Document ID: FAA-2016-7057-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Rule
Title: Airworthiness Directives: GROB Aircraft AG Airplanes
Posted Date: 2016-06-15T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 15, 2016)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 38901-38903]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13853]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2016-7057; Directorate Identifier 2016-CE-017-AD; 
Amendment 39-18557; AD 2016-12-08]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; GROB Aircraft AG Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for GROB 
Aircraft AG Model G115EG airplanes. This AD results from 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 cracks in the bonded joint of the rear horizontal 
stabilizer frame. We are issuing this AD to require actions to address 
the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: This AD is effective July 20, 2016.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of a certain publication listed in the AD as of July 20, 
2016.
    We must receive comments on this AD by August 1, 2016.

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 AD, contact GROB 
Aircraft AG, Product Support, Lettenbachstrasse 9, D-86874 
Tussenhausen-Mattsies, Germany, telephone: + 49 (0) 8268-998-105; fax: 
+ 49 (0) 8268-998-200; email: aircraft.com">productsupport@grob-aircraft.com; 
Internet: grob-aircraft.com. You may review copies of the referenced 
service information at the FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 
Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For information on the availability of 
this material at the FAA, call (816) 329-4148. It is also available on 
the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for locating 
Docket No. FAA-2016-7057.

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-2016-
7057; or in person at the Docket Management Facility between 9 a.m. and 
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket 
contains this AD, the regulatory evaluation, any comments received, and 
other information. The street address for the Docket 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: Karl Schletzbaum, Aerospace Engineer, 
FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, 
Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329-4123; fax: (816) 329-4090; email: 
karl.schletzbaum@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion

    The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 
Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has issued EASA 
AD No.: 2016-0091, dated May 16, 2016 (referred to after this as ``the 
MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for the specified products. The 
MCAI states:

    Cracks were found in the bonded joint of the rear horizontal 
stabiliser frame of G 115E aeroplanes.
    This condition, if not detected and corrected, may lead to crack 
propagation into primary structural elements, with detrimental 
effect on the structural integrity of the aeroplane.
    To address this potential unsafe condition, GROB issued Service 
Bulletin (SB) MSB1078-200 (hereafter referred to as ``the SB'' in 
this AD) to provide instructions for inspections and corrective 
action.
    For the reason described above, this AD requires repetitive 
inspections of the rear horizontal stabilizer frame and modification 
of the affected structure.

[[Page 38902]]

    You may examine the MCAI on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2016-
7057.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    GROB Aircraft AG has issued Service Bulletin No. MSB1078-200, dated 
February 25, 2016. The service information describes procedures for 
repetitive inspections of the rear horizontal stabilizer frame for 
cracks and procedures for repair if necessary. This service information 
is reasonably available because the interested parties have access to 
it through their normal course of business or by the means identified 
in the ADDRESSES section of the AD.

FAA's Determination and Requirements of the 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 issuing this AD because we 
evaluated all information provided by the State of Design Authority and 
determined the unsafe condition exists and is likely to exist or 
develop on other products of the same type design.

FAA's Determination of the Effective Date

    An unsafe condition exists that requires the immediate adoption of 
this AD. The FAA has found that the risk to the flying public justifies 
waiving notice and comment prior to adoption of this rule because there 
are no airplanes currently on the U.S. registry and thus, does not have 
any impact upon the public. Therefore, we find that notice and 
opportunity for prior public comment are unnecessary.

Comments Invited

    This AD is a final rule that involves requirements affecting flight 
safety, and we did not precede it by notice and opportunity for public 
comment. We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or 
arguments about this AD. Send your comments to an address listed under 
the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2016-7057; Directorate 
Identifier 2016-CE-017-AD'' at the beginning of your comments. We 
specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, economic, 
environmental, and energy aspects of this AD. We will consider all 
comments received by the closing date and may amend this AD because of 
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 AD.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD will affect 0 products of U.S. registry. 
We also estimate that it would take about 2 work-hours per product to 
comply with the basic requirements of this AD. The average labor rate 
is $85 per work-hour.
    Based on these figures, we estimate the cost of the AD on U.S. 
operators to be $0, or $170 per product.
    In addition, we estimate that any necessary follow-on actions would 
take about 15 work-hours and require parts costing $60, for a cost of 
$1,335 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.

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:

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 AD:

2016-12-08 GROB Aircraft AG: Amendment 39-18557; Docket No. FAA-
2016-7057; Directorate Identifier 2016-CE-017-AD.

(a) Effective Date

    This airworthiness directive (AD) becomes effective July 20, 
2016.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to Grob Aircraft AG Models G115EG airplanes, 
serial numbers up to and including 82323/E, certificated in any 
category.

(d) Subject

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

(e) Reason

    This AD was prompted by 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 cracks in the 
bonded joint of the rear horizontal stabilizer frame. We are issuing 
this AD to detect and correct cracks in the bonded joint of the rear 
horizontal stabilizer frame, which if not corrected could propagate 
into the primary structural elements of the airplane and affect its 
structural integrity.

 (f) Actions and Compliance

    Unless already done, do the actions in paragraphs (f)(1) through 
(6) of this AD.
    (1) Within the next 50 hours time-in-service (TIS) after July 
20, 2016 (the effective

[[Page 38903]]

date of this AD), and repetitively thereafter at intervals not to 
exceed 50 hours, inspect the rear horizontal stabilizer frame 
following the Accomplishment Instructions in section 1.8, Part A, of 
GROB Aircraft AG Service Bulletin (SB) No. MSB1078-200, dated 
February 25, 2016.
    (2) If any crack within the green area as defined in Figure 2 of 
the Accomplishment Instructions in section 1.8, Part A, of GROB 
Aircraft AG Service Bulletin (SB) No. MSB1078-200, dated February 
25, 2016, is found during any inspection required in paragraph 
(f)(1) of this AD, before further flight, install a temporary 
placard stating ``NO AEROBATICS, NO SPINS AND NO SIDE SLIPS 
ALLOWED'' in full view of the pilot(s) and place a copy of this AD 
in the airplane flight manual (AFM); and after each day of flight 
operations, do a crack propagation inspection following the 
Accomplishment Instructions in Section 1.8, Part B, of GROB Aircraft 
AG SB No. MSB1078-200, dated February 25, 2016.
    (3) If any crack within the red area as defined in Figure 2 of 
the Accomplishment Instructions in section 1.8, Part A, of GROB 
Aircraft AG Service Bulletin (SB) No. MSB1078-200, dated February 
25, 2016, is found during any inspection required by this AD, before 
further flight, repair the affected area following the 
Accomplishment Instructions in Section 1.8, Part C, of GROB Aircraft 
AG SB No. MSB1078-200, dated February 25, 2016.
    (4) Within the next 19 months after July 20, 2016 (the effective 
date of this AD), unless already done as required by paragraph 
(f)(3) of this AD, modify the airplane following the Accomplishment 
Instructions in Section 1.8, Part C, of GROB Aircraft AG SB No. 
MSB1078-200, dated February 25, 2016.
    (5) After modification of the airplane as required by paragraph 
(f)(3) or (4) of this AD, remove the placard installed as required 
in paragraph (f)(2) of this AD and remove the copy of this AD from 
the applicable AFM.
    (6) Modification of an airplane as required in paragraph (f)(3) 
or (4) of this AD, as applicable, constitutes terminating action for 
the repetitive inspections required in paragraph (f)(1) and (2) of 
this AD.

(g) Other FAA AD Provisions

    The following provisions also apply to this AD:
    (1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs): The Manager, 
Standards Office, 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: Karl Schletzbaum, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 
Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, 
Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329-4123; fax: (816) 329-4090; 
email: karl.schletzbaum@faa.gov. 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) 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.

(h) Related Information

    Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD No.: 
2016-0091, dated May 16, 2016, for related. You may examine the MCAI 
on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and 
locating Docket No. FAA-2016-7057.

(i) 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) GROB Aircraft AG Service Bulletin No. MSB1078-200, dated 
February 25, 2016.
    (ii) Reserved.
    (3) For GROB Aircraft AG service information identified in this 
AD, contact GROB Aircraft AG, Product Support, Lettenbachstrasse 9, 
D-86874 Tussenhausen-Mattsies, Germany, telephone: + 49 (0) 8268-
998-105; fax: + 49 (0) 8268-998-200; email: aircraft.com">productsupport@grob-aircraft.com; Internet: grob-aircraft.com.
    (4) You may view this service information at the FAA, Small 
Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For 
information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 
(816) 329-4148. It is also available on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-
2016-7057.
    (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/ibr-locations.html.

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 6, 2016.
Robert Busto,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-13853 Filed 6-14-16; 8:45 am]
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