[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2103-2104]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-876]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Standardization of the Requirements of Airworthiness Directives 
that Mandate Supplemental Structural Inspection Documents

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting which is being held by 
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to present its views and hear 
comments from the public concerning issues regarding standardization of 
the requirements of airworthiness directives for certain transport 
category airplanes that mandate Supplemental Structural Inspection 
Documents (SSID) and that address the treatment of repairs, 
alterations, and modifications of those certain transport category 
airplanes.

DATES: The meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington, on February 27, 
2003, beginning at 8:30 a.m.

REGISTRATION: Registration will begin at approximately 7:30 a.m. on 
Thursday, February 27, 2003. Persons planning to attend the meeting are 
encouraged to pre-register by contacting the person identified later in 
this notice as the contact for further information.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Seattle Marriott Sea-Tac, 
3201 South 176th Street, Seattle, WA 98188; telephone (206) 241-2000. A 
block of guest rooms has been reserved for the meeting at the Seattle 
Marriott at a group rate. This block of rooms will be held until 
February 6, 2003. Persons planning on attending the meeting should 
contact the hotel directly for reservations and identify themselves as 
participants in the FAA Public Technical Conference to ensure proper 
credit.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brent Bandley, Aerospace Engineer, 
FAA, Airframe Branch, ANM-120L, Transport Airplane Directorate, 
Aircraft Certification Service, 3960 Paramount Boulevard, Lakewood, CA 
90712-4137; telephone (562) 627-5237; facsimile (562) 627-5210.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In October 1991, Congress enacted Title IV 
of Public Law 102-143, the Aging Aircraft Safety Act (AASA) of 1991, to 
address aging aircraft concerns. That Act instructed the FAA 
administrator to prescribe regulations that will ensure the continuing 
airworthiness of aging aircraft. As one of several responses to the 
AASA, the FAA issued the Aging Airplane Safety Rule (AASR) on December 
6, 2002. The applicability of that rule addresses airplanes that are 
operated under part 121 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 
part 121), all U.S. registered multi-engine airplanes operated under 
part 129 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 129), and all 
multi-engine airplanes used in scheduled operations under part 135 of 
the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 135). The AASR requires 
the maintenance programs of those airplanes to include damage 
tolerance-based inspections and procedures that include all major 
structural repairs, alterations, and modifications (RAMs). These 
procedures must be established and incorporated within four years after 
December 8, 2003, the effective date of the AASR.
    Independently of the AASR, the FAA issued AD 98-11-03 R1 (64 FR 
989, January 7, 1999) for Boeing Model 727 series airplanes and AD-98-
11-04 R1 (64 FR 987, January 7, 1999) for Boeing Model 737 series 
airplanes on December 30, 1998. Those ADs mandated later revisions of 
the Boeing Supplemental Structural Inspection Documents (SSID) and 
specifically address RAMs. Those ADs also require operators to develop 
damage tolerance inspection programs for all RAMs affecting principal 
structural elements, thereby fulfilling the intent of the AASR for 
those airplanes.
    However, since the issuance of the SSID ADs for the Boeing Model 
727 and 737 series airplanes, several problems have arisen. The FAA 
received many requests for alternative methods of compliance (AMOCs) to 
approve various inspection methods and intervals for RAMs. In the 
process of reviewing these requests, the FAA noted that operators were 
having difficulties in addressing RAMs in order to comply with those 
ADs. Additionally, operators were concerned that the McDonnell Douglas 
SSID ADs and the Boeing 727/737 SSID ADs were not standardized with 
regard to the treatment of RAMs. This became a concern because many of 
the airplane operators have a mixed fleet of Boeing and McDonnell 
Douglas airplanes and now had to essentially implement two different 
SSID programs with no apparent reason for the difference between the 
programs. Therefore, in April 2000 the Transport Airplane Directorate 
chartered a SSID Team to develop recommendations to standardize the 
SSID ADs regarding the treatment of RAMs. The report can be accessed at 
http://www.faa.gov/certification/aircraft/transport.htm.

