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

9291 

Vol. 90, No. 27 

Tuesday, February 11, 2025 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2025–0197; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2024–00440–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 A321–111, –112, 

–131, –211, –212, –213, –231, –232, 

–251N, –252N, –253N, –271N, –272N, 

–251NX, –252NX, –253NX, –271NX, 

and –272NX airplanes. This proposed 

AD was prompted by the identification 

of an erroneous value of the main 

landing gear (MLG) tire width in the 

aircraft data files used for aircraft 

performance computation. This 

proposed AD would require revising the 

existing airplane flight manual (AFM) to 

incorporate a complementary 

performance data file (CPDF) update as 

specified in a European Union Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA), which is 

proposed for incorporation by reference 

(IBR). 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 March 28, 2025. 

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–2025–0197; 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, the mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI), any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

Material Incorporated by Reference: 

• For EASA material identified in this 

proposed AD, contact EASA, KonradAdenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, 

Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 000; 

email ADs@easa.europa.eu; website 

easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

material on the EASA website at 

ad.easa.europa.eu. It is also available at 

regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA– 

2025–0197. 

• 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Timothy Dowling, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, 

Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: 

206–231–3667; email: timothy.p.

dowling@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 the ADDRESSES section. Include 

‘‘Docket No. FAA–2025–0197; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2024–00440–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 Timothy Dowling, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 

Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, 

NY 11590; phone: 206–231–3667; email: 

timothy.p.dowling@faa.gov. Any 

commentary that the FAA receives 

which is not specifically designated as 

CBI will be placed in the public docket 

for this rulemaking. 

Background 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA AD 2024–0151, 

dated July 31, 2024 (EASA AD 2024– 

0151) (also referred to as the MCAI), to 

correct an unsafe condition for all 

Airbus SAS Model A321–111, –112, 

–131, –211, –212, –213, –231, –232, 

–251N, –252N, –253N, –271N, –272N, 

–251NX, –252NX, –253NX, –271NX, 

and –272NX airplanes. The MCAI states 

an erroneous value of the MLG tire 

width has been identified in the aircraft 

data files used for aircraft performance 

computation. The MLG tire width is 

used for the calculation of performance 

on contaminated runways (water, slush, 

dry snow, and wet snow runway states), 

especially for drag modelling. An 

erroneous value of the MLG tire width, 

if not corrected, could result in the 

erroneous calculation of certain data, 

including, but not limited to, takeoff 


KHAMMOND on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
9292 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 27 / Tuesday, February 11, 2025 / Proposed Rules 

distance and accelerate stop distance, 

possibly leading to runway excursions. 

The FAA is proposing this AD to 

address the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

You may examine the MCAI in the 

AD docket at regulations.gov under 

Docket No. FAA–2025–0197. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

Under 1 CFR Part 51 

EASA AD 2024–0151 specifies 

procedures for revising the existing 

AFM to incorporate a CPDF update. 

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 the ADDRESSES section. 

FAA’s Determination 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country and is approved for operation in 

the United States. Pursuant to the FAA’s 

bilateral agreement with this State of 

Design Authority, it has notified the 

FAA of the unsafe condition described 

in the MCAI referenced above. The FAA 

is issuing this NPRM after determining 

that the unsafe condition described 

previously is likely to exist or develop 

in other products of the same type 

design. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

EASA AD 2024–0151 described 

previously, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD. 

Compliance With AFM Revisions 

EASA AD 2024–0151 requires 

operators to ‘‘inform all flight crews’’ of 

revisions to the AFM, and thereafter to 

‘‘operate the aeroplane accordingly.’’ 

However, this proposed AD does not 

specifically require those actions as 

those actions are already required by 

FAA regulations. FAA regulations 

require operators furnish to pilots any 

changes to the AFM (for example, 14 

CFR 121.137), and to ensure the pilots 

are familiar with the AFM (for example, 

14 CFR 91.505). As with any other 

flightcrew training requirement, training 

on the updated AFM content is tracked 

by the operators and recorded in each 

pilot’s training record, which is 

available for the FAA to review. FAA 

regulations also require pilots to follow 

the procedures in the existing AFM 

including all updates. 14 CFR 91.9 

requires that any person operating a 

civil aircraft must comply with the 

operating limitations specified in the 

AFM. Therefore, including a 

requirement in this proposed AD to 

operate the airplane according to the 

revised AFM would be redundant and 

unnecessary. 

Explanation of Required Compliance 

Information 

In the FAA’s ongoing efforts to 

improve the efficiency of the AD 

process, the FAA developed a process to 

use some civil aviation authority (CAA) 

ADs as the primary source of 

information for compliance with 

requirements for corresponding FAA 

ADs. The FAA has been coordinating 

this process with manufacturers and 

CAAs. As a result, the FAA proposes to 

incorporate EASA AD 2024–0151 by 

reference in the FAA final rule. This 

proposed AD would, therefore, require 

compliance with EASA AD 2024–0151 

in its entirety through that 

incorporation, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD. 

Using common terms that are the same 

as the heading of a particular section in 

EASA AD 2024–0151 does not mean 

that operators need comply only with 

that section. For example, where the AD 

requirement refers to ‘‘all required 

actions and compliance times,’’ 

compliance with this AD requirement is 

not limited to the section titled 

‘‘Required Action(s) and Compliance 

Time(s)’’ in EASA AD 2024–0151. 

