[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 73 (Monday, April 17, 1995)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 19172-19174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-9343]



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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 94-CE-33-AD]


Airworthiness Directives; Beech Aircraft Corporation Model 1900D 
Airplanes

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 Beech Aircraft Corporation (Beech) Model 1900D 
airplanes. The proposed action would require inspecting the cabin 
partition to ensure that a right-hand forward partition bracket exists 
on certain airplanes, installing this bracket if it does not exist, and 
improving the right-hand forward partition installation on all affected 
airplanes. Deficiencies found during a structural analysis of the cabin 
partition prompted the proposed action. The actions specified by the 
proposed AD are intended to prevent cabin partition failure because of 
a structural deficiency, which, if not detected and corrected, could 
cause passenger injury if the partition could not withstand the load 
incurred with the baggage compartment loaded to its 250-pound limit.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before June 19, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments in triplicate to the Federal Aviation 
Administration (FAA), Central Region, Office of the Assistant Chief 
Counsel, Attention: Rules Docket No. 94-CE-33-AD, Room 1558, 601 E. 
12th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Comments may be inspected at 
this location 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 the Beech Aircraft Corporation, P.O. Box 85, Wichita, Kansas 
67201-0085. This information also may be examined at the Rules Docket 
at the address above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Steve Potter, Aerospace Engineer, 
Wichita Aircraft Certification Office, FAA, 1801 Airport Road, Mid-
Continent Airport, Wichita, Kansas 67209; telephone (316) 946-4124; 
facsimile (316) 946-4407.

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. 94-CE-33-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. 94-CE-33-AD, Room 1558, 601 E. 12th Street, 
Kansas City, Missouri 64106.

Discussion

    The FAA has received a report from the Beech Aircraft Corporation 
(Beech) of a structural deficiency on Model 1900D airplanes. Beech 
reports that certain Model 1900D airplanes may be missing a bracket on 
the right-hand forward cabin partition, and that, even with this 
bracket installed, the airplane model design may not be capable of 
withstanding the load incurred with the baggage compartment loaded to 
its 250-pound limit. This condition, if not detected and corrected, 
could result in passenger injury if this load is incurred with the 
airplane occupied.
    Beech has issued Service Bulletin (SB) No. 2556, Revision 1, dated 
February 1995, which references Kit Drawing No. 129-5007 and Kit No. 
129-5007-1 S. Kit Drawing No. 129-5007 specifies the design location of 
the bracket that may be missing, and Kit No. 129-5007-1 S includes 
parts and instructions necessary to improve the [[Page 19173]] right-
hand forward partition installation.
    After examining the circumstances and reviewing all available 
information related to the incidents described above, the FAA has 
determined that (1) a structural improvement should be added to the 
right-hand forward partition on Beech Model 1900D airplanes; and (2) AD 
action should be taken to prevent cabin partition failure because of a 
structural deficiency, which, if not detected and corrected, could 
cause passenger injury if the partition could not withstand the load 
incurred with the baggage compartment loaded to its 250-pound limit.
    Since an unsafe condition has been identified that is likely to 
exist or develop in other Beech Model 1900D airplanes of the same type 
design, the proposed AD would require inspecting the right-hand forward 
partition on certain serial number airplanes to ensure that the 
partition bracket exists, installing this bracket if it does not exist, 
and incorporating a structural improvement to the right-hand forward 
partition on all affected airplanes. The proposed action would be 
accomplished in accordance with Kit Drawing No. 129-5007 and the 
instructions to Kit No. 29-5007-1 S, as referenced in Beech SB No. 
2556, Revision 1, dated February 1995.
    The FAA estimates that 73 airplanes in the U.S. registry would be 
affected by the proposed inspection and possible installation and 91 
airplanes in the U.S. registry would be affected by the proposed 
modification. The proposed inspection and possible installation would 
take approximately 5 workhours per airplane to accomplish and the 
proposed modification would take approximately 5 workhours per airplane 
to accomplish, with a labor rate of approximately $60 an hour. Parts 
for the proposed modification cost approximately $650 per airplane. 
Based on these figures, the total cost impact of the proposed AD on 
U.S. operators is estimated to be $108,350. This figure is based on the 
assumption that no owner/operator of the affected airplanes has 
accomplished the proposed modification and no airplane has a right-hand 
forward partition bracket installed and would need one installed.
    Beech has informed the FAA that it has distributed parts (Kit No. 
129-5007-1 S) to accommodate approximately 58 of the affected 
airplanes. Assuming that each of these distributed kits is incorporated 
on one of the affected airplanes, the cost of the proposed AD would be 
further reduced by $55,100 from $108,350 to $53,250.
    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.


