[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 4, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 5766-5767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-2834]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket Nos. 97-NM-09-AD, 97-NM-97-AD, 97-NM-80-AD, and 97-NM-81-AD]
RIN Nos. 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives: Boeing 727 Series Airplanes; Notice of 
Public Meetings

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meetings, reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: This notice reopens the comment period and announces two 
public meetings on the subject proposed airworthiness directives (AD's) 
that would reduce payload limits for converted Boeing 727 cargo 
airplanes. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss technical issues 
related to loads and stresses on cargo floors and margins of safety. 
The comment period is being reopened to facilitate collection and 
consideration of data concerning these technical issues.

DATES: The public meetings will be held February 18-19 and April 1-3, 
1998, at 9:00 a.m., in Seattle, Washington. Registration will begin at 
8:30 a.m. on the day of each meeting. Comments must be received no 
later than April 24, 1998.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held at the following location:
    The Radisson Hotel, 17001 Pacific Highway South, Seattle Washington 
98188, Telephone 206-244-6000.
    Persons who are unable to attend the meeting may mail their 
comments (clearly marked with the docket numbers) in triplicate to: 
Federal Aviation Administration, Northwest Mountain Region, Regulations 
Branch (ANM-114), 1601 Lind Avenue, SW, Renton, Washington 98055-4056.
    Written comments to the dockets will receive the same consideration 
as statements made at the public meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests to present a statement at the 
public meetings and questions regarding the logistics of the meeting 
should be directed to Gerald Lakin, Federal Aviation Administration, 
Northwest Mountain Region, Transport Airplane Directorate (ANM-115), 
1601 Lind Avenue, SW, Renton, Washington, 98055-4056, telephone (425) 
227-1187, fax (425) 227-1320.
    Questions concerning the proposed Airworthiness Directives should 
be directed to Paul Sconyers, Associate Manager, Airframe and 
Propulsion Branch, ACE-117A, FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, Atlanta 
Aircraft Certification Office, One Crown Center, 1895 Phoenix 
Boulevard, Suite 450, Atlanta, Georgia 303349; telephone (770) 703-
6076; fax (770) 703-6097.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Participation at the Public Meeting on the Proposed Airworthiness 
Directives

    Requests from persons who wish to present oral statements at the 
public meetings should be received by the FAA no later than 10 days 
prior to each meeting. Such requests should be submitted to Gerald 
Lakin as listed in the section titled FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT 
above, and should include a written summary of oral remarks to be 
presented, and an estimate of time needed for the presentation. 
Requests received after the date specified above will be scheduled if 
there is time available during the meeting; however, the names of those 
individuals may not appear on the written agenda. The FAA will prepare 
an agenda of speakers that will be available at the meeting. To 
accommodate as many speakers as possible, the amount of time allocated 
to each speaker may be less than the amount of time requested. Those 
persons desiring to have available

[[Page 5767]]

audiovisual equipment should notify the FAA when requesting to be 
placed on the agenda.

