and a few 

anecdotal reports of intermittent system 

discrepancies attributed to insufficient 

electrical bonding of the solenoid (relay) 

box assembly. Without a dedicated 

solenoid box electrical bonding 

connection, these airplanes may suffer 

degraded performance, errors, or 

intermittent failures of equipment 

connected to electrical Bus 1, Bus 2, 

associated electrical control, and 

protective devices fitted within or 

attached to the solenoid box. The 

majority of Model GA8 and GA8–TC320 

airplanes were produced with the relay 

box electrically bonded to the airframe 

via the relay box lid and the hardware 

(screws) holding it in place. The relay 

box did not have a dedicated bonding 

point or mechanical connection. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 37 / Friday, February 23, 2024 / Proposed Rules 13621 

The MCAI requires doing the actions 

specified in GippsAero Service Bulletin 

SB–GA8–2023–216, Issue 1, dated 

February 24, 2023 (GippsAero SB–GA8– 

2023–216, Issue 1). These actions 

include inspecting for an existing wire 

connecting the relay box earth point to 

the ground power socket, and if one is 

not present, installing a mechanical 

connection. 

The FAA is proposing this AD to 

address this unsafe condition. Not 

having a dedicated solenoid box 

electrical bonding connection, if not 

addressed, could result in degraded 

electrical equipment performance, 

errors, or intermittent failures of 

equipment connected to electrical Bus 

1, Bus 2, associated electrical control, 

and protective devices fitted within or 

attached to the solenoid box, which 

could lead to loss of equipment 

essential for safe flight. 

You may examine the MCAI in the 

AD docket at regulations.gov under 

Docket No. FAA–2024–0234. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed GippsAero SB– 

GA8–2023–216, Issue 1. This service 

information specifies procedures for 

inspecting for an existing wire 

connecting the relay box earth point to 

the ground power socket, and if one is 

not present, installing a mechanical 

connection. 

This service information is reasonably 

available because the interested parties 

have access to it through their normal 

course of business or by the means 

identified in ADDRESSES. 

FAA’s Determination 

These products have been approved 

by the aviation authority of another 

country and are approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to the 

FAA’s bilateral agreement with this 

State of Design Authority, it has notified 

the FAA of the unsafe condition 

described in the MCAI and service 

information referenced above. The FAA 

is issuing this NPRM after determining 

that the unsafe condition described 

previously is likely to exist or develop 

on other products of the same type 

design. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

the MCAI, except as discussed under 

‘‘Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the MCAI.’’ 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the MCAI 

The MCAI applicability is Gippsland 

Aeronautics Model GA8 Series 

airplanes. The applicability in this 

proposed AD would be GA8 Airvan 

(Pty) Ltd Model GA8 and GA8–TC320 

airplanes because that is what is on the 

FAA type certificate. 

Part A, step 4. of the Accomplishment 

Instructions in GippsAero Service 

Bulletin SB–GA8–2023–216, Issue 1, 

specifies to proceed to the 

Documentation section to update the 

airplane logbook, but that action would 

not be specifically required by this 

proposed AD as current FAA 

regulations already require a logbook 

entry for compliance with AD actions. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 62 

airplanes of U.S. registry. 

The FAA estimates the following 

costs to comply with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Inspect for mechanical connection ................. 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 ................. $0 $85 $5,270 

The FAA estimates the following 

costs to do any necessary actions that 

would be required based on the results 

of the proposed inspection. The agency 

has no way of determining the number 

of airplanes that might need these 

actions: 

ON-CONDITION COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Install mechanical connection ...................................... 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 ............................... $170 $255 

The FAA has included all known 

costs in its cost estimate. According to 

the manufacturer, however, some of the 

costs of this proposed AD may be 

covered under warranty, thereby 

reducing the cost impact on affected 

operators. 

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. 

