This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains regulatory documents having general

applicability and legal effect, most of which

are keyed to and codified in the Code of

Federal Regulations, which is published under

50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by

the Superintendent of Documents.

Rules and Regulations Federal Register

47363 

Vol. 82, No. 196 

Thursday, October 12, 2017 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2017–0244; Product 

Identifier 2016–NM–044–AD; Amendment 

39–19071; AD 2017–20–14] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all The 

Boeing Company Model 737–300, –400, 

and –500 series airplanes. This AD was 

prompted by a determination that 

supplemental inspections are required 

for timely detection of fatigue cracking 

for certain structural significant items 

(SSIs). This AD requires revising the 

maintenance or inspection program, as 

applicable, to add supplemental 

inspections. This AD also requires 

inspections to detect cracks in each SSI, 

and repair of any cracked structure. We 

are issuing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective November 

16, 2017. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of November 16, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, 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 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– 

0244. 

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– 

0244; 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 final rule, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (phone: 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: 

Jennifer Tsakoumakis, Aerospace 

Engineer, Airframe Section, FAA, Los 

Angeles ACO Branch, 3960 Paramount 

Boulevard, Lakewood, CA 90712–4137; 

phone: 562–627–5264; fax: 562–627– 

5210; email: jennifer.tsakoumakis@

faa.gov. 

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 The Boeing Company Model 

737–300, –400, and –500 series 

airplanes. The NPRM published in the 

Federal Register on March 27, 2017 (82 

FR 15169). The NPRM was prompted by 

a determination that supplemental 

inspections are required for timely 

detection of fatigue cracking for certain 

SSIs. The NPRM proposed to require 

revising the maintenance or inspection 

program, as applicable, to add 

supplemental inspections and SSI 

discrepancy reporting. The NPRM also 

proposed to require inspections to 

detect cracks in each SSI, and repair of 

any cracked structure. We are issuing 

this AD to ensure the continued 

structural integrity of all The Boeing 

Company Model 737–300, –400, and 

–500 series airplanes. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. The 

following presents the comments 

received on the NPRM and the FAA’s 

response to each comment. 

Request To Revise Program Designation 

Boeing requested that we revise 

‘‘maintenance or inspection program’’ to 

‘‘maintenance inspection program’’ in 

the proposed AD. Boeing stated that 

operators have a single program that 

relates to the Supplemental Structural 

Inspection Document (SSID). 

We do not agree with the commenter’s 

request. Airplanes operating under 14 

CFR part 91 have ‘‘inspection programs’’ 

while airplanes operating under 14 CFR 

part 121 have ‘‘maintenance programs.’’ 

The decision to use the wording 

‘‘maintenance or inspection program’’ is 

intentional. We have not changed this 

AD in this regard. 

Request To Revise Service Information 

Reference 

Boeing requested that we revise the 

proposed AD to refer to the specified 

service information as ‘‘Revision 1, 

October 2015,’’ instead of ‘‘Revision, 

October 2015.’’ 

We do not agree with Boeing’s 

request. The document title page, List of 

Effective Pages table, Revision 

Highlights table, document footer, and 

SSID Revision table listed under ‘‘1.0 

Purpose’’ all identify the revision as 

‘‘October 2015,’’ and not as ‘‘Revision 1, 

October 2015.’’ We have not changed 

this AD in this regard. 

Request To Revise Compliance Times 

Boeing and Southwest Airlines (SWA) 

requested that we revise the compliance 

time for the initial inspections in 

paragraph (h) of the proposed AD. 

Boeing requested that the compliance 

time for initial inspections be changed 

from ‘‘before the accumulation of 66,000 

total flight cycles, or within 12 months 

after the effective date of this AD, 

whichever occurs later’’ to before the 

accumulation of 66,000 total flight 

cycles, or at the next scheduled 

inspection as required by AD 2008–09– 

13, Amendment 39–15494 (73 FR 

24164, May 2, 2008) (‘‘AD 2008–09– 

13’’), whichever occurs later. Boeing 

stated that, if operators have started 

SSID inspections, they should continue 

as scheduled in accordance with AD 

2008–09–13; however, if they have not 

started inspections, they should already 

be prepared to begin at the 66,000 total 

flight cycle compliance time and that no 


jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES
47364 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

new grace period is needed from the 

effective date of this AD. SWA stated 

that operators who have completed 

SSID inspections as required by AD 

2008–09–13 would be required to repeat 

inspections within 12 months and it 

does not believe this is the intent of the 

proposed AD. SWA suggested that only 

inspections with revised requirements 

in the proposed AD should require 

future action and that all other 

inspections completed in accordance 

with the previous SSID revision, 

including alternative inspections with 

an alternative method of compliance 

(AMOC) approval, should be accepted 

as compliance to the proposed AD. 