Material required by EASA AD 2024– 

0151 for compliance will be available at 

regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA– 

2025–0197 after the FAA final rule is 

published. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 742 

airplanes of U.S. registry. The FAA 

estimates the following costs to comply 

with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS FOR REQUIRED ACTIONS

Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 .............................................................................................. $0 $85 $63,070 

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: 


KHAMMOND on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 27 / Tuesday, February 11, 2025 / Proposed Rules 9293 

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: 

Airbus SAS: Docket No. FAA–2025–0197; 

Project Identifier MCAI–2024–00440–T. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by March 28, 

2025. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all Airbus SAS Model 

A321–111, –112, –131, –211, –212, –213, 

–231, –232, –251N, –252N, –253N, –271N, 

–272N, –251NX, –252NX, –253NX, –271NX, 

and –272NX airplanes, certificated in any 

category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 32, Landing gear. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by the 

identification of an erroneous value of the 

main landing gear (MLG) tire width in the 

aircraft data files used for aircraft 

performance computation. The FAA is 

issuing this AD to correct an erroneous value 

of the MLG tire width used to calculate 

aircraft performance on a contaminated 

runway. This unsafe condition, if not 

corrected, could result in the erroneous 

calculation of certain data, including, but not 

limited to, takeoff distance and accelerate 

stop distance, possibly leading to runway 

excursions. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Requirements 

Except as specified in paragraph (h) of this 

AD: Comply with all required actions and 

compliance times specified in, and in 

accordance with, European Union Aviation 

Safety Agency AD 2024–0151, dated July 31, 

2024 (EASA AD 2024–0151). 

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2024–0151 

(1) Where EASA AD 2024–0151 refers to its 

effective date, this AD requires using the 

effective date of this AD. 

(2) Where paragraph (1) of EASA AD 2024– 

0151 specifies to ‘‘inform all flight crews, 

and, thereafter, operate the aeroplane 

accordingly,’’ this AD does not require those 

actions as those actions are already required 

by existing FAA operating regulations (see 14 

CFR 91.9, 14 CFR 91.505, and 14 CFR 

121.137). 

(3) This AD does not adopt the ‘‘Remarks’’ 

section of EASA AD 2024–0151. 

(i) Additional AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): 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 Continued Operational 

Safety Branch, send it to the attention of the 

person identified in paragraph (j) of this AD 

and email to: AMOC@faa.gov. Before using 

any approved AMOC, notify your appropriate 

principal inspector, or lacking a principal 

inspector, the manager of the responsible 

Flight Standards Office. 

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any 

requirement in this AD to obtain instructions 

from a manufacturer, the instructions must 

be accomplished using a method approved 

by the Manager, AIR–520, Continued 

Operational Safety Branch, FAA; or EASA; or 

Airbus SAS’s EASA Design Organization 

Approval (DOA). If approved by the DOA, 

the approval must include the DOAauthorized signature. 

(3) Required for Compliance (RC): Except 

as required by paragraph (i)(2) of this AD, if 

any material contains procedures or tests that 

are identified as RC, those procedures and 

tests must be done to comply with this AD; 

any procedures or tests that are not identified 

as RC are recommended. Those procedures 

and tests that are not identified as RC may 

be deviated from using accepted methods in 

accordance with the operator’s maintenance 

or inspection program without obtaining 

approval of an AMOC, provided the 

procedures and tests identified as RC can be 

done and the airplane can be put back in an 

airworthy condition. Any substitutions or 

changes to procedures or tests identified as 

RC require approval of an AMOC. 

(j) Additional Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Timothy Dowling, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 

410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: 206–231– 

3667; email: timothy.p.dowling@faa.gov. 

(k) 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 this AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) AD 2024–0151, dated July 31, 2024. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For EASA material identified in this 

AD, contact EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 

50668 Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 

8999 000; email ADs@easa.europa.eu; 

website easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

material on the EASA website at 

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

(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 February 4, 2025. 

Peter A. White, 

Deputy Director, Integrated Certificate 

Management Division, Aircraft Certification 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2025–02401 Filed 2–10–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2024–0230; Project 

Identifier AD–2023–01064–A,Q,T] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Various 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking (SNPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA is revising a notice 

of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that 

applied to all airplanes with certain 

Pacific Scientific Company rotary 

buckle assemblies (buckles) installed. 

This action revises the NPRM by 

expanding the applicability and 

updating the referenced material. As an 

option to the actions proposed by this 

SNPRM, this SNPRM would allow 

removing the male side from the lap of 

the restraint system assembly and 

installing a placard stating that use of 

the seat is prohibited; use of that 

crewmember seat or passenger seat 

would then be prohibited until the 

actions proposed by this SNPRM are 

accomplished and the male side from 

the lap of the restraint system assembly 

is reinstalled. The NPRM was prompted 

by a report of a manufacturing defect in 

the screws used inside the buckle; this 

SNPRM is prompted by the discovery 

that additional screws are affected by 

the unsafe condition. The FAA is 

proposing this airworthiness directive 

(AD) to address the unsafe condition on 

these products. Since these actions 

would impose an additional burden 

over that in the NPRM, the FAA is 

requesting comments on this SNPRM. 


KHAMMOND on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS