Document ID: FAA-2015-0242-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Airworthiness Directives: Airbus Airplanes
Posted Date: 2015-02-18T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 18, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 8566-8568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-02920]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2015-0242; Directorate Identifier 2014-NM-100-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 A300 B4-603, B4-605R, B4-620, B4-622, B4-622R airplanes; 
all Airbus Model A300 C4-605R Variant F airplanes; and certain Airbus 
Model A300 F4-605R airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by the 
manufacturer's review of all repairs accomplished using the structural 
repair manual. This review was done using revised fatigue and damage 
tolerance calculations. This proposed AD would require an inspection of 
the surrounding panels of the left and right forward passenger doors, 
and corrective actions if necessary. We are proposing this AD to detect 
and correct previous incomplete or inadequate repairs to the 
surrounding panels of the left and right forward passenger doors and 
the fail-safe ring, which could negatively affect the structural 
integrity of the airplane.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by April 6, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 
11.43 and 11.45, 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, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    For service information identified in this proposed AD, contact 
Airbus SAS, Airworthiness Office--EAW, 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 
31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 
93 44 51; email account.airworth-eas@airbus.com; Internet http://www.airbus.com. You may view this referenced service information at the 
FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. 
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 by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2015-
0242; 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 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: Dan Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 
International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 
1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057-3356; telephone 425-227-2125; 
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-2015-0242; 
Directorate Identifier 2014-NM-100-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.

[[Page 8567]]

Discussion

    The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 
Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA 
Airworthiness Directive 2014-0101, dated May 2, 2014 (referred to after 
this as the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information, or ``the 
MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for all Airbus Model A300 B4-
603, B4-605R, B4-620, B4-622, B4-622R airplanes; all Airbus Model A300 
C4-605R Variant F airplanes; and certain Airbus Model A300 F4-605R 
airplanes. The MCAI states:

    In the frame of the Ageing Airplane Safety Rule (AASR), all 
existing Structural Repair Manual (SRM) repairs were reviewed.
    This analysis, which consisted in new Fatigue and Damage 
Tolerance calculations, revealed that some repairs in the area 
surrounding the forward passenger/crew door and the fail safe ring 
are no longer adequate.
    These repairs, if not reworked, could affect the structural 
integrity of the aeroplane.
    To address this potential unsafe condition, Airbus issued 
Service Bulletin (SB) A300-53-6173 (later revised), to provide 
instructions for the inspection of repairs on the left-hand (LH) and 
right-hand (RH) forward door surrounding panels.
    For the reasons described above, and further to the AASR 
implementation, this [EASA] AD requires a one-time inspection of the 
forward door surrounding panels to identify SRM repairs in these 
areas and, depending on findings, accomplishment of applicable 
corrective action(s).

Corrective actions include contacting the manufacturer for rework 
approval or repair instructions.
    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-2015-
0242.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    Airbus has issued Service Bulletin A300-53-6173, Revision 01, dated 
February 28, 2014. The service information describes procedures for a 
one-time detailed of the area surrounding the forward passenger/crew 
door and the fail safe ring to determine if any repairs have been done, 
and corrective actions. The actions described in this service 
information are intended to correct the unsafe condition identified in 
the MCAI. This service information is reasonably available; see 
ADDRESSES for ways to access this service information.

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 these 
same type designs.

Explanation of ``RC'' Procedures and Tests in Service Information

    The FAA worked in conjunction with industry, under the 
Airworthiness Directives Implementation Aviation Rulemaking Committee 
(AD ARC), to enhance the AD system. One enhancement was a new process 
for annotating which procedures and tests in the service information 
are required for compliance with an AD. Differentiating these 
procedures and tests from other tasks in the service information is 
expected to improve an owner's/operator's understanding of crucial AD 
requirements and help provide consistent judgment in AD compliance. The 
actions specified in the service information identified previously 
include procedures and tests that are identified as RC (required for 
compliance) because these procedures have a direct effect on detecting, 
preventing, resolving, or eliminating an identified unsafe condition.
    As specified in a Note under the Accomplishment Instructions of the 
specified service information, procedures and tests identified as RC 
must be done to comply with the proposed AD. However, procedures and 
tests that are not identified as RC are recommended. Those procedures 
and tests that are not identified as RC may be deviated from using 
accepted methods in accordance with the operator's maintenance or 
inspection program without obtaining approval of an alternative method 
of compliance (AMOC), provided the procedures and tests identified as 
RC can be done and the airplane can be put back in a serviceable 
condition. Any substitutions or changes to procedures or tests 
identified as RC will require approval of an AMOC.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this proposed AD affects 65 airplanes of U.S. 
registry.
    We also estimate that it would take about 120 work-hours per 
product to comply with the basic requirements of this proposed AD. The 
average labor rate is $85 per work-hour. Based on these figures, we 
estimate the cost of this proposed AD on U.S. operators to be $663,000, 
or $10,200 per product.
    In addition, we estimate that any necessary follow-on actions would 
take up to 730 work-hours and require parts costing up to $72,250, for 
a cost of up to $134,300 per product, depending on configuration. We 
have no way of determining the number of aircraft that might need these 
actions.

