64640 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 210 / Monday, October 30, 2000 / Proposed Rules

the proposed requirements of this AD

action, and that no operator would

accomplish those actions in the future if

this AD were not adopted.

Regulatory Impact

The regulations proposed herein

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. Therefore,

it is determined that this proposal

would not have federalism implications

under Executive Order 13132.

For the reasons discussed above, I

certify that 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); and (3) if

promulgated, 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. A copy of the draft

regulatory evaluation prepared for this

action is contained in the Rules Docket.

A copy of it may be obtained by

contacting the Rules Docket at the

location provided under the caption

ADDRESSES.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation

safety, Safety.

The Proposed Amendment

Accordingly, pursuant to the

authority delegated to me by the

Administrator, the Federal Aviation

Administration proposes to amend part

39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations

(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. Section 39.13 is amended by

adding the following new airworthiness

directive:

British Aerospace Regional Aircraft

(Formerly British Aerospace Regional

Aircraft Limited, Avro International

Aerospace Division; British Aerospace,

PLC; British Aerospace Commercial

Aircraft Limited): Docket 99–NM–190–

AD.

Applicability: All Model BAe 146 and

Model Avro 146–RJ series airplanes,

certificated in any category.

Note 1: This AD applies to each airplane

identified in the preceding applicability

provision, regardless of whether it has been

modified, altered, or repaired in the area

subject to the requirements of this AD. For

airplanes that have been modified, altered, or

repaired so that the performance of the

requirements of this AD is affected, the

owner/operator must request approval for an

alternative method of compliance in

accordance with paragraph (c) of this AD.

The request should include an assessment of

the effect of the modification, alteration, or

repair on the unsafe condition addressed by

this AD; and, if the unsafe condition has not

been eliminated, the request should include

specific proposed actions to address it.

Compliance: Required as indicated, unless

accomplished previously.

To ensure continued structural integrity of

these airplanes, accomplish the following:

Airworthiness Limitations Revision

(a) Within 30 days after the effective date

of this AD, revise the Airworthiness

Limitations Section (ALS) of the Instructions

for Continued Airworthiness by

incorporating Section 05–10–01, Revision 65,

dated August 3, 1999, of Chapter 5 of the

BAe/Avro 146 Aircraft Maintenance Manual

(AMM), into the ALS. This section references

other sections of the AMM. The applicable

revision level of the referenced sections is

that in effect on the effective date of this AD.

(b) Except as specified in paragraph (c) of

this AD: After the actions specified in

paragraph (a) of this AD have been

accomplished, no alternative inspections or

inspection intervals may be approved for the

structural elements specified in the

document listed in paragraph (a) of this AD.

Alternative Methods of Compliance

(c) An alternative method of compliance or

adjustment of the compliance time that

provides an acceptable level of safety may be

used if approved by the Manager,

International Branch, ANM–116, FAA,

Transport Airplane Directorate. Operators

shall submit their requests through an

appropriate FAA Principal Maintenance

Inspector, who may add comments and then

send it to the Manager, International Branch,

ANM–116.

Note 2: Information concerning the

existence of approved alternative methods of

compliance with this AD, if any, may be

obtained from the International Branch,

ANM–116.

Special Flight Permits

(d) Special flight permits may be issued in

accordance with sections 21.197 and 21.199

of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR

21.197 and 21.199) to operate the airplane to

a location where the requirements of this AD

can be accomplished.

Issued in Renton, Washington, on October

24, 2000.

Donald L. Riggin,

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 00–27790 Filed 10–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 2000–CE–24–AD]

RIN 2120–AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Cessna

Aircraft Company Model 172RG

Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking

(NPRM).

SUMMARY: This document proposes to

adopt a new airworthiness directive

(AD) that would apply to certain Cessna

Aircraft Company (Cessna) Model 172

airplanes. The proposed AD would

require you to inspect the main landing

gear pivot assemblies for cracks, replace

any cracked main landing gear pivot

assemblies, and install new bushings on

the pivot assembly shaft. Many service

difficulty reports of cracked main

landing gear pivot assemblies on the

affected airplanes prompted the

proposed action. The actions specified

by the proposed AD are intended to

detect, correct, and prevent future

cracks on the original design landing

gear pivots. Cracked main landing gear

pivots could fail resulting in gear-up

landings or loss of braking.

