Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 99 / Monday, May 23, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 31129 

(i) S–92 Maintenance Manual, SA S92A– 

AMM–000, Temporary Revision (TR) 55–33, 

dated March 24, 2020. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(4) For Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation 

service information identified in this AD, 

contact Sikorsky’s Engineering Group at 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, 124 Quarry 

Road, Trumbell, CT 06611, United States; 

phone: (800) 946–4337; email: wcs_cust_

service_eng.gr-sik@lmco.com; website: 

www.sikorsky360.com. 

(5) You may view this service information 

at FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., 

Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (817) 222–5110. 

(6) You may view this service information 

that is incorporated by reference at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For information on 

the availability of this material at NARA, 

email: fr.inspection@nara.gov, or go to: 

https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ 

ibr-locations.html. 

Issued on May 16, 2022. 

Gaetano A. Sciortino, 

Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives, 

Compliance & Airworthiness Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–10952 Filed 5–20–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2022–0518; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2021–00822–T; Amendment 

39–22046; AD 2022–10–08] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus SAS 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Airbus SAS Model A320–214, –251N, 

and –271N airplanes. This AD was 

prompted by reports that damaged seat 

rail covers were detected in the forward 

and aft seat fixation area of some 

airplanes during initial delivery. This 

AD requires a one-time detailed 

inspection of the affected passenger 

seats and corrective actions if necessary, 

as specified in a European Union 

Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The 

FAA is issuing this AD to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective June 

7, 2022. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of June 7, 2022. 

The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD by July 7, 2022. 

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 

https://www.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. 

For material incorporated by reference 

(IBR) in this AD, contact EASA, KonradAdenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, 

Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 000; 

email ADs@easa.europa.eu; internet 

www.easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

IBR material on the EASA website at 

https://ad.easa.europa.eu. 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. 

It is also available in the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2022–0518. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2022–0518; 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 

AD, the mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI), any 

comments received, and other 

information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Vladimir Ulyanov, Aerospace Engineer, 

Large Aircraft Section, FAA, 

International Validation Branch, 2200 

South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; 

telephone and fax 206–231–3229; email 

vladimir.ulyanov@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites you to send any 

written data, views, or arguments about 

this final rule. Send your comments to 

an address listed under ADDRESSES. 

Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA–2022–0518; 

Project Identifier MCAI–2021–00822–T’’ 

at the beginning of your comments. The 

most helpful comments reference a 

specific portion of the final rule, 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 final rule 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 https://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. The 

agency will also post a report 

summarizing each substantive verbal 

contact received about this final rule. 

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 AD 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 AD, 

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 AD. Submissions containing CBI 

should be sent to Vladimir Ulyanov, 

Aerospace Engineer, Large Aircraft 

Section, FAA, International Validation 

Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des 

Moines, WA 98198; telephone and fax 

206–231–3229; email vladimir.ulyanov@

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 2021–0166, 

dated July 13, 2021 (EASA AD 2021– 

0166) (also referred to as the MCAI), to 

correct an unsafe condition for certain 

Airbus SAS Model A320–214, –251N, 

and –271N airplanes. 

This AD was prompted by reports that 

damaged seat rail covers were detected 

in the forward and aft seat fixation area 

of some airplanes during initial 

delivery. The FAA is issuing this AD to 


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31130 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 99 / Monday, May 23, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 

address deformation or compression of 

the seat rail covers caused by improper 

transportation, handling or installation 

on the airplane. This condition, if not 

addressed, could lead to seat track 

detachment, possibly resulting in injury 

to passengers. See the MCAI for 

additional background information. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

EASA AD 2021–0166 specifies 

procedures for a detailed inspection of 

the affected parts and corrective actions. 

Corrective actions include replacement 

of the seat or the seat rail covers. 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 

These products have been approved 

by the aviation authority of another 

country and are 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 described above. 

The FAA is issuing this AD after 

determining that the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of these same 

type designs. 

Requirements of This AD 

This AD requires accomplishing the 

actions specified in EASA AD 2021– 

0166 described previously, except for 

any differences identified as exceptions 

in the regulatory text of this AD. 

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, EASA AD 2021–0166 

is incorporated by reference in this AD. 

This AD requires compliance with 

EASA AD 2021–0166 in its entirety 

through that incorporation, except for 

any differences identified as exceptions 

in the regulatory text of this AD. Using 

common terms that are the same as the 

heading of a particular section in EASA 

AD 2021–0166 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 2021–0166. 

Service information required by EASA 

AD 2021–0166 for compliance will be 

available at https://www.regulations.gov 

by searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2022–0518 after this AD is 

published. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

There are currently no domestic 

operators of these products. 

Accordingly, notice and opportunity for 

prior public comment are unnecessary, 

pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B). In 

addition, for the forgoing reason(s), the 

FAA finds that good cause exists 

pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(d) for making 

this amendment effective in less than 30 

days. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) 

The requirements of the RFA do not 

apply when an agency finds good cause 

pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 to adopt a rule 

without prior notice and comment. 

