26668 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 86 / Wednesday, May 4, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 

environmental policies and procedures 

are found in 7 CFR part 1970. 

Assessments must be made for those 

proposed conveyances that meet one of 

the following criteria: 

* * * * * 

April 20, 2016. 

Lisa Mensah, 

Under Secretary, Rural Development. 

April 26, 2016. 

Alexis Taylor, 

Deputy Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign 

Agricultural Services. 

[FR Doc. 2016–10377 Filed 5–3–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P 

FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE 

AGENCY 

12 CFR Part 1282 

Enterprise Housing Goals and Mission 

CFR Correction 

In Title 12 of the Code of Federal 

Regulations, Part 1100 to End, revised as 

of January 1, 2016, on page 400, in 

§ 1282.1, the definition of ‘‘Very low 

income’’ is reinstated to read as follows: 

§ 1282.1 Definitions. 

* * * * * 

(b) * * * 

Very low-income means: 

(i) In the case of owner-occupied 

units, income not in excess of 50 

percent of area median income; and 

(ii) In the case of rental units, income 

not in excess of 50 percent of area 

median income, with adjustments for 

smaller and larger families in 

accordance with this part. 

[FR Doc. 2016–10521 Filed 5–3–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 1505–01–D 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 25 

[Docket No. FAA–2016–1085; Special 

Conditions No. 25–618–SC] 

Special Conditions: Gulfstream 

Aerospace Corporation Model GVII– 

G500 Airplane, Technical Criteria for 

Approving Side-Facing Seats 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final special conditions; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: These special conditions are 

issued for the Gulfstream Aerospace 

Corporation (Gulfstream) Model GVII– 

G500 airplane. This airplane will have 

a novel or unusual design feature 

associated with side-facing seats. The 

applicable airworthiness regulations do 

not contain adequate or appropriate 

safety standards for this design feature. 

These special conditions contain the 

additional safety standards the 

Administrator considers necessary to 

establish a level of safety equivalent to 

that established by the existing 

airworthiness standards. 

DATES: The effective date of these 

special conditions is May 4, 2016. We 

must receive your comments by June 20, 

2016. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by docket number FAA–2016–1085 

using any of the following methods: 

Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ and follow 

the online instructions for sending your 

comments electronically. 

Mail: Send comments to Docket 

Operations, M–30, U.S. Department of 

Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Room W12–140, West 

Building Ground Floor, Washington, 

DC, 20590–0001. 

Hand Delivery or Courier: Take 

comments to Docket Operations in 

Room W12–140 of the West Building 

Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Fax: Fax comments to Docket 

Operations at 202–493–2251. 

Privacy: The FAA will post all 

comments it receives, without change, 

to http://www.regulations.gov/, 

including any personal information the 

commenter provides. Using the search 

function of the docket Web site, anyone 

can find and read the electronic form of 

all comments received into any FAA 

docket, including the name of the 

individual sending the comment (or 

signing the comment for an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). DOT’s 

complete Privacy Act Statement can be 

found in the Federal Register published 

on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477–19478), 

as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot 

.gov/. 

Docket: Background documents or 

comments received may be read at 

http://www.regulations.gov/ at any time. 

Follow the online instructions for 

accessing the docket or go to Docket 

Operations in Room W12–140 of the 

West Building Ground Floor at 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan 

Jacquet, Airframe and Cabin Safety, 

ANM–115, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification 

Service, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 

Renton, Washington 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–2676; facsimile 

425–227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

substance of these special conditions 

has been subject to the public-comment 

process in several prior instances with 

no substantive comments received. The 

FAA therefore finds that good cause 

exists for making these special 

conditions effective upon issuance. 

Comments Invited 

We invite interested people to take 

part in this rulemaking by sending 

written comments, data, or views. The 

most helpful comments reference a 

specific portion of the special 

conditions, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. 

We will consider all comments we 

receive by the closing date for 

comments. We may change these special 

conditions based on the comments we 

receive. 

Background 

On March 29, 2012, Gulfstream 

Aerospace Corporation applied for a 

type certificate for their new Model 

GVII–G500 airplane. The Model GVII– 

G500 airplane will be a business jet 

capable of accommodating up to 19 

passengers. It will incorporate a low, 

swept-wing design with winglets and a 

T-tail. The powerplant will consist of 

two aft-fuselage-mounted Pratt & 

Whitney turbofan engines. 

Type Certification Basis 

Under Title 14, Code of Federal 

Regulations (14 CFR) 21.17, Gulfstream 

must show that the Model GVII–G500 

airplane meets the applicable provisions 

of 14 CFR part 25, as amended by 

Amendments 25–1 through 25–129. 

If the Administrator finds that the 

applicable airworthiness regulations 

(i.e., part 25) do not contain adequate or 

appropriate safety standards for the 

Model GVII–G500 airplane because of a 

novel or unusual design feature, special 

conditions are prescribed under the 

provisions of § 21.16. 

Special conditions are initially 

applicable to the model for which they 

are issued. Should the type certificate 

for that model be amended later to 

include any other model that 

incorporates the same or similar novel 

or unusual design feature, the special 

conditions would also apply to the other 

model under § 21.101. 

In addition to the applicable 

airworthiness regulations and special 

conditions, Model GVII–G500 airplanes 


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must comply with the fuel-vent and 

exhaust-emission requirements of 14 

CFR part 34, and the noise-certification 

requirements of 14 CFR part 36. The 

FAA must issue a finding of regulatory 

adequacy under section 611 of Public 

Law 92–574, the ‘‘Noise Control Act of 

1972.’’ 

The FAA issues special conditions, as 

defined in 14 CFR 11.19, in accordance 

with § 11.38, and they become part of 

the type certification basis under 

§ 21.17(a)(2). 

Novel or Unusual Design Features 

The Model GVII–G500 airplane will 

incorporate the following novel or 

unusual design feature: 

Gulfstream wants the option to 

include side-facing seats in their new 

Model GVII–G500 airplane. Side-facing 

seats (i.e., seats positioned in the 

airplane with the occupant facing 90 

degrees to the direction of airplane 

travel) are considered a novel design for 

transport-category airplanes that include 

Amendment 25–64 in their certification 

basis, and were not considered when 

those airworthiness standards were 

issued. The FAA has determined that 

the existing regulations do not provide 

adequate or appropriate safety standards 

for occupants of side-facing seats. To 

provide a level of safety that is 

equivalent to that afforded to occupants 

of forward- and aft-facing seats, 

additional airworthiness standards in 

the form of special conditions are 

necessary. 

Discussion 

On June 16, 1988, 14 CFR part 25 was 

amended to revise the emergencylanding conditions that must be 

considered in the design of transportcategory airplanes. Amendment 25–64 

revised the static-load conditions in 

§ 25.561, and added a new § 25.562 that 

required dynamic testing for all seats 

approved for occupancy during takeoff 

and landing. The intent of Amendment 

25–64 was to provide an improved level 

of safety for occupants on transportcategory airplanes. However, because 

most seating on transport-category 

airplanes is forward-facing, the pass/fail 

criteria developed in Amendment 25–64 

focused primarily on these seats. 

For some time, the FAA granted 

exemptions for the multiple-place sidefacing-seat installations because the 

existing test methods and acceptance 

criteria did not produce a level of safety 

equivalent to the level of safety 

provided for forward-and aft-facing 

seats. These exemptions were subject to 

many conditions that reflected the 

injury-evaluation criteria and mitigation 

strategies available at the time of the 

exemption issuance. The FAA also 

issued special conditions to address 

single-place side-facing seats because 

we believed that those conditions 

provided the same level of safety as for 

forward- and aft-facing seats. 

