Document ID: FAA-2018-0771-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Airworthiness Directives: GA 8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd Airplanes
Posted Date: 2018-09-17T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 180 (Monday, September 17, 2018)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 46900-46902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19889]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2018-0771; Product Identifier 2018-CE-029-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; GA 8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for GA 
8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd Models GA8 and GA8-TC320 airplanes. This proposed AD 
results from mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) 
originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and 
correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes 
the unsafe condition as certain wing strut fittings manufactured with 
incorrect grain orientation, which has an unknown effect on fatigue 
related concerns. We are issuing this proposed AD to require actions to 
address the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by November 1, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments 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: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    For service information identified in this proposed AD, contact GA 
8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd, c/o GippsAero Pty Ltd, Attn: Technical Services, 
P.O. Box 881, Morwell Victoria 3840, Australia; telephone: +61 03 5172 
1200; fax: +61 03 5172 1201; email: 
[email protected]. You may review this referenced 
service information at the FAA, Policy and Innovation Division, 901 
Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For information on the 
availability of this material at the FAA, call (816) 329-4148.

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-2018-
0771; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains 
this proposed AD, the regulatory evaluation, any comments received, and 
other information. The street address for Docket Operations (telephone 
(800) 647-5527) is in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be available 
in the AD docket shortly after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doug Rudolph, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 
Small Airplane Standards Branch, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, 
Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329-4059; fax: (816) 329-4090; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or 
arguments about this proposed AD. Send your comments to an address 
listed under the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2018-0771; 
Product Identifier 2018-CE-029-AD'' at the beginning of your comments. 
We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, economic, 
environmental, and energy aspects of this proposed AD. We will consider 
all comments received by the closing date and may amend this proposed 
AD because of those comments.
    We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://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

    The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), which is the aviation 
authority for Australia, has issued AD No. AD/GA8/9, Amendment 1, dated 
May 29, 2018 (referred to after this as ``the MCAI''), to correct an 
unsafe condition for the specified products. The MCAI states:

    Amendment 1 of this [CASA] AD is issued to amend the replacement 
times as Service Bulletin GA8-2017-174 Issue 2 changed the mandatory 
replacement times for part number GA8-570026-035 strut from 6000 
hours time in service or 3 calendar years to 9000 hours time in 
service or 5 calendar years, whichever occurs first.
    A manufacturing quality escape has resulted in wing strut 
fittings in the effective serial number range to be manufactured 
with

[[Page 46901]]

incorrect grain orientation. The fatigue implications of the 
incorrect grain are not well understood. Therefore, CASA has 
mandated a conservative factored fatigue life limit based on the 
known fleet data of the affected aircraft. CASA will continue to 
gather data for the purposes of managing the fleet removal of these 
fittings from service.

You may examine the MCAI on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov 
by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2018-0771.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    GippsAero has issued Service Bulletin SB-GA8-2017-174, Issue 2, 
dated May 23, 2018. The service information describes procedures for 
wing strut and strut fitting inspection and replacement. 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 and Requirements of the Proposed AD

    This product has been approved by the aviation authority of another 
country, and is approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant 
to our bilateral agreement with this State of Design Authority, they 
have notified us of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and 
service information referenced above. We are proposing this AD because 
we evaluated all information and determined the unsafe condition exists 
and is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type 
design.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this proposed AD would affect 50 airplanes of U.S. 
registry. The average labor rate is $85 per work-hour.
    We estimate that it would take about 8 work-hours and $200 for 
parts to do the initial inspections of this proposed AD, for a cost of 
$880 per airplane and $44,000 for the U.S. operator fleet. We estimate 
that it would take about 5 work-hours and $200 for parts to do the 
repetitive inspections, for a cost of $625 per airplane and $31,250 for 
the U.S. operator fleet per inspection cycle.
    In addition, we estimate that replacing the struts and strut 
fittings would take about 10 work-hours and require parts costing 
$7,000, for a cost of $7,850 per airplane and $392,500 for the U.S. 
operator fleet.
    Reporting the inspection findings would require about 1 work-hour, 
for a cost of $85 per airplane and $4,250 for the U.S. operator fleet 
per inspection cycle.
    According to the manufacturer, some of the costs of this proposed 
AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost impact on 
affected individuals. We do not control warranty coverage for affected 
individuals. As a result, we have included all costs in our cost 
estimate.

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 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 currently 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 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing 
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing the collection of 
information. All responses to this collection of information are 
mandatory as required by this AD; the nature and extent of 
confidentiality to be provided, if any. Send comments regarding this 
burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, 
including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177-1524.

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 small airplanes, gliders, 
balloons, airships, domestic business jet transport airplanes, and 
associated appliances to the Director of the Policy and Innovation 
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

0
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.

Sec.  39.13   [Amended]

0
2. The FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness 
directive (AD):

GA 8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd: Docket No. FAA-2018-0771; Product Identifier 
2018-CE-029-AD.

(a) Comments Due Date

    We must receive comments by November 1, 2018.

[[Page 46902]]

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to GA 8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd Models GA8 and GA8-
TC320 airplanes, certificated in any category, with a strut or strut 
fitting installed that has a part number and serial number listed in 
table 1 of GippsAero Service Bulletin SB-GA8-2017-174, Issue 2, 
dated May 23, 2018 (GippsAero SB-GA8-2017-174, Issue 2).

(d) Subject

    Air Transport Association of America (ATA) Code 57: Wings.

(e) Reason

    This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness 
information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of another 
country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation 
product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as certain wing 
strut fittings manufactured with incorrect grain orientation, which 
has an unknown effect on fatigue-related concerns. We are issuing 
this AD to detect and address fatigue-related damage to the wing 
strut fittings, which could lead to failure of the wing with 
consequent loss of control of the airplane.

