[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 18, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3588-3590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1130]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. 93-CE-59-AD]
Airworthiness Directives; Grob Luft Und Raumfahrt Models G102
Astir CS, Club Astir IIb, Twin Astir, Speed Astir, Standard Astir II,
and Speed Astir IIb Sailplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: This document proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive
(AD) that would apply to certain Grob Luft Und Raumfahrt (Grob) Models
G102 Astir CS, Club Astir IIb, Twin Astir, Speed Astir, Standard Astir
II, and Speed Astir IIb sailplanes. The proposed action would require
inspecting all elevator and rudder hinges for damage (delamination,
cracks, corrosion, or buckling), and repairing any damaged parts.
Several occurrences of inner elevator hinges separating during flight
prompted the proposed action. The actions specified by the proposed AD
are intended to prevent these hinges from separating, which could
result in loss of control of the sailplane.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before March 27, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments in triplicate to the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), Central Region, Office of the Assistant Chief
Counsel, Attention: Rules Docket No. 93-CE-59-AD, Room 1558, 601 E.
12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Comments may be inspected at
this location [[Page 3589]] between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday, holidays excepted.
Service information that applies to the proposed AD may be obtained
from Grob Luft und Raumfahrt D-8939 Mattsies, Germany. This information
also may be examined at the Rules Docket at the address above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Herman C. Belderok, Project
Officer, Sailplanes, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service, FAA, 1201 Walnut, suite 900, Kansas City, Missouri 64106;
telephone (816) 426-6932; facsimile (816) 426-2169.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
Interested persons are invited to participate in the making of the
proposed rule by submitting such written data, views, or arguments as
they may desire. Communications should identify the Rules Docket number
and be submitted in triplicate to the address specified above. All
communications received on or before the closing date for comments,
specified above, will be considered before taking action on the
proposed rule. The proposals contained in this notice may be changed in
light of the comments received.
Comments are specifically invited on the overall regulatory,
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of the proposed rule. All
comments submitted will be available, both before and after the closing
date for comments, in the Rules Docket for examination by interested
persons. A report that summarizes each FAA-public contact concerned
with the substance of this proposal will be filed in the Rules Docket.
Commenters wishing the FAA to acknowledge receipt of their comments
submitted in response to this notice must submit a self-addressed,
stamped postcard on which the following statement is made: ``Comments
to Docket No. 93-CE-59-AD.'' The postcard will be date stamped and
returned to the commenter.
Availability of NPRMs
Any person may obtain a copy of this NPRM by submitting a request
to the FAA, Central Region, Office of the Assistant Chief Counsel,
Attention: Rules Docket No. 93-CE-59-AD, Room 1558, 601 E. 12th Street,
Kansas City, Missouri 64106.
Discussion
The Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA), which is the airworthiness authority
for Germany, recently notified the FAA that an unsafe condition may
exist on certain Grob Models G102 Astir CS, Club Astir IIb, Twin Astir,
Speed Astir, Standard Astir II, and Speed Astir IIb sailplanes. The LBA
advises that inner elevator hinges have separated on several of the
above referenced sailplanes. This condition, if not detected and
corrected, could result in loss of control of the sailplane.
Grob has issued Repair Instruction No. 306-27/1 to Service Bulletin
TM 306-27/1, dated June 4, 1991, which specifies procedures for
inspecting all elevator and rudder hinges for damage (delamination,
cracks, corrosion, or buckling), and repairing any damaged hinges. The
LBA classified this service bulletin as mandatory and issued LBA AD 89-
209/2 Grob, dated June 26, 1991, in order to assure the continued
airworthiness of these sailplanes in Germany.
This sailplane model is manufactured in Germany and is 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. Pursuant to this
bilateral airworthiness agreement, the LBA has kept the FAA informed of
the situation described above.
The FAA has examined the findings of the LBA, reviewed all
available information, and determined that AD action is necessary for
products of this type design that are certificated for operation in the
United States.