Isaac Trolinder requested that we 

revise the compliance time 

measurement in paragraph (g) of the 

proposed AD from total flight cycles to 

total flight miles. 

We do not agree with Isaac 

Trolinder’s request. Compliance times 

for the actions in this AD are defined in 

terms of total airplane flight cycles and 

are not dependent on flight miles. 

We partially agree with Boeing and 

SWA’s requests. We disagree with 

Boeing’s request to remove the 12- 

month grace period. Operators who are 

very close to accomplishing an initial or 

repeat inspection required by AD 2008– 

09–13 need time to incorporate the 

revised service information in their 

maintenance or inspection program. 

Because this AD is not superseding the 

existing SSID AD, any initial or repeat 

inspection required by AD 2008–09–13 

will still be required until the 

corresponding action in this AD is 

accomplished. 

We agree with SWA that previously 

approved AMOCs for inspections of 

SSIs that are not affected by the revised 

service information should remain 

applicable. This is addressed in 

paragraph (1)(4) of this AD. 

We agree with Boeing and SWA that 

we need to address the situation where 

an operator has already initiated 

inspections on SSIs. 

We have revised the introductory text 

of paragraph (h) of this AD and added 

paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(2) to this AD 

to include compliance time options to 

address compliance times for SSIs 

affected, and not affected, by the revised 

service information. This new wording 

provides identical requirements to 

paragraph (h) in the proposed AD, but 

offers a relieving option to operators 

who have initiated SSID inspections for 

certain SSIs. 

Request To Address Repaired or 

Altered SSIs 

Boeing requested that we revise the 

proposed AD to include a paragraph 

that addresses any repair installed on an 

SSI such that the repair affects the 

operator’s ability to accomplish 

inspections required by the proposed 

AD. Boeing suggested that we include 

wording similar to the wording in 

paragraph (i) from AD 2008–09–13, 

except that we make the actions 

applicable to a repair installed on an SSI 

at any time and not exclusive to repairs 

installed before the effective date of the 

AD. 

We agree with the commenter’s 

request to revise this AD to include 

wording to address repairs or alterations 

on any SSI such that the repair or 

alteration affects the operator’s ability to 

accomplish the inspections required by 

this AD. We have included paragraphs 

(i)(1) and (i)(2) in this AD. Paragraph 

(i)(1) of this AD requires repairs to SSI 

structure if cracks are found while 

accomplishing inspections in 

accordance with this AD and is similar 

to paragraph (i) of the proposed AD, 

except for the change described below 

under ‘‘Change to Paragraph (i) of the 

Proposed AD.’’ Paragraph (i)(2) is added 

to this AD to address repairs or 

alterations that affect the ability to 

inspect an SSI as required by this AD. 

If an operator finds a repaired or altered 

SSI such that the repair or alteration 

affects the operator’s ability to 

accomplish the inspections required by 

this AD and the repair or alteration does 

not have AMOC approval in accordance 

with paragraph (l) of this AD, then 

paragraph (i)(2) of this AD will provide 

the operator an 18-month grace period 

after the compliance time to request an 

AMOC. 

Change to Paragraph (i) of the Proposed 

AD 

Paragraph (i) of the proposed AD 

specifies to repair ‘‘using a method 

approved in accordance with the 

procedures specified in paragraph (l) of 

this AD.’’ We have changed the method 

of compliance language in paragraph 

(i)(1) of this AD to specify to repair 

‘‘using an FAA-approved method.’’ 

Specifying an FAA-approved method 

will allow for FAA Designated 

Engineering Representatives (DERs) to 

approve repairs in addition to the 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes 

Organization Designation Authorization 

(ODA) and the Los Angeles ACO Branch 

as specified by the procedures in 

paragraph (l) of this AD. If an FAA DER 

has the appropriate structures 

delegation for major repairs on 14 CFR 

part 25 airplanes, then the DER has the 

authority to approve these types of 

repairs. 

Acknowledgement of Revision to 

Global AMOC Needed 

Aviation Partners Boeing (APB) 

acknowledged that installation of 

supplemental type certificate (STC) 

ST01219SE requires the modification of 

wing structure on Boeing Model 737– 

300 and –500 airplanes, making it 

impossible to inspect the modified 

structure using the service information. 

