38632 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 156 / Tuesday, August 15, 2017 / Proposed Rules 

(h) of this AD, if those actions were 

performed before the effective date of this AD 

using Boeing Service Bulletin B787–81205– 

SB240063–00, Issue 001, dated December 22, 

2015. 

(2) For Group 2 airplanes as identified in 

Boeing Service Bulletin B787–81205– 

SB240063–00, Issue 001, dated December 22, 

2015: This paragraph provides credit for the 

actions specified in paragraph (h) of this AD, 

if those actions were performed before the 

effective date of this AD using Boeing Service 

Bulletin B787–81205–SB240063–00, Issue 

001, dated December 22, 2015, and provided 

the actions specified in Boeing Service 

Bulletin B787–81205–SB420006–00, Issue 

003, dated October 15, 2015, are done within 

12 months after the effective date of this AD. 

(k) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Seattle ACO 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 local Flight Standards 

District Office, as appropriate. If sending 

information directly to the manager of the 

certification office, send it to the attention of 

the person identified in paragraph (l)(1) of 

this AD. Information may be emailed to: 9- 

ANM-Seattle-ACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov. 

(2) Before using any approved AMOC, 

notify your appropriate principal inspector, 

or lacking a principal inspector, the manager 

of the local flight standards district office/ 

certificate holding district office. 

(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair, 

modification, or alteration required by this 

AD if it is approved by the Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes Organization 

Designation Authorization (ODA) that has 

been authorized by the Manager, Seattle ACO 

Branch, to make those findings. To be 

approved, the repair method, modification 

deviation, or alteration deviation must meet 

the certification basis of the airplane, and the 

approval must specifically refer to this AD. 

(4) AMOCs approved previously for AD 

2015–09–07 are approved as AMOCs for the 

corresponding provisions of paragraph (g) of 

this AD. 

(5) For service information that contains 

steps that are labeled as Required for 

Compliance (RC), the provisions of 

paragraphs (k)(5)(i) and (k)(5)(ii) of this AD 

apply. 

(i) The steps labeled as RC, including 

substeps under an RC step and any figures 

identified in an RC step, must be done to 

comply with the AD. If a step or substep is 

labeled ‘‘RC Exempt,’’ then the RC 

requirement is removed from that step or 

substep. An AMOC is required for any 

deviations to RC steps, including substeps 

and identified figures. 

(ii) Steps not labeled 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 RC steps, 

including substeps and identified figures, can 

still be done as specified, and the airplane 

can be put back in an airworthy condition. 

(l) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Stephen Oshiro, Aerospace Engineer, 

Systems and Equipment Section, FAA, 

Seattle ACO Branch, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 

Renton, WA 98057–3356; phone: 425–917– 

6480; fax: 425–917–6590; email: 

Stephen.Oshiro@faa.gov. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data 

Services (C&DS), 2600 Westminster Blvd., 

MC 110–SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740–5600; 

telephone 562–797–1717; Internet https://

www.myboeingfleet.com. You may view this 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Transport Standards Branch, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For information 

on the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on July 28, 

2017. 

John P. Piccola, Jr., 

Acting Director, System Oversight Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–16666 Filed 8–14–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2017–0772; Product 

Identifier 2017–NM–075–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all The 

Boeing Company Model 737–100, –200, 

–200C, –300, –400, and –500 series 

airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by reports of crack 

indications in the right wing upper aft 

skin, originating from fastener holes 

common to the rear spar upper chord. 

This proposed AD would require 

repetitive inspections for cracking of the 

wing upper aft skin, and applicable oncondition actions. We are proposing this 

AD to address the unsafe condition on 

these products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by September 29, 

2017. 

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 

http://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 service information identified in 

this NPRM, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data 

Services (C&DS), 2600 Westminster 

Blvd., MC 110–SK57, Seal Beach, CA 

90740–5600; telephone 562–797–1717; 

Internet https://

www.myboeingfleet.com. You may view 

this referenced service information at 

the FAA, Transport Standards Branch, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 425–227– 

1221. It is also available on the Internet 

at http://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2017–0772. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2017– 

0772; or in person at the Docket 

Management Facility between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this NPRM, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

the Docket Office (phone: 800–647– 

5527) is in the ADDRESSES section. 

