[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3614-3615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-1743]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee--New Task

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: Notice is given of a new task assigned to and accepted by the 
Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC). This notice informs the 
public of the activities of ARC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph A. Hawkins, Director, Office of 
Rulemaking, ARM-1, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-9677 or fax 
(202) 267-5075.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The FAA has established an Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee 
to provide advice and recommendations to the FAA Administrator, through 
the Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification, on the 
full range of the FAA's rulemaking activities with respect to aviation-
related issues. This includes obtaining advice and recommendations on 
the FAA's commitment to harmonize its Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 
and practices with its trading partners in Europe and Canada.

The Task

    This notice is to inform the public that the FAA has asked ARAC to 
provide advice and recommendation on the following harmonization task:

Prevention of Fuel Tank Explosions

    Prepare a report to the FAA/JAA that provides specific 
recommendations and proposed regulatory text that will eliminate or 
significantly reduce the hazards associated with explosive vapors in 
transport category airplane fuel tanks. Proposed regulatory text should 
ensure that new type designs, in-production airplanes and the existing 
fleet of transport airplanes are designed and operated so that during 
normal operation (up to maximum certified operating temperatures) the 
presence of explosive fuel air vapors in all fuel tanks is eliminated, 
significantly reduced or controlled to the extent that there could not 
be a catastrophic event. (This task addresses means of reducing 
explosion hazards by eliminating or controlling explosive fuel vapors. 
The FAA is also engaged in a separate activity to evaluate whether 
additional actions should be taken to ensure that ignition sources are 
not present within fuel tanks. Therefore, control of ignition sources 
is not within the scope of this task.) In developing recommendations

[[Page 3615]]

to the authorities, a report should be generated that includes the 
following:
    (1) An analysis of the threat of fuel tank explosion due to 
internal and external tank ignition sources for the major fuel system 
designs making up the transport fleet, including transport airplanes 
with heat sources adjacent to or within the fuel tanks. The SAFER data 
presented to the FAA in 1978, which includes evaluation of fuel tank 
safety in both operational and post crash conditions, should be used as 
a starting point for determining the level of safety.
    (2) An analysis of various means of reducing or eliminating 
exposure to operation of transport airplane fuel tanks with explosive 
fuel air mixtures (e.g. inerting, cooling of lower center tank 
surfaces, combination of cooling and modified fuel properties, etc.) or 
eliminating the resultant hazard if ignition does occur (installation 
of selective/voided/full tank reticulating foam, explosion suppression 
systems). Technical discussion of the feasibility, including cost/
benefit analysis, of implementing each of the options on a fleet 
retrofit, current production, and new type design airplanes should also 
be provided.
    (3) An analysis of the cost/benefit of modified fuel properties 
that reduce exposure to explosive vapors within fuel tanks. The FAA has 
asked industry through the American Petroleum Institute to provide 
pertinent information on fuel properties. The degree of modification to 
fuel properties necessary to eliminate or significantly reduce exposure 
to explosive fuel tank ullage spaces in fleet operation must be 
determined by the group. Factors that may enhance the benefits of 
modified fuels, such as cooling provisions incorporated to reduce fuel 
tank temperatures, should be considered. Cost information for the 
various options should be developed. Information regarding the effects 
of modified fuel properties on airplane operations, such as engine air/
ground starting at low temperatures, maintenance impact, emissions and 
fuel freeze point, should be analyzed by the group and be provided.
    (4) Review comments to the April 3, 1997, Federal register notice 
(62 FR 16014) and any additional information such that validated cost 
benefit data of a certifiable system is provided for the various 
options proposed by commenters. This information will be used in 
preparing regulatory action.

    Note: In many cases specific cost data provided in the comments 
to the notice was competition sensitive; therefore the ARAC group 
should contact commenters directly and request participation in the 
group.

    (5) Recommended objective regulatory actions that will eliminate, 
significantly reduce or control the hazards associated with explosive 
fuel air mixtures in all transport airplane fuel tanks to the extent 
that there could not be a catastrophic event.
    In addition to the above task, the working group should support the 
FAA in evaluation of application of the proposed regulation to the 
various types of transport airplanes (turbopropeller, business jets, 
large transports, and other turbine-powered aircraft types which may be 
affected by a change in fuel properties/availability) and any impact on 
small businesses.
    This activity will be tasked for a 6-month time limit to complete 
the task defined above. The FAA will consider the recommendations 
produced by ARAC and initiate future FAA regulatory action. However, if 
the group is unable to provide the FAA with proposed regulatory 
language within this time period, the FAA will initiate rulemaking 
independently. Participants of the ARAC should be prepared to 
participate on a full-time basis for a 6-month period if necessary.

ARAC Acceptance of Task

    ARAC has accepted this task and has chosen to assign it to a new 
Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group. The new working group will serve 
as staff to the ARAC Executive Committee to assist ARAC in the analysis 
of the assigned task. Working group recommendations must be reviewed 
and approved by ARAC. If ARAC accepts the working group's 
recommendations, it will forward them to the FAA as ARAC 
recommendations.
    The Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group should coordinate with 
other harmonization working groups, organizations, and specialists as 
appropriate. The working group will identify to ARAC the need for 
additional new working groups when existing groups do not have the 
appropriate expertise to address certain tasks.

Working Group Activity

    The Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group is expected to comply 
with the procedures adopted by ARAC. As part of the procedures, the 
working group is expected to:
    1. Recommend a work plan for completion of the task, including the 
rationale supporting such a plan, for consideration at the ARAC 
Executive Committee meeting held following publication of this notice.
    2. Give a detailed conceptual presentation of the proposed 
recommendations, prior to proceeding with the work stated in item 3 
below.
    3. Draft a report and/or any other collateral documents the working 
group determines to be appropriate.
    4. Provide a status report at each meeting of the ARAC Executive 
Committee.

Participation in the Working Group

    The Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group will be composed of 
experts having an interest in the assigned task. A working group member 
need not be a representative of a member of the full committee.
    An individual who has expertise in the subject matter and wishes to 
become a member of the working group should write to the person listed 
under the caption FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT expressing that 
desire, describing his or her interest in the tasks, and stating the 
expertise he or she would bring to the working group. All requests to 
participate must be received no later than February 2, 1998. The 
requests will be reviewed by the ARAC chair, the executive director, 
and the working group chair, and the individuals will be advised 
whether or not the request can be accommodated.
    The Secretary of Transportation has determined that the formation 
and use of ARAC are necessary and in the public interest in connection 
with the performance of duties imposed on the FAA by law.
    Meetings of the ARAC Executive Committee will be open to the 
public. Meetings of the Fuel Tank Harmonization Working Group will not 
be open to the public, except to the extent that individuals with an 
interest and expertise are selected to participate. No public 
announcement of working group meetings will be made.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 20, 1998.
Joseph A. Hawkins,
Executive Director, Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee.
[FR Doc. 98-1743 Filed 1-21-98; 1:48 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M