Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2007/03/28/E7-5656/airworthiness-directives-airbus-model-a330-and-a340-airplanes
Timestamp: 2017-11-20 22:50:29
Document Index: 587883256

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 1', 'art 1', 'art 1']

A Proposed Rule by the Federal Aviation Administration on 03/28/2007
We must receive comments on this proposed AD by April 27, 2007.
72 FR 14497
14497-14500 (4 pages)
E7-5656
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E7-5656 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/E7-5656
The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all Airbus Model A330-200, A330-300, A340-200, and A340-300 series airplanes; and Model A340-541 and A340-642 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires operators to revise the Airworthiness Limitations section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) to incorporate new information. This information includes, for all affected airplanes, decreased life limit values for certain components; and for Model A330-200 and -300 series airplanes, new inspections, compliance times, and new repetitive intervals to detect fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in certain structures. This proposed AD would revise the ALS, for all affected airplanes, by adding new Airworthiness Limitations Items (ALIs) to incorporate service life limits for certain items and inspections to detect fatigue cracking, accidental damage or corrosion in certain structures, in accordance with the revised ALS of the ICA. This proposed AD results from the issuance of new and more restrictive service life limits and structural inspections based on fatigue testing and in-service findings. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in principal structural elements, and to prevent failure of certain life-limited parts, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.
We invite you to submit any relevant written data, views, or arguments regarding this proposed AD. Send your comments to an address listed in the ADDRESSES section. Include the docket number “Docket No. FAA-2007-27715; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-140-AD” at the beginning of your comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, economic, environmental, and energy aspects of the proposed AD. We will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend the proposed AD in light of those comments.
We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://Start Printed Page 14498dms.dot.gov, including any personal information you provide. We will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact with FAA personnel concerning this proposed AD. Using the search function of that Web site, anyone can find and read the comments in any of our dockets, including the name of the individual who sent the comment (or signed the comment on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.
On April 20, 2006, we issued AD 2006-09-07, amendment 39-14577 (71 FR 25919, May 3, 2006), for all Airbus Model A330-200, A330-300, A340-200, and A340-300 series airplanes; and Model A340-541 and A340-642 airplanes. That AD requires operators to revise the Airworthiness Limitations section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness to incorporate new information. This information includes, for all affected airplanes, decreased life limit values for certain components; and for Model A330-200 and -300 series airplanes, new inspections, compliance times, and new repetitive intervals to detect fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in certain structures. That AD resulted from a revision to subsection 9-1 of the Airbus A330 and A340 Maintenance Planning Documents (MPD) for Life limits/Monitored parts, and subsection 9-2 of the Airbus A330 MPD for Airworthiness Limitations Items (ALIs). We issued that AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking, damage, or corrosion, which could result in reduced structural integrity of these airplanes.
Since we issued AD 2006-09-07, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Community, notified us that an unsafe condition may exist on all Airbus Model A330-200, A330-300, A340-200, and A340-300 series airplanes; and Model A340-541 and A340-642 airplanes. The EASA advises that Airbus has issued new service life limits and structural inspections based upon fatigue testing and in-service findings. Fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in principal structural elements and failure of certain life limited parts, if not corrected, could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.
The EASA also advises that Airbus has moved the service life limits from the A330/A340 MPDs into the applicable ALS Part 1. Airbus has also revised Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0089/97, “A330 Airworthiness Limitations Items (ALIs),” Issue 12, dated November 1, 2003, to Issue 14, dated October 10, 2005. The revision to the ALIs adds new tasks to those specified in Issue 12; therefore, the revision has been added to the new requirements in this AD. In addition, a new revision to the A340 ALS adds Airbus Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0051/97, “A340 Airworthiness Limitations Items,” Issue 9, dated January 17, 2006.
Incorporating these revisions into the ALS of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness is intended to ensure the continued structural integrity of these airplanes.
Airbus has issued A330 and A340 ALS Part 1—Safe Life Airworthiness Limitation Items, dated March 23, 2006, Sub-part 1-2 , “Life Limits,” and Sub-part 1-3, “Demonstrated Fatigue Lives,” of both ALS Part 1 documents to specify new and more restrictive service life limits for certain ALIs.
