43168 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 177 / Thursday, September 14, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

inspector, the manager of the local flight 

standards district office/certificate holding 

district office. 

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any 

requirement in this AD to obtain corrective 

actions from a manufacturer, the action must 

be accomplished using a method approved 

by the Manager, International Section, 

Transport Standards Branch, FAA; or the 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); or 

Dassault Aviation’s EASA Design 

Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by 

the DOA, the approval must include the 

DOA-authorized signature. 

(k) Related Information 

(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information (MCAI) EASA 

Airworthiness Directive 2016–0127, dated 

June 23, 2016, for related information. This 

MCAI may be found in the AD docket on the 

Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. FAA– 

2017–0525. 

(2) For more information about this AD, 

contact Tom Rodriguez, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Section, Transport Standards 

Branch, FAA, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 

Renton, WA 98057–3356; telephone 425– 

227–1137; fax 425–227–1149. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

(IBR) 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) Chapter 5–40, Airworthiness 

Limitations, Revision 22, dated December 

2015, of the Dassault Aviation Falcon 900 

Maintenance Manual. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Dassault Falcon Jet 

Corporation, Teterboro Airport, P.O. Box 

2000, South Hackensack, NJ 07606; 

telephone 201–440–6700; Internet http://

www.dassaultfalcon.com. 

(4) You may view this 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. 

(5) 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, call 

202–741–6030, or go to: http://

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

Issued in Renton, Washington, on August 

31, 2017. 

Dionne Palermo, 

Acting Director, System Oversight Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19302 Filed 9–13–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2017–0533; Product 

Identifier 2016–NM–156–AD; Amendment 

39–19024; AD 2017–18–15] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Airbus Model A300 B4–600R and Model 

A300 F4–600R series airplanes; Model 

A300 B4–603, B4–622, and C4–605R 

Variant F airplanes; and Model A310– 

203, –221, –222, –304, –322, –324, and 

–325 airplanes. This AD was prompted 

by an evaluation by the design approval 

holder indicating that a section of the 

fuselage structure above the forward 

cargo door is subject to widespread 

fatigue damage (WFD). This AD requires 

an inspection for cracks of the fastener 

and tooling holes at certain locations 

and a check of the diameter of the holes, 

and repair or modification of the 

affected fuselage structure if necessary. 

We are issuing this AD to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective October 19, 

2017. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in this AD 

as of October 19, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Airbus SAS, Airworthiness Office— 

EAW, 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 

31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone 

+33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 93 44 

51; email account.airworth-eas@

airbus.com; Internet http://

www.airbus.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– 

0533. 

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– 

0533; 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 AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

the Docket Office (telephone 800–647– 

5527) is Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Docket Operations, M–30, West 

Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 

Washington, DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan 

Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Section, Transport 

Standards Branch, FAA, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–2125; fax 425–227– 

1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 by adding an AD that would 

apply to all Airbus Model A300 B4– 

600R and Model A300 F4–600R series 

airplanes; Model A300 B4–603, B4–622, 

and C4–605R Variant F airplanes; and 

Model A310–203, –221, –222, –304, 

–322, –324, and –325 airplanes. The 

NPRM published in the Federal 

Register on June 12, 2017 (82 FR 26874) 

(‘‘the NPRM’’). The NPRM was 

prompted by an evaluation by the 

design approval holder indicating that a 

section of the fuselage structure above 

the forward cargo door is subject to 

WFD. The NPRM proposed to require an 

inspection for cracks of the fastener and 

tooling holes at certain locations and a 

check of the diameter of the holes, and 

repair or modification of the affected 

fuselage structure if necessary. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent reduced 

structural integrity of these airplanes 

due to the failure of certain structural 

components. 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA Airworthiness 

Directive 2016–0178, dated September 

12, 2016 (referred to after this as the 

Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness 

Information, or ‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct 

an unsafe condition for all Airbus 

Model A300 B4–600R and Model A300 

F4–600R series airplanes; Model A300 

B4–603, B4–622, and C4–605R Variant F 

airplanes; and Model A310–203, –221, 

–222, –304, –322, –324, and –325 

airplanes. The MCAI states: 

In the frame of the Widespread Fatigue 

Damage (WFD) analysis, some structural 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 177 / Thursday, September 14, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 43169 

areas were identified as requiring 

embodiment of a structural modification. 

This condition, if not corrected, could 

reduce the fuselage structural integrity. 

To address this unsafe condition, Airbus 

issued Service Bulletin (SB) A310–53–2145 

and SB A300–53–6187 to provide 

instructions for structural reinforcement of 

the fuselage frames (FR) between FR20 Right 

Hand side (RH) and FR25 RH and the frame 

couplings between stringer (STGR) 20 RH 

and STGR23 RH, hereafter collectively 

referred to as ‘the affected fuselage structure’ 

in this [EASA] AD. 

For the reason described above, this 

[EASA] AD requires accomplishment of a 

one-time special detailed inspection (SDI) of 

the fastener and tooling holes, and 

modification of the affected fuselage 

structure. 

The required actions include a 

rototest inspection for cracks of the 

fastener and tooling holes at certain 

locations and a check of the diameter of 

the holes, and repair or modification of 

the affected fuselage structure if 

necessary. You may examine the MCAI 

in the AD docket on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov by searching 

for and locating Docket No. FAA–2017– 

0533. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

considered the comment received. The 

commenter supported the NPRM. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comment received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting this AD 

as proposed except for minor editorial 

changes. We have determined that these 

minor changes: 

• Are consistent with the intent that 

was proposed in the NPRM for 

correcting the unsafe condition; and 

• Do not add any additional burden 

upon the public than was already 

proposed in the NPRM. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

Airbus has issued the following 

service information. 

• Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53– 

6187, Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016. 

This service information describes 

procedures for a rototest inspection for 

cracks of the fastener and tooling holes 

at certain locations, a check of the 

diameter of the holes, repair, and 

modification of the affected fuselage 

structure by reinforcing the frames 

between right hand (RH) frame (FR) 20 

RH and FR25 RH, or FR21 RH and FR25 

RH, depending on the configuration; 

and reinforcing the frame couplings 

between stringer (STGR) 20 RH and 

STGR23 RH. 

• Airbus Service Bulletin A310–53– 

2145, Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016. 

This service information describes 

procedures for a rototest inspection for 

cracks of the fastener and tooling holes 

at certain locations, a check of the 

diameter of the holes, repair, and 

modification of the affected fuselage 

structure by reinforcing the frames 

between right hand FR20 RH and FR25 

RH; and reinforcing the frame couplings 

between STGR20 RH and STGR23 RH. 

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. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 132 

airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Inspection, check, repair, and modification .... 45 work-hours × $85 per hour = $3,825 ........ $2,360 $6,185 $816,420 

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 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 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 

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; 

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. 

Adoption of 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. 


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43170 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 177 / Thursday, September 14, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

■ 2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

2017–18–15 Airbus: Amendment 39–18024; 

Docket No. FAA–2017–0533; Product 

Identifier 2016–NM–156–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD is effective October 19, 2017. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Airbus airplanes 

identified in paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(5) 

of this AD, certificated in any category, all 

manufacturer serial numbers. 

(1) Model A300 B4–603 and A300 B4–622 

airplanes. 

(2) Model A300 B4–605R and A300 B4– 

622R airplanes. 

(3) Model A300 F4–605R and A300 F4– 

622R airplanes. 

(4) Model A300 C4–605R Variant F 

airplanes. 

(5) Model A310–203, –221, –222, –304, 

–322, –324, and –325 airplanes. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 53, Fuselage. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by an evaluation by 

the design approval holder indicating that a 

section of the fuselage structure above the 

forward cargo door is subject to widespread 

fatigue damage. We are issuing this AD to 

prevent reduced structural integrity of these 

airplanes due to the failure of certain 

structural components. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Check and Rototest Inspection of Affected 

Fastener and Tooling Holes 

Before exceeding 42,500 flight cycles since 

the first flight of the airplane, do a check of 

the diameter of the fastener holes and tooling 

holes and a rototest inspection for cracks of 

all holes of removed fasteners and the tooling 

holes at the locations specified in, and in 

accordance with, the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A300– 

53–6187, Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016; or 

Airbus Service Bulletin A310–53–2145, 

Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016; as 

applicable. 

(h) Repair 

If any condition specified in paragraph 

(h)(1) or (h)(2) of this AD is found, prior to 

further flight, repair in accordance with a 

method approved by the Manager, 

International Section, Transport Standards 

Branch, FAA; or the European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA); or Airbus’s EASA 

Design Organization Approval (DOA). 

Concurrently with the repair, unless the 

approved repair instructions specify 

otherwise, modify the affected structure, in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A300– 

53–6187, Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016; or 

Airbus Service Bulletin A310–53–2145, 

Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016; as 

applicable. 

(1) Any crack is found during the rototest 

inspection required by paragraph (g) of this 

AD. 

(2) Any hole diameter greater than or equal 

to the maximum starting hole diameter 

specified in the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A300– 

53–6187, Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016; or 

Airbus Service Bulletin A310–53–2145, 

Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016; as 

applicable, is found during the check 

required by paragraph (g) of this AD. 

(i) Modification 

If, during the actions required by paragraph 

(g) of this AD, no crack is found and the hole 

diameter is less than the maximum starting 

hole diameter specified in the 

Accomplishment Instructions of Airbus 

Service Bulletin A300–53–6187, Revision 00, 

dated May 31, 2016; or Airbus Service 

Bulletin A310–53–2145, Revision 00, dated 

May 31, 2016; as applicable: Before further 

flight, modify the affected fuselage structure, 

in accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A300– 

53–6187, Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016; or 

Airbus Service Bulletin A310–53–2145, 

Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016; as 

applicable. 

(j) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, International 

Section, Transport Standards 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 International Section, send it 

to the attention of the person identified in 

paragraph (k)(2) of this AD. Information may 

be emailed to: 9-ANM-116-AMOCREQUESTS@faa.gov. 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. 

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any 

requirement in this AD to obtain corrective 

actions from a manufacturer, the action must 

be accomplished using a method approved 

by the Manager, International Section, 

Transport Standards Branch, FAA; or EASA; 

or Airbus’s EASA DOA. If approved by the 

DOA, the approval must include the DOAauthorized signature. 

(3) Required for Compliance (RC): 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 

(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information (MCAI) EASA AD 

2016–0178, dated September 12, 2016, for 

related information. This MCAI may be 

found in the AD docket on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2017–0533. 

(2) For more information about this AD, 

contact Dan Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Section, Transport Standards 

Branch, FAA, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 

Renton, WA 98057–3356; telephone 425– 

227–2125; fax 425–227–1149. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

(IBR) 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) Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53–6187, 

Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016. 

(ii) Airbus Service Bulletin A310–53–2145, 

Revision 00, dated May 31, 2016. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus SAS, Airworthiness 

Office—EAW, 1 Rond Point Maurice 

Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; 

telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 

93 44 51; email account.airworth-eas@

airbus.com; Internet http://www.airbus.com. 

(4) You may view this 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. 

(5) 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, call 

202–741–6030, or go to: http://

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

Issued in Renton, Washington, on August 

29, 2017. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Director, System Oversight Division, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19043 Filed 9–13–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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