Continuing concerns regarding the 

safety of side-facing seats prompted the 

FAA to conduct research to develop an 

acceptable method of compliance with 

§§ 25.562 and 25.785(b) for side-facing 

seat installations. That research has 

identified injury considerations and 

evaluation criteria in addition to those 

previously used to approve side-facing 

seats (see published report DOT/FAA/

AR–09/41, July 2011). One particular 

concern that was identified during the 

FAA’s research program, but not 

addressed in the previous special 

conditions, was the significant leg 

injuries that can occur to occupants of 

both single- and multiple-place sidefacing seats. Because this type of injury 

does not occur on forward- and aftfacing seats, the FAA determined that, 

to achieve the level of safety envisioned 

in Amendment 25–64, additional 

requirements would be needed as 

compared to previously issued special 

conditions. Nonetheless, the research 

has now allowed the development of a 

single set of special conditions that is 

applicable to all fully side-facing seats. 

On November 5, 2012, the FAA 

released PS–ANM–25–03–R1, 

‘‘Technical Criteria for Approving SideFacing Seats,’’ to update existing FAA 

certification policy on §§ 25.562 and 

25.785(a) at Amendment 25–64 for 

single- and multiple-place side-facing 

seats. This policy addresses both the 

technical criteria for approving sidefacing seats and the implementation of 

those criteria. The FAA methodology 

detailed in PS–ANM–25–03–R1 has 

been used in establishing a new set of 

proposed special conditions. Some of 

the conditions issued for previous 

exemptions are still relevant and are 

included in these new special 

conditions. However, others have been 

replaced by different criteria that reflect 

current research findings. 

Applicability 

As discussed above, these special 

conditions are applicable to the 

Gulfstream Model GVII–G500 airplane. 

Should Gulfstream apply at a later date 

for a change to the type certificate to 

include another model incorporating the 

same novel or unusual design feature, 

these special conditions would apply to 

that model as well. 

Conclusion 

This action affects only a certain 

novel or unusual design feature on one 

model series of airplane. It is not a rule 

of general applicability. 

The substance of these special 

conditions has been subjected to the 

notice and comment period in several 

prior instances and has been derived 

without substantive change from those 

previously issued. It is unlikely that 

prior public comment would result in a 

significant change from the substance 

contained herein. Therefore, the FAA 

has determined that prior public notice 

and comment are unnecessary and 

impracticable, and good cause exists for 

adopting these special conditions upon 

publication in the Federal Register. 

The FAA is requesting comments to 

allow interested persons to submit 

views that may not have been submitted 

in response to the prior opportunities 

for comment described above. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25 

Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting 

and recordkeeping requirements. 

■ The authority citation for these 

special conditions is as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 

44702, 44704. 

The Special Conditions 

■ Accordingly, pursuant to the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the following special conditions are 

issued as part of the type certification 

basis for the Gulfstream Aerospace 

Corporation Model GVII–G500 airplane. 

In addition to the airworthiness 

standards in §§ 25.562 and 25.785, the 

FAA issues the following special 

conditions (based on Policy Statement 

PS–ANM–25–03–R1) as part of the type 

certification basis for the Gulfstream 

Model GVII series airplanes. Items 1 and 

2 are applicable to all side-facing seat 

installations, whereas items 3 through 

16 represent additional requirements 

applicable to side-facing seats equipped 

with an airbag system in the shoulder 

belt. 

1. Additional requirements applicable 

to tests or rational analysis conducted to 

show compliance with §§ 25.562 and 

25.785 for side-facing seats: 

a. The longitudinal test(s) conducted 

in accordance with § 25.562(b)(2), to 

show compliance with the seat-strength 

requirements of § 25.562(c)(7) and (8) 

and these special conditions, must have 

an ES–2re anthropomorphic test dummy 

(ATD) (49 CFR part 572 subpart U) or 

equivalent, or a Hybrid II ATD (49 CFR 

part 572, subpart B as specified in 

§ 25.562) or equivalent, occupying each 

seat position and including all items 

(e.g., armrest, interior wall, or 

furnishing) contactable by the occupant 

if those items are necessary to restrain 


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the occupant. If included, the floor 

representation and contactable items 

must be located such that their relative 

position, with respect to the center of 

the nearest seat place, is the same at the 

start of the test as before floor 

misalignment is applied. For example, if 

floor misalignment rotates the centerline 

of the seat place nearest the contactable 

item 8 degrees clockwise about the 

airplane x-axis, then the item and floor 

representations must be rotated by 8 

degrees clockwise also, to maintain the 

same relative position to the seat place, 

as shown in Figure 1. Each ATD’s 

relative position to the seat after 

application of floor misalignment must 

be the same as before misalignment is 

applied. To ensure proper occupant seat 

loading, the ATD pelvis must remain 

supported by the seat pan, and the 

restraint system must remain on the 

pelvis and shoulder of the ATD until 

rebound begins. No injury-criteria 

evaluation is necessary for tests 

conducted only to assess seat-strength 

requirements. 

