Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2012/05/24/2012-12658/aging-airplane-program-widespread-fatigue-damage-technical-amendment
Timestamp: 2018-02-22 10:00:05
Document Index: 245664188

Matched Legal Cases: ['§\u200926', '§\u2009121', '§\u2009129', '§\u200926', '§\u2009121', '§\u2009129', '§\u200926', '§\u200926', '§\u200925', '§\u200925', '§\u2009121', '§\u200926', '§\u2009121', '§\u2009129', '§\u200925', '§\u200926', '§\u2009121', '§\u2009129', 'arts 26', '§\u200926', '§\u2009121', '§\u200926', '§\u2009121', 'art 129', '§\u2009129', '§\u200926', '§\u2009129']

Federal Register :: Aging Airplane Program: Widespread Fatigue Damage; Technical Amendment
Aging Airplane Program: Widespread Fatigue Damage; Technical Amendment
77 FR 30877
30877-30881 (5 pages)
2120-AI05
2012-12658
FAA-2006-24281
Change to Table 1 of § 26.21
Change to Table 1 of § 121.1115 and § 129.115
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2012-12658 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2012-12658
For technical questions concerning this action, contact Walter Sippel, ANM-115, Airframe/Cabin Safety Branch, Federal Aviation Administration, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057-3356; telephone (425) 227-2774; facsimile (425) 227-1232; email walter.sippel@faa.gov.
On November 15, 2010, the FAA published a final rule entitled, “Aging Airplane Program: Widespread Fatigue Damage,” (75 FR 69746). In that final rule the FAA revised the regulations pertaining to certification and operation of transport category airplanes to prevent widespread fatigue damage in those airplanes. For certain existing airplanes, the rule required design approval holders to evaluate their airplanes to establish an LOV. For future airplanes, the rule required all applicants for type certificates, after the effective date of the rule, to establish an LOV. Design approval holders and applicants must demonstrate that the airplane will be free from widespread fatigue damage up to the LOV. The rule requires that operators of any affected airplane incorporate the LOV into the maintenance program for that airplane. After issuing the final rule, the FAA determined minor technical changes are needed to correct dates for establishing LOVs for Airbus A310 and A300-600 series airplanes for compliance with § 26.21. Based on that change, the FAA determined minor technical changes are also needed to correct dates for operators to comply with § 121.1115 or § 129.115. We inadvertently included those airplanes in the group of airplane models for which the following compliance times apply:
18 months after January 14, 2011, for design approval holders (DAHs).
30 months after January 14, 2011, for operators.
The change to Table 1 of § 26.21 corrects the compliance date for the Airbus A310 and A300-600 series airplanes from 18 to 48 months after January 14, 2011. This change is relieving and corrects an inconsistency with the intent of the rule and does not impact the ability of Airbus to comply with § 26.21. As stated in the preamble of the rule entitled, “Aging Airplane Program: Widespread Fatigue Damage,” the FAA intended to phase in compliance based on the airplane's certification basis relative to § 25.571 (Group I: pre-Amendment 25-45, Group II: Amendment 25-45 up to but not including 25-96, and Group III: Amendment 25-96 and later). We included the A310 and A300-600 series airplanes in Group I, with a compliance time of 18 months, but they should have been included in Group II, with a compliance time of 48 months. The type certificate data sheet, A35EU, revision 25, dated May 28 2010, identifies the amendment level of the A310 as Amendment 25-45. The A300-600 is listed with § 25.571 at various amendment levels, including some versions with pre-Amendment 25-45. However, through post-certification assessments, Airbus has shown that all versions of the A300-600 meet the requirements of Amendment 25-45, and the FAA has recognized this in other rulemaking actions (see Damage Tolerance Data for Repairs and Alterations, 72 FR 70486).
The change to Table 1 of §§ 121.1115 and 129.115 corrects the compliance date for operators of Airbus A310 and A300-600 series airplanes from 30 to 60 months after January 14, 2011. This change corresponds to the change to Table 1 of § 26.21, is relieving, corrects an inconsistency with the intent of the rule, and does not impact the ability of operators to comply with § 121.1115 or § 129.115. As stated in the preamble of the rule entitled, “Aging Airplane Program: Widespread Fatigue Damage,” the FAA intended to phase in compliance based on the airplane's certification basis relative to § 25.571. We included the A310 and A300-600 series airplanes in Group I, with a compliance time of 30 months, but they should have been incorporated in Group II, with a compliance date of 60 months.
This technical amendment corrects the compliance dates of § 26.21, § 121.1115, and § 129.115 for Airbus A310 and A300-600 series airplanes.
Because the changes in this technical amendment are relieving to affected design approval holders and operators of those airplanes, and results in no substantive change, we find good cause exists under 5 U.S.C. 553(d)(3) to make the amendment effective in less than 30 days.
In consideration of the foregoing, the Federal Aviation Administration amends Chapter I of Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, parts 26, 121, and 129, as follows:
2. Amend § 26.21 by revising Table 1—Compliance Dates for Affected Airplanes, to read as follows:
Airplane model (all existing 1 models)
Compliance date— (months after January 14, 2011)
4. Amend § 121.1115 by revising Table 1—Airplanes Subject to § 26.21, to read as follows:
§ 121.1115
747-400: 747-400, -400D, -400F 30 20,000 FC
757 60 20,000 FC
767 60 20,000 FC
777-200, -300 60 50,000 FC
777-200LR, 777-300ER 60 50,000 FC
777F 60 40,000 FC
72 40,000 FC
72 11,000 FC
L-1011 30 36,600 FC
188 30 20,000 FC
5. The authority citation for part 129 continues to read:
6. Amend § 129.115 by revising Table 1—Airplanes Subject to § 26.21, to read as follows:
§ 129.115
737 (Classics): 737-100, -200, -200C, -300, -400, -500 737 (NG): 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, -900ER 30 75,000 FC
60 75,000 FC
[FR Doc. 2012-12658 Filed 5-23-12; 8:45 a.m.]