Sec. 39.13  [Amended]

    2. Section 39.13 is amended by adding a new airworthiness directive 
to read as follows:

Beech Aircraft Corporation: Docket No. 94-CE-33-AD.

    Applicability: Model 1900D airplanes, serial numbers UE-2 
through UE-92, certificated in any category.

    Note 1: This AD applies to each airplane identified in the 
preceding applicability provision, regardless of whether it has been 
modified, altered, or repaired in the area subject to the 
requirements of this AD. For airplanes that have been modified, 
altered, or repaired so that the performance of the requirements of 
this AD is affected, the owner/operator must use the authority 
provided in paragraph (d) of this AD to request approval from the 
FAA. This approval may address either no action, if the current 
configuration eliminates the unsafe condition, or different actions 
necessary to address the unsafe condition described in this AD. Such 
a request should include an assessment of the effect of the changed 
configuration on the unsafe condition addressed by this AD. In no 
case does the presence of any modification, alteration, or repair 
remove any aircraft from the applicability of this AD.

    Compliance: Required within the next 400 hours time-in-service 
after the effective date of this AD, unless already accomplished.
    To prevent cabin partition failure because of a structural 
deficiency, which, if not detected and corrected, could cause 
passenger injury if the partition could not withstand the load 
incurred with the baggage compartment loaded to its 250-pound limit, 
accomplish the following:
    (a) For airplanes incorporating one of the following serial 
numbers: UE-2 through UE-68, UE-70 through UE-72, or UE-74 through 
UE-77, inspect the cabin partition to ensure that a right-hand 
partition bracket, part number (P/N) 129-530043-79, exists. If this 
bracket does not exist, prior to further flight, install this 
bracket with P/N MS27039-1-09 screws and P/N AN960PD10 washers in 
accordance with Kit Drawing No. 129-5007 as referenced in Beech SB 
No. 2556, Revision 1, dated February 1995.
    (b) For all affected serial numbers (UE-2 through UE-92), 
improve the right-hand forward partition installation in accordance 
with the instructions to Kit No. 129-5007-1 S as referenced in Beech 
SB No. 2556, Revision 1, dated February 1995.
    (c) Special flight permits may be issued in accordance with 
Secs. 21.197 and 21.199 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 
21.197 and 21.199) to operate the airplane to a location where the 
requirements of this AD can be accomplished.
    (d) An alternative method of compliance or adjustment of the 
compliance time that provides an equivalent level of safety may be 
approved by the Manager, Wichita Aircraft Certification Office 
(ACO), 1801 Airport Road, Room 100, Mid-Continent Airport, Wichita, 
Kansas 67209. The request shall be forwarded through an appropriate 
FAA Maintenance Inspector, who may add comments and then send it to 
the Manager, Wichita ACO.

    Note 2: Information concerning the existence of approved 
alternative methods of compliance with this AD, if any, may be 
obtained from the Wichita ACO.

    (e) All persons affected by this directive may obtain copies of 
the document referred to herein upon request to the Beech Aircraft 
Corporation, P.O. Box 85, Wichita, Kansas 67201-0085; 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.

    [[Page 19174]] Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 11, 
1995.
Dwight A. Young,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 95-9343 Filed 4-14-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-U