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

78260 

Vol. 89, No. 186 

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2024–2315; Project 

Identifier AD–2023–00537–T] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company 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 The Boeing Company Model 

737–800 series airplanes. This proposed 

AD was prompted by a determination 

that the compliance time for the initial 

ultrasonic inspection required by AD 

2019–11–06 is insufficient for certain 

airplanes. This proposed AD would 

require reducing the compliance time 

for the ultrasonic inspection of the skin 

under the drag link assembly. The FAA 

is proposing this AD to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this proposed AD by November 12, 

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–2024–2315; 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, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for Docket Operations is 

listed above. 

Material Incorporated by Reference: 

• For Boeing material identified in 

this NPRM, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data 

Services (C&DS), 2600 Westminster 

Blvd., MC 110–SK57, Seal Beach, CA 

90740–5600; telephone 562–797–1717; 

website myboeingfleet.com. 

• You may view this material at the 

FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, 2200 South 

216th St., Des Moines, WA. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Owen Bley-Male, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., 

Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: 206– 

231–3992; email: owen.f.bley-male@

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–2024–2315; Project Identifier AD– 

2023–00537–T’’ 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 Owen Bley-Male, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 

South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; 

phone: 206–231–3992; email: 

owen.f.bley-male@faa.gov. Any 

commentary that the FAA receives that 

is not specifically designated as CBI will 

be placed in the public docket for this 

rulemaking. 

Background 

The FAA issued AD 2019–11–06, 

Amendment 39–19652 (84 FR 27193, 

June 12, 2019) (AD 2019–11–06) for 

certain The Boeing Company Model 

737–600, 737–700, 737–700C, 737–800, 

737–900, and 737–900ER series 

airplanes. AD 2019–11–06 requires 

ultrasonic inspections of the skin under 

the drag link assembly for cracks and 

applicable on-condition actions. The 

FAA issued AD 2019–11–06 to address 

cracking in the station (STA) 540 

bulkhead chord or skin, which could 

result in the inability of a primary 

structural element to sustain limit load. 

Since issuing AD 2019–11–06, the 

FAA has received a report that, for 

Model 737–800 series airplanes that 

have been modified to a freighter 

configuration using Boeing Drawing 

800A0003, an evaluation of structural 

stresses using revised stress level 

calculations found that the inspection 

thresholds required by AD 2019–11–06 

were insufficient. Those airplanes are 

subject to additional structural stresses 

due to the modifications done during 

conversion to a freighter configuration. 

Therefore, the compliance times for the 

initial inspections required by AD 

2019–11–06 could be performed on 

those airplanes after the appropriate 

inspection threshold has passed, which 

could result in undetected cracking in 

the STA 540 bulkhead chord or skin. 

The FAA determined that, for those 

airplanes, a reduced compliance time is 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 186 / Wednesday, September 25, 2024 / Proposed Rules 78261 

needed to address the unsafe condition. 

Accomplishing the actions required by 

this proposed AD would replace the 

initial ultrasonic inspections required 

by paragraph (g) of AD 2019–11–06 for 

Model 737–800 airplanes converted to a 

freighter configuration using Boeing 

Drawing 800A0003. 

This condition, if not addressed, 

could lead to undetected cracking in the 

STA 540 bulkhead chord or skin, which 

could result in possible rapid 

decompression and loss of structural 

integrity of the airplane. 

FAA’s Determination 

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. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

Under 1 CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 737–53A1368, dated 

February 27, 2018. This material 

specifies an ultrasonic inspection of the 

skin under the drag link assembly and 

repair for any cracks; repetitive 

inspections for any cracks, including 

ultrasonic inspections, high frequency 

eddy current inspections, low frequency 

eddy current inspections, and detailed 

inspections; and a preventative 

modification if no crack is found. 

The FAA also reviewed Boeing 737– 

800BCF Airworthiness Limitations, 

D140A006, Revision L, dated April 1, 

2021. This material contains required 

inspections for principal structural 

element items. Section 5.2.1 of this 

material identifies the airplanes affected 

by this proposed AD. 

This material is reasonably available 

because the interested parties have 

access to it through their normal course 

of business or by the means identified 

in ADDRESSES. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would reduce the 

compliance time for the initial 

ultrasonic inspection required by AD 

2019–11–06 for Model 737–800 series 

airplanes that have been converted to a 

freighter configuration using Boeing 

Drawing 800A0003. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 18 

airplanes of U.S. registry. The FAA 

estimates the following costs to comply 

with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS FOR REQUIRED ACTIONS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Initial inspection ................ Up to 23 work-hours × $85 per hour = $1,955 .......... $0 $1,955 Up to $35,190. 

The FAA estimates the following 

costs to do any on-condition 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: 

ESTIMATED COSTS FOR ON-CONDITION ACTIONS

Labor cost Parts cost Cost per product 

Up to 56 work-hours × $85 per hour = $4,760 ....................................................................................... $24,020 Up to $28,780. 

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, 

(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: 

The Boeing Company: Docket No. FAA– 

2024–2315; Project Identifier AD–2023– 

00537–T. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by November 

12, 2024. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
78262 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 186 / Wednesday, September 25, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

(b) Affected ADs 

This AD affects AD 2019–11–06, 

Amendment 39–19652 (84 FR 27193, June 

12, 2019) (AD 2019–11–06). 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to The Boeing Company 

Model 737–800 series airplanes, certificated 

in any category, that have been converted to 

a freighter configuration using Boeing 

Drawing 800A0003 before April 1, 2021, and 

are identified as Group A in Section 5.2.1, 

‘‘Effectivity,’’ of Boeing 737–800BCF 

Airworthiness Limitations, D140A006, 

Revision L, dated April 1, 2021. 

