Document ID: FAA-2012-0266-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Airworthiness Directives: Airbus Airplanes
Posted Date: 2012-03-16T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 52 (Friday, March 16, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 15636-15638]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6465]

 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 52 / Friday, March 16, 2012 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 15636]]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2012-0266; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-061-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all 
Airbus Model A318, A319, and A320 series airplanes. This proposed AD 
was prompted by reports of unsuccessful slide deployments during 
scheduled deployment tests, and failed functional tests of the release 
travel of the slide release mechanism. This proposed AD would require 
inspecting the off-wing slide release cables on the left- and right-
hand sides to determine whether a certain part number is installed, and 
replacement if necessary. We are proposing this AD to prevent non-
availability of left- or right-hand off-wing exit slides that could 
impair emergency evacuation of the passengers and flightcrew, and could 
result in personal injuries.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by April 30, 2012.

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 W12-40, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    For service information identified in this proposed AD, contact 
Airbus, Airworthiness Office--EAS, 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 review copies of the referenced service 
information at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind 
Avenue SW., Renton, Washington. For information on the availability of 
this material at the FAA, call 425-227-1221.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov; or in person at the Docket Operations office 
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 the Docket Operations office (telephone (800) 647-5527) is 
in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be available in the AD docket 
shortly after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 
International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 
1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-3356; telephone (425) 
227-1405; fax (425) 227-1149.

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-2012-0266; 
Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-061-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 based on those comments.
    We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. We 
will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact we 
receive about this proposed AD.

Discussion

    The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 
Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has issued EASA 
Airworthiness Directive 2011-0015, dated January 31, 2011 (referred to 
after this as ``the MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for the 
specified products. The MCAI states:

    Several operators reported unsuccessful slide deployments during 
scheduled deployment tests and/or failed functional tests of the 
release travel of the slide release mechanism.
    Investigations revealed deformation of the PTFE (Teflon) ball 
guide strip of the release cable, Part Number (P/N) L32A319-160-001. 
In such a situation the travel of the cable could be insufficient to 
open the valve when opening the exit, thereby reducing the gas flow 
from the reservoir to the off-wing slide in automatic or manual 
mode. As a result, the aspirator will not ingest sufficient ambient 
air for slide inflation.
    This condition, if not corrected, could lead to the non-
availability of LH [left-hand] and/or RH [right-hand] off-wing exit 
slides for evacuation that would impair emergency evacuation of the 
aeroplane occupants, possibly resulting in personal injuries.
    For the reasons described above, this [EASA] AD requires the 
identification [inspection] and replacement of both Left hand (LH) 
and Right Hand (RH) off-wing slide release cables P/N L32A319-160-
001 with P/N L32A320-180, which have precise stainless steel ball 
bearing stripes instead of stamped PTFE stripes.

You may obtain further information by examining the MCAI in the AD 
docket.

Relevant Service Information

    Airbus has issued the service bulletins listed below. The actions 
described in this service information are intended to correct the 
unsafe condition identified in the MCAI.
     Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1118, Revision 03, 
including Appendix 1, dated May 12, 2009.
     Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1132, Revision 04, 
including Appendices 1 and 2, dated February 1, 2010.
     Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1145, Revision 01, 
including Appendix 01, dated April 27, 2007.
     Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1154, Revision 01, dated 
April 7, 2008.

[[Page 15637]]

     Airbus Service Bulletin A320-53-1227, Revision 01, dated 
May 31, 2010.

FAA's Determination and Requirements of This 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 the State of Design Authority, we have 
been notified of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and service 
information referenced above. We are proposing this AD because we 
evaluated all pertinent information and determined an unsafe condition 
exists and is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same 
type design.

Differences Between This AD and the MCAI or Service Information

    This AD differs from the MCAI and/or service information as 
follows: Although the MCAI states that no person may install an off-
wing slide release cable having P/N L32A319-160-001 on any airplane 
after the modifications specified in paragraphs (g) or (h) of this AD 
have been done, or on airplanes that do not have P/N L32A319-160-001 
installed as of the effective date of the MCAI, this AD requires that, 
as of the effective date of this AD, no person may install an off-wing 
slide release cable having P/N L32A319-160-001 on any airplane.

Costs of Compliance

    Based on the service information, we estimate that this proposed AD 
would affect about 694 products of U.S. registry. We also estimate that 
it would take about 39 work-hours per product to comply with the basic 
requirements of this proposed AD. The average labor rate is $85 per 
work-hour. Required parts would cost about $5,750 per product. Where 
the service information lists required parts costs that are covered 
under warranty, we have assumed that there will be no charge for these 
parts. As we do not control warranty coverage for affected parties, 
some parties may incur costs higher than estimated here. Based on these 
figures, we estimate the cost of the proposed AD on U.S. operators to 
be $6,291,110, or $9,065 per product.

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.

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.
    We prepared a regulatory evaluation of the estimated costs to 
comply with this AD and placed it in the AD docket.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

    Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by 
reference, Safety.