Airbus has also issued A330 and A340 ALS Part 2, Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items, dated January 17, 2006. The ALS Part 2 document refers to Airbus Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0089/97, “A330 Airworthiness Limitations Items,” Issue 14, dated October 10, 2005; and Airbus Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0051/97, “A340 Airworthiness Limitations Items,” Issue 9, dated January 17, 2006 (both approved by the EASA on February 25, 2006). Part 2 references the ALI documents for damage tolerance inspections but does not contain them. The documents specify new and more restrictive inspections for structural items.
Accomplishment of the actions specified in these documents is intended to adequately address the unsafe condition. The EASA mandated these documents and issued EASA airworthiness directives 2006-0129 and 2006-0130, both dated May 22, 2006; and 2006-0307 and 2006-0308, both dated October 10, 2006; to ensure the continued airworthiness of these airplanes in the European Union.
We have revised the applicability of the proposed AD to identify model designations as published in the EASA airworthiness directive for the affected models.
These airplane models are manufactured in France and are type certificated for operation in the United States under the provisions of section 21.29 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 21.29) and the applicable bilateral airworthiness agreement. As described in FAA Order 8100.14A, “Interim Procedures for Working with the European Community on Airworthiness Certification and Continued Airworthiness,” dated August 12, 2005, the EASA has kept the FAA informed of the situation described above. We have examined the EASA's findings, evaluated all pertinent information, and determined that AD action is necessary for airplanes of this type design that are certificated for operation in the United States.
This proposed AD would supersede AD 2006-09-07 and would retain the requirements of the existing AD. This proposed AD would also require revising the ALS, for all affected airplanes, by adding new ALIs to incorporate service life limits for certain items and inspections to detect fatigue cracking, accidental damage or corrosion in certain structures, in accordance with the revised ALS of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness.
This proposed AD would affect about 28 airplanes of U.S. registry. The following table provides the estimated costs for U.S. operators to comply with this AD. Start Printed Page 14499
Revise the ALS, new proposed action 1 80 None 80 28 2,240
(a) The FAA must receive comments on this AD action by April 27, 2007.
(c) This AD applies to all Airbus Model A330 and A340 airplanes; certificated in any category.
This AD requires revisions to certain operator maintenance documents to include new inspections. Compliance with these inspections is required by 14 CFR 91.403(c). For airplanes that have been previously modified, altered, or repaired in the areas addressed by these inspections, the operator may not be able to accomplish the inspections described in the revisions. In this situation, to comply with 14 CFR 91.403(c), the operator must request approval for an alternative method of compliance according to paragraph (j) of this AD. The request should include a description of changes to the required inspections that will ensure the continued damage tolerance of the affected structure. The FAA has provided guidance for this determination in Advisory Circular (AC) 25-1529-1.
(f) Within 3 months after June 7, 2006 (the effective date of AD 2006-09-07): Revise the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness by incorporating into the ALS the documents in paragraphs (f)(1) and (f)(2) of this AD, as applicable.
(1) Airbus Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0089/97, “A330 Airworthiness Limitation Items (ALI),” Issue 14, dated October 10, 2005; or Airbus Document AI/SE-M4/95A.0051/97, “A340 Airworthiness Limitations Items,” Issue 9, dated January 17, 2006.
(2) Sub-part 1-2 “Life Limits,” and Sub-part 1-3 “Demonstrated Fatigue Lives,” of Airbus A330 or A340 ALS Part 1, “Safe Life Airworthiness Limitation Items,” dated March 23, 2006, as applicable.
(i) Except as provided by paragraph (j) of this AD: After the actions in paragraph (h) of this AD have been accomplished, no alternative inspections or inspection intervals may be approved for the structural elements specified in the documents listed in paragraph (f) of this AD. Start Printed Page 14500
(k) European Aviation Safety Agency airworthiness directives 2006-0129 and 2006-0130, both dated May 22, 2006; and 2006-0307 and 2006-0308, both dated October 10, 2006; also address the subject of this AD.
Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 21, 2007.
[FR Doc. E7-5656 Filed 3-27-07; 8:45 am]