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 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,

[[Page 8568]]

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):

Airbus: Docket No. FAA-2015-0242; Directorate Identifier 2014-NM-
100-AD.

(a) Comments Due Date

    We must receive comments by April 6, 2015.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to the Airbus airplanes identified in paragraphs 
(c)(1), (c)(2), and (c)(3) of this AD, certificated in any category.
    (1) Model A300 B4-603, B4-605R, B4-620, B4-622, and B4-622R 
airplanes, all manufacturer serial numbers.
    (2) Model A300 C4-605R Variant F airplanes, all manufacturer 
serial numbers.
    (3) Model A300F4-605R airplanes, all manufacturer serial 
numbers, except those on which Airbus Modification 12699 was 
embodied in production.

(d) Subject

    Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 53, Fuselage.

(e) Reason

    This AD was prompted by the manufacturer's review of all repairs 
accomplished using the structural repair manual. This review was 
done using revised fatigue and damage tolerance calculations. We are 
issuing this AD to detect and correct previous incomplete or 
inadequate repairs to the surrounding panels of the left and right 
forward passenger doors and the fail-safe ring, which could 
negatively affect the structural integrity of the airplane.

(f) Compliance

    Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified, 
unless already done.

(g) Inspection

    At the time specified in paragraph (g)(1) or (g)(2) of this AD, 
whichever is later: Do a detailed inspection of the surrounding 
panels of the left and right forward passenger doors to determine if 
any repairs have been done, in accordance with the Accomplishment 
Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A300-53-6173, Revision 01, 
dated February 28, 2014.
    (1) Prior to the accumulation of 30,000 total flight cycles or 
67,500 total flight hours, whichever occurs first.
    (2) Within 28 months after the effective date of this AD.

(h) Identification of Repairs

    If any affected repair is found during the inspection required 
by paragraph (g) of this AD: Before further flight, identify the 
reworked area(s), the percentage of the rework, and the limits of 
the rework, in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of 
Airbus Service Bulletin A300-53-6173, Revision 01, dated February 
28, 2014.

(i) Corrective Actions

    During the repair identification required by paragraph (h) of 
this AD, if any rework is found that is outside the allowable damage 
limits specified in Airbus Service Bulletin A300-53-6173, Revision 
01, dated February 28, 2014: Before further flight, rework or 
repair, as applicable, using a method approved by the Manager, 
International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; 
the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); or Airbus's EASA Design 
Organization Approval (DOA).

(j) Exception to Service Information Specifications

    Although Airbus Service Bulletin A300-53-6173, Revision 01, 
dated February 28, 2014, specifies to contact Airbus for repair 
instructions, and specifies that action as ``RC'' (Required for 
Compliance), this AD requires repair before further flight using a 
method approved by the Manager, International Branch, ANM-116, 
Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; EASA; or Airbus's EASA DOA.

(k) Credit for Previous Actions

    This paragraph provides credit for the actions required by 
paragraphs (g) and (h) of this AD, if those actions were performed 
before the effective date of this AD using Airbus Service Bulletin 
A300-53-6173, dated August 1, 2013, which is not incorporated by 
reference in 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: Dan Rodina, 
Aerospace Engineer, International Branch, ANM-116, Transport 
Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057-
3356; telephone 425-227-2125; fax 425-227-1149. Information may be 
emailed to: 9-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) Required for Compliance (RC): Except as required by 
paragraph (j) of this AD, if the service information contains 
procedures or tests that are identified as RC, those procedures and 
tests must be done to comply with this AD; any procedures and tests 
that are not identified as RC are recommended. Those procedures and 
tests that are not identified as RC may be deviated from using 
accepted methods in accordance with the operator's maintenance or 
inspection program without obtaining approval of an AMOC, provided 
the procedures and tests identified as RC can be done and the 
airplane can be put back in a serviceable condition. Any 
substitutions or changes to procedures or tests identified as RC 
require approval of an AMOC.
    (3) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any requirement in this AD 
to obtain corrective actions from a manufacturer, the action must be 
accomplished using a method approved by the Manager, International 
Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; the EASA; or 
Airbus'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 Airworthiness Directive 2014-0101, dated May 2, 2014, 
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-2015-0242.
    (2) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Airbus SAS, Airworthiness Office--EAW, 1 Rond Point Maurice 
Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; 
fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email account.airworth-eas@airbus.com; 
Internet http://www.airbus.com. You may view this service 
information at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind 
Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For information on the availability of this 
material at the FAA, call 425-227-1221.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on February 2, 2015.
Dionne Palermo,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-02920 Filed 2-17-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P