[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 8 (Thursday, January 12, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 1951-1953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-181]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2005-22792; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-084-AD; 
Amendment 39-14447; AD 2006-01-08]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; BAE Systems (Operations) Limited Model 
Avro 146-RJ Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all 
BAE Systems (Operations) Limited Model Avro 146-RJ airplanes. This AD 
requires reviewing the airplane's maintenance records to determine if 
certain tasks of the BAE Systems (Operations) Limited BAe146/Avro RJ 
Maintenance Planning Document issued May 15, 2004, have been 
accomplished. This AD also requires doing repetitive detailed 
inspections of the external fuselage skin adjacent to the longeron at 
rib 0 from frame 29 to frame 31, and repairing any

[[Page 1952]]

damage. This AD results from issuance of mandatory continuing 
airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness authority. 
We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking of the fuselage 
skin, which could result in structural failure of the fuselage.

DATES: This AD becomes effective February 16, 2006.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of a certain publication listed in the AD as of February 16, 
2006.

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov or in person at the Docket Management Facility, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 
Room PL-401, Washington, DC.
    Contact British Aerospace Regional Aircraft American Support, 13850 
Mclearen Road, Herndon, Virginia 20171, for service information 
identified in this AD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Thompson, Aerospace Engineer, 
International Branch, ANM-116, FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 
1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98055-4056; telephone (425) 
227-1175; fax (425) 227-1149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Examining the Docket

    You may examine the airworthiness directive (AD) docket on the 
Internet at http://dms.dot.gov or in person at the Docket Management 
Facility office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. The Docket Management Facility office 
(telephone (800) 647-5227) is located on the plaza level of the Nassif 
Building at the street address stated in the ADDRESSES section.

Discussion

    The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 
CFR part 39 to include an AD that would apply to all BAE Systems 
(Operations) Limited Model Avro 146-RJ airplanes. That NPRM was 
published in the Federal Register on October 27, 2005 (70 FR 61918). 
That NPRM proposed to require reviewing the airplane's maintenance 
records to determine if certain tasks of the BAE Systems (Operations) 
Limited BAe146/Avro RJ Maintenance Planning Document issued May 15, 
2004, have been accomplished. That NPRM also proposed to require doing 
repetitive detailed inspections of the external fuselage skin adjacent 
to the longeron at rib 0 from frame 29 to frame 31, and repairing any 
damage.

Comments

    We provided the public the opportunity to participate in the 
development of this AD. We received no comments on the NPRM or on the 
determination of the cost to the public.

Conclusion

    We have carefully reviewed the available data and determined that 
air safety and the public interest require adopting the AD as proposed.

Costs of Compliance

    The following table provides the estimated costs for U.S. operators 
to comply with this AD.

                                                                     Estimated Costs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                              Number  of
                                                 Average                          Cost per      U.S.-
             Action               Work  hours   labor rate         Parts          airplane    registered                    Fleet cost
                                                 per hour                                     airplanes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Records Examination.............            1          $65  None..............          $65           36  $2,340.
Repetitive Detailed Inspection..            4           65  None..............          260           36  $9,360, per inspection cycle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Authority for This Rulemaking

    Title 49 of the United States Code specifies the FAA's authority to 
issue rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, section 106, describes the 
authority of the FAA Administrator. Subtitle VII, Aviation Programs, 
describes in more detail the scope of the Agency's authority.
    We are issuing this rulemaking under the authority described in 
subtitle VII, part A, subpart III, section 44701, ``General 
requirements.'' Under that section, Congress charges the FAA with 
promoting safe flight of civil aircraft in air commerce by prescribing 
regulations for practices, methods, and procedures the Administrator 
finds necessary for safety in air commerce. This regulation is within 
the scope of that authority because it addresses an unsafe condition 
that is likely to exist or develop on products identified in this 
rulemaking action.

Regulatory Findings

    We have determined that this AD will not have federalism 
implications under Executive Order 13132. This AD will not have a 
substantial direct effect 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.
    For the reasons discussed above, I certify that this AD:
    (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.
    We prepared a regulatory evaluation of the estimated costs to 
comply with this AD and placed it in the AD docket. See the ADDRESSES 
section for a location to examine the regulatory evaluation.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

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

Adoption of the Amendment

0
Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, 
the FAA amends 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

0
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.

Sec.  39.13  [Amended]

0
2. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amends Sec.  39.13 by 
adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD):

2006-01-08 BAE Systems (Operations) Limited (Formerly British 
Aerospace Regional Aircraft): Amendment 39-14447. Docket No. FAA-
2005-22792; Directorate Identifier 2005-NM-084-AD.

Effective Date

    (a) This AD becomes effective February 16, 2006.

[[Page 1953]]

Affected ADs

    (b) None.

Applicability

    (c) This AD applies to all BAE Systems (Operations) Limited 
Model Avro 146-RJ70A, 146-RJ85A, and 146-RJ100A airplanes, 
certificated in any category.

Unsafe Condition

    (d) This AD results from issuance of mandatory continuing 
airworthiness information by a foreign civil airworthiness 
authority. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracking of 
the fuselage skin, which could result in structural failure of the 
fuselage.

Compliance

    (e) You are responsible for having the actions required by this 
AD performed within the compliance times specified, unless the 
actions have already been done.

