Mr. Stenevik,

Attached are the ELoS questions for the B

- 24. I can be reached at (301) 219 5476 or I'll try to call you as well. Like the question s concerning the B

- 29, this set will be posted in regulations.gov.

Thanks

Miguel Vasconcelos AFS

- 830 

## Record of Telephone & E

- mail Communication

October 7, 2014 Docket No. FAA

- 2014

- 0482 CAF Petition for Exemption From 91.319(c) of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations Exemption No. 10853



### ELoS Questions (Consolidated LB

- 30/B

- 24A, N24927)

1. What are the risk factors and safety issues in the LB

- 30/B

- 24A that create hazardous conditions which could impact people and property being overflown which would not be found by the operation of a similar civil type, i.e. Boeing 307/C

- 54/Limited B

- 17? 2. What safety data do you have concerning the aircraft while in service such as accident rate and types and classification o f accidents/incidents? For example, the accident rate in non

- combat operations (all B

- 24 versions and variants) ranged from 40 to 96 per 100,000 hours, while 300 were lost in accidents in 1943 and an accident fleet attrition rate of 30% (5,500 out of over 18,000 produced). The causes and contributing factors are relevant to any ELoS determination. In other words, what failed and what is likely to fail, and how, and what is being done to mitigate these. For example, in general terms, how are the following B

- 24 safety issues addressed or mitigated by the CAF in operating N24927? Note: Some of the questions below may lead to or provide an answer.  Advanced airfoil (Davis wing) and high wing loading;  Troublesome fuel transfer system and fire potential;  Poor

- en gine out performance;  Landing gear weaknesses and hydraulic failures;  Structural weak areas affecting crash

- landing survivability;  Tail buffeting/flutter;  Flight stability and loss of control in some configurations/weights or in turbulence.
3. How ha ve you incorporated the applicable Army Air Corps/Force Regulations and SOPs (operational) applicable to the LB

- 30/B

- 24A to CAF’s operations of N24927? Any RAF guidance? 4. What is the technical substantiation for the modifications to the R

- 1830

- 94 ins tead of S3C4G,

- 33,

- 67 engines installed in the aircraft (Possibly

- 65s as well with Stromberg PB12 Carbs.)? Please submit a copy of these materials (e.g., reliability analysis, proving & validation test data). Are the most current R

1830

- 94 Service Instr uctions being used? Does the CAF uses a QEC unit as an option in addressing engine changes and /or malfunctions?5. With the understanding that the LB

- 30 and early B

- 24s, what technical data validates the combination of the Hamilton

- Standard Hydromatic propellers (both narrow and wide (paddle) types) and the

- 94 R

- 1830? Is it a sanctioned combination? Any civil equivalent? 6. Are the turbo/superchargers (GE B

- 22 type?) installed and functional? If so, what measures have been taken to mitigate the h azards these may introduce to the operation of the aircraft? If functional, what measures are used to mitigate the defects in the buckets? 7. What is the modification status of the aircraft with respect to the TCDS No. LTC

- 6, Rev. No. 3, Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, LB

- 30 (Army) dated February 21, 1947? How far from conformity with LTC

- 6 is the aircraft? Please submit relevant records especially since the conversion back to B

- 24A begun in 2006

- 08. 8. Have the Notes 1 through 5 in LTC

- 6 been complied with? If not, why and what mitigating strategies have been implemented in lieu of? 9. Since over time Consolidated improved upon many of the deficiencies of the early B

- 24s (LB

- 30/RAF Liberator I & II, B

- 24A

- D) as it developed later ver sions (e.g., J and H), what risks may have been re

introduced by the CAF into N24927 by converting it back to a stock “A” model? If so, how are they mitigated? 10. What is being done to prevent a recurrence of the May 26, 2012 nose gear collapse, especial ly in light of the fact that this failure was common in early LB

- 30/B

- 24s? What has been done to prevent a recurrence of the landing gear failure event which took place on September 16, 1996, in which a main landing gear brace failed? 11. What has been do ne to eliminate the risk of fuel leaks in the fuselage/bomb bay areas? Does the aircraft have an early fuel transfer system (limited cross

- feed capability) or the systems installed in later models? Has the fuel transfer system been modified or made inopera tive? If so, how? Are potential ignition sources (e.g., hydraulic/electric motors) understood and mitigated, e.g., ventilation without the benefit of using the bomb bay? Provide technical data on any such modifications or actions. 12. What has been done t o eliminate the risk of fuel leaks in the wings (including routing inward back into the fuselage areas)? Has the fuel tank system been modified? If so, how? Are the Aux tanks aft of the No. 1 and No. 4 engines installed and functional? Provide technical da ta on any such modification or action. Also, what actions have been taken to minimize fuel leaks related to the priming system? 13. What are all of the applicable USAAC/USAAF T.Os for the aircraft in effect at the time of retirement? Can you provide a li sting and data showing that all applicable T.Os and TCTOs (to end of operational service

- 1947) have been complied with? 14. What are the differences between the current AIP and the military technical guidance, especially in terms of inspection schedules and replacement times (life

