Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/12/05/2019-26231/airworthiness-directives-airbus-sas-airplanes
Timestamp: 2019-12-10 18:29:23
Document Index: 251743558

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'art 39', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2']

A Rule by the Federal Aviation Administration on 12/05/2019
This AD is effective January 9, 2020.
66579-66582 (4 pages)
Amendment 39-19794
AD 2019-23-01
FAA-2019-0321
2019-NM-13-AD Airbus SAS Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 series airplanes
SA ALS Part 2 Revision 07
Request for a Reporting Requirement
Request To Add an Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOC)
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-26231 https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-26231
The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus SAS Model A318 series airplanes; A319-111, -112, -113, -114, -115, -131, -132, and -133 airplanes; A320-211, -212, -214, -216, -231, -232, -233, -251N, -252N and -271N airplanes; and A321 series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a determination that new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. This AD requires revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of a certain publication listed in this AD as of January 9, 2020.
For service information identified in this final rule, contact Airbus SAS, Airworthiness Office—EIAS, Rond-Point Emile Dewoitine No: 2, 31700 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email account.airworth-eas@airbus.com; internet http://www.airbus.com. You may view this service information at the FAA, Transport Standards Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA. For Start Printed Page 66580information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 206-231-3195. It is also available on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2019-0321.
You may examine the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2019-0321; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains this final rule, the regulatory evaluation, any comments received, and other information. The address for Docket Operations is U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA AD 2018-0288, dated December 21, 2018 (referred to after this as the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information, or “the MCAI”), to correct an unsafe condition for all Airbus SAS Model A318, A319, A320 and A321 series airplanes. Model A320-215 airplanes are not certified by the FAA and are not included on the U.S. type certificate data sheet; this AD therefore does not include those airplanes in the applicability. You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2019-0321.
The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR part 39 by adding an AD that would apply to all Airbus SAS Model A318 series airplanes; A319-111, -112, -113, -114, -115, -131, -132, and -133 airplanes; A320-211, -212, -214, -216, -231, -232, -233, -251N, -252N and -271N airplanes; and A321 series airplanes. The NPRM published in the Federal Register on May 9, 2019 (84 FR 20303). The NPRM was prompted by a determination that new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. The NPRM proposed to require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. The FAA is issuing this AD to address fatigue cracking, accidental damage, or corrosion in principal structural elements, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane. See the MCAI for additional background information.
The FAA gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing this final rule. The following presents the comments received on the NPRM and the FAA's response to each comment. Delta Airlines (DAL) stated that it supports the NPRM.
DAL requested that we add a reporting requirement to the proposed AD. DAL recommended that the proposed AD state that all crack findings, along with corrective actions performed, be reported to Airbus via the Airbus Tech Request system within 30 days. DAL commented that the philosophy of the fatigue-related inspections is that they are in places where cracking might be found in the future, and if cracking is found, then the task in Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) Part 2—Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT-ALI), Revision 07, dated June 13, 2018, will be removed and become its own service information and AD; therefore, mandatory reporting must be part of this process. DAL also stated that they could not locate information regarding where to submit reports and the timeframe for reporting.
The FAA would like to clarify the intent of the referenced damage-tolerant task in Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) Part 2—Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT-ALI), Revision 07, dated June 13, 2018. Unlike airplanes that follow a Supplemental Structural Inspection Program that requires reporting (those with an older certification basis that does not include damage tolerance criteria), the airplanes specified in paragraph (c) of this AD comply with 14 CFR 25.571 damage tolerance criteria. Section 25.571 requires applicants to evaluate all structures that could contribute to catastrophic failure of the airplane with respect to its susceptibility to fatigue cracking, corrosion, and accidental damage. Applicants must establish inspections or other procedures (also referred to as maintenance actions) as necessary to avoid catastrophic failure during the operational life of the airplane based on the results of these evaluations. It is intended that all maintenance actions required to address fatigue cracking, corrosion, and accidental damage are identified in the structural-maintenance program. All inspections and other procedures (e.g., modification times, replacement times) that are necessary to prevent a catastrophic failure due to fatigue are included in the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA), as required by 14 CFR 25.1529. Therefore, reporting is not needed to comply with this AD.
While airplane manufacturers may benefit from receiving information from the outcome of the ALI inspections, the EASA did not make reporting a requirement in EASA AD 2018-0288. The FAA concurs with the EASA, and therefore, this AD does not include a reporting requirement. However, operators may report the findings, as an option, to Airbus as specified in paragraph 6., “Reporting,” of Section 1 of Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) Part 2—Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT-ALI), Revision 07, dated June 13, 2018, that indicates reports should be sent to MPDtask.Reports@airbus.com. This AD has not been changed in this regard.
Airbus requested that AIR-676-19-235, dated June 3, 2019, which is an AMOC for paragraphs (g) and (l)(2)(i) of AD 2018-25-02, Amendment 39-19513 (83 FR 62690, December 6, 2018), be allowed as an AMOC for the requirements of paragraph (j) of the proposed AD.
The FAA agrees with the commenter's request. The agency finds that the provisions of AMOC AIR-676-19-235, which is limited to certain airplanes, are acceptable for all corresponding provisions of this AD. Therefore, the FAA has added paragraph (j)(1)(iii) to this AD to allow AIR-676-19-235, dated June 3, 2019, as an acceptable method of compliance for the corresponding provisions of this AD.Start Printed Page 66581
The FAA has determined that Airbus SAS Model A320-252N airplanes were inadvertently omitted from the Applicability of the proposed AD. Therefore, the FAA has updated paragraph (c)(3) of this AD to add those airplanes. Since there are currently no domestic operators of this product, additional notice and opportunity for public comment before issuing this AD are unnecessary.
Airbus has issued Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) Part 2—Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT-ALI), Revision 07, dated June 13, 2018. This service information describes damage tolerant airworthiness limitations. 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.
The FAA estimates that this AD affects 1,463 airplanes of U.S. registry. The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this AD:
2019-23-01 Airbus SAS: Amendment 39-19794; Docket No. FAA-2019-0321; Product Identifier 2019-NM-013-AD.
This AD applies to Airbus SAS airplanes identified in paragraphs (c)(1) through (4) of this AD, certificated in any category, with an original certificate of airworthiness or original export certificate of airworthiness issued on or before June 13, 2018.
(3) Model A320-211, -212, -214, -216, -231, -232, -233, -251N, -252N and -271N airplanes.
Within 90 days after the effective date of this AD, revise the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate the information specified in Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 Start Printed Page 66582Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) Part 2-Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT-ALI), Revision 07, dated June 13, 2018. The initial compliance time for doing the tasks is at the time specified in Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) Part 2-Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT-ALI), Revision 07, dated June 13, 2018, or within 90 days after the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs later.
(iii) AMOC AIR-676-19-235, dated June 3, 2019, is approved as an AMOC for the corresponding provisions of this AD.
(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information (MCAI) EASA Airworthiness Directive 2018-0288, dated December 21, 2018, for related information. This MCAI may be found in the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2019-0321.
(i) Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) Part 2-Damage Tolerant Airworthiness Limitation Items (DT-ALI), Revision 07, dated June 13, 2018.
[FR Doc. 2019-26231 Filed 12-4-19; 8:45 am]