DATES: The Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) must receive any

comments on this proposed rule by

December 7, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Send comments in triplicate

to the Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA), Central Region, Office of the

Regional Counsel, Attention: Rules

Docket No. 2000–CE–24–AD, 901

Locust, Room 506, Kansas City,

Missouri 64106. You may read

comments at this location between 8

a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through

Friday, except holidays.

You may get the service information

referenced in this proposed AD from the

Cessna Aircraft Company, Product

Support, P.O. Box 7706, Wichita,

Kansas 67277; telephone: (316) 517–

5800; facsimile: (316) 942–9006. You

may examine this information at the

Rules Docket at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Steven Litke, Aerospace Engineer,

Wichita Aircraft Certification Office,

FAA, 1801 Airport Road, Mid-Continent

Airport, Wichita, Kansas 67209;

telephone: (316) 946–4127; facsimile:

(316) 946–4407.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 210 / Monday, October 30, 2000 / Proposed Rules 64641

Comments Invited

How do I comment on the proposed

AD? We invite your comments on the

proposed rule. You may send whatever

written data, views, or arguments you

choose. You need to include the rule’s

docket number and send your

comments in triplicate to the address

named under the caption ADDRESSES.

We will consider all comments received

by the closing date named above, before

taking action on the proposed rule. We

may change the proposals contained in

this notice because of the comments

received.

Are there any specific portions of the

proposed AD I should pay attention to?

The FAA specifically invites comments

on the overall regulatory, economic,

environmental, and energy aspects of

the proposed rule that might call for a

need to change the proposed rule. You

may examine all comments we receive

before and after the closing date for

comments in the Rules Docket. We will

file a report in the Rules Docket that

summarizes each FAA contact with the

public that concerns the substantive

parts of this proposal.

The FAA is reexamining the writing

style we currently use in regulatory

documents, in response to the

Presidential memorandum of June 1,

1998. That memorandum requires

federal agencies to communicate more

clearly with the public. We want to read

your comments on the ease of

understanding this document, and any

other suggestions you might have to

improve the clarity of FAA

communications that affect you. You

can get more information about the

Presidential memorandum and the plain

language initiative at http://

www.faa.gov/language/.

How can I be sure FAA receives my

comment? If you want us to

acknowledge the receipt of your

comments, you must include a selfaddressed, stamped postcard. On the

postcard, write ‘‘Comments to Docket

No. 2000–CE–24–AD.’’ We will date

stamp and mail the postcard back to

you.

Discussion

What events have caused this

proposed AD? The FAA has received

many service difficulty reports of

failures of pivot assemblies on Cessna

Model 172RG airplanes. Failure of the

main landing gear pivots has resulted in

gear-up landings or loss of braking. The

end of the pivot experiences overload

stresses because of improper bushing

clearance. This stress can produce

fatigue cracks that spread until the pivot

fitting fails, preventing the landing gear

from extending. In other cases, brake

fluid leaks through the fatigue crack

resulting in loss of braking action.

What are the consequences if the

condition is not corrected? Original

design landing gear pivots, if not

replaced with improved pivots, could

crack and fail, resulting in gear-up

landings or loss of braking.

Relevant Service Information

Is there service information that

applies to this subject? Cessna has

issued Service Bulletin SEB90–1,

Revision 3, dated March 15, 1999.

What are the provisions of this service

bulletin? The service bulletin contains

procedures for:

—Inspecting the main landing gear

pivot assemblies for cracks,

—Replacing any cracked main landing

gear pivot assemblies, and

—Installing new bushings on the pivot

assembly shaft.

The FAA’s Determination and an

Explanation of the Provisions of the

Proposed AD

What has FAA decided? After

examining the circumstances and

reviewing all available information

related to the incidents, we have

determined that:

—The unsafe condition referenced in

this document exists or could develop

on other Cessna Model 172RG

airplanes of the same type design;

—These airplanes should have the

actions named in the service bulletin

incorporated; and

—The FAA should take AD action to

correct this unsafe condition.