Background

    On July 15, 1997, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 
published in the Federal Register (62 FR 37798) for public comment four 
proposed AD's that would be applicable to certain Boeing Model 727 
airplanes that have been converted from a passenger to a cargo-carrying 
(or combination) configuration in accordance with one of several 
Supplemental Type Certificates (STC's). The AD's proposed to require 
the limitation of payloads on the main cargo deck. The AD's also 
proposed to provide for the submission of data and analyses that 
substantiate the strength of the main cargo deck, or modification of 
the main cargo deck, as optional terminating action for the payload 
restrictions.
    The comment period on the proposed rules closed on August 22, 1997. 
Since that time, the FAA has received several additional comments and 
has been contacted by various interested parties. Records of these 
contacts are included in the dockets for these rules. The FAA has 
received comments as late as January 20, 1998.
    Based on the content of the comments and the interest in the rules 
expressed by various operators of modified aircraft, the STC holders, 
and other interested parties, the FAA has determined that it is in the 
public interest to reopen the comment period on these rules in order to 
seek additional data and the supporting methodologies concerning 
allowable loads for cargo floors on converted Boeing 727 airplanes.
    Accordingly, the FAA will conduct two public meetings in Seattle, 
Washington for the purpose of gathering additional information.
    The comment periods on these proposed rules will remain open until 
April 24, 1998, three weeks after the close of the second meeting. The 
FAA anticipates that the agency and the industry will use these public 
meetings as a forum to resolve the approach used to analyze floor 
structure on converted Boeing 727 airplanes, including the methodology 
and technical assumptions used in the calculation of allowable loads; 
and to seek additional data and supporting methodologies from industry.
    Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the proposed 
airworthiness directives as published in the Federal Register should 
contact Gerald Lakin at the address or telephone number provided in FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    An electronic copy of these documents may be downloaded using a 
modem and suitable communications software from the FAA regulations 
section of the Fedworld electronic bulletin board service (telephone: 
(703) 321-3339) or the Federal Register electronic bulletin board 
service (telephone: (202) 512-1661).
    Internet users may reach the FAA's webpage at http://www.faa.gov or 
the Federal Register webpage at http://www.access.gpo.gov/su__docs to 
access recently published rulemaking documents.

Public Meeting Procedures

    Persons who plan to attend the meeting should be aware of the 
following procedures that have been established for this meeting:
    1. There will be no admission fee or other charge to attend or to 
participate in the public meeting. The meeting will be open to all 
persons who have requested in advance to present statements, or who 
register on the day of the meeting (between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.) 
subject to availability of space in the meeting room.
    2. Representatives from the FAA will conduct the public meeting. A 
technical panel of FAA experts will be established to discuss 
information presented by participants.
    3. The public meetings are intended as a forum to resolve the 
approach used to analyze the floor structure on converted Boeing 727 
airplanes, including the methodology and technical assumptions used in 
the calculation of allowable loads, and to seek additional data and 
supporting methodologies from industry. Participants must limit their 
presentations and submissions of data to this issue.
    4. The meetings will offer the opportunity for all interested 
parties to present any additional information not currently available 
to the FAA, and an opportunity for FAA to explain the methodology and 
technical assumptions supporting its current conclusions.
    5. FAA experts, industry, and public participants are expected to 
engage in a full discussion of all technical material presented at the 
meetings. Anyone presenting conclusions will be expected to submit to 
the FAA data supporting those conclusions; any proprietary data 
submitted will be protected by the FAA from disclosure.
    6. The FAA will try to accommodate all speakers; therefore, it may 
be necessary to limit the time available for an individual or group. If 
necessary, the meetings may be extended to evenings or additional days. 
If practicable, the meetings may be accelerated to enable adjournment 
in less than the time scheduled.
    7. Sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the 
meeting, as well as an assistive listening device, if requested 10 
calendar days before the meeting.
    8. The meeting will be recorded by a court reporter. A transcript 
of the meeting and any material accepted by the panel during the 
meeting will be included in the public dockets. Any person who is 
interested in purchasing a copy of the transcript should contact the 
court reporter directly. This information will be available at the 
meeting.
    9. The FAA will review and consider all material presented by 
participants at the public meeting. Position papers or material 
presenting views or information related to the proposed airworthiness 
directives may be accepted at the discretion of the presiding officer 
and subsequently placed in the public docket. The FAA requests that 
persons participating in the meeting provide 10 copies of all materials 
to be presented for distribution to the panel members; others copies 
may be provided to the audience at the discretion of the participant.
    10. Statements made by members of the panel are intended to 
facilitate discussion of the issues or to clarify issues. Comments made 
at these public meetings will be considered by the FAA before making a 
final decision on issuance of the airworthiness directives.
    11. The meetings are designed to solicit public views and more 
complete information on the proposed airworthiness directives. 
Therefore, the meeting will be conducted in an informal and 
nonadversarial manner.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on January 30, 1998.
Douglas Kirkpatrick,
Acting Director, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 98-2834 Filed 2-2-98; 12:45 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M