APB noted that it has a global AMOC to 

paragraphs (g) and (h) of AD 2008–09– 

13 for alternative inspections of the STC 

modified structure. APB stated that it 

will revise its inspection program for 

STC ST01219SE to adjust for the 

changes in Boeing Document D6–82669, 

‘‘Supplemental Structural Inspection 

Document, Models 737–300/400/500 

Airplanes,’’ Revision October 2015, that 

affect the modified structure. APB stated 

that it will request a new global AMOC 

when the final rule is published. 

We acknowledge APB’s comment. No 

change is needed to this AD in this 

regard. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comments received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting this 

final rule with the changes described 

previously and 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. 

We also determined that these 

changes will not increase the economic 

burden on any operator or increase the 

scope of this final rule. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed Boeing Document D6– 

82669, ‘‘Supplemental Structural 

Inspection Document, Models 737–300/ 

400/500 Airplanes,’’ Revision October 

2015. The service information identifies 

SSIs having fatigue crack growth 

characteristics warranting special 

attention, describes procedures for 

inspections to detect cracks of all 

structure identified as SSIs, and 

provides corrective actions for cracked 

SSI structure. 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. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 47365 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

500 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 

Revision of maintenance or inspection program.1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 ................. $0 $85 $42,500 

We have not specified cost estimates 

for the inspections and repair specified 

in this AD. Compliance with this AD 

constitutes a method of compliance 

with the FAA aging airplane safety final 

rule (AASFR) for certain baseline 

structure of Model 737–300, –400, and 

–500 series airplanes. The AASFR 

requires certain operators to incorporate 

damage tolerance inspections into their 

maintenance programs. These 

requirements are described in 14 CFR 

121.1109(c)(1) and 14 CFR 

129.109(b)(1). Accomplishment of the 

actions specified in this AD will meet 

the requirements of these regulations for 

certain baseline structure. The costs for 

accomplishing the inspection portion of 

this AD were accounted for in the 

regulatory evaluation of the AASFR for 

airplanes affected by that rule. For 

airplanes not affected by the AASFR, we 

have received no definitive data that 

would enable us to provide cost 

estimates for the inspection portion of 

this AD. 

We estimate the following costs to do 

any necessary reporting that would be 

required based on the results of the 

inspections specified in the revision of 

the maintenance or inspection program. 

We have no way of determining the 

number of aircraft that might need this 

action: 

ON-CONDITION COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Reporting ...................................................................... 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 ............................... $0 $85 

Paperwork Reduction Act 

A federal agency may not conduct or 

sponsor, and a person is not required to 

respond to, nor shall a person be subject 

to penalty for failure to comply with a 

collection of information subject to the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act unless that collection of 

information displays a current valid 

OMB control number. The control 

number for the collection of information 

required by this AD is 2120–0056. The 

paperwork cost associated with this AD 

has been detailed in the Costs of 

Compliance section of this document 

and includes time for reviewing 

instructions, as well as completing and 

reviewing the collection of information. 

Therefore, all reporting associated with 

this AD is mandatory. Comments 

concerning the accuracy of this burden 

and suggestions for reducing the burden 

should be directed to the FAA at 800 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20591, ATTN: Information 

Collection Clearance Officer, AES–200. 

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 

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 

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: 


jstallworth on DSKBBY8HB2PROD with RULES
47366 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 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 adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

2017–20–14 The Boeing Company: 

Amendment 39–19071; Docket No. 

FAA–2017–0244; Product Identifier 

2016–NM–044–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD is effective November 16, 2017. 

(b) Affected ADs 

This AD affects AD 2008–09–13, 

Amendment 39–15494 (73 FR 24164, May 2, 

2008) (‘‘AD 2008–09–13’’). 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all The Boeing 

Company Model 737–300, –400, and –500 

series airplanes, certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 52, Doors; 53, Fuselage; 54, 

Nacelles/Pylons; 55, Stabilizers; 57, Wings. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a structural 

reevaluation conducted by the manufacturer. 