Note 1 to paragraph (c): Airplanes with a 

737–800BCF designation are Model 737–800 

series airplanes that have been converted to 

a freighter configuration using Boeing 

Drawing 800A0003. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 53, Fuselage. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a determination 

that the compliance time for the initial 

ultrasonic inspection of the skin under the 

drag link assembly required by AD 2019–11– 

06 must be reduced for certain airplanes. The 

FAA is issuing this AD to address cracking 

found in the station (STA) 540 bulkhead 

chord and skin, which could result in the 

inability of a primary structural element to 

sustain limit load. The unsafe condition, if 

not addressed, could result in possible rapid 

decompression and loss of structural 

integrity of the airplane. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Required Actions 

(1) For airplanes identified as Group 1, 

Configuration 2, 3, 4, or 5, or as Group 5 in 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737–53A1368, 

dated February 27, 2018: At the compliance 

time specified in paragraph (g)(1)(i), (ii), (iii), 

or (iv) of this AD, whichever occurs last, 

perform an ultrasonic inspection of the skin 

under the drag link assembly in accordance 

with the Accomplishment Instructions, Part 

2, of Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737– 

53A1368, dated February 27, 2018. Do all 

applicable on-condition actions for the Part 

2 inspection at the times specified in 

paragraph 1.E., ‘‘Compliance,’’ of Boeing 

Alert Service Bulletin 737–53A1368, dated 

February 27, 2018, except where Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 737–53A1368, dated 

February 27, 2018, specifies contacting 

Boeing for repair instructions, this AD 

requires doing the repair using a method 

approved in accordance with paragraph (j) of 

this AD. 

(i) Before the airplane accumulates 17,000 

total flight cycles. 

(ii) Within 5,000 flight cycles after July 17, 

2019 (the effective date of AD 2019–11–06). 

(iii) Within 12 months after the effective 

date of this AD. 

(iv) Within 1,000 flight cycles after the 

effective date of this AD. 

(2) For airplanes identified as Group 1, 

Configuration 1, 3, or 4 in Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 737–53A1368, dated 

February 27, 2018: At the compliance time 

specified in paragraph (g)(2)(i), (ii), (iii), or 

(iv) of this AD, whichever occurs last, 

perform an ultrasonic inspection of the repair 

tripler under the drag link assembly in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions, Part 6, of Boeing Alert Service 

Bulletin 737–53A1368, dated February 27, 

2018. Do all applicable on-condition actions 

for the Part 6 inspection at the times 

specified in paragraph 1.E., ‘‘Compliance,’’ of 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737–53A1368, 

dated February 27, 2018, except where 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737–53A1368, 

dated February 27, 2018, specifies contacting 

Boeing for repair instructions, this AD 

requires doing the repair using a method 

approved in accordance with paragraph (j) of 

this AD. 

(i) Before the airplane accumulates 30,000 

total flight cycles. 

(ii) Within 5,000 flight cycles after July 17, 

2019 (the effective date of AD 2019–11–06). 

(iii) Within 12 months after the effective 

date of this AD. 

(iv) Within 1,000 flight cycles after the 

effective date of this AD. 

(i) Terminating Action for Certain 

Requirements of AD 2019–11–06 

Accomplishing the actions required by this 

AD replaces the corresponding initial 

ultrasonic inspections and on-condition 

actions required by paragraph (g) of AD 

2019–11–06 for Model 737–800 airplanes 

converted to a freighter configuration using 

Boeing Drawing 800A0003 only. 

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, AIR–520, Continued 

Operational Safety 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 responsible Flight Standards Office, as 

appropriate. If sending information directly 

to the manager of the certification office, 

send it to the attention of the person 

identified in paragraph (k) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: AMOC@

faa.gov. 

(2) Before using any approved AMOC, 

notify your appropriate principal inspector, 

or lacking a principal inspector, the manager 

of the responsible Flight Standards Office. 

(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair, 

modification, or alteration required by this 

AD if it is approved by The Boeing Company 

Organization Designation Authorization 

(ODA) that has been authorized by the 

Manager, AIR–520, Continued Operational 

Safety Branch, FAA, to make those findings. 

To be approved, the repair method, 

modification deviation, or alteration 

deviation 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 Owen Bley-Male, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des 

Moines, WA 98198; phone: 206–231–3992; 

email: owen.f.bley-male@faa.gov. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

the material listed in this paragraph under 5 

U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) You must use this material as 

applicable to do the actions required by this 

AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) Boeing 737–800BCF Airworthiness 

Limitations, D140A006, Revision L, dated 

April 1, 2021. 

(ii) Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737– 

53A1368, dated February 27, 2018. 

(3) For Boeing material identified in this 

AD, contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes, 

Attention: Contractual & Data Services 

(C&DS), 2600 Westminster Blvd., MC 110– 

SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740–5600; telephone 

562–797–1717; website myboeingfleet.com. 

(4) You may view this material at the FAA, 

Airworthiness Products Section, Operational 

Safety Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des 

Moines, WA. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, call 

206–231–3195. 

(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 September 19, 2024. 

Peter A. White, 

Deputy Director, Integrated Certificate 

Management Division, Aircraft Certification 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–21813 Filed 9–24–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2024–2314; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2024–00312–T] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus SAS 

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 all 

Airbus SAS Model A319–111, –112, 

–113, –114, –115, –131, –132, –133, 

–151N, and –153N airplanes; A320 

series airplanes; and A321–211, –212, 

–213, –231, –232, –251N, –252N, 

–253N, –271N, –272N, –251NX, 

–252NX, –253NX, –271NX, and –272NX 

airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by a determination that a 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1