Since an unsafe condition has been identified that is likely to
exist or develop in other Grob Models G102 Astir CS, Club Astir IIb,
Twin Astir, Speed Astir, Standard Astir II, and Speed Astir IIb
sailplanes of the same type design, the proposed AD would require
inspecting all elevator and rudder hinges for damage (delamination,
cracks, corrosion, or buckling), and repairing any damaged parts. The
proposed actions would be accomplished in accordance with the III.
Procedure section of Grob Repair Instruction No. 306-27/1 to Service
Bulletin TM 306-27/1, dated June 4, 1991.
The compliance time for the proposed AD is presented in calendar
time instead of hours TIS. The FAA has determined that a calendar time
for compliance is the most desirable method because the unsafe
condition described by the proposed AD is caused by corrosion.
Corrosion can occur on sailplanes regardless of whether the airplane is
in service or in storage. Therefore, to ensure that corrosion is
detected and corrected on all airplanes within a reasonable period of
time without inadvertently grounding any sailplanes, a compliance
schedule based upon calendar time instead of hours TIS is proposed.
The FAA estimates that 146 sailplanes in the U.S. registry would be
affected by the proposed AD, that it would take approximately 1
workhour per sailplane to accomplish the proposed action, and that the
average labor rate is approximately $60 an hour. Based on these
figures, the total cost impact of the proposed AD on U.S. operators is
estimated to be $8,760. This figure is based on the assumption that no
affected sailplane owner/operator has accomplished the proposed
inspection.
The regulations proposed herein would 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
proposal would 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) if promulgated,
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 copy of the draft regulatory evaluation
prepared for this action has been placed in the Rules Docket. A copy of
it may be obtained by contacting the Rules Docket at the location
provided under the caption ADDRESSES.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39
Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Safety.
The Proposed Amendment
Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the Federal Aviation Administration proposes to amend
part 39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) 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. [[Page 3590]]
Sec. 39.13 [Amended]
2. Section 39.13 is amended by adding a new AD to read as follows:
Grob Luft Und Raumfahrt: Docket No. 93-CE-59-AD.
Applicability: Models G102 Astir CS, Club Astir IIb, Twin Astir,
Speed Astir, Standard Astir II, and Speed Astir IIb Sailplanes (all
serial numbers), certificated in any category.
Compliance: Required within the next 30 calendar days after the
effective date of this AD, unless already accomplished.
To prevent elevator and rudder hinge separation, which could
result in loss of control of the sailplane, accomplish the
following:
(a) Visually inspect all elevator and rudder hinges for damage
(delamination, cracks, corrosion, or buckling) in accordance with
the III. Procedure section of Grob Repair Instruction No. 306-27/1
to Service Bulletin TM 306-27/1, dated June 4, 1991. Prior to
further flight, repair any damaged parts in accordance with the
service information referenced above.
Note 1: The service instructions of this AD call for ``the work
to be carried out by a competent person or an authorized aviation
workshop and has to be certified in the logbook by an authorized
inspector.'' This statement does not apply to sailplanes registered
in the United States and the AD is to be accomplished using
procedures in part 43 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR
part 43).
(b) Special flight permits may be issued in accordance with
sections 21.197 and 21.199 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14
CFR 21.197 and 21.199) to operate the sailplane to a location where
the requirements of this AD can be accomplished.
(c) An alternative method of compliance or adjustment of the
compliance time that provides an equivalent level of safety may be
approved by the Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1201
Walnut, suite 900, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. The request should
be forwarded through an appropriate FAA Maintenance Inspector, who
may add comments and then send it to the Manager, Small Airplane
Directorate.
Note 2: Information concerning the existence of approved
alternative methods of compliance with this AD, if any, may be
obtained from the Small Airplane Directorate.
(d) All persons affected by this directive may obtain copies of
the document referred to herein upon request to Grob Luft und
Raumfahrt, D-8939 Mattsies, Germany; or may examine this document at
the FAA, Central Region, Office of the Assistant Chief Counsel, Room
1558, 601 E. 12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 10, 1995.
Barry D. Clements,
Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 95-1130 Filed 1-17-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-U