Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 6, 2005 / Proposed Rules 52943 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2005–22288; Directorate 

Identifier 2005–NM–132–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Boeing 

Model 747–400 Series Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

certain Boeing Model 747–400 series 

airplanes. This proposed AD would 

require doing a conductivity test of the 

upper deck floor beam at station 400 to 

identify the floor beam material. If the 

floor beam is manufactured from 7050 

aluminum alloy, this proposed AD 

would also require inspecting the upper 

deck floor beam and certain fastener 

holes at the floor beam upper chord for 

cracking; repairing any cracking if 

necessary; and doing a preventative 

modification. This proposed AD results 

from several reports indicating that 

fatigue cracking was found in upper 

deck floor beams made from 7050 

aluminum alloy. We are proposing this 

AD to find and fix cracking in the upper 

deck floor beam, which could extend 

and sever the floor beam. A severed 

floor beam could result in loss of 

controllability and rapid decompression 

of the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by October 21, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to submit comments on this 

proposed AD. 

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically. 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, 

Washington 98124–2207, for the service 

information identified in this proposed 

AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ivan 

Li, Aerospace Engineer, Airframe 

Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, Seattle 

Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind 

Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 

98055–4056; telephone (425) 917–6437; 

fax (425) 917–6590. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to submit any relevant 

written data, views, or arguments 

regarding this proposed AD. Include the 

docket number ‘‘FAA–2005–22288; 

Directorate Identifier 2005–NM–132–

AD’’ at the beginning of your comments. 

We specifically invite comments on the 

overall regulatory, economic, 

environmental, and energy aspects of 

the proposed AD. We will consider all 

comments received by the closing date 

and may amend the proposed AD in 

light of those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact with FAA 

personnel concerning this proposed AD. 

Using the search function of that web 

site, anyone can find and read the 

comments in any of our dockets, 

including the name of the individual 

who sent the comment (or signed the 

comment on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78), or you may visit http:// 

dms.dot.gov. 

Examining the Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov, or in 

person at the Docket Management 

Facility office between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The Docket 

Management Facility office (telephone 

(800) 647–5227) is located on the plaza 

level of the Nassif Building at the DOT 

street address stated in the ADDRESSES

section. Comments will be available in 

the AD docket shortly after the Docket 

Management System receives them. 

Discussion 

We have received several reports 

indicating that fatigue cracking was 

found in upper deck floor beams made 

from 7050 aluminum alloy, on Boeing 

Model 747–100, –200F, and –300 series 

airplanes. The upper deck floor beams 

on most Model 747–400 series airplanes 

are made from 2024 aluminum alloy; 

however, the manufacturer has 

informed us that the upper deck floor 

beam at station 400 on some Model 

747–400 series airplanes was made from 

7050 aluminum alloy. Investigation 

revealed that floor beams made from 

7050 aluminum alloy are less resistant 

to fatigue cracking than floor beams 

made from 2024 aluminum alloy. 

Cracking in the upper deck floor beam, 

if not detected and corrected, could 

extend and sever the floor beam. A 

severed floor beam could result in loss 

of controllability and rapid 

decompression of the airplane. 

Upper deck floor beams made from 

7050 aluminum alloy at station 400 on 

certain Model 747–400 series airplanes 

are similar to those on the affected 

Model 747–100, –200F, and –300 series 

airplanes. Therefore, all these models 

may be subject to the same unsafe 

condition. 

Other Related Rulemaking 

On August 30, 2002, we issued AD 

2002–18–04, amendment 39–12878 (67 

FR 57510, September 11, 2001), 

applicable to certain Boeing Model 747–

100, 747–100B, 747–100B SUD, 747–

200B, 747–300, 747SR, and 747SP series 

airplanes. That AD requires one-time 

inspections for cracking in certain upper 

deck floor beams and follow-on actions. 

AD 2002–18–04 does not affect the 

requirements of this proposed AD. 

On April 4, 2005, we issued AD 2005–

07–21, amendment 39–14046 (70 FR 

18277, April 11, 2005), applicable to all 

Boeing Model 747–200F and –200C 

series airplanes. That AD requires 

repetitive detailed inspections or a onetime open-hole high frequency eddy 

current inspection to detect cracking of 

certain areas of the upper deck floor 

beams, and corrective actions if 

necessary. That AD also requires onetime inspections for cracking of the web, 

upper chord, and strap of the upper 

deck floor beams, and modification or 

repair of the upper deck floor beams. 

AD 2005–07–21 does not affect the 

requirements of this proposed AD. 