The Proposed Amendment

    Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the FAA proposes to amend 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

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

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

Sec.  39.13  [Amended]

    2. The FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding the following new AD:

Airbus: Docket No. FAA-2012-0266; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-
061-AD.

(a) Comments Due Date

    We must receive comments by April 30, 2012.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to all Airbus Model A318-111, -112, -121, and -
122 airplanes; Model A319-111, -112, -113, -114, -115, -131, -132, 
and -133 airplanes; and Model A320-111, -211, -212, -214, -231, -
232, and -233 airplanes; certificated in any category; all serial 
numbers.

(d) Subject

    Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 28: Fuel tanks; 
53: Fuselage.

(e) Reason

    This AD was prompted by reports of unsuccessful slide 
deployments during scheduled deployment tests, and failed functional 
tests of the release travel of the slide release mechanism. We are 
issuing this AD to prevent non-availability of left- or right-hand 
off-wing exit slides that could impair emergency evacuation of the 
passengers and flightcrew, and could result in personal injuries.

(f) Compliance

    You are responsible for having the actions required by this AD 
performed within the compliance times specified, unless the actions 
have already been done.

(g) Inspection and Modification

    Except as provided by paragraph (l) of this AD, within 36 months 
after the effective date of this AD, inspect the off-wing slide 
release cables on the left- and right-hand sides to determine 
whether part number (P/N) L32A319-160-001 is installed. A review of 
airplane maintenance records is acceptable in lieu of this 
inspection if the part number of the off-wing slide release cables 
can be conclusively determined from that review. If any off-wing 
slide release cable has P/N L32A319-160-001, before further flight, 
replace with a new off-wing slide release cable having P/N L32A320-
180, in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of Airbus 
Service Bulletin A320-53-1227, Revision 01, dated May 31, 2010.

(h) Optional Modification

    Installation of a shorter off-wing slide release cable having P/
N L32A319-160-002 with relocated inflation bottle during 
installation of the additional center tank, in accordance with the 
Accomplishment Instructions of the applicable service bulletin 
identified in paragraphs (h)(1) through (h)(4) of this AD, is 
acceptable for compliance with the requirements of paragraph (g) of 
this AD.
    (1) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1118, Revision 03, including 
Appendix 1, dated May 12, 2009.
    (2) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1132, Revision 04, including 
Appendices 1 and 2, dated February 1, 2010.
    (3) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1145, Revision 01, including 
Appendix 01, dated April 27, 2007.

[[Page 15638]]

    (4) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1154, Revision 01, dated 
April 7, 2008.

(i) Parts Installation

    As of the effective date of this AD, no person may install an 
off-wing slide release cable having P/N L32A319-160-001 on any 
airplane.

(j) Credit for Previous Actions

    This paragraph provides credit for the actions required by 
paragraph (g) of this AD, if installation of off-wing slide release 
cables having P/N L32A320-180 was done before the effective date of 
this AD using the applicable service bulletin identified in 
paragraph (j)(1) through (j)(6) of this AD.
    (1) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-53-1227, dated March 24, 2010.
    (2) Airbus Service BulletinA320-28-1132, dated October 13, 2004.
    (3) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1132, Revision 01, dated 
October 12, 2006.
    (4) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1132, Revision 02, dated 
November 12, 2008.
    (5) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1132, Revision 03, dated 
October 5, 2009.
    (6) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1145, dated February 28, 
2006.

(k) Exception

    Provided that off-wing slide release cables have not been 
replaced with a slide release cable having P/N L32A319-160-001, 
airplanes having Airbus modification 150811, 26138, 37856, or 39673 
installed in production are acceptable for compliance with the 
requirements of paragraph (g) 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 Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, 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 Branch, send it to ATTN: Sanjay 
Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, International Branch, ANM-116, Transport 
Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 
98057-3356; telephone (425) 227-1405; fax (425) 227-1149. 
Information may be emailed to: 9[dash]ANM-116-AMOC-REQUESTS@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. The AMOC approval letter must specifically reference this 
AD.
    (2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement in this AD to obtain 
corrective actions from a manufacturer or other source, use these 
actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective actions are considered 
FAA-approved if they are approved by the State of Design Authority 
(or their delegated agent). You are required to assure the product 
is airworthy before it is returned to service.

(m) Related Information

    Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 
Airworthiness Directive 2011-0015, dated January 31, 2011; and the 
service information specified in paragraphs (m)(1) through (m)(5) of 
this AD; for related information:
    (1) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1118, Revision 03, including 
Appendix 1, dated May 12, 2009.
    (2) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1132, Revision 04, including 
Appendices 1 and 2, dated February 1, 2010.
    (3) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1145, Revision 01, including 
Appendix 01, dated April 27, 2007.
    (4) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-28-1154, Revision 01, dated 
April 7, 2008.
    (5) Airbus Service Bulletin A320-53-1227, Revision 01, dated May 
31, 2010.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 1, 2012.
Jeffrey E. Duven,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-6465 Filed 3-15-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P