b. The longitudinal test(s) conducted 

in accordance with § 25.562(b)(2), to 

show compliance with the injury 

assessments required by § 25.562(c) and 

these special conditions, may be 

conducted separately from the test(s) to 

show structural integrity. In this case, 

structural-assessment tests must be 

conducted as specified in paragraph 1a, 

above, and the injury-assessment test 

must be conducted without yaw or floor 

misalignment. Injury assessments may 

be accomplished by testing with ES–2re 

ATD (49 CFR part 572 subpart U) or 

equivalent at all places. Alternatively, 

these assessments may be accomplished 

by multiple tests that use an ES–2re 

ATD at the seat place being evaluated, 

and a Hybrid II ATD (49 CFR part 572, 

subpart B, as specified in § 25.562) or 

equivalent used in all seat places 

forward of the one being assessed, to 

evaluate occupant interaction. In this 

case, seat places aft of the one being 

assessed may be unoccupied. If a seat 

installation includes adjacent items that 

are contactable by the occupant, the 

injury potential of that contact must be 

assessed. To make this assessment, tests 

may be conducted that include the 

actual item, located and attached in a 

representative fashion. Alternatively, 

the injury potential may be assessed by 

a combination of tests with items having 

the same geometry as the actual item, 

but having stiffness characteristics that 

would create the worst case for injury 

(injuries due to both contact with the 

item and lack of support from the item). 

c. If a seat is installed aft of structure 

(e.g., an interior wall or furnishing) that 

does not have a homogeneous surface 


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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 86 / Wednesday, May 4, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 26671 

contactable by the occupant, additional 

analysis and/or test(s) may be required 

to demonstrate that the injury criteria 

are met for the area that an occupant 

could contact. For example, different 

yaw angles could result in different 

injury considerations and may require 

additional analysis or separate test(s) to 

evaluate. 

d. To accommodate a range of 

occupant heights (5th percentile female 

to 95th percentile male), the surface of 

items contactable by the occupant must 

be homogenous 7.3 inches (185 mm) 

above and 7.9 inches (200 mm) below 

the point (center of area) that is 

contacted by the 50th percentile male 

size ATD’s head during the longitudinal 

test(s) conducted in accordance with 

paragraphs a, b, and c, above. 

Otherwise, additional head-injury 

criteria (HIC) assessment tests may be 

necessary. Any surface (inflatable or 

otherwise) that provides support for the 

occupant of any seat place must provide 

that support in a consistent manner 

regardless of occupant stature. For 

example, if an inflatable shoulder belt is 

used to mitigate injury risk, then it must 

be demonstrated by inspection to bear 

against the range of occupants in a 

similar manner before and after 

inflation. Likewise, the means of 

limiting lower-leg flail must be 

demonstrated by inspection to provide 

protection for the range of occupants in 

a similar manner. 

e. For longitudinal test(s) conducted 

in accordance with § 25.562(b)(2) and 

these special conditions, the ATDs must 

be positioned, clothed, and have lateral 

instrumentation configured as follows: 

(1) ATD positioning: 

Lower the ATD vertically into the seat 

while simultaneously (see Figure 2 for 

illustration): 

(a) Aligning the midsagittal plane (a 

vertical plane through the midline of the 

body; dividing the body into right and 

left halves) with approximately the 

middle of the seat place. 

(b) Applying a horizontal x-axis 

direction (in the ATD coordinate 

system) force of about 20 lb (89 N) to the 

torso at approximately the intersection 

of the midsagittal plane and the bottom 

rib of the ES–2re or lower sternum of 

the Hybrid II at the midsagittal plane, to 

compress the seat back cushion. 

