[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 33 (Thursday, February 17, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-3103]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: February 17, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 93-NM-97-AD; Amendment 39-8821; AD 94-04-03]

 

Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 727 Series Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive 
(AD), applicable to all Boeing Model 727 series airplanes, that 
currently requires repetitive inspections to detect cracks in the slat 
track roller bearing bolts, and replacement, if necessary. This 
amendment adds an inspection of the positional plates installed on 
certain airplanes, and replacement, if necessary; reduces the 
compliance time for the initial inspection; and cites the latest 
revision to the service bulletin as the appropriate service information 
source. This amendment is prompted by a report that certain positional 
plates may not stop rotation of the roller bearing bolts. The actions 
specified by this AD are intended to prevent jamming of the affected 
slat or separation of the slat from the airplane.

DATES: Effective March 21, 1994.
    The incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in 
the regulations is approved by the Director of the Federal Register as 
of March 21, 1994.

ADDRESSES: The service information referenced in this AD may be 
obtained from Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, 
Washington 98124-2207. This information may be examined at the Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA), Transport Airplane Directorate, Rules 
Docket, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington; or at the Office of 
the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street NW., suite 700, 
Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Walter Sippel, Aerospace Engineer, 
Airframe Branch, ANM-120S, FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, Seattle 
Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 
98055-4056; telephone (206) 227-2774; fax (206) 227-1181.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal 
Aviation Regulations by superseding AD 90-18-02, Amendment 39-6708 (55 
FR 34699, August 24, 1990), which is applicable to all Boeing Model 727 
series airplanes, was published in the Federal Register on August 23, 
1993 (58 FR 44466). The action proposed to require repetitive 
inspections to detect cracks in the slat track roller bearing bolts, 
and replacement, if necessary; and an inspection of the positional 
plates installed on certain airplanes, and replacement, if necessary.
    Interested persons have been afforded an opportunity to participate 
in the making of this amendment. Due consideration has been given to 
the comments received.
    One commenter supports the proposed rule.
    One commenter requests that the compliance time of 2,500 flight 
cycles, as specified in paragraphs (b) and (d) of the proposal, be 
reduced to 2,000 flight cycles to coincide with the interval expressed 
in Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, which is cited in the proposed 
rule.
    The FAA does not concur with the commenter's request to shorten the 
proposed compliance time. In developing an appropriate compliance time, 
the FAA considered the safety implications, parts availability, and 
normal maintenance schedules for timely accomplishment of the 
modifications. Further, this AD supersedes an existing AD that 
specified a compliance time of 2,500 flight cycles. The FAA has 
received no reports to date of any problem encountered as a result of 
that compliance time. To reduce the compliance time of the proposal 
would necessitate (under the provisions of the Administrative Procedure 
Act) reissuing the notice, reopening the period for public comment, 
considering additional comments received, and eventually issuing a 
final rule; the time required for that procedure may be as long as four 
additional months. In light of these considerations, and in 
consideration of the amount of time that has already elapsed since 
issuance of the original notice, the FAA has determined that further 
delay of this final rule action is not warranted.
    The Air Transport Association (ATA) of America, on behalf of its 
members, requests that the FAA review existing approvals of alternative 
methods of compliance for AD 90-18-02 and determine if these approvals 
remain valid for this AD and, if so, either place a ``NOTE'' in the 
final rule or convey that information to affected operators through 
individual notices. ATA contends that including such a ``NOTE'' in this 
AD would expedite AD handling and reduce processing costs for both 
operators and the FAA.
    The FAA has reviewed existing approvals of alternative methods of 
compliance for AD 90-18-02 and finds that these approvals would not 
necessarily be acceptable for this AD, since the actions required by 
the existing AD do not adequately address the unsafe condition. 
However, if an operator believes its existing approval also should be 
considered acceptable for this AD, that operator should resubmit its 
request for approval from the FAA in accordance with the provisions of 
paragraph (f) of this AD.
    One ATA member suggests that, in lieu of being superseded, AD 90-
18-02 should be revised or amended so that operators with approvals of 
alternative methods of compliance for that AD would not be required to 
resubmit requests for such approvals for this AD. The FAA does not 
concur. The FAA has determined that the actions required by AD 90-18-02 
do not adequately address the specified unsafe condition. Consequently, 
issuance of this AD is necessary to require additional actions in order 
to fully address the unsafe condition. The FAA's normal policy in this 
regard is that when an AD requires additional actions, the existing AD 
is superseded by being removed from the system and a new AD added.
    One commenter requests that the FAA include an initial 
implementation period of 2,500 flight cycles in the final rule to allow 
operators that are currently performing inspections in accordance with 
the requirements of AD 90-18-02 additional time to ``transition over'' 
to the use of Revision 3 of Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172. The 
commenter states that, as written, the proposed rule would require that 
