Document ID: FAA-2014-0018-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Airworthiness Directives: CENTRAIR Gliders
Posted Date: 2014-01-15T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 2593-2595]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00627]

 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 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. 79, No. 10 / Wednesday, January 15, 2014 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 2593]]

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2014-0018; Directorate Identifier 2013-CE-049-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; CENTRAIR Gliders

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for 
CENTRAIR Models 101, 101A, 101AP, and 101P gliders. 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 structural damage to the fuselage. 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 March 3, 2014.

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 Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle 
CENTRAIR, Aerodrome B.P. 44, F-36300 LeBlanc, France; telephone: 
+33(0)254370796, fax: +33(0)254374864, email: contact@sncentrair.com; 
Internet: none. You may review this 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.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating it in Docket No. FAA-
2014-0018; 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 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: Jim Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, 
FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, 
Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329-4165; fax: (816) 329-4090; email: 
jim.rutherford@faa.gov.

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-2014-0018; 
Directorate Identifier 2013-CE-049-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 European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 
Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has issued AD 
No.: 2013-0258, dated October 25, 2013 (referred to after this as ``the 
MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for the specified products. The 
MCAI states:

    Occurrences of structural damage were reported on several 
Centrair 101 sailplane fuselage. The results of the subsequent 
investigations identified that these findings were accidental damage 
related and not identified in time during routine maintenance, due 
to inadequate maintenance instructions.
    This condition, if not detected and corrected, could reduce the 
structural integrity of the sailplane.
    To address this potential unsafe condition, 
Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle (SN) Centrair issued Service Bulletin 
(SB) 101-06 to provide instructions for structural inspections and 
Direction G[eacute]n[eacute]rale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC) of 
France issued AD 85-21-(A) to mandate the fuselage inspections 
described in that SB.
    Since that AD was issued, SN Centrair issued SB 101-06 at 
revision (rev.) 1 to provide improved instructions to identify 
accidental structural damages.
    For the reasons described above, this AD retains the 
requirements of DGAC France AD 85-21-(A), which is superseded, but 
requires accomplishment of those fuselage structural inspections in 
accordance with improved instructions.

You may examine the MCAI on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov 
by searching for and locating it in Docket No. FAA-2014-0018.

Relevant Service Information

    Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle Centrair has issued 
Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle Centrair Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 
101-06, Revision 1, dated August 5, 2013. The actions described in this 
service information are intended to correct the unsafe condition 
identified in the MCAI.

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

[[Page 2594]]

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 will affect 43 products of U.S. 
registry. We also estimate that it would take about 3 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 $10,965, or $255 per product.
    Since there are currently no repair instructions available if 
discrepancies are found during the required proposed inspections, we 
have no way of determining the number of products that may need follow-
on actions or what the cost per product would be.

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, 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 AD:

CENTRAIR: Docket No. FAA-2014-0018; Directorate Identifier 2013-CE-
049-AD.

(a) Comments Due Date

    We must receive comments by March 3, 2014.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to CENTRAIR Models 101, 101A, 101P, and 101AP 
gliders, all serial numbers, 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 structural 
damage to the fuselage. We are issuing this proposed AD to detect 
and correct structural damage not identified during routine 
maintenance inspections, which could lead to reduced structural 
integrity of the glider.

(f) Actions and Compliance

    Unless already done, do the following actions in paragraphs 
(f)(1) through (f)(3) of this AD:
    (1) Within 25 days after the effective date of this AD and 
repetitively thereafter at intervals not to exceed every 12 months, 
inspect all fuselage frames and ribs following the instructions in 
Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle CENTRAIR Mandatory Service Bulletin 
101-06, Revision 1, dated August 5, 2013.
    (2) If structural damage is detected during any inspection 
required by paragraph (f)(1) of this AD, before further flight, 
contact Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle CENTRAIR at the address 
specified in paragraph (h) of this AD to obtain FAA-approved repair 
instructions approved specifically for this AD, and before further 
flight, repair the glider using these repair instructions.
    (3) Accomplishment of a repair, as required by paragraph (f)(2) 
of this AD, does not constitute terminating action for the 
inspection required by paragraph (f)(1) of this AD.

    Note 1 to paragraph (f) of this AD:  We recommend that you 
inspect the fuselage frames and ribs after the occurrence of any of 
the following events following the instructions in 
Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle CENTRAIR Mandatory Service Bulletin 
101-06, Revision 1, dated August 5, 2013: Landing with retracted 
gear, landing gear retraction during landing run, ground looping 
during take-off or landing, hard landing, or damage of internal 
structure of the fuselage. If structural damage is detected during 
any of these inspections, we recommend you contact 
Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle CENTRAIR at the address specified in 
paragraph (h) of this AD for approved repair instructions.

(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: Jim Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Small 
Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 
64106; telephone: (816) 329-4165; fax: (816) 329-4090; email: 
jim.rutherford@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.
    (3) Reporting Requirements: For any reporting requirement in 
this AD, 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

[[Page 2595]]

be directed to the FAA at: 800 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 
20591, Attn: Information Collection Clearance Officer, AES-200.

(h) Related Information

    Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD No.: 
2013-0258, dated October 25, 2013, for related information. You may 
examine the MCAI on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by 
searching for and locating it in Docket No. FAA-2014-0018. For 
service information related to this AD, contact 
Soci[eacute]t[eacute] Nouvelle CENTRAIR, Aerodrome B.P. 44, F-36300 
LeBlanc, France; telephone: +33(0)254370796, fax: +33(0)254374864, 
email: contact@sncentrair.com; Internet: none. You may review this 
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.

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 8, 2014.
Earl Lawrence,
Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-00627 Filed 1-14-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P