(c) Keeping the upper legs nearly 

horizontal by supporting them just 

behind the knees. 

(d) After all lifting devices have been 

removed from the ATD: 

(i) Rock it slightly to settle it into the 

seat. 

(ii) Separate the knees by about 4 

inches (100 mm). 


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(iii) Set the ES–2re ATD’s head at 

approximately the midpoint of the 

available range of z-axis rotation (to 

align the head and torso midsagittal 

planes). 

(iv) Position the ES–2re ATD’s arms at 

the joint’s mechanical detent that puts 

them at approximately a 40-degree angle 

with respect to the torso. Position the 

Hybrid II ATD hands on top of its upper 

legs. 

(v) Position the feet such that the 

centerlines of the lower legs are 

approximately parallel to a lateral 

vertical plane (in the airplane 

coordinate system). 

(2) ATD clothing: Clothe each ATD in 

form-fitting, mid-calf-length (minimum) 

pants and shoes (size 11E) weighing 

about 2.5 lb (1.1 Kg) total. The color of 

the clothing should be in contrast to the 

color of the restraint system. The ES–2re 

jacket is sufficient for torso clothing, 

although a form-fitting shirt may be 

used in addition if desired. 

(3) ES–2re ATD lateral 

instrumentation: The rib-module linear 

slides are directional, i.e., deflection 

occurs in either a positive or negative 

ATD y-axis direction. The modules 

must be installed such that the moving 

end of the rib module is toward the 

front of the airplane. The three 

abdominal-force sensors must be 

installed such that they are on the side 

of the ATD toward the front of the 

airplane. 

f. The combined horizontal/vertical 

test, required by § 25.562(b)(1) and these 

special conditions, must be conducted 

with a Hybrid II ATD (49 CFR part 572 

subpart B as specified in § 25.562), or 

equivalent, occupying each seat 

position. 

g. Restraint systems: 

(1) If inflatable restraint systems are 

used, they must be active during all 

dynamic tests conducted to show 

compliance with § 25.562. 

(2) The design and installation of seatbelt buckles must prevent unbuckling 

due to applied inertial forces or impact 

of the hands or arms of the occupant 

during an emergency landing. 

2. Additional performance measures 

applicable to tests and rational analysis 

conducted to show compliance with 

§§ 25.562 and 25.785 for side-facing 

seats: 

a. Body-to-body contact: Contact 

between the head, pelvis, torso, or 

shoulder area of one ATD with the 

adjacent-seated ATD’s head, pelvis, 

torso, or shoulder area is not allowed. 

Contact during rebound is allowed. 

b. Thoracic: The deflection of any of 

the ES–2re ATD upper, middle, and 

lower ribs must not exceed 1.73 inches 

(44 mm). Data must be processed as 

defined in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety 

Standards (FMVSS) 571.214. 

c. Abdominal: The sum of the 

measured ES–2re ATD front, middle, 

and rear abdominal forces must not 

exceed 562 lbs (2,500 N). Data must be 

processed as defined in FMVSS 

571.214. 

d. Pelvic: The pubic symphysis force 

measured by the ES–2re ATD must not 

exceed 1,350 lbs (6,000 N). Data must be 

processed as defined in FMVSS 

571.214. 

e. Leg: Axial rotation of the upper-leg 

(femur) must be limited to 35 degrees in 

either direction from the nominal seated 

position. 

f. Neck: As measured by the ES–2re 

ATD and filtered at Channel Frequency 

Class 600 as defined in SAE J211, 

‘‘Instrumentation for Impact Test—Part 

1—Electronic Instrumentation.’’ 

(1) The upper-neck tension force at 

the occipital condyle (O.C.) location 

must be less than 405 lb (1,800 N). 

(2) The upper-neck compression force 

at the O.C. location must be less than 

405 lb (1,800 N). 

(3) The upper-neck bending torque 

about the ATD x-axis at the O.C. 

location must be less than 1,018 in-lb 

(115 Nm). 