What would this proposed AD

require? This proposed AD would

require you to follow the Cessna Service

Bulletin SEB90–1, Revision 3, dated

March 15, 1999, and the Model 172RG

Series Service Manual and do these

actions:

—Inspect the main landing gear pivot

assemblies for cracks;

—Replace any cracked main landing

gear pivot assemblies; and

—Install new bushings on the pivot

assembly shaft.

Cost Impact

How many airplanes would this

proposed AD impact? We estimate the

proposed AD would affect 766 airplanes

in the U.S. registry.

What would be the cost impact of the

proposed actions for the affected

airplanes on the U.S. Register? We

estimate that it would take about 20

workhours for each airplane to do both

proposed pivot assembly inspections, at

an average labor rate of $60 an hour.

Based on the figures presented above,

we estimate the total cost impact of the

proposed inspection on U.S. operators is

$919,200, or $1,200 for each airplane.

We estimate that it would take about

5 workhours for each airplane to do

both proposed bushing replacements

concurrent with the pivot assembly

inspection, at an average labor rate of

$60 an hour. Parts cost about $200 for

each airplane. Based on the figures

presented above, we estimate the total

cost impact of the proposed bushing

replacement on U.S. operators is $500

for each airplane.

If a crack is found during the pivot

assembly inspection, the pivot assembly

must be replaced. We estimate that it

would take about 3 workhours to do

each proposed pivot assembly

replacement, at an average labor rate of

$60 an hour. Parts cost about $2,783 for

each pivot assembly. Based on the

figures presented above, we estimate the

total cost impact of the proposed pivot

assembly replacement on U.S. operators

is $2,963 for each pivot assembly.

We have no way of knowing how

many airplanes will require replacement

pivot assemblies. The total cost for each

airplane for this proposed AD depends

on whether a crack is found during the

inspection of the pivot assembly. We

estimate the total cost impact of this AD

for each airplane to U.S. operators is:

Neither pivot

cracked

One pivot

cracked

Both pivots

cracked

$1700 ................ $4663 $7626

Regulatory Impact

Would this proposed AD impact

relations between Federal and State

governments? The regulations proposed

would not have a substantial direct

effect on the States, between the

national government and the States, or

on the distribution of power and

responsibilities among the various

levels of government. We have

determined that this proposed rule

would not have federalism implications

under Executive Order 13132.

Would this proposed AD involve a

significant rule or regulatory action? For

the reasons discussed above, I certify

that this action (1) is not a ‘‘significant

regulatory action’’ under Executive

Order 12866; (2) is not a ‘‘significant

rule’’ under DOT Regulatory Policies

and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February

26, 1979); and (3) if put into effect, 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 have placed a copy of the draft

regulatory evaluation prepared for this

action in the Rules Docket. You may get

64642 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 210 / Monday, October 30, 2000 / Proposed Rules

a copy of it by contacting the Rules

Docket at the location provided under

the caption ADDRESSES.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation

safety, Safety.

The Proposed Amendment

Therefore, under the authority

delegated to me by the Administrator,

the Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA) proposes to amend part 39 of the

Federal Aviation Regulations (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. FAA amends Section 39.13 by

adding a new airworthiness directive

(AD) to read as follows:

Cessna Aircraft Company: Docket No. 2000–

CE–24–AD.

(a) What airplanes are affected by this AD?

Model 172RG, with the serial numbers 691

and 172RG0001 through 172RG1191,

certified in any category.

(b) Who must comply with this AD?

Anyone who wishes to operate any of the

above airplanes must comply with this AD.

(c) What problem does this AD address?

The actions specified in this AD are intended

to detect, correct, and prevent future cracks

on the original design landing gear pivots.

Cracked main landing gear pivots could fail,

resulting in gear-up landings or loss of

braking.

(d) What must I do to address this

problem? To address this problem, you must

do the following actions:

Actions Compliance times Procedures

(1) Inspect the main landing gear pivot assemblies for cracks.Within the next 100 time-inservice after the effective date of this AD.Do this action following the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS in Cessna Service

Bulletin SEB90–1, Revision 3, dated March

15, 1999, and the Model 172RG Series

Service Manual.