those operators begin accomplishing the inspections in accordance with 
Revision 3 immediately after the effective date of this AD.
    The FAA does not concur with the commenter's request. The FAA 
infers that the commenter's request for an implementation period to 
``transition over'' refers to a need for additional time to update 
records and plan/schedule subsequent inspections. The FAA finds that 
additional time to begin accomplishing the inspections in accordance 
with Revision 3 of the service bulletin is not warranted.
    Paragraphs (a) and (b) of the final rule are purposefully redundant 
with the exception of the inspection thresholds specified. The intent 
of paragraph (b) is to reduce the inspection threshold from that 
specified in paragraph (a) and to require that operators accomplish the 
inspection in accordance with Revision 3 of the service bulletin. 
Revision 3 of the service bulletin does not contain significant changes 
from other issues of the service bulletin. Further, operators have been 
provided ample notice through the proposed AD of the FAA's intent to 
require that Revision 3 of the service bulletin be used for any 
inspection accomplished after the effective date of this final rule. 
Operators will also receive 30 additional days after publication of 
this final rule in the Federal Register before this AD will become 
effective.
    The FAA has revised paragraph (a) of this AD to clarify its intent 
that operators currently accomplishing the repetitive inspections 
required by AD 90-18-02 continue to perform those inspections in 
accordance with Revision 3 of the service bulletin until the first 
inspection required by paragraph (b) of this AD has been accomplished. 
In addition, paragraph (b) of this AD has been revised to specify that 
accomplishment of the repetitive inspections in accordance with 
Revision 3 of the service bulletin terminates the repetitive 
inspections required by paragraph (a) of this AD.
    One commenter requests that paragraph (d) of the proposal be 
revised to indicate that no further action is required if a ``checking 
tool'' is used to ensure that a functionally acceptable positional 
plate was installed per Boeing Drawing 65C31395. The commenter 
indicates that it has developed a tool for checking the dimensions of 
the positional plate in accordance with the Boeing drawing. The 
commenter states that, since it has used a functionally acceptable 
solution to the problem and since this solution is recognized by Boeing 
as being equivalent to the procedures described in Revision 3 of the 
service bulletin cited in the proposal, the FAA should also recognize 
this procedure as an acceptable method of complying with the proposed 
requirements of this AD.
    The FAA does not concur with the commenter's request to revise 
paragraph (d) of this AD to indicate that no further action is required 
if a ``checking tool'' is used. Paragraph (d) of this AD requires that 
the gap between the roller bolt head and the positional plate be 
measured in accordance with Revision 3 of Boeing Service Bulletin 727-
57-0172. However, that service bulletin does not specify the use of any 
particular tool when performing the measurement. The FAA has no data 
available to evaluate the validity of the tool referenced by the 
commenter. In addition, the FAA does not find it necessary to limit the 
methods available to operators to accomplish the requirements of 
paragraph (d) of this AD. Since the service bulletin does not specify 
the use of any particular tool, the FAA considers that any measuring 
tool that allows operators to determine if the gap between the roller 
bolt head and the positional plate is within specified limits meets the 
intent of paragraph (d) of this AD.
    After careful review of the available data, including the comments 
noted above, the FAA has determined that air safety and the public 
interest require the adoption of the rule with the changes previously 
described. The FAA has determined that these changes will neither 
increase the economic burden on any operator nor increase the scope of 
the AD.
    There are approximately 1,635 Model 727 series airplanes of the 
affected design in the worldwide fleet. The FAA estimates that 1,047 
airplanes of U.S. registry will be affected by this AD, that it will 
take approximately 18 work hours per airplane to accomplish the 
required actions, and that the average labor rate is $55 per work hour. 
Based on these figures, the total cost impact of the AD on U.S. 
operators is estimated to be $1,036,530, or $990 per airplane. This 
total cost figure assumes that no operator has yet accomplished the 
requirements of this AD.
    The regulations adopted herein will not have substantial direct 
effects 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. Therefore, in 
accordance with Executive Order 12612, it is determined that this final 
rule does not have sufficient federalism implications to warrant the 
preparation of a Federalism Assessment.
    For the reasons discussed above, I certify that this action (1) is 
not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive Order 12866; 
(2) is not a ``significant rule'' under DOT Regulatory Policies and 
Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); and (3) 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. A final evaluation has been prepared for this action 
and it is contained in the Rules Docket. A copy of it may be obtained 
from the Rules Docket at the location provided under the caption 
ADDRESSES.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

    Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by 
reference, Safety.

Adoption of the Amendment

    Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the Federal Aviation Administration amends 14 CFR part 
39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations as follows:

PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

    1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. App. 1354(a), 1421 and 1423; 49 U.S.C. 
106(g); and 14 CFR 11.89.


Sec. 39.13  [Amended]

    2. Section 39.13 is amended by removing amendment 39-6708 (55 FR 
34699, August 24, 1990), and by adding a new airworthiness directive 
(AD), amendment 39-8821, to read as follows:

94-04-03 Boeing: Amendment 39-8821. Docket 93-NM-97-AD. Supersedes 
AD 90-18-02, Amendment 39-6708.