Comments will be available in the AD 

docket shortly after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Payman Soltani, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Section, FAA, Los Angeles 

ACO Branch, 3960 Paramount 

Boulevard, Lakewood, CA 90712–4137; 

phone: 562–627–5313; fax: 562–627– 

5210; email: payman.soltani@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite 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– 

2017–0772; Product Identifier 2017– 

NM–075–AD’’ at the beginning of your 

comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this NPRM. We will consider 

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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 156 / Tuesday, August 15, 2017 / Proposed Rules 38633 

all comments received by the closing 

date and may amend this NPRM 

because of those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

We have received a report of crack 

indications in the right wing upper aft 

skin, originating from fastener holes 

common to the rear spar upper chord at 

wing buttock line (WBL) 172.30 and 

WBL 197.38. The cracks were found on 

airplanes with 58,148 to 64,204 total 

flight hours and 45,512 to 51,409 total 

flight cycles. This cracking, if not 

corrected, could result in the inability of 

a principal structural element to sustain 

flight load, which could adversely affect 

the structural integrity of the airplane. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed Boeing Alert Service 

Bulletin 737–57A1335, dated May 24, 

2017. The service information describes 

procedures for repetitive inspections for 

cracking of the wing upper aft skin at 

and forward of the rear spar upper 

chord, and applicable on-condition 

actions. This service information 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 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all the relevant information 

and determined the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop in other products of the same 

type design. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishment of the actions 

identified as ‘‘RC’’ (required for 

compliance) in the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Boeing Alert Service 

Bulletin 737–57A1335, dated May 24, 

2017, described previously, except for 

any differences identified as exceptions 

in the regulatory text of this proposed 

AD. 

For information on the procedures 

and compliance times, see this service 

information at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2017– 

0772. 

Explanation of Applicability 

Model 737 airplanes having line 

numbers 1 through 291 have a limit of 

validity (LOV) of 34,000 total flight 

cycles, and the actions proposed in this 

NPRM, as specified in Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 737–57A1335, dated 

May 24, 2017, would be required at a 

compliance time occurring after that 

LOV. Although operation of an airplane 

beyond its LOV is prohibited by 14 CFR 

121.1115 and 129.115, this NPRM 

would include those airplanes in the 

applicability so that these airplanes are 

tracked in the event the LOV is 

extended in the future. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 160 airplanes of U.S. registry. We 

estimate the following costs to comply 

with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Inspection ................................................ 4 work-hours × $85 per hour = $340 

per inspection cycle.

$0 $340 per inspection 

cycle.

$54,400 per inspection cycle. 

We have received no definitive data 

that would enable us to provide cost 

estimates for the on-condition actions 

specified in this proposed AD. 

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. 

This proposed AD is issued in 

accordance with authority delegated by 

the Executive Director, Aircraft 

Certification Service, as authorized by 

FAA Order 8000.51C. In accordance 

with that order, issuance of ADs is 

normally a function of the Compliance 

and Airworthiness Division, but during 

this transition period, the Executive 

Director has delegated the authority to 

issue ADs applicable to transport 

category airplanes to the Director of the 

System Oversight Division. 

Regulatory Findings 

We 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) Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under 

the DOT Regulatory Policies and 

Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 

1979), 

(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska, and 

(4) 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. 

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: 

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. 

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38634 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 156 / Tuesday, August 15, 2017 / Proposed Rules 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

■ 2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

The Boeing Company: Docket No. FAA– 

2017–0772; Product Identifier 2017– 

NM–075–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by September 

29, 2017. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all The Boeing 

Company Model 737–100, –200, –200C, 

–300, –400, and –500 series airplanes, 

certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 57, Wings. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by reports of crack 

indications in the right wing upper aft skin, 

originating from fastener holes common to 

the rear spar upper chord. We are issuing this 

AD to detect and correct cracking of the wing 

upper aft skin, which can lead to the inability 

of a principal structural element to sustain 

flight load, and adversely affect the structural 

integrity of the airplane. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Required Actions 

(1) For airplanes identified as Group 2 in 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737–57A1335, 

dated May 24, 2017: Except as required by 

paragraph (h) of this AD, at the applicable 

times specified in paragraph 1.E., 

‘‘Compliance,’’ of Boeing Alert Service 

Bulletin 737–57A1335, dated May 24, 2017, 

do all applicable actions identified as ‘‘RC’’ 

(required for compliance) in, and in 

accordance with, the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 

737–57A1335, dated May 24, 2017. 