Relevant Service Information 

We have reviewed Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 747–53A2509, dated 

June 9, 2005. The service bulletin 

describes procedures for doing a 

conductivity test of the upper deck floor 

beam at station 400 to identify the floor 

beam material, and if the floor beam is 

manufactured from 7050 aluminum 

alloy, accomplishing the following 

actions: 

• Doing a one-time detailed 

inspection of the floor beam for 

cracking. 

52944 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 6, 2005 / Proposed Rules 

• Doing a one-time high frequency 

eddy current inspection (HFEC) of 

certain fastener holes at the floor beam 

upper chord for cracking. 

• Contacting the manufacturer for 

repair instructions if any cracking is 

found during the detailed inspection of 

the floor beam. 

• Oversizing fastener holes if any 

cracking is found during the HFEC 

inspection of certain fastener holes; and 

contacting the manufacturer for repair 

data if a certain edge margin cannot be 

maintained when oversizing the fastener 

holes. 

• Contacting the manufacturer for 

instructions on doing a preventative 

modification. 

• Reporting inspection results to the 

manufacturer. 

Accomplishing the actions specified 

in the service information is intended to 

adequately address the unsafe 

condition. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

We have evaluated all pertinent 

information and identified an unsafe 

condition that is likely to exist or 

develop on other airplanes of this same 

type design. For this reason, we are 

proposing this AD, which would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

the service information described 

previously, except as discussed under 

‘‘Difference Between the Proposed AD 

and Service Bulletin.’’ The proposed AD 

would also require sending the 

inspection results to the manufacturer. 

Difference Between the Proposed AD 

and Service Bulletin 

The service bulletin specifies to 

contact the manufacturer for 

instructions on how to repair certain 

conditions, but this proposed AD would 

require repairing those conditions in 

one of the following ways: 

• Using a method that we approve; or 

• Using data that meet the 

certification basis of the airplane, and 

that have been approved by an 

Authorized Representative for the 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes 

Delegation Option Authorization 

Organization whom we have authorized 

to make those findings. 

Costs of Compliance 

There are about 123 airplanes of the 

affected design in the worldwide fleet. 

This proposed AD would affect about 17 

airplanes of U.S. registry. The proposed 

conductivity test would take about 2 

work hours per airplane, at an average 

labor rate of $65 per work hour. Based 

on these figures, the estimated cost of 

the proposed AD for U.S. operators is 

$2,210, or $130 per airplane. 

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. 

We are 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 

We have 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 that the proposed regulation: 

1. Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866; 

2. Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under the 

DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures 

(44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); and 

3. Will not have a significant 

economic impact, positive or negative, 

on a substantial number of small entities 

under the criteria of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

We prepared a regulatory evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this proposed AD and placed it in the 

AD docket. See the ADDRESSES section 

for a location to examine the regulatory 

evaluation. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, 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: 

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 Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) amends § 39.13 

by adding the following new 

airworthiness directive (AD): 

Boeing: Docket No. FAA–2005–22288; 

Directorate Identifier 2005–NM–132–AD. 

Comments Due Date 

(a) The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD action by October 21, 2005. 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to Boeing Model 747–

400 series airplanes, certificated in any 

category; as identified in Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 747–53A2509, dated June 9, 

2005. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from several reports 

indicating that fatigue cracking was found in 

upper deck floor beams made from 7050 

aluminum alloy. We are issuing this AD to 

find and fix cracking in the upper deck floor 

beam, which could extend and sever the floor 

beam. A severed floor beam could result in 

loss of controllability and rapid 

decompression of the airplane. 

Compliance 

(e) You are responsible for having the 

actions required by this AD performed within 

the compliance times specified, unless the 

actions have already been done. 

Conductivity Test 

(f) Before an airplane has accumulated 

15,000 total flight cycles, do a conductivity 

test of the upper deck floor beam at station 

400 to identify the floor beam material, in 

accordance with Part II of the 

Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 747–53A2509, dated June 9, 

2005. If the upper deck floor beam is not 

made from 7050 aluminum alloy, no further 

action is required by this AD. If the upper 

deck floor beam is made from 7050 

aluminum alloy, do the actions specified in 

paragraphs (f)(1), (f)(2), and (f)(3) of this AD. 

Inspections and Corrective Actions, if 

Applicable 

(1) Before an airplane has accumulated 

15,000 total flight cycles, do a detailed 

inspection of the upper deck floor beam at 

station 400 for cracking, and do a high 

frequency eddy current (HFEC) inspection of 

certain fastener holes at the floor beam upper 

chord for cracking, in accordance with Part 

III of the Accomplishment Instructions of 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 747–53A2509, 

dated June 9, 2005. If any cracking is found 

during the HFEC inspection of certain 

fasteners holes, before further flight, repair 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 171 / Tuesday, September 6, 2005 / Proposed Rules 52945 

the cracking in accordance with Figure 3 of 

the service bulletin. If any cracking is found 

during the detailed inspection of the upper 

deck floor beam, and the service bulletin 

specifies to contact Boeing for appropriate 

action: Before further flight, repair the 

cracking using a method approved in 

accordance with paragraph (g) of this AD. 