- limits)? Does the AIP contain progressive schedules” Which inspection process is used, e.g., just annual/100 hours, 4 x 25 hours inspection covering each engine and a few major components (right wing with No. 1 engine) at a tim e, IRAN, or overhaul as in C & D check

- like? Any leftover processes (non USAAF) from its time under Mexican Registry? 15. Has AD 2003

- 18

- 01 Airworthiness Directives; General Dynamics (Convair) Model P4Y

- 2 Airplanes, General Dynamics (Consolidated

- Vultee) (Army) Model LB

- 30 Airplanes, and General Dynamics (Consolidated) (Army) Model C

- 87A Airplanes, as amended, been complied with? 16. What other ADs, SBS, or other civil requirement/guidance applicable to the LB

- 30/B

- 24A have been considered and incorporat ed? 17. What ADs, SBS, or other civil requirement/guidance applicable to the R

- 1830, the Hamilton

Standard propellers or other appliances installed in N24927 have been considered and incorporated? For example, has AD 81

- 13

- 06 Rev. 2 (repetitive, and usin g Hamilton Standard Manual No. 130B) been complied with?18. What flight emergencies, in

- flight failures, in

- flight engine shutdown and post

- flight discrepancies have occurred since 2006? What has been done to prevent a recurrence? 19. Is the fire detec tion and suppression system functional and properly inspected? 20. What is the SOAP (Spectrometric Oil Analysis Program) frequency and results since September 2010? 21. What are the details of the aging aircraft and corrosion control programs? 22. Has t he front wing spar splice in N24927 been modified in a manner similar to the modifications made to N224J under Report No. CF

- B4J

- 44052

- 001SA? If so, is there adequate technical justification for such a major modification to the aircraft? 23. What are the configurations and redundancies installed in the aircraft? What non

- standard additions were incorporated that enhance safety? 24. The B

- 24 has a poor history of survivability during ditching/crash landing. What precautions have been taken to maximize sur vival in case of ditching or crash landing? , such as adequate passenger locations, removable stiffeners to brace lower structure/bomb bay, structural reinforcements to mitigate fuselage compression failures immediately behind the cockpit, and ditching/cra sh landing belts/restraint canvas? 25. Have there been any instances of tail vibration, flight control deformation, or flight control cable failures? Does the CAF restrict N24927’s maximum speed for any structural concern? For example, the H model’s spee d was reduced to 300 mph to reduce the possibility of in

- flight structural failure of flight controls. Note: For safety reasons, in operating its B

- 24J, The Collings Foundation has reduced Vne to 200 mph. 26. Is the CG range maintained in a conservative r ange with respect to 23 percent MAC to 32 percent MAC (narrow CG range)? The purpose is to ensure that at all times, any of the aircraft’s flight stability issues (longitudinal) due to CG location is safely maintained. This is an issue with the “short

- nose d” B

24s, and in fact the nose extension in later models was primarily to help, but not resolve, this CG issue. 27. The expectation is that the most experienced LB

- 30/B

- 24 crew would be used. As such, can you Please provide the qualifications and experi enced of the proposed flight crew for the flight

– PIC, SIC, and FE? Include Total Time, Time in Type, ratings, currency and recency. 28. Please provide information showing that the FE assigned to the LB

- 30/B

- 24A (a required crew position) is properly qua lified, e.g., experience A&P and training as a crewman? Has USAAC/USAAF B

- 24 FE training been adhered to or considered? 29. What ground crew and grounds support is used? What special pre

- flight and post

- flight inspections can be performed to enhance safet y? 30. What QC processes are used in addressing supplier and parts acquisition and use? 31. Has the CAF implemented SMS/CRM/MRM/ORM? If so, please how such does it impact the operation of N24927. 32. On the issue of engine/powerplant and propeller failu re and related issues, please provide the mitigating strategies for the following:  Engine Failure & Fire;  Putt

- Putt Fire & Containment;  Propeller Overspeed and Separation;  Hydraulic & Electrical Failures;  MEL & Flight Abort Criteria;
33. What coordination has been done with other Military/Federal entities concerning the proposed overflight? Please provide details. 34. For flight over populated areas (maximum avoidance), please discuss and provide detail on the following:  Departure airp ort, e.g. Manassas;  Egress/Ingress (Airports & Areas);  Ground References & Landmarks;  Formation, Mixed Formation, and In

- Trail;  Lateral Separation & Maneuvering Room;  Straight & Level, Minimum Maneuvering;  Nav and Communications;  Rehearsal, if a special ev ent is Involved;  In

- Flight Divert Procedures Including Divert Airports (e.g. runway 19 at KDCA, Andrews AFB) and Crash/Ditching Areas (e.g. Potomac River);  Performance, e.g., (1) minimum airspeed for which it is still possible to climb away, without chang e of configuration, if any one engine fails, (2) symmetrical thrust should be maintained at all times, and power changes minimized, (3) glide ratio.  Conservative Performance: Please discuss reduced operating weights, power settings, minimum/maximum altitud es, and maneuverability restrictions. Note: For example, and for safety reasons, in operating its B

- 24J, The Collings Foundation has reduced max gross weight to 40,000 lb., 2,700 rpm (T.O.) and 2,000 rpm (Cruise), and max bank of
30o.