(f) Actions and Compliance

    Unless already done, do the following actions in paragraphs 
(f)(1) through (6) of this AD:
    (1) Within 3 months after the effective date of this AD or 
within 100 hours time-in-service (TIS) after the effective date of 
this AD, whichever occurs first, with the wing struts removed, 
visually inspect each forward and aft wing strut fitting and 
fuselage attachment point for cracks, corrosion, and damage. If a 
crack, corrosion, or damage is found during the inspection, before 
further flight, do the applicable corrective actions (check torque, 
restore surface protection, rework areas with fouling, and replace 
any part with a crack, corrosion, or damage). Follow the procedures 
in Parts C1, C2, and D or E, as applicable, in the Accomplishment 
Instructions in GippsAero SB-GA8-2017-174, Issue 2.
    (2) Within 3 months after the effective date of this AD or 
within 100 hours TIS after the effective date of this AD, whichever 
occurs first, and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 100 hours 
TIS, visually inspect each strut and strut fitting for cracks, 
corrosion, and damage. If a crack, corrosion, or damage is found 
during any of the inspections, before further flight, do the 
applicable corrective actions (check torque, restore surface 
protection, and replace any part with a crack, corrosion, or 
damage). Follow the procedures in Parts B and D or E, as applicable, 
in the Accomplishment Instructions of GippsAero SB-GA8-2017-174, 
Issue 2.
    (3) Within 1,000 hours TIS after doing the inspections required 
in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD and thereafter at intervals not to 
exceed 1,000 hours TIS, with the wing struts installed, visually 
inspect each forward and aft wing strut, strut fitting, and strut 
fitting lug hole for cracks, corrosion, and damage. If a crack, 
corrosion, or damage is found during any of the inspections, before 
further flight, do the applicable corrective actions (do additional 
inspections, replace hardware, and replace any part with a crack, 
corrosion, or damage). Follow the procedures in Parts C3 and D or E, 
as applicable, in the Accomplishment Instructions of GippsAero SB-
GA8-2017-174, Issue 2.
    (4) To use an eddy current or fluorescent liquid penetrant 
inspection method instead of a visual inspection for the 
requirements in paragraphs (f)(1) of this AD, the Manager, Small 
Airplane Standards Branch, FAA must approve your inspection method, 
and the Manager's approval letter must specifically refer to this 
AD. Send your approval request to the contact information found in 
paragraph (g)(1) of this AD.
    (5) Remove from service each part listed in Parts D and E of 
table 3 on or before the part exceeds its specified replacement time 
and replace with an airworthy part. On the effective date of this 
AD, any part listed in table 3 of GippsAero SB-GA8-2017-174, Issue 
2, that has exceeded its replacement time, within 100 hours TIS 
after the effective date of this AD or within 12 months after the 
effective date of this AD, whichever occurs first, remove the part 
from service and replace with an airworthy part. Follow the 
replacement procedures in Part D or Part E, as applicable, in the 
Accomplishment Instructions of GippsAero SB-GA8-2017-174, Issue 2.
    (6) Within 24 hours after each inspection required in paragraphs 
(f)(1) and (2) of this AD, submit a report of the inspection 
results, even if no damage is found, to the Civil Aviation Safety 
Authority (CASA) and GA 8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd. Use the Document 
Compliance Notice of GippsAero SB-GA8-2017-174, Issue 2, and include 
in the report the total hours TIS on the airplane and the type of 
operation. You may use the contact information found in paragraph 
(h) of this AD to contact GA 8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd. To contact CASA, 
use the online CASA Defect Reporting Service at the following 
internet address: https://drs.casa.gov.au/.

(g) Other FAA AD Provisions

    The following provisions also apply to this AD:
    (1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs): The Manager, 
Small Airplane Standards Branch, FAA, has the authority to approve 
AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the procedures found in 14 CFR 
39.19. Send information to ATTN: Doug Rudolph, Aerospace Engineer, 
FAA, Small Airplane Standards Branch, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas 
City, Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329-4059; fax: (816) 329-
4090; email: [email protected]. Before using any approved AMOC on 
any airplane to which the AMOC applies, notify your appropriate 
principal inspector (PI) in the FAA Flight Standards District Office 
(FSDO), or lacking a PI, your local FSDO.
    (2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any requirement in this AD 
to obtain corrective actions from a manufacturer, the action must 
instead be accomplished using a method approved by the Manager, 
Small Airplane Standards Branch, FAA; or CASA.
    (3) Reporting Requirements: 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 currently valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control 
Number for this information collection is 2120-0731. Public 
reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be 
approximately 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing 
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing the collection 
of information. All responses to this collection of information are 
voluntary; the nature and extent of confidentiality to be provided, 
if any. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other 
aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for 
reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, 
TX 76177-1524.

(h) Related Information

    Refer to MCAI issued by CASA, AD No. AD/GA8/9, Amendment 1, 
dated May 29, 2018. You may examine the MCAI on the internet at 
http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. 
FAA-2018-0771. For service information related to this AD, contact 
GA 8 Airvan (Pty) Ltd, c/o GippsAero Pty Ltd, Attn: Technical 
Services, P.O. Box 881, Morwell Victoria 3840, Australia; telephone: 
+61 03 5172 1200; fax: +61 03 5172 1201; email: 
[email protected]. You may review this 
referenced service information at the FAA, Policy and Innovation 
Division, 901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For information 
on the availability of this material at the FAA, call (816) 329-
4148.

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 31, 2018.
Melvin J. Johnson,
Deputy Director, Policy & Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-19889 Filed 9-14-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P