We have determined that supplemental 

inspections are required for timely detection 

of fatigue cracking for certain structural 

significant items (SSIs). We are issuing this 

AD to ensure the continued structural 

integrity of all The Boeing Company Model 

737–300, –400, and –500 series airplanes. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Revision of the Maintenance or 

Inspection Program for All Airplanes 

Before the accumulation of 66,000 total 

flight cycles, or within 12 months after the 

effective date of this AD, whichever occurs 

later: Incorporate a revision into the 

maintenance or inspection program, as 

applicable, that provides no less than the 

required damage tolerance rating (DTR) for 

each SSI listed in Boeing Document D6– 

82669, ‘‘Supplemental Structural Inspection 

Document, Models 737–300/400/500 

Airplanes,’’ Revision October 2015. The 

required DTR value for each SSI is listed in 

Boeing Document D6–82669, ‘‘Supplemental 

Structural Inspection Document, Models 

737–300/400/500 Airplanes,’’ Revision 

October 2015. The revision to the 

maintenance or inspection program must 

include, and must be implemented in 

accordance with, the procedures in Section 

5.0, ‘‘Damage Tolerance Rating (DTR) System 

Application;’’ and Section 6.0, ‘‘SSI 

Discrepancy Reporting;’’ of Boeing Document 

D6–82669, ‘‘Supplemental Structural 

Inspection Document, Models 737–300/400/ 

500 Airplanes,’’ Revision October 2015. 

Accomplishment of the revision required by 

this paragraph terminates the requirements of 

paragraph (g) of AD 2008–09–13. 

(h) Initial and Repetitive Inspections 

At the applicable time specified in 

paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(2) of this AD, 

perform an inspection in accordance with 

Boeing Document D6–82669, ‘‘Supplemental 

Structural Inspection Document, Models 

737–300/400/500 Airplanes,’’ Revision 

October 2015, to detect cracks of the 

applicable structure identified in paragraphs 

(h)(1) and (h)(2) of this AD. Repeat the 

inspections thereafter at the intervals 

specified in Boeing Document D6–82669, 

‘‘Supplemental Structural Inspection 

Document, Models 737–300/400/500 

Airplanes,’’ Revision October 2015. 

Accomplishing an initial inspection required 

by this paragraph terminates the 

corresponding inspection required by 

paragraph (h) of AD 2008–09–13. 

(1) For all structure identified in Boeing 

Document D6–82669, ‘‘Supplemental 

Structural Inspection Document, Models 

737–300/400/500 Airplanes,’’ Revision 

October 2015, except for empennage SSIs E– 

19, E–21, E–29, E–30, and E–31: Before the 

accumulation of 66,000 total flight cycles, at 

the next repetitive inspection required by 

paragraph (h) of AD 2008–09–13, or within 

12 months after the effective date of this AD, 

whichever occurs latest. 

(2) For empennage SSIs E–19, E–21, E–29, 

E–30, and E–31: Before the accumulation of 

66,000 total flight cycles, or within 12 

months after the effective date of this AD, 

whichever occurs later. 

(i) Repairs and Alterations 

(1) If any cracked SSI structure is found 

during any inspection required by paragraph 

(h) of this AD, repair before further flight 

using an FAA-approved method or using a 

method approved in accordance with the 

procedures specified in paragraph (l) of this 

AD. Within 18 months after repair, 

incorporate a revision into the maintenance 

or inspection program, as applicable, to 

include a damage-tolerance-based alternative 

inspection program for the repaired structure. 

Thereafter, inspect the affected structure in 

accordance with the alternative program. The 

inspection method and compliance times 

(i.e., threshold and repetitive intervals) of the 

alternative program must be approved in 

accordance with the procedures specified in 

paragraph (l) of this AD. 

(2) If any repair or alteration to an SSI is 

found during any inspection required by 

paragraph (h) of this AD such that the repair 

or alteration affects your ability to 

accomplish the inspections required by 

paragraph (h) of this AD, within 18 months 

after the inspection compliance time, 

incorporate a revision into the maintenance 

or inspection program, as applicable, to 

include a damage tolerance based alternative 

inspection program for each affected SSI. 

Thereafter, inspect the affected structure in 

accordance with the alternative inspection 

program. The inspection method and 

compliance times (i.e., threshold and 

repetitive intervals) of the alternative 

inspection program must be approved in 

accordance with the procedures specified in 

paragraph (l) of this AD. Accomplishing an 

initial inspection required by this paragraph 

terminates the corresponding inspection 

required by paragraph (i) of AD 2008–09–13. 

(j) Terminating Action for AD 2008–09–13 

Accomplishing the revision required by 

paragraph (g) of this AD and all initial 

inspections required by paragraph (h) of this 

AD terminates all requirements of AD 2008– 

09–13. 

(k) Paperwork Reduction Act Burden 

Statement 

A federal agency may not conduct or 

sponsor, and a person is not required to 

respond to, nor shall a person be subject to 

a penalty for failure to comply with a 

collection of information subject to the 

requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act unless that collection of information 

displays a current valid OMB Control 

Number. The OMB Control Number for this 

information collection is 2120–0056. Public 

reporting for this collection of information is 

estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per 

response, including the time for reviewing 

instructions, completing and reviewing the 

collection of information. All responses to 

this collection of information are mandatory. 

