43832 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 20, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

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 

September 7, 2017. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Director, System Oversight Division, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19660 Filed 9–19–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2017–0555; Product 

Identifier 2016–NM–183–AD; Amendment 

39–19037; AD 2017–19–07] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Defense and Space S.A. (Formerly 

Known as Construcciones 

Aeronauticas, S.A.) Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2013–02– 

12, which applied to all EADS CASA 

(now Airbus Defense and Space S.A.) 

Model CN–235, CN–235–100, CN–235– 

200, and CN–235–300 airplanes. AD 

2013–02–12 required a one-time 

inspection to identify the correct 

polarity for each pair of electrical 

connectors on each engine fire 

extinguisher cartridge, and repair if 

necessary. This AD continues to require 

identifying the correct polarity of each 

pair of electrical connectors of the 

affected engine fire extinguisher 

cartridge, and doing a repair if 

necessary. This AD also requires 

modifying the installation of the fire 

extinguisher circuit harnesses. This AD 

was prompted by reports of incorrect 

electrical polarity connections on 

engine fire extinguishing discharge 

cartridges. We are issuing this AD to 

address the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: This AD is effective October 25, 

2017. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in this AD 

as of October 25, 2017. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain other publication listed in 

this AD as of March 8, 2013 (78 FR 

7262, February 1, 2013). 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Airbus Defense and Space Services/ 

Engineering Support, Avenida de 

Arago ́n 404, 28022 Madrid, Spain; 

telephone +34 91 585 55 84; fax +34 91 

585 31 27; email 

MTA.TechnicalService@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– 

0555. 

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– 

0555; 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 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: 

Shahram Daneshmandi, Aerospace 

Engineer, International Section, 

Transport Standards Branch, FAA, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057– 

3356; telephone 425–227–1112; fax 

425–227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to supersede AD 2013–02–12, 

Amendment 39–17333 (78 FR 7262, 

February 1, 2013) (‘‘AD 2013–02–12’’). 

AD 2013–02–12 applied to all EADS 

CASA (now Airbus Defense and Space 

S.A.) Model CN–235, CN–235–100, CN– 

235–200, and CN–235–300 airplanes. 

The NPRM published in the Federal 

Register on June 16, 2017 (82 FR 27631). 

The NPRM was prompted by reports of 

incorrect electrical polarity connections 

on engine fire extinguishing discharge 

cartridges. The NPRM proposed to 

continue to require identifying the 

correct polarity of each pair of electrical 

connectors of the affected engine fire 

extinguisher cartridge, and doing a 

repair if necessary. The NPRM also 

proposed to require modifying the 

installation of the fire extinguisher 

circuit harnesses. We are issuing this 

AD to detect and correct incorrect 

polarity connections, which could 

prevent the actuation of the discharge 

cartridge in case of automatic fire 

detection or manual initiation during a 

potential engine fire, and could result in 

damage to the airplane and injury to 

passengers. 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA AD 2016–0201, 

dated October 11, 2016 (referred to after 

this as the Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information, or ‘‘the 

MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe condition 

for all Airbus Defense and Space S.A. 

Model CN–235, CN–235–100, CN–235– 

200, and CN–235–300 airplanes. The 

MCAI states: 

Reports have been received of finding 

wrong electrical polarity connections of 

engine fire extinguishing discharge cartridges 

on CASA CN–235 aeroplanes. The results of 

the subsequent investigation showed that the 

incorrect discharge cartridge assembly was 

caused by production line errors. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could prevent the actuation of the 

discharge cartridge in case of automatic fire 

detection or manual initiation in case of 

engine fire, possibly resulting in damage to 

the aeroplane and injury to occupants. 

To address this potentially unsafe 

condition, EADS CASA (Airbus Military) 

developed instructions to identify erroneous 

wiring polarity installation and EASA issued 

AD 2012–0045 [which correlates to FAA AD 

2013–02–12, Amendment 39–17333 (78 FR 

7262, February 1, 2013)] to require a one-time 

inspection to verify proper electrical polarity 

of wiring of each engine fire extinguisher 

discharge cartridge and, depending on 

findings, corrective action. 

Since [EASA] AD 2012–0045 was issued, 

Airbus Defence and Space (D&S) developed 

modification of the installation of the fire 

extinguisher circuit harnesses, available for 

in-service installation through Service 

Bulletin (SB) SB–235–26–0005, which 

represents technical solution for an unsafe 

condition addressed by [EASA] AD 2012– 

0045 for those aeroplanes. Embodiment of 

this modification introduces a design 

solution that avoids maintenance errors 

during (re)connecting of the affected fire 

extinguisher circuit harnesses after 

accomplishment of maintenance tasks or 

functional tests. 

For the reasons described above, this 

[EASA] AD retains the requirements of EASA 

AD 2012–0045, which is superseded and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 20, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 43833 

requires identification of the correct polarity 

after each maintenance action involving 

(re)connecting of the engine fire extinguisher 

cartridge electrical connector. This [EASA] 

AD also requires modification of the affected 

fire extinguisher circuit harnesses. 

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– 

0555. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

received no comments on the NPRM or 

on the determination of the cost to the 

public. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the available data 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 

We reviewed EADS CASA Service 

Bulletin SB–235–26–0005, dated July 9, 

2014. This service information describes 

procedures for modifying the 

installation of the fire extinguisher 

circuit harnesses. 

We have also reviewed Airbus 

Military All Operator Letter 235–020, 

Revision 01, dated November 12, 2013. 

