[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 22, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 70300-70302]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-29800]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 2000-NM-13-AD; Amendment 39-12002; AD 2000-23-29]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Saab Model SAAB 340B Series Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD), 
applicable to certain Saab Model SAAB 340B series airplanes, that 
requires a one-time inspection to detect discrepancies of the flight 
idle stop override mechanism, and corrective action, if necessary. This 
amendment is prompted by issuance of mandatory continuing airworthiness 
information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. The actions 
specified by this AD are intended to prevent increased braking distance 
for landings that require the flight idle stop override, resulting from 
the combination of failure of the override mechanism and inability of 
the power levers to be moved below the flight idle position after 
touchdown.

DATES: Effective December 27, 2000. The incorporation by reference of 
certain publications, as listed in the regulations, was approved 
previously by the Director of the Federal Register as of May 19, 1998 
(63 FR 18118, April 14, 1998).

ADDRESSES: The service information referenced in this AD may be 
obtained from Saab Aircraft AB, SAAB Aircraft Product Support, S-
581.88, Linkoping, Sweden. This information may be examined at the 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Transport Airplane Directorate, 
Rules Docket, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington; or at the 
Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., suite 
700, Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Norman B. Martenson, Manager, 
International Branch, ANM-116, FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 
1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98055-4056; telephone (425) 
227-2110; fax (425) 227-1149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal 
Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) to include an airworthiness 
directive (AD) that is applicable to certain Saab Model SAAB 340B 
series airplanes was published in the Federal Register on March 15, 
2000 (65 FR 13921). That action proposed to require a one-time 
inspection to detect discrepancies of the flight idle stop override 
mechanism, and corrective action, if necessary.

Comment Received

    Interested persons have been afforded an opportunity to participate 
in the making of this amendment. Due consideration has been given to 
the comment received.

Objection to the Proposal

    One commenter, an operator, states that mandating the inspection 
proposed in this AD has no value and will not contribute to safety. The 
commenter offers several reasons, described below, for this assertion.
    1. The commenter states that the cable that originally stuck 
[prompting issuance of a related FAA AD, AD 98-08-16, amendment 39-
10465 (63 FR 18118, April 14, 1998)], along with the uplock switch and 
knob, is fully contained within the control quadrant installed on each 
airplane, and the quadrants are interchangeable among airplanes. The 
commenter considers it extremely doubtful that the same quadrants are 
still installed in the airplanes that are specified in the 
applicability of the proposed AD.
    2. The commenter states that the proposed AD does not cover 
quadrants installed in airplanes with serial numbers above 413, nor 
does it cover quadrants installed in airplanes that were listed in the 
original applicability of AD 98-08-16. Yet those quadrants, although 
not covered in that AD, have the same flight idle stop override 
mechanism as those installed on airplanes specified in the 
applicability of the proposed AD, and the commenter asserts that the 
same safety concern should exist on those airplanes as well.
    3. Additionally, the commenter notes the issuance of two other FAA 
AD's, AD 99-21-31, amendment 39-11377 (64 FR 56426, October 20, 1999), 
and AD 99-27-08, amendment 39-11489 (65 FR 209, January 4, 2000), that 
also address the control quadrants. In order to comply with the 
terminating action for those AD's, operators must remove the quadrant 
from the airplane, and the quadrant must be modified or replaced. The 
commenter therefore asserts that a quadrant installed on an airplane 
when AD 98-08-16 was issued would no longer be installed in its 
original, unmodified condition.
    4. The commenter also states that a Maintenance Review Board (MRB) 
task already exists to perform a periodic operational check of the 
flight idle stop override mechanism on all airplanes. The commenter 
states that this check would find any stiff or frozen cables in the 
override system; therefore, the intent of the proposed AD is already 
being met.

FAA Response

    The FAA infers that the commenter is requesting that the proposed 
AD be withdrawn. The FAA does not concur, for the reasons set forth 
below. Further, the FAA considers that reiteration of the requirements 
for compliance with airworthiness directives is necessary. After the 
compliance time specified in an AD has passed, all corrective actions 
required by that AD must have been accomplished in order to correct the 
unsafe condition. If an airplane is returned to a configuration that 
allows the unsafe condition to exist, that airplane is being operated 
contrary to the requirements of the AD, which is prohibited per section 
39.3 of the

[[Page 70301]]

Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 39.3). The FAA provides specific 
responses below to each of the commenter's assertions (numbered to 
correspond with the commenter's issues).
    1. AD 98-08-16 refers to Saab Service Bulletin 340-76-041, dated 
May 29, 1997, and Revision 01, dated July 2, 1997, as the appropriate 
source of service information for the actions required by that AD. That 
service bulletin specifies that certain control quadrants (including 
those held as spares) are to be inspected, and repaired if necessary. 
Therefore, although control quadrants may have subsequently been 
interchanged among airplanes, the inspection and corrective actions 
required by AD 98-08-16 should have been accomplished for all affected 
quadrants. Additionally, the compliance time for that AD has already 
passed. If a quadrant is installed on an affected airplane after that 
date, and the quadrant has not been inspected per the requirements of 
AD 98-08-16, the airplane is being operated contrary to the 
requirements of that AD. No change to the final rule is necessary in 
this regard.
    2. The FAA does not concur that additional airplanes are subject to 
the identified unsafe condition. Saab Service Bulletin 340-76-041 lists 
airplanes only through serial number (S/N) 413 in the effectivity; 
airplanes having higher S/N's did not need to be included in this 
effectivity because they were delivered with correctly functioning 
control quadrants installed. And, as stated above, for airplanes having 
higher S/N's that were affected by the requirements of AD 98-08-16, any 
quadrant installed after the compliance time should have been inspected 
according to the requirements of that AD. No change to the final rule 
is necessary in this regard.
    3. The FAA acknowledges that other existing AD's may have required 
replacement of control quadrants with other quadrants. However, as 
stated above, after the compliance time for each AD has passed, the 
required corrective actions specified in each AD must have been 
accomplished for the affected airplanes, and for control quadrants 
subsequently installed on those airplanes. The FAA acknowledges that 
the one-time inspection required by this AD may have been previously 
accomplished as part of compliance with other AD's. In those cases, the 
requirements of this AD have been complied with, and no further action 
is required. No change to the final rule is necessary in this regard.
    4. The FAA does not concur that the existing MRB task alone is 
adequate to address the unsafe condition identified in this AD, because 
the compliance time in the AD is much shorter than the time interval 
specified for the task in the MRB. However, the FAA has determined that 
the procedures specified in the MRB task for the operational check may 
also be used for compliance with the requirements of this AD. A Note 
has been added to the AD to give credit to operators that may have 
accomplished the MRB task prior to the effective date of this AD.

Conclusion

    After careful review of the available data, including the comments 
noted above, the FAA has determined that air safety and the public 
interest require the adoption of the rule with the change described 
previously. The FAA has determined that this change will neither 
increase the economic burden on any operator nor increase the scope of 
the AD.

Cost Impact

    The FAA estimates that 31 airplanes of U.S. registry will be 
affected by this AD, that it will take approximately 1 work hour per 
airplane to accomplish the required actions, and that the average labor 
rate is $60 per work hour. Based on these figures, the cost impact of 
the AD on U.S. operators is estimated to be $1,860, or $60 per 
airplane.
    The cost impact figure discussed above is based on assumptions that 
no operator has yet accomplished any of the 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 adopted herein 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. Therefore, it 
is determined that this final rule does not have federalism 
implications under Executive Order 13132.
    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) 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 final evaluation has been prepared for this action 
and it is contained in the Rules Docket. A copy of it may be obtained 
from the Rules Docket at the location provided under the caption 
ADDRESSES.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

    Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by 
reference, Safety.

Adoption of the Amendment

    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the Federal Aviation Administration amends 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.


Sec. 39.13  [Amended]

    2. Section 39.13 is amended by adding the following new 
airworthiness directive:

2000-23-29  SAAB Aircraft AB: Amendment 39-12002. Docket 2000-NM-13-
AD.

    Applicability: Model SAAB 340B series airplanes, certificated in 
any category; serial numbers -380 through -404 inclusive, -406 
through -408 inclusive, and -410 through -413 inclusive.

    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 (b) 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 prevent increased braking distance for landings that require 
the flight idle stop override, resulting from the combination of 
failure of the override mechanism and inability of the power levers 
to be moved below the flight idle position after touchdown, 
accomplish the following:

Inspection

    (a) Within 30 days after the effective date of this AD, perform 
a one-time inspection of the flight idle stop override mechanism to 
detect any discrepancy, in accordance with Saab Service Bulletin 
340-76-041, dated May 29, 1997, or Revision 01, dated July 2,

[[Page 70302]]

1997. If any discrepancy is found, prior to further flight, replace 
the control quadrant with a new or serviceable control quadrant in 
accordance with the service bulletin.

    Note 2: Accomplishment, prior to the effective date of this AD, 
of an operational check, as specified in SAAB 340 Maintenance Review 
Board (MRB) task 761501, is an acceptable method of compliance with 
the one-time inspection requirements of paragraph (a) of this AD.

Alternative Methods of Compliance

    (b) 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 3: 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

    (c) 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.

Incorporation by Reference

    (d) The actions shall be done in accordance with Saab Service 
Bulletin 340-76-041, dated May 29, 1997; or Saab Service Bulletin 
340-76-041, Revision 01, dated July 2, 1997. This incorporation by 
reference was approved previously by the Director of the Federal 
Register as of May 19, 1998 (63 FR 18118, April 14, 1998). Copies 
may be obtained from Saab Aircraft AB, SAAB Aircraft Product 
Support, S-581.88, Linkping, Sweden. Copies may be inspected at the 
FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, 
Washington; or at the Office of the Federal Register, 800 North 
Capitol Street, NW., suite 700, Washington, DC.

    Note 4: The subject of this AD is addressed in Swedish 
airworthiness directive 1-148, dated November 18, 1999.

Effective Date

    (e) This amendment becomes effective on December 27, 2000.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on November 15, 2000.
Donald L. Riggin,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 00-29800 Filed 11-21-00; 8:45 am]
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