(4) The upper-neck resultant shear 

force at the O.C. location must be less 

than 186 lb (825 N). 

g. Occupant (ES–2re ATD) retention: 

The pelvic restraint must remain on the 

ES–2re ATD’s pelvis during the impact 

and rebound phases of the test. The 

upper-torso restraint straps (if present) 

must remain on the ATD’s shoulder 

during the impact. 

h. Occupant (ES–2re ATD) support: 

(1) Pelvis excursion: The load-bearing 

portion of the bottom of the ATD pelvis 

must not translate beyond the edges of 

its seat’s bottom seat-cushion 

supporting structure. 

(2) Upper-torso support: The lateral 

flexion of the ATD torso must not 

exceed 40 degrees from the normal 

upright position during the impact. 

3. For seats with an airbag system in 

the shoulder belts, show that the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt will deploy 

and provide protection under crash 

conditions where it is necessary to 

prevent serious injury. The means of 

protection must take into consideration 

a range of stature from a 2-year-old child 

to a 95th percentile male. The airbag 

system in the shoulder belt must 

provide a consistent approach to energy 

absorption throughout that range of 

occupants. When the seat system 

includes an airbag system, that system 

must be included in each of the 

certification tests as it would be 

installed in the airplane. In addition, the 

following situations must be considered: 

a. The seat occupant is holding an 

infant. 

b. The seat occupant is a pregnant 

woman. 

4. The airbag system in the shoulder 

belt must provide adequate protection 

for each occupant regardless of the 

number of occupants of the seat 

assembly, considering that unoccupied 

seats may have an active airbag system 

in the shoulder belt. 

5. The design must prevent the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt from being 

either incorrectly buckled or incorrectly 

installed, such that the airbag system in 

the shoulder belt would not properly 

deploy. Alternatively, it must be shown 

that such deployment is not hazardous 

to the occupant, and will provide the 

required injury protection. 

6. It must be shown that the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt is not 

susceptible to inadvertent deployment 

as a result of wear and tear, or inertial 

loads resulting from in-flight or ground 

maneuvers (including gusts and hard 

landings), and other operating and 

environmental conditions (vibrations, 

moisture, etc.) likely to occur in service. 

7. Deployment of the airbag system in 

the shoulder belt must not introduce 

injury mechanisms to the seated 

occupant, or result in injuries that could 

impede rapid egress. This assessment 

should include an occupant whose belt 

is loosely fastened. 

8. It must be shown that inadvertent 

deployment of the airbag system in the 

shoulder belt, during the most critical 

part of the flight, will either meet the 

requirement of § 25.1309(b) or not cause 

a hazard to the airplane or its occupants. 

9. It must be shown that the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt will not 

impede rapid egress of occupants 10 

seconds after airbag deployment. 

10. The airbag system must be 

protected from lightning and highintensity radiated fields (HIRF). The 

threats to the airplane specified in 

existing regulations regarding lighting, 

§ 25.1316, and HIRF, § 25.1317, are 

incorporated by reference for the 

purpose of measuring lightning and 

HIRF protection. 

11. The airbag system in the shoulder 

belt must function properly after loss of 

normal aircraft electrical power, and 

after a transverse separation of the 

fuselage at the most critical location. A 

separation at the location of the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt does not 

have to be considered. 

12. It must be shown that the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt will not 

release hazardous quantities of gas or 

particulate matter into the cabin. 


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13. The airbag system in the shoulderbelt installation must be protected from 

the effects of fire such that no hazard to 

occupants will result. 

14. A means must be available for a 

crewmember to verify the integrity of 

the airbag system in the shoulder-belt 

activation system prior to each flight, or 

it must be demonstrated to reliably 

operate between inspection intervals. 

The FAA considers that the loss of the 

airbag-system deployment function 

alone (i.e., independent of the 

conditional event that requires the 

airbag-system deployment) is a majorfailure condition. 

15. The inflatable material may not 

have an average burn rate of greater than 

2.5 inches/minute when tested using the 

horizontal flammability test defined in 

part 25, appendix F, part I, paragraph 

(b)(5). 