(2) If you find cracks, replace the affected main

landing gear pivot assembly with the part referenced in the service bulletin.

Before further flight after the inspection .......... Do this action following the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS in Cessna Service

Bulletin SEB90–1, Revision 3, dated March

15, 1999, and the Model 172RG Series

Service Manual.

(3) Install new bushings on both main landing

gear pivot assemblies using the applicable kit

referenced in the service bulletin.

Before further flight after the inspection .......... Do this action following the ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS in Cessna Service

Bulletin SEB90–1, Revision 3, dated March

15, 1999, and the Model 172RG Series

Service Manual.

(e) Can I comply with this AD in any other

way? You may use an alternative method of

compliance or adjust the compliance time if:

(1) Your alternative method of compliance

provides an equivalent level of safety; and

(2) The Manager, Wichita Aircraft

Certification Office (ACO), approves your

alternative. Send your request through an

FAA Principal Maintenance Inspector, who

may add comments and then send it to the

Manager, Wichita ACO.

Note: This AD applies to each airplane

identified in paragraph (a) of this AD,

regardless of whether it has been modified,

altered, or repaired in the area subject to the

requirements of this AD. For airplanes that

have been modified, altered, or repaired so

the performance of the requirements of this

AD is affected, the owner/operator must

request approval for an alternative method of

compliance under paragraph (e) of this AD.

The request should include an assessment of

the effect of the modification, alteration, or

repair on the unsafe condition addressed by

this AD; and, if you have not eliminated the

unsafe condition, specific actions you

propose to address it.

(f) Where can I get information about any

already-approved alternative methods of

compliance? Contact Steven Litke, Aerospace

Engineer, Wichita Aircraft Certification

Office, FAA, 1801 Airport Road, MidContinent Airport, Wichita, Kansas 67209;

telephone: (316) 946–4127; facsimile: (316)

946–4407.

(g) What if I need to fly the airplane to

another location to comply with this AD? The

FAA can issue a special flight permit under

§§ 21.197 and 21.199 of the Federal Aviation

Regulations (14 CFR 21.197 and 21.199) to

operate your airplane to a location where you

can do the requirements of this AD.

(h) How do I get copies of the documents

referenced in this AD? You may get copies of

the documents referenced in this AD from

the Cessna Aircraft Company, Product

Support, P.O. Box 7706, Wichita, Kansas

67277; or read this document at FAA, Central

Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, 901

Locust, Room 506, Kansas City, Missouri

64106.

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on

October 23, 2000.

Marvin R. Nuss,

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate,

Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 00–27755 Filed 10–27–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–U

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 71

Proposed Revisions of the Minneapolis

Class B Airspace Area, MN; Public

Meetings

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces two

fact-finding informal airspace meetings

to solicit information from airspace

users, and others, concerning a proposal

to revise the Class B airspace at

Minneapolis, MN. The purpose of these

meetings is to provide interested parties

the opportunity to present views,

recommendations, and comments on

this proposal. All comments received

during the meetings will be considered

prior to issuance of a notice of proposed

rulemaking.

TIMES AND DATES: The informal airspace

meetings will be held on Tuesday,

January 9, 2001, starting at 6:30 p.m.

until 10 p.m., and on Saturday, January

13, 2001, starting at 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Comments must be received on or

before March 13, 2001. Send or deliver

comments on the proposal in triplicate

to: Manager, Air Traffic Division, AGL–

500, Federal Aviation Administration,

Great Lakes Region Headquarters,

O’Hare Lake Office Center, 2300 East

Devon Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018.

ADDRESSES: On January 9, 2001, the

meeting will be at St. Paul Downtown

Airport, Army Aviation Support

Facility, 206 Airport Road, St. Paul, MN.

On January 13, 2001, the meeting will

be at Hennepin Technical College,

Flying Cloud Campus, 9200 Flying

Cloud Drive, Eden Prairie, MN.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Arthur Hill, Air Traffic Division, AGL–