Maintenance Records Review

    (f) Within 30 days after the effective date of this AD, review 
the airplane's maintenance records to determine if Tasks 532038-DVI-
10000-1 and -2 of the BAE Systems (Operations) Limited BAe146/Avro 
RJ Maintenance Planning Document issued May 15, 2004, have been 
accomplished before the effective date of this AD. If review of the 
airplane's maintenance records cannot conclusively determine that 
Tasks 532038-DVI-10000-1 and -2 have been accomplished, do the 
detailed inspection specified in paragraph (g) of this AD at the 
applicable compliance time specified in paragraph (g)(1) or (g)(2) 
of this AD. If review of the airplane's maintenance records can 
conclusively determine that Tasks 532038-DVI-10000-1 and -2 have 
been accomplished, do the detailed inspection specified in paragraph 
(g) of this AD at the compliance time specified in paragraph (g)(3) 
of this AD.

Detailed Inspection and Corrective Action

    (g) At the applicable compliance time specified in paragraph 
(g)(1), (g)(2), or (g)(3) of this AD, do a detailed inspection of 
the external fuselage skin adjacent to the longeron at rib 0 from 
frame 29 to frame 31, in accordance with the Accomplishment 
Instructions of BAE Systems (Operations) Limited Inspection Service 
Bulletin ISB.53-177, dated June 29, 2004. If any damage is found 
during any inspection required by this AD, before further flight, 
repair in accordance with the service bulletin; except where the 
service bulletin specifies to repair with an approved BAE Systems 
(Operations) Limited repair scheme, before further flight, repair 
the damage according to a method approved by either the Manager, 
International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; 
or the Civil Aviation Authority (or its delegated agent).

    Note 1: For the purposes of this AD, a detailed inspection is: 
``An intensive examination of a specific item, installation, or 
assembly to detect damage, failure, or irregularity. Available 
lighting is normally supplemented with a direct source of good 
lighting at an intensity deemed appropriate. Inspection aids such as 
mirror, magnifying lenses, etc., may be necessary. Surface cleaning 
and elaborate procedures may be required.''


    Note 2: BAE Systems (Operations) Limited Inspection Service 
Bulletin ISB.53-177, dated June 29, 2004, refers to Supplemental 
Structural Inspection 53-20-138 of the BAE Systems (Operations) 
Limited BAe 146/Avro 146-RJ Maintenance Review Board Report, 
Revision 10, dated May 2004, as an additional source of service 
information for inspecting the external fuselage skin. The service 
bulletin also refers to the BAE Systems (Operations) Limited 
structural repair manual (SRM) as an additional source of service 
information for repairing certain damage.

    (1) For airplanes on which Tasks 532038-DVI-10000-1 and -2 of 
the BAE Systems (Operations) Limited BAe146/Avro RJ Maintenance 
Planning Document issued May 15, 2004, have not been accomplished 
but that have accumulated 22,000 total flight cycles or less as of 
the effective date of this AD: Inspect before accumulating 22,000 
total flight cycles or within 6 months after the effective date of 
this AD, whichever is later. Thereafter repeat the detailed 
inspection at intervals not to exceed 12,000 flight cycles.
    (2) For airplanes on which Tasks 532038-DVI-10000-1 and -2 of 
the BAE Systems (Operations) Limited BAe146/Avro RJ Maintenance 
Planning Document issued May 15, 2004, have not been accomplished 
but that have accumulated more than 22,000 total flight cycles as of 
the effective date of this AD: Inspect before accumulating 24,000 
total flight cycles or within 6 months after the effective date of 
this AD, whichever is first. Thereafter repeat the detailed 
inspection at intervals not to exceed 12,000 flight cycles.
    (3) For airplanes on which Tasks 532038-DVI-10000-1 and -2 of 
the BAE Systems (Operations) Limited BAe146/Avro RJ Maintenance 
Planning Document issued May 15, 2004, have been accomplished before 
the effective date of this AD: Inspect within 12,000 flight cycles 
after the most recent inspection. Thereafter repeat the detailed 
inspection at intervals not to exceed 12,000 flight cycles.

No Reporting Requirement

    (h) Although the service bulletin referenced in this AD 
specifies to submit certain information to the manufacturer, this AD 
does not include that requirement.

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (i)(1) The Manager, International Branch, ANM-116, Transport 
Airplane Directorate, FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs for 
this AD, if requested in accordance with the procedures found in 14 
CFR 39.19.
    (2) Before using any AMOC approved in accordance with 14 CFR 
39.19 on any airplane to which the AMOC applies, notify the 
appropriate principal inspector in the FAA Flight Standards 
Certificate Holding District Office.

Related Information

    (j) British airworthiness directive G-2005-0009, dated March 9, 
2005, also addresses the subject of this AD.

Material Incorporated by Reference

    (k) You must use BAE Systems (Operations) Limited Inspection 
Service Bulletin ISB.53-177, dated June 29, 2004, to perform the 
actions that are required by this AD, unless the AD specifies 
otherwise. The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference of this document in accordance with 5 
U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Contact British Aerospace Regional 
Aircraft American Support, 13850 Mclearen Road, Herndon, Virginia 
20171, for a copy of this service information. You may review copies 
at the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Room PL-401, Nassif 
Building, Washington, DC; on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov; or 
at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For 
information on the availability of this material at the NARA, call 
(202) 741-6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_ of --federal-- regulations/ibr--locations.html.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on December 30, 2005.
Linda Navarro,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 06-181 Filed 1-11-06; 8:45 am]
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