16. The airbag system in the shoulder 

belt, once deployed, must not adversely 

affect the emergency-lighting system 

(i.e., block floor proximity lights to the 

extent that the lights no longer meet 

their intended function). 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on April 27, 

2016. 

Dionne Palermo, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–10440 Filed 5–3–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–3982; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–NM–098–AD; Amendment 

39–18503; AD 2016–09–05] 

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 717–200 

airplanes. This AD was prompted by 

multiple reports of the vertical stabilizer 

leading edge showing signs of fastener 

distress. This AD requires a detailed 

inspection for any distress of the 

vertical stabilizer leading edge skin, and 

related investigative and corrective 

actions if necessary. This AD also 

requires, for certain airplanes, repetitive 

detailed inspections of the spar cap for 

any loose and missing fasteners, 

repetitive eddy current testing high 

frequency (ETHF) and radiographic 

testing (RT) inspections of the spar cap 

for any crack, and related investigative 

and corrective actions if necessary. We 

are issuing this AD to detect and correct 

any crack in the vertical stabilizer 

leading edge and front spar cap, which 

may result in the structure becoming 

unable to support limit load, and may 

lead to the loss of the vertical stabilizer. 

DATES: This AD is effective June 8, 2016. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of June 8, 2016. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes, 

Attention: Data & Services Management, 

3855 Lakewood Boulevard, MC D800– 

0019, Long Beach, CA 90846–0001; 

telephone: 206–544–5000, extension 2; 

fax: 206–766–5683; Internet: https:// 

www.myboeingfleet.com. You may view 

this referenced service information at 

the FAA, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 

Renton, WA. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call 425–227–1221. It is also available 

on the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2015– 

3982. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2015– 

3982; 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 

Docket 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: Eric 

Schrieber, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Branch, ANM–120L, FAA, Los 

Angeles Aircraft Certification Office 

(ACO), 3960 Paramount Boulevard, 

Lakewood, CA 90712–4137; phone: 

562–627–5348; fax: 562–627–5210; 

email: Eric.Schrieber@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 by adding an AD that would 

apply to certain The Boeing Company 

Model 717–200 airplanes. The NPRM 

published in the Federal Register on 

October 6, 2015 (80 FR 60307) (‘‘the 

NPRM’’). The NPRM was prompted by 

multiple reports of the vertical stabilizer 

leading edge showing signs of fastener 

distress. The NPRM proposed to require 

a detailed inspection for any distress of 

the vertical stabilizer leading edge skin, 

and related investigative and corrective 

actions if necessary. The NPRM also 

proposed to require, for certain 

airplanes, repetitive detailed 

inspections of the spar cap for any loose 

and missing fasteners, repetitive ETHF 

and RT inspections of the spar cap for 

any crack, and related investigative and 

corrective actions if necessary. We are 

issuing this AD to detect and correct any 

crack in the vertical stabilizer leading 

edge and front spar cap, which may 

result in the structure becoming unable 

to support limit load, and may lead to 

the loss of the vertical stabilizer. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. The 

following presents the comments 

received on the NPRM and the FAA’s 

response to each comment. Boeing and 

an anonymous commenter indicated 

their support for the NPRM. 

Request To Add Credit for Previous 

Actions 

Boeing requested that we add a 

‘‘Credit for Previous Actions’’ paragraph 

to the proposed AD that would give 

credit for prior accomplishment of the 

initial inspection in paragraph (g) of the 

NPRM. Boeing stated that operator 

structural inspection credit has been 

incorporated as a precedent in previous 

ADs. 

We agree with the commenter’s 

request. Boeing MOM–MOM–14–0437– 

01B(R1), dated July 3, 2014, provides 

the same action and level of safety for 

the initial inspection specified in this 

AD. We have revised this AD by adding 

new paragraph (j) of this AD to give 

credit for the initial inspection in 

paragraph (g) of this AD, if that 

inspection was performed before the 

effective date of this AD using Boeing 

MOM–MOM–14–0437–01B(R1), dated 

July 3, 2014. We have redesignated the 

remaining paragraphs accordingly. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comments received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting this AD 

with the change described previously 


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