Because the FAA has determined that it 

has good cause to adopt this rule 

without notice and comment, RFA 

analysis is not required. 

Costs of Compliance 

Currently, there are no affected U.S.- 

registered airplanes. If an affected 

airplane is imported and placed on the 

U.S. Register in the future, the FAA 

provides the following cost estimates to 

comply with this AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS FOR REQUIRED ACTIONS

Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

2 work-hours × $85 per hour = $170 ...................................................................................................................... $0 $170 

The FAA estimates the following 

costs to do any necessary on-condition 

action that would be required based on 

the results of any required actions. The 

FAA has no way of determining the 

number of aircraft that might need this 

on-condition action: 

ESTIMATED COSTS OF ON-CONDITION ACTION

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per product 

Seat rail cover replacement .......... 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 .......................... Up to $160 .......... Up to $245 (per rail cover). 

Seat replacement .......................... 3 work-hours × $85 per hour = $255 ...................... Up to $21,600 ..... Up to $21,855 (per seat). 

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 

This AD will not have federalism 

implications under Executive Order 

13132. This AD will 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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 99 / Monday, May 23, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 31131 

responsibilities among the various 

levels of government. 

For the reasons discussed above, I 

certify that this AD: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866, 

and 

(2) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

The Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA amends 14 CFR part 39 as 

follows: 

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: 

2022–10–08 Airbus SAS: Amendment 39– 

22046; Docket No. FAA–2022–0518; 

Project Identifier MCAI–2021–00822–T. 

(a) Effective Date 

This airworthiness directive (AD) is 

effective June 7, 2022. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Airbus SAS Model 

A320–214, –251N, and –271N airplanes, 

certificated in any category, as identified in 

European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) AD 2021–0166, dated July 13, 2021 

(EASA AD 2021–0166). 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 25, Equipment/Furnishings. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by reports that 

damaged seat rail covers were detected in the 

forward and aft seat fixation area of some 

airplanes during initial delivery. The FAA is 

issuing this AD to address deformation or 

compression of the seat rail covers caused by 

improper transportation, handling or 

installation on the airplane. This condition, 

if not addressed, could lead to seat track 

detachment, possibly resulting in injury to 

passengers. 

(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, EASA AD 2021–0166. 

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2021–0166 

(1) Where EASA AD 2021–0166 refers to its 

effective date, this AD requires using the 

effective date of this AD. 

(2) The ‘‘Remarks’’ section of EASA AD 

2021–0166 does not apply to this AD. 

(3) Where paragraph (2) of EASA AD 2021– 

0166 specifies actions if ‘‘discrepancies are 

detected,’’ for this AD a discrepancy is an 

out-of-tolerance distance between the 

forward and aft attachment screws or a 

damaged (deformed or compressed) seat rail 

cover. 

(4) Where paragraph (3) of EASA AD 2021– 

0166 allows deferral of certain actions ‘‘in 

accordance with the applicable instructions 

and limitations of Master Minimum 

Equipment List (MMEL) item 25–20–01A,’’ 

for this AD use ‘‘in accordance with the 

applicable instructions and limitations of 

FAA MMEL item 25–21–01 or equivalent 

instructions and limitations in the operator’s 

existing FAA-approved minimum equipment 

list (MEL).’’ 

(i) No Reporting Requirement 

Although the service information 

referenced in EASA AD 2021–0166 specifies 

to submit certain information to the 

manufacturer, this AD does not include that 

requirement. 

(j) Additional AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, Large Aircraft 

Section, International Validation 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 Large Aircraft 

Section, International Validation Branch, 

send it to the attention of the person 

identified in paragraph (k) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-AVS-AIR730-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, Large Aircraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, FAA; or 

EASA; or Airbus SAS’s EASA Design 

Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by 

the DOA, the approval must include the 

DOA-authorized signature. 

(3) Required for Compliance (RC): Except 

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

any service information 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. 

(k) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Vladimir Ulyanov, Aerospace 

Engineer, Large Aircraft Section, FAA, 

International Validation Branch, 2200 South 

216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone 

and fax 206–231–3229; email 

vladimir.ulyanov@faa.gov. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

the service information listed in this 

paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 

part 51. 

(2) You must use this service information 

as applicable to do the actions required by 

this AD, unless this AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) AD 2021–0166, dated July 13, 2021. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For EASA AD 2021–0166, contact 

EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 

Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 

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

www.easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

EASA AD on the EASA website at https://

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 that is 

incorporated by reference at the National 

Archives and Records Administration 

(NARA). For information on the availability 

of this material at NARA, email 

fr.inspection@nara.gov, or go to: https://

www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibrlocations.html. 

Issued on May 6, 2022. 

Gaetano A. Sciortino, 

Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives, 

Compliance & Airworthiness Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–10867 Filed 5–20–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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