Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2012/12/04/2012-29276/type-certification-procedures-for-changed-products
Timestamp: 2017-09-21 13:18:37
Document Index: 104558476

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A Rule by the Federal Aviation Administration on 12/04/2012
71691-71695 (5 pages)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2012-29276 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2012-29276
The FAA is revising a final rule published on June 7, 2000 (65 FR 36244). In that final rule, the FAA amended its regulations for the certification of changes to type-certificated products. That amendment was to enhance safety by applying the latest airworthiness standards, to the extent practical, for the certification of significant design changes of aircraft, aircraft engines, and propellers. The existing rule requires the applicant show that the “changed product” complies with applicable standards. This action revises that requirement so that an applicant is required to show compliance only for the change and areas affected by the change. The intended effect of this action is to make the regulation consistent with the FAA's intent and with the certification practice both before and after the adoption of the existing rule.
Effective date: This rule becomes effective February 4, 2013.
Comment date: Send comments on or before January 3, 2013.
Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2001-8994 using any of the following methods:
Privacy: The FAA will post all comments it receives, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information the commenter provides. Using the search function of the docket Web site, anyone can find and read the electronic form of all comments received into any FAA docket. This includes the name of the individual sending the comment (or signing the comment for an association, business, labor union, etc.). DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement can be found in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-19478), as well as at http://DocketsInfo.dot.gov.
For technical questions concerning this action, contact Victor Powell, Certification Procedures Office (AIR-110), Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20024; telephone (202) 385-6326; email victor.powell@faa.gov; or Randall Petersen, Certification Procedures Office (AIR-110), Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 950 L'Enfant Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20024; telephone (202) 385-6325, email randall.petersen@faa.gov.
The FAA has recognized over time the wording of current § 21.101 may establish a requirement for a compliance showing that is too broad for an applicant for a major design change. The current § 21.101(a) requires an applicant to show the “changed product” meets applicable airworthiness requirements.[1] The purpose of § 21.101 is to require an applicant to evaluate the proposed design change and its effect on the product rather than the re-evaluation (certification) of the entire changed product. Therefore, § 21.101 is amended to replace “changed product” with “change and areas affected by the change” to accurately limit the scope of compliance responsibility for the applicant. That change is also made in § 21.97 for the same reason.
Section 21.101 requires that applicants show the “changed product” meets the applicable requirements to obtain an amended type certificate, supplemental type certificate, or amended supplemental type certificate. While the purpose of the rule was to enhance safety by requiring compliance with the latest amendments, we intended to limit an applicant's responsibility to those areas affected by the change. Areas not affected by the change, as described in § 21.101(b)(2) need not be resubstantiated.
The preambles to the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) (62 FR 24294, May 2, 1997) and the subsequent final rule entitled “Type Certification Procedures for Changed Products” (65 FR 36244, June 7, 2000) established parameters of an applicant's responsibility for showing compliance with the latest amendments to the change and those areas affected by the change of a type-certificated product. However, the term “product” is defined in § 21.1(b) to mean “aircraft, aircraft engine, or propeller.” By requiring applicants to show the “changed product” meets applicable requirements, we inadvertently required the entire product be shown to meet at least the requirements that applied to the original type certificate. This was not our intent and was neither the FAA's practice before the adoption of that rule, nor has it been our practice since its adoption.
The term “changed product” is replaced with “change and areas affected by the change” in § 21.101 to be consistent with the rule language as established in § 21.101(b)(2) and (b)(3) and to clarify the responsibility of the applicant. The “change” refers to the design change proposed by the applicant. “Areas affected by the change” refers to aspects of the type design the applicant may not be proposing to change directly, but that are affected by the applicant's proposal. For example, changing an airframe's structure, such as adding a cargo door in one location, may affect the frame or floor loading in another area. Further, upgrading engines with new performance capabilities could require additional showing of compliance for minimum control speeds and airplane performance requirements. For many years the FAA has required applicants to consider these effects, and this practice is unchanged by this rulemaking.
During efforts to revise § 21.101, the FAA discovered that § 21.97(a)(2), Approval of major changes in type design, contains similar language to § 21.101 in the case of a “changed product.” The FAA has therefore determined that § 21.97(a)(2) should also be changed by this amendment.
2. In § 21.97, revise paragraph (a)(2) to read as follows:
§ 21.97
Approval of major changes in type design.
3. In § 21.101, revise paragraphs (a), (b) introductory text, (b)(3), and (c) to read as follows:
(b) Except as provided in paragraph (g) of this section, if paragraphs (b)(1), (2), or (3) of this section apply, an applicant may show that the change and areas affected by the change comply with an earlier amendment of a regulation required by paragraph (a) of this section, and of any other regulation the FAA finds is directly related. However, the earlier amended regulation may not precede either the corresponding regulation incorporated by reference in the type certificate, or any regulation in §§ 23.2, 25.2, 27.2, or 29.2 of this subchapter that is related to the change. The applicant may show compliance with an earlier amendment of a regulation for any of the following:
(c) An applicant for a change to an aircraft (other than a rotorcraft) of 6,000 pounds or less maximum weight, or to a non-turbine rotorcraft of 3,000 pounds or less maximum weight may show that the change and areas affected by the change comply with the regulations incorporated by reference in the type certificate. However, if the FAA finds that the change is significant in an area, the FAA may designate compliance with an amendment to the regulation incorporated by reference in the type certificate that applies to the change and any regulation that the FAA finds is directly related, unless the FAA also finds that compliance with that amendment or regulation would not contribute materially to the level of safety of the product or would be impractical.
Issued in Washington, DC on November 21, 2012.
1. The term “product” is defined in § 21.1(b) as “aircraft, aircraft engine, or propeller.”
[FR Doc. 2012-29276 Filed 12-3-12; 8:45 am]