    Applicability: All Model 727 series airplanes, certificated in 
any category.
    Compliance: Required as indicated, unless accomplished 
previously.
    To prevent cracking of the roller bearing bolts and subsequent 
jamming of the affected slat or separation of the slat from the 
airplane, accomplish the following:
    (a) Prior to the accumulation of 12,000 total flight cycles, or 
within 2,500 flight cycles after September 30, 1990 (the effective 
date of AD 90-18-02, Amendment 39-6708), whichever occurs later: 
Accomplish paragraph (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this AD, as applicable, in 
accordance with Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, Revision 1, 
dated October 12, 1989; Revision 2, dated June 27, 1991; or Revision 
3, dated March 19, 1992. After the effective date of this AD, the 
inspection shall be accomplished only in accordance with Revision 3 
of the service bulletin. Repeat the inspection thereafter at 
intervals not to exceed 5,000 flight cycles until the inspection 
required by paragraph (b) of this AD is accomplished.
    (1) For airplanes equipped with roller bearing bolts made from 
CRES material: Perform a fluorescent particle inspection of the slat 
track roller bearing bolts to detect cracks.
    (2) For airplanes equipped with roller bearing bolts not made 
from CRES material: Perform a magnetic particle inspection of the 
slat track roller bearing bolts to detect cracks.
    (b) Prior to the accumulation of 8,000 total flight cycles, or 
within 2,500 flight cycles after the effective date of this AD, 
whichever occurs later, unless accomplished previously within the 
last 2,500 flight cycles prior to the effective date of this AD: 
Accomplish paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this AD, as applicable, in 
accordance with Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, Revision 3, 
dated March 19, 1992. Repeat this inspection thereafter at intervals 
not to exceed 5,000 flight cycles. Accomplishment of this inspection 
terminates the repetitive inspection requirement of paragraph (a) of 
this AD.
    (1) For airplanes equipped with roller bearing bolts made from 
CRES material: Perform a fluorescent particle inspection of the slat 
track roller bearing bolts to detect cracks.
    (2) For airplanes equipped with roller bearing bolts not made 
from CRES material: Perform a magnetic particle inspection of the 
slat track roller bearing bolts to detect cracks.
    (c) If any cracked bolt is found during any inspection required 
by this AD, prior to further flight, replace the cracked bolt with a 
serviceable bolt and inspect the associated roller to detect 
seizure, in accordance with Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, 
Revision 1, dated October 12, 1989, Revision 2, dated June 27, 1991, 
or Revision 3, dated March 19, 1992. If the roller is seized or does 
not turn smoothly, prior to further flight, replace the defective 
roller with a serviceable roller in accordance with the service 
bulletin.
    (d) For airplanes having positional plates installed in 
accordance with Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, dated September 
6, 1985, Revision 1, dated October 12, 1989, or Revision 2, dated 
June 27, 1991: Prior to the accumulation of 5,000 flight cycles 
since modification, or within 2,500 flight cycles after the 
effective date of this AD, whichever occurs later, measure the gap 
between the roller bolt head and the positional plate in accordance 
with Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, Revision 3, dated March 
19, 1992.
    (1) If the gap measures 0.020 inch or less, no further action is 
required by this AD.
    (2) If the gap measures more than 0.020 inch, prior to further 
flight, replace the positional plate with a new positional plate in 
accordance with Figure 3 of the service bulletin.
    (e) Modification of the bolts and slat tracks in accordance with 
Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, Revision 3, dated March 19, 
1992, constitutes terminating action for the actions required by 
paragraphs (a), (b), and (d) of this AD.
    (f) An alternative method of compliance or adjustment of the 
compliance time that provides an acceptable level of safety may be 
used if approved by the Manager, Seattle Aircraft Certification 
Office (ACO), FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate. Operators shall 
submit their requests through an appropriate FAA Principal 
Maintenance Inspector, who may add comments and then send it to the 
Manager, Seattle ACO.

    Note: Information concerning the existence of approved 
alternative methods of compliance with this AD, if any, may be 
obtained from the Seattle ACO.

    (g) Special flight permits may be issued in accordance with FAR 
21.197 and 21.199 to operate the airplane to a location where the 
requirements of this AD can be accomplished.
    (h) The inspections, replacements, gap measurement, and 
modification shall be done in accordance with Boeing Service 
Bulletin 727-57-0172, Revision 1, dated October 12, 1989; Boeing 
Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, Revision 2, dated June 27, 1991; and 
Boeing Service Bulletin 727-57-0172, Revision 3, dated March 19, 
1992. This incorporation by reference was approved by the Director 
of the Federal Register in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 
part 51. Copies may be obtained from Boeing Commercial Airplane 
Group, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, Washington 98124-2207. Copies may be 
inspected at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind 
Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington; or at the Office of the Federal 
Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., suite 700, Washington, DC.
    (i) This amendment becomes effective on March 21, 1994.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on February 4, 1994.
N. B. Martenson,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 94-3103 Filed 2-16-94; 8:45 am]
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