Comments concerning the accuracy of this 

burden and suggestions for reducing the 

burden should be directed to the FAA at: 800 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 

20591, Attn: Information Collection 

Clearance Officer, AES–200. 

(l) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Los Angeles Aircraft 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 (m) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-ANMLAACO-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) AMOCs approved for AD 2008–09–13 

are approved as AMOCs for the 

corresponding provisions of paragraphs (g) 

and (h) of this AD for the SSIs identified in 

the AMOC, except for AMOCs written for 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 196 / Thursday, October 12, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 47367 

empennage SSIs E–19, E–21, E–29, E–30, and 

E–31. 

(m) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Jennifer Tsakoumakis, Aerospace 

Engineer, Airframe Section FAA, Los Angeles 

ACO Branch, 3960 Paramount Boulevard, 

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

5264; fax: 562–627–5210; email: 

jennifer.tsakoumakis@faa.gov. 

(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 the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) Boeing Document D6–82669, 

‘‘Supplemental Structural Inspection 

Document, Models 737–300/400/500 

Airplanes,’’ Revision October 2015. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(3) 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. 

(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 

September 27, 2017. 

Dionne Palermo, 

Acting Director, System Oversight Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21444 Filed 10–11–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2017–0243; Product 

Identifier 2016–NM–045–AD; Amendment 

39–19069; AD 2017–20–12] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all The 

Boeing Company Model 737–100, –200, 

and –200C series airplanes. This AD 

was prompted by a report of incidents 

involving fatigue cracking in transport 

category airplanes that are approaching 

or have exceeded their design service 

objective and a structural reevaluation 

that was conducted by the 

manufacturer. This AD requires revising 

the maintenance or inspection program, 

as applicable, to add supplemental 

inspections. This AD also requires 

inspections to detect cracks in each 

structural significant item (SSI), and 

repair of any cracked structure. We are 

issuing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective November 

16, 2017. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of November 16, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, 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 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– 

0243. 

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– 

0243; 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 final rule, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (phone: 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: 

Jennifer Tsakoumakis, Aerospace 

Engineer, Airframe Section, FAA, Los 

Angeles ACO Branch, 3960 Paramount 

Boulevard, Lakewood, CA 90712–4137; 

phone: 562–627–5264; fax: 562–627– 

5210; email: jennifer.tsakoumakis@

faa.gov. 

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 The Boeing Company Model 

737–100, –200, and –200C series 

airplanes. The NPRM published in the 

Federal Register on March 27, 2017 (82 

FR 15166) (‘‘the NPRM’’). The NPRM 

was prompted by a report of incidents 

involving fatigue cracking in transport 

category airplanes that are approaching 

or have exceeded their design service 

objective and a structural reevaluation 

that was conducted by the 

manufacturer. The NPRM proposed to 

require revising the maintenance or 

inspection program, as applicable, to 

add supplemental inspections and SSI 

discrepancy reporting. The NPRM also 

proposed inspections to detect cracks in 

each SSI, and repair of any cracked 

structure. We are issuing this AD to 

ensure the continued structural integrity 

of all The Boeing Company Model 737– 

100, –200, and –200C series airplanes. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. The 

following presents the comments 

received on the NPRM and the FAA’s 

response to each comment. 

Support for the NPRM 

An anonymous commenter expressed 

support for the NPRM. 

Request To Revise Program Designation 

Boeing requested that we revise 

‘‘maintenance or inspection program’’ to 

‘‘maintenance inspection program’’ in 

the proposed AD. Boeing stated that 

operators have a single program that 

relates to the Supplemental Structural 

Inspection Document (SSID). 

We do not agree with the commenter’s 

request. Airplanes operating under 14 

CFR part 91 have ‘‘inspection programs’’ 

while airplanes operating under 14 CFR 

part 121 have ‘‘maintenance programs.’’ 

The decision to use the wording 

‘‘maintenance or inspection program’’ is 

intentional. We have not changed this 

AD in this regard. 

Request To Revise Compliance Times 

Boeing requested that we revise the 

compliance time for the initial 

inspections in paragraphs (h)(1) and 

(h)(2) of the proposed AD from ‘‘before 

the accumulation of 66,000 total flight 

cycles, or within 12 months after the 

effective date of this AD, whichever 

occurs later’’ to before the accumulation 

of 66,000 total flight cycles, or at the 

next scheduled inspection as required 


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