This service information describes 

procedures for identifying the correct 

polarity of each pair of electrical 

connectors of the affected engine fire 

extinguisher cartridge, and repairing the 

erroneous wiring polarity if necessary. 

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 12 

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 (retained action 

from AD 2013-02-12).

4 work-hours × $85 per hour = 

$340.

$0 $340 ........................................ $4,080. 

Repetitive Inspection (new action).3 work-hours × $85 per hour = 

$255 per inspection cycle.

0 $255 per inspection cycle ....... $3,060 per inspection cycle. 

Modification (new action) ......... 8 work-hour × $85 per hour = 

$680.

3,280 $3,960 ..................................... $47,520. 

We estimate the following costs to do 

any necessary repair that will be 

required based on the results of the 

inspection. We have no way of 

determining the number of aircraft that 

might need this repair: 

ON-CONDITION COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Wiring Correction .......................................................... 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 ............................... $0 $85 

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: 


sradovich on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES
43834 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 20, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

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 

removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

2013–02–12, Amendment 39–17333 (78 

FR 7262, February 1, 2013), and adding 

the following new AD: 

2017–19–07 Airbus Defense and Space S.A. 

(Formerly Known as Construcciones 

Aeronauticas, S.A.): Amendment 39– 

19037; Docket No. FAA–2017–0555; 

Product Identifier 2016–NM–183–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD is effective October 25, 2017. 

(b) Affected ADs 

This AD replaces AD 2013–02–12, 

Amendment 39–17333 (78 FR 7262, February 

1, 2013) (‘‘AD 2013–02–12’’). 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all Airbus Defense and 

Space S.A. (formerly known as 

Construcciones Aeronauticas, S.A.) Model 

CN–235, CN–235–100, CN–235–200, and 

CN–235–300 airplanes, certificated in any 

category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 26, Fire protection. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by reports of 

incorrect electrical polarity connections on 

engine fire extinguishing discharge 

cartridges. We are issuing this AD to detect 

and correct incorrect polarity connections, 

which could prevent the actuation of the 

discharge cartridge in case of automatic fire 

detection or manual initiation during a 

potential engine fire, and could result in 

damage to the airplane and injury to 

passengers. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Retained Inspection, With Revised 

Service Information 

This paragraph restates the requirements of 

paragraph (g) of AD 2013–02–12, with 

revised service information. Within 30 days 

after March 8, 2013 (the effective date of AD 

2013–02–12), do a one-time inspection to 

identify the correct polarity for each pair of 

electrical connectors on each engine fire 

extinguisher cartridge, in accordance with 

the Instructions of Airbus Military All 

Operator Letter 235–020, dated March 9, 

2012; or Airbus Military All Operator Letter 

235–020, Revision 01, dated November 12, 

2013. 

(h) New Requirement of This AD: Repetitive 

Inspections 

As of 30 days after the effective date of this 

AD: Before further flight after accomplishing 

each maintenance task involving 

disconnection or reconnection of an 

electrical connector of an engine fire 

extinguisher cartridge, determine the polarity 

of each pair of electrical connectors of the 

affected engine fire extinguisher cartridge, in 

accordance with the Instructions of Airbus 

Military All Operator Letter 235–020, 

Revision 01, dated November 12, 2013. 

(i) New Requirement of This AD: Corrective 

Action 

If, during any inspection required by 

paragraph (g) or (h) of this AD, erroneous 

wiring polarity installation is detected, before 

further flight, repair the erroneous polarity in 

accordance with a method approved by the 

Manager, International Section, Transport 

Standards Branch, FAA; or the European 

Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); or EADS 

CASA’s EASA Design Organization Approval 

(DOA). 

(j) New Requirement of This AD: 

Modification 

Within 24 months after the effective date 

of this AD: Modify the installation of the fire 

extinguisher circuit harnesses, in accordance 

with the Accomplishment Instructions of 

EADS CASA Service Bulletin SB–235–26– 

0005, dated July 9, 2014. 

(k) Terminating Action 

The modification required in paragraph (j) 

of this AD terminates the actions required in 

paragraphs (g) and (h) of this AD. 

(l) 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 (m)(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: As of the 

effective date of this AD, 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 EASA; or 

EADS CASA’s EASA DOA. If approved by 

the DOA, the approval must include the 

DOA-authorized signature. 

(m) Related Information 

(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information (MCAI) EASA AD 

2016–0201, dated October 11, 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–2017–0555. 

(2) For more information about this AD, 

contact Shahram Daneshmandi, Aerospace 

Engineer, International Section, Transport 

Standards Branch, FAA, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, WA 98057–3356; telephone 

425–227–1112; fax 425–227–1149. 

(n) 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. 

(3) The following service information was 

approved for IBR on October 25, 2017. 

(i) Airbus Military All Operator Letter 235– 

020, Revision 01, dated November 12, 2013. 

(ii) EADS CASA Service Bulletin SB–235– 

26–0005, dated July 9, 2014. 

(4) The following service information was 

approved for IBR on March 8, 2013 (78 FR 

7262, February 1, 2013). 

(i) Airbus Military All Operator Letter 235– 

020, dated March 9, 2012. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(5) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus Defense and Space 

Services/Engineering Support, Avenida de 

Arago ́n 404, 28022 Madrid, Spain; telephone 

+34 91 585 55 84; fax +34 91 585 31 27; email 

MTA.TechnicalService@airbus.com. 

(6) 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. 

(7) 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 

September 7, 2017. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Director, System Oversight Division, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–19655 Filed 9–19–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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