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[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 46 (Friday, March 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15110-15111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05228]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee; Engine Bird Ingestion 
Requirements--New Task

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of new task assignment for the Aviation Rulemaking 
Advisory Committee (ARAC).

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SUMMARY: The FAA assigned ARAC a new task to review and assess the 
adequacy of certain portions of the existing engine bird ingestion 
requirements. This notice is to inform the public of this ARAC 
activity.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alan Strom, Rulemaking and Policy 
Branch, ANE-111, Engine and Propeller Directorate, FAA, 12 New England 
Executive Park, Burlington, Massachusetts, 01803, telephone (781) 238-
7143, facsimile (781) 238-7199; email alan.strom@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The FAA established ARAC to provide advice and recommendations to 
the FAA Administrator on the FAA's rulemaking activities with respect 
to aviation-related issues. This includes obtaining advice and 
recommendations on the FAA's commitments to harmonize FAA Regulations 
with its partners in Europe and Canada.
    Amendment 33-20, adopted September 5, 2000, revised the bird 
ingestion type certification standards for aircraft turbine engines to 
better address the actual bird threat encountered in service. These 
requirements were adopted, in part, as a response to National 
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) safety recommendation A-76-64. The 
NTSB recommended increasing

[[Page 15111]]

the level of bird ingestion capability for aircraft engines. Amendment 
33-23, adopted October 17, 2007, added requirements to address larger 
flocking birds, mass greater then 1.15 kg (2.5 pounds), since existing 
engine certification requirements did not specifically address the 
threat that these size birds, or their growing population, present to 
airplane operational safety. Medium bird ingestion criteria for small 
engines were established consistent with corresponding criteria for 
medium and large engines, which is freedom from multiengine power loss 
events at a rate of 1E-8 per aircraft cycle. The objective of the ARAC 
task is to evaluate whether the requirements for small and medium bird 
core ingestion and the large flocking bird requirements for engines 
with 1.35m\2\-2.5m\2\ inlet areas should be revised.

The Task

    Review and assess the standards and advisory material for bird 
ingestion requirements as follows:
    1. Evaluate the core ingestion element of small and medium bird 
requirements to determine if the intended safety objective of the 
current rule is adequate. Consider the threat from large flocking bird 
species in this assessment. Identify any deficiencies in the current 
rule, and provide the FAA with recommendations for changes as 
appropriate.
    2. Evaluate large flocking bird requirements, to determine the need 
for new large flocking bird requirements, or advisory material, or 
both, for Class D engines (1.35m\2\-2.5m\2\ inlet areas). Identify any 
deficiencies of the current rule, and provide the FAA with 
recommendations for changes as appropriate.
    3. Review and consider the following related National 
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) safety recommendations when 
evaluating items 1 and 2 above:
    a. ``A-10-64: Modify the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Sec.  
33.76(c) small and medium flocking bird certification test standard to 
require that the test be conducted using the lowest expected fan speed, 
instead of 100-percent fan speed, for the minimum climb rate.''
    b. ``A-10-65: During the bird-ingestion rulemaking database (BRDB) 
working group`s reevaluation of the current engine bird-ingestion 
certification regulations, specifically reevaluate the 14 Code of 
Federal Regulations Sec.  33.76(d) large flocking bird certification 
test standards to determine whether they should: (1) Apply to engines 
with an inlet area of less than 3,875 square inches and (2) Include a 
requirement for engine core ingestion. If the BRDB working group`s 
reevaluation determines that such requirements are needed, incorporate 
them into 14 CFR Sec.  33.76(d) and require that newly certificated 
engines be designed and tested to these requirements.''
    4. Define an industry led process for periodic update and review of 
engine bird ingestion data, such that industry and the authorities can 
maintain an awareness of the bird threat experienced in service.
    Tasks 1 through 4 above should consider the Aerospace Industries 
Association engine bird ingestion database recently updated in 
coordination with FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency. That 
database update was in response to the US Air Flight 1549 Hudson River 
accident in January 2009 and related NTSB safety recommendations.
    The final ARAC report should include a summary of the overall work 
scope, conclusions and rationale for all recommendations related to the 
above tasks.
    Schedule: Required completion is no later than March 31, 2015.

ARAC Acceptance of Task

    ARAC accepted the task and will establish the Engine Harmonization 
Working Group (EHWG), under the Transport Airplane and Engine 
Subcommittee (TAE). The working group will serve as staff to ARAC and 
assist ARAC in the analysis of the assigned tasks. ARAC must review and 
approve the working group's recommendations. If ARAC accepts the 
working group's recommendations, it will forward them to the FAA.

Working Group Activity

    The EHWG must comply with the procedures adopted by ARAC. As part 
of the procedures, the working group must:
    1. Recommend a work plan for completion of the task, including the 
rationale supporting such a plan for consideration by the subcommittee.
    2. Conduct a review and analysis of the assigned tasks.
    3. Draft the recommendation report based on the review and analysis 
of the tasks and any other related materials or documents.
    4. Present the recommendation at a subcommittee meeting.
    5. Provide a status report at each meeting of the ARAC.

Participation in the Working Group

    The EHWG will be composed of technical experts having an interest 
in the assigned task. A working group member need not be a 
representative or a member of ARAC. If you have expertise in the 
subject matter and wish to become a member of the working group, write 
to the person listed under the caption FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
expressing that desire. Describe your interest in the task and state 
the expertise you would bring to the working group. We must receive all 
requests by April 5, 2013. The Subcommittee Chair, the FAA 
Representative, and the Working Group Co-Chairs will review the 
requests and advise you whether or not your request is approved.
    If you are chosen for membership on the working group, you must 
represent your aviation community segment and actively participate in 
the working group by attending all meetings, and providing written 
comments when requested to do so. You must devote the resources 
necessary to support the working group in meeting any assigned 
deadlines. You must keep your management chain and those you may 
represent advised of working group activities and decisions to ensure 
that the proposed technical solutions do not conflict with the position 
of those you represent when the proposed recommendations are presented 
to the Subcommittee and ARAC for approval.
    Once the working group has begun deliberations, members will not be 
added or substituted without the approval of the Subcommittee Chair, 
FAA Representatives, including the Designated Federal Officer, and the 
working group.
    The Secretary of Transportation determined that the formation and 
use of ARAC is necessary and in the public interest in connection with 
the performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law.
    ARAC meetings are open to the public. Meetings of the EHWG will not 
be open to the public, except to the extent individuals with an 
interest and expertise are selected to participate. The FAA will make 
no public announcement of working group meetings.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 1, 2013.
Lirio Liu,
Designated Federal Officer, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 2013-05228 Filed 3-7-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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