The FAA is 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 

The FAA 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, 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
13622 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 37 / Friday, February 23, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

(2) Would not affect intrastate 

aviation in Alaska, and 

(3) Would 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 airworthiness 

directive: 

GA8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd: Docket No. FAA– 

2024–0234; Project Identifier MCAI– 

2023–01215–A. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by April 8, 

2024. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to GA8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd 

Model GA8 airplanes, all serial numbers up 

to and including GA8–20–262; and Model 

GA8–TC320 airplanes, all serial numbers up 

to and including GA8–TC 320–20–261; 

certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) 

Code 2497, Electrical Power System Wiring. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by reports of 

insufficient electrical bonding of the solenoid 

(relay) box assembly. The FAA is issuing this 

AD to address possible missing mechanical 

connections. The unsafe condition, if not 

addressed, could result in degraded electrical 

equipment performance, errors, or 

intermittent failures of equipment connected 

to electrical Bus 1, Bus 2, associated 

electrical control and protective devices 

fitted within or attached to the solenoid box, 

which could lead to loss of equipment 

essential for safe flight. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Required Actions 

(1) Within 100 hours time-in-service (TIS) 

after the effective date of this AD, inspect for 

a mechanical connection between the relay 

box earth point to the ground power socket 

in accordance with Part A, steps 1. through 

4. of the Accomplishment Instructions in 

GippsAero Service Bulletin SB–GA8–2023– 

216, Issue 1, dated February 24, 2023 

(GippsAero SB–GA8–2023–216, Issue 1), 

except where step 4. specifies to proceed to 

the Documentation section to update the 

airplane logbook, that action is not 

specifically required by this AD. 

(2) If no mechanical connection between 

the relay box earth point to the ground power 

socket is found during the inspection 

required by paragraph (g)(1) of this AD, 

before further flight, install a mechanical 

connection in accordance with Part B, steps 

1. through 3. of the Accomplishment 

Instructions in GippsAero SB–GA8–2023– 

216, Issue 1. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

The Manager, International Validation 

Branch, 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 International Validation 

Branch, mail it to the address identified in 

paragraph (i)(2) of this AD or email to: 9- 

AVS-AIR-730-AMOC@faa.gov. If mailing 

information, also submit information by 

email. 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. 

(i) Additional Information 

(1) Refer to Civil Aviation Safety Authority 

(CASA) Australia AD GA8/11, dated 

November 21, 2023, for related information. 

This CASA Australia AD may be found in the 

AD docket at regulations.gov under Docket 

No. FAA–2024–0234. 

(2) For more information about this AD, 

contact Doug Rudolph, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 

410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (816) 329– 

4059; email: doug.rudolph@faa.gov. 

(j) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

the service information listed in this 

paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 

part 51. 

(2) You must use this service information 

as applicable to do the actions required by 

this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) GippsAero Service Bulletin SB–GA8– 

2023–216, Issue 1, dated February 24, 2023. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact GA8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd, PO 

Box 881, Morwell, Victoria 3840, Australia; 

phone: +61 (0)3 5172 1200; email: 

TECHPUBS@gippsaero.com.au; website: 

gippsaero.com.au. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at the FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, 901 Locust, 

Kansas City, MO 64106. For information on 

the availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (817) 222–5110. 

(5) You may view this material at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For information on 

the availability of this material at NARA, 

visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ 

ibr-locations or email fr.inspection@nara.gov. 

Issued on February 16, 2024. 

Victor Wicklund, 

Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03720 Filed 2–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS 

AFFAIRS 

38 CFR Part 3 

RIN 2900–AR10 

Updating VA Adjudication Regulations 

for Disability or Death Benefit Claims 

Related to Exposure to Certain 

Herbicide Agents 

Correction 

In Proposed Rule Document 2024– 

02590, appearing on pages 9803–9813, 

in the issue of Monday, February 12, 

2024, make the following correction: 

On page 9803, in the second column, 

beginning on the thirty-third line, under 

the heading DATES:, the text reading 

‘‘[insert date 60 days after date of 

publication in the Federal Register]’’ 

should read ‘‘April 12, 2024’’. 

[FR Doc. C1–2024–02590 Filed 2–22–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 1505–01–D 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 52 

[EPA–R10–OAR–2023–0600; FRL–11593– 

01–R10] 

Air Plan Approval; OR; Regional Haze 

Plan for the Second Implementation 

Period 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Proposed rule. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) is proposing to approve 

the regional haze state implementation 

plan revision submitted by Oregon on 

April 29, 2022, as supplemented on 

November 22, 2023, as satisfying 

applicable requirements under the 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1