[[Page 2104]]

Public Technical Meeting

    The results from the SSID Team provided a good first step towards 
standardizing the FAA approach to RAMs. However, the FAA has determined 
that a public meeting should be held to discuss the SSID ADs and their 
relationship with the new AASR. The Transport Airplane Directorate is 
holding this public meeting to give operators the opportunity to 
present any concerns they may have with using the SSID ADs to address 
RAMs. The meeting will also give the FAA the opportunity to clarify 
terms in the standardized SSID ADs that may be confusing to operators. 
The following are some of the items that will be addressed at the 
upcoming public meeting:
    [sbull] The relationship between the Aging Airplane Safety Rule and 
any future SSID ADs that address RAMs.
    [sbull] The SSID Team conclusions and recommendations.
    [sbull] The FAA's approach in issuing the SSID ADs for Boeing Model 
727/737 series airplanes, and any of the difficulties that operators 
have had in addressing RAMs in accordance with the ADs. Such 
difficulties include the role of supplemental type certificate (STC) 
holders in assisting operators in developing programs for STC 
modifications; the effect of inspection program requirements on the 
routine use of structural repair manuals; and the relationship/overlap 
between the Repair Assessment Program and SSID ADs.
    [sbull] Opinions from the public/industry on addressing RAMs in 
future SSID ADs.
    [sbull] Opinions from the public/industry regarding alternative 
approaches (other than ADs) for defining specific methods of compliance 
to address RAMs as required by the AASR for various models of transport 
category airplanes.

Participation at the Public Meeting

    If you wish to present any oral statements at the public meeting, 
you should submit your request to the FAA prior to February 14, 2003. 
Such requests should be submitted to the person listed under the 
heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and should include a written 
summary of oral remarks to be presented, as well as an estimate of time 
needed for the presentation. Requests received after February 14, 2003, 
will be considered and may be scheduled, time permitting, during the 
meeting. The FAA will prepare an agenda of speakers who will be 
available at the meeting. Every effort will be made to accommodate as 
many speakers as possible in the time allotted.

Meeting Procedures

    The following procedures are established to facilitate the meeting:
    [sbull] Attendance is open to the public, but will be limited to 
the space available.
    [sbull] There will be no admission fee or other charge to attend or 
participate in the meeting. The opportunity to speak will be available 
to all persons, subject to availability of time.
    [sbull] The meeting is designed to provide information to, and hear 
comments from, the public concerning issues related to the Aging 
Airplane Safety Rule and any future SSID ADs that address RAMs. The 
meeting will be conducted in an informal and nonadversarial manner; 
however, the FAA may ask questions to clarify a statement and to ensure 
a complete and accurate record.
    [sbull] Representatives of the FAA will preside over the meeting. A 
panel of FAA personnel involved in this issue will be present.
    [sbull] Statements made by members of the meeting panel are 
intended to facilitate discussion of the issues or to clarify issues 
and, unless stated as such, should not necessarily be construed as a 
position of the FAA.
    [sbull] An individual, whether speaking in person or in a 
representative capacity on behalf of an organization, may be limited to 
a 10-minute statement. If possible, additional time may be allotted.
    [sbull] The FAA will try to accommodate all questions, time 
permitting. However, the FAA reserves the right to exclude some 
questions, if necessary, to present a balance of viewpoints and issues.
    [sbull] The FAA will review and consider all material presented by 
participants at the meeting. Participants are requested to provide 10 
copies of all presentation materials for distribution to the panel 
members. Other copies may be provided to the audience at the discretion 
of the participant.
    [sbull] 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 made a part of the official record. Any person 
interested in purchasing a copy of the transcript should contact the 
court reporter directly at the meeting.

    Issued in Renton, WA, on January 8, 2003.
Vi L. Lipski,
Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 03-876 Filed 1-14-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P