Reporting Requirement 

(2) Submit a report of the findings (both 

positive and negative) of the inspections 

required by paragraph (f)(1) of this AD to 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Attention: 

Manager, Airline Support; P.O. Box 3707 MC 

04–ER; Seattle, Washington 98124–2207; fax 

(425) 266–5562; at the applicable time 

specified in paragraph (f)(2)(i) or (f)(2)(ii) of 

this AD. The report must include the 

inspection results, a description of any 

discrepancies found, the airplane serial 

number, and the number of landings and 

flight hours on the airplane. Under the 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1980 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) has 

approved the information collection 

requirements contained in this AD and has 

assigned OMB Control Number 2120–0056. 

(i) If the inspections were done after the 

effective date of this AD: Submit the report 

within 30 days after the inspection. 

(ii) If the inspections were done prior to 

the effective date of this AD: Submit the 

report within 30 days after the effective date 

of this AD. 

Preventative Modification 

(3) Before an airplane has accumulated 

20,000 total flight cycles, do a preventative 

modification using a method approved in 

accordance with paragraph (g) of this AD. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(g)(1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft 

Certification Office (ACO), FAA, has the 

authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if 

requested in accordance with the procedures 

found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

(2) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair 

required by this AD, if it is approved by an 

Authorized Representative for the Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes Delegation Option 

Authorization Organization who has been 

authorized by the Manager, Seattle ACO, to 

make those findings. For a repair method to 

be approved, the repair must meet the 

certification basis of the airplane, and the 

approval must specifically refer to this AD. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on August 

29, 2005. 

Kalene C. Yanamura, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–17608 Filed 9–2–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2005–22289; Directorate 

Identifier 2005–NM–101–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Boeing 

Model 747–100, 747–100B, 747–200B, 

747–200C, 747–200F, 747–400F, 747SR, 

and 747SP Series Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

certain Boeing Model 747–100, 747–

100B, 747–200B, 747–200C, 747–200F, 

747–400F, 747SR, and 747SP series 

airplanes, without a stretched upper 

deck or stretched upper deck 

modification. This proposed AD would 

require detailed and high-frequency 

eddy current inspections for cracks at 

the outboard ends of each affected 

tension tie and of the surrounding 

structure, and related investigative and 

corrective actions if necessary. This 

proposed AD results from a report of a 

crack in the tension tie at the body 

station 820 frame connection, and 

cracks found on the Boeing 747SR 

fatigue-test airplane in both the tension 

ties and frames at the tension tie to 

frame connections at body stations 800, 

820, and 840. We are proposing this AD 

to find and fix cracks in the tension ties, 

which could lead to cracks in the skin 

and body frame and result in rapid inflight depressurization of the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by October 21, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to submit comments on this 

proposed AD. 

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically. 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, 

Washington 98124–2207, for the service 

information identified in this proposed 

AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ivan 

Li, Aerospace Engineer, Airframe 

Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, Seattle 

Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind 

Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 

98055–4056; telephone (425) 917–6437; 

fax (425) 917–6590. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to submit any relevant 

written data, views, or arguments 

regarding this proposed AD. Include the 

docket number ‘‘FAA–2005–22289; 

Directorate Identifier 2005–-NM–101–

AD’’ at the beginning of your comments. 

We specifically invite comments on the 

overall regulatory, economic, 

environmental, and energy aspects of 

the proposed AD. We will consider all 

comments received by the closing date 

and may amend the proposed AD in 

light of those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact with FAA 

personnel concerning this proposed AD. 

Using the search function of that web 

site, anyone can find and read the 

comments in any of our dockets, 

including the name of the individual 

who sent the comment (or signed the 

comment on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78), or you may visit http:// 

dms.dot.gov. 

Examining the Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov, or in 

person at the Docket Management 

Facility office between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The Docket 

Management Facility office (telephone 

(800) 647–5227) is located on the plaza 

level of the Nassif Building at the DOT 

street address stated in the ADDRESSES

section. Comments will be available in 

the AD docket shortly after the Docket 

Management System receives them. 

Discussion 

We have received a report indicating 

that, during routing maintenance on a 

747–200F series airplane, one operator 

found a crack in the tension tie at the 

body station (STA) 820 frame