(2) For airplanes identified as Group 1 in 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737–57A1335, 

dated May 24, 2017: Within 120 days after 

the effective date of this AD, inspect the 

airplane and do all applicable corrective 

actions using a method approved in 

accordance with the procedures specified in 

paragraph (i) of this AD. 

(h) Exceptions to Service Information 

Specifications 

(1) For purposes of determining 

compliance with the requirements of this AD, 

the phrase ‘‘the effective date of this AD’’ 

may be substituted for ‘‘the original issue 

date of this service bulletin,’’ as specified in 

Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737–57A1335, 

dated May 24, 2017. 

(2) Where Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 

737–57A1335, dated May 24, 2017, specifies 

contacting Boeing, and specifies that action 

as RC: This AD requires using a method 

approved in accordance with the procedures 

specified in paragraph (i) of this AD. 

(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Los Angeles ACO 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 local Flight Standards 

District Office, as appropriate. If sending 

information directly to the manager of the 

certification office, send it to the attention of 

the person identified in paragraph (j)(1) of 

this AD. Information may be emailed to: 9- 

ANM-LAACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov. 

(2) Before using any approved AMOC, 

notify your appropriate principal inspector, 

or lacking a principal inspector, the manager 

of the local flight standards district office/ 

certificate holding district office. 

(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair, 

modification, or alteration required by this 

AD if it is approved by the Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes Organization 

Designation Authorization (ODA) that has 

been authorized by the Manager, Los Angeles 

ACO Branch, to make those findings. To be 

approved, the repair method, modification 

deviation, or alteration deviation must meet 

the certification basis of the airplane, and the 

approval must specifically refer to this AD. 

(4) Except as required by paragraph (h)(2) 

of this AD: For service information that 

contains steps that are labeled as RC, the 

provisions of paragraphs (i)(4)(i) and (i)(4)(ii) 

of this AD apply. 

(i) The steps labeled as RC, including 

substeps under an RC step and any figures 

identified in an RC step, must be done to 

comply with the AD. If a step or substep is 

labeled ‘‘RC Exempt,’’ then the RC 

requirement is removed from that step or 

substep. An AMOC is required for any 

deviations to RC steps, including substeps 

and identified figures. 

(ii) Steps not labeled 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 RC steps, 

including substeps and identified figures, can 

still be done as specified, and the airplane 

can be put back in an airworthy condition. 

(j) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Payman Soltani, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Section, FAA, Los Angeles ACO 

Branch, 3960 Paramount Boulevard, 

Lakewood, CA 90712–4137; phone: 562–627– 

5313; fax: 562–627–5210; email: 

payman.soltani@faa.gov. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data 

Services (C&DS), 2600 Westminster Blvd., 

MC 110–SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740–5600; 

telephone 562–797–1717; Internet https://

www.myboeingfleet.com. You may view this 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Transport Standards Branch, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For information 

on the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on August 

4, 2017. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Director, System Oversight Division, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–17096 Filed 8–14–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2017–0769; Product 

Identifier 2017–NM–054–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to supersede 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2015–19– 

12, which applies to certain The Boeing 

Company Model 767 airplanes. AD 

2015–19–12 requires a general visual 

inspection of certain lap splices for 

missing fasteners, and all applicable 

related investigative and corrective 

actions. Since we issued AD 2015–19– 

12, we have determined that additional 

airplanes are affected by the unsafe 

condition. This proposed AD would 

retain the actions required by AD 2015– 

19–12 and revise the applicability by 

adding airplanes. We are proposing this 

AD to address the unsafe condition on 

these products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by September 29, 

2017. 

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 

http://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 service information identified in 

this NPRM, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data 

Services (C&DS), 2600 Westminster 

Blvd., MC 110–SK57, Seal Beach, CA 

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