[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 110 (Thursday, June 8, 2006)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 33264-33267]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-8900]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2006-24958; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-075-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model A300 Airplanes, Equipped 
With General Electric CF6-50 Series Engines

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

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) 
for certain Airbus Model A300 airplanes. This proposed AD would require 
modifying the airplane and the engine/nacelle to install a third line 
of defense against inadvertent deployment of the thrust reverser in 
flight. This proposed AD would also require two other actions that must 
be accomplished before or concurrently with the modification: 
installing a structural change in the fan cowl to avoid interference; 
and installing a dedicated, shielded electrical circuit. This proposed 
AD results from a report that the manufacturer has developed a third 
line of defense against the inadvertent deployment of the thrust 
reverser of A300 airplanes that are equipped with General Electric CF6-
50 series engines (in accordance with FAA guidelines). We are proposing 
this AD to prevent inadvertent deployment of the thrust

[[Page 33265]]

reverser in flight, which could result in reduced controllability of 
the airplane.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by July 10, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following addresses to submit comments on 
this proposed AD.
     DOT Docket Web site: Go to http://dms.dot.gov and follow 
the instructions for sending your comments electronically.
     Government-wide rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street SW., Nassif Building, room PL-401, 
Washington, DC 20590.
     Fax: (202) 493-2251.
     Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. 
and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
     Contact: Airbus, 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 
Blagnac Cedex, France, for service information identified in this 
proposed AD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Stafford, Aerospace Engineer, 
International Branch, ANM-116, FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 
1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98055-4056; telephone (425) 
227-1622; fax (425) 227-1149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    We invite you to submit any relevant written data, views, or 
arguments regarding this proposed AD. Send your comments to an address 
listed in the ADDRESSES section. Include the docket number ``FAA-2006-
24958; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-075-AD'' at the beginning of your 
comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, 
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of the proposed AD. We will 
consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend the 
proposed AD in light of those comments.
    We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal information you provide. We will 
also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact with FAA 
personnel concerning this proposed AD. Using the search function of 
that web site, anyone can find and read the comments in any of our 
dockets, including the name of the individual who sent the comment (or 
signed the comment on behalf of an association, business, labor union, 
etc.). You may review the DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the 
Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you 
may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

Examining the Docket

    You may examine the 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 DOT 
street address stated in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 
available in the AD docket shortly after the Docket Management System 
receives them.

Discussion

    The Direction G[eacute]n[eacute]rale de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC), 
which is the airworthiness authority for France, notified us that an 
unsafe condition may exist on certain Airbus Model A300 airplanes. The 
DGAC advises that the manufacturer has developed an improved design of 
the thrust reverser of A300 airplanes that are equipped with General 
Electric CF6-50 engines. The improved design acts as a third line of 
defense against inadvertent deployment of the thrust reverser in 
flight. The DGAC states that this new design conforms to the 
requirements of Appendix C, ``Thrust Reverser System Safety Analysis,'' 
of the FAA document titled ``Criteria for Assessing Transport Turbojet 
Fleet Thrust Reverser Safety,'' dated June 1, 1994. Airbus has 
reassessed the safety of the thrust reverser system on all of its wide-
body airplanes based on Appendix C of this document. The FAA document 
is based upon the premise that no failure of thrust reverser components 
anticipated to occur in service should prevent continued safe flight 
and landing of an airplane. Appendix C states that the thrust reverser 
system is acceptable if catastrophic deployment is shown to be 
extremely improbable. Inadvertent deployment of the thrust reverser in 
flight, if not corrected, could result in reduced controllability of 
the airplane.

Relevant Service Information

    Airbus has issued Service Bulletin A300-78-0022, dated September 
27, 2005. The service bulletin describes procedures for modifying the 
airplane and the engine/nacelle to install a third line of defense 
against inadvertent deployment of the thrust reverser in flight. On the 
airplane, the modification includes retrofitting the circuit breaker 
monitoring wiring, activating the electrical circuit, and testing the 
complete system. On the engine/nacelle, the modification includes 
retrofitting the electrical harness routing from each lock to the pylon 
interfaces, installing support brackets for the electrical harness on 
each side of the engine pylon, installing new pneumatic tubing in the 
engine/pylon area and on the thrust reverser, and installing a dual 
switcher valve on the right-hand thrust reverser half.
    Airbus Service Bulletin A300-78-0022 also specifies prior or 
concurrent accomplishment of the following service bulletins:

                   Prior/Concurrent Service Bulletins
------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Airbus service bulletin                       Action
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A300-54-0098, dated September 27, 2005.  Install a structural change in
                                          the fan cowl to avoid
                                          interference between the third
                                          line of defense hardware
                                          installed on the thrust
                                          reverser and the fan cowl.
A300-78-0021, dated September 27, 2005.  Install a dedicated, shielded
                                          electrical circuit, segregated
                                          from the current thrust
                                          reverser control system.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Accomplishing the actions specified in the service information is 
intended to adequately address the unsafe condition. The DGAC mandated 
the service information and issued French airworthiness directive F-
2005-206, dated December 21, 2005, to ensure the continued 
airworthiness of these airplanes in France.

FAA's Determination and Requirements of the Proposed AD

    This airplane model is manufactured in France and is type 
certificated for operation in the United States under the

[[Page 33266]]

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 DGAC has kept the FAA 
informed of the situation described above. We have examined the DGAC's 
findings, evaluated all pertinent information, and determined that we 
need to issue an AD for airplanes of this type design that are 
certificated for operation in the United States.
    Therefore, we are proposing this AD, which would require 
accomplishing the actions specified in the service information 
described previously.

Costs of Compliance

    This proposed AD would affect about 30 airplanes of U.S. registry. 
The following table provides the estimated costs for U.S. operators to 
comply with this proposed AD. The average labor rate is $80 per work 
hour.

                                                 Estimated Costs
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                                                               Work                  Cost per
                          Action                              hours      Parts       airplane       Fleet cost
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Install third line of defense.............................          6       $440            $920         $27,600
Install structural change in the fan cowl (prior/                 312      5,680          30,640         919,200
 concurrent requirement)..................................
Install dedicated, shielded electrical circuit (prior/             94     28,700          36,220       1,086,600
 concurrent requirement)..................................
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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 proposed AD would not have federalism 
implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would 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 the proposed 
regulation:
    1. Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive Order 
12866;
    2. Is not a ``significant rule'' under the 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 proposed 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, Safety.

The Proposed Amendment

    Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the FAA proposes to amend 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. 106(g), 40113, 44701.


Sec.  39.13  [Amended]

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

Airbus: Docket No. FAA-2006-24958; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-
075-AD.

Comments Due Date

    (a) The FAA must receive comments on this AD action by July 10, 
2006.

Affected ADs

    (b) None.

Applicability

    (c) This AD applies to A300 airplanes, certificated in any 
category; equipped with General Electric CF6-50 series engines.

Unsafe Condition

    (d) This AD results from a report that the manufacturer has 
developed a third line of defense against the inadvertent deployment 
of the thrust reverser of A300 airplanes that are equipped with 
General Electric CF6-50 series engines (in accordance with FAA 
guidelines). We are issuing this AD to prevent inadvertent 
deployment of the thrust reverser in flight, which could result in 
reduced controllability of the airplane.

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.

Modification

    (f) Within 48 months after the effective date of this AD, modify 
the airplane and the engine/nacelle to install a third line of 
defense against inadvertent deployment of the thrust reverser in 
flight, in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of Airbus 
Service Bulletin A300-78-0022, dated September 27, 2005.

Prior/Concurrent Installations

    (g) Prior to or concurrently with the modification in paragraph 
(f) of this AD, do the installations specified in Table 1 of this AD 
in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of the service 
bulletins listed in Table 1.

                   Table 1.--Prior/Concurrent Actions
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                 Action                       Airbus service bulletin
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Install a structural change in the    A300-54-0098, dated September
 fan cowl to avoid interference between    27, 2005.
 the third line of defense hardware
 installed on the thrust reverser and
 the fan cowl.

[[Page 33267]]

 
(2) Install a dedicated, shielded         A300-78-0021, dated September
 electrical circuit, segregated from the   27, 2005.
 current thrust reverser control system.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (h)(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 Sec.  
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

    (i) French airworthiness directive F-2005-206, dated December 
21, 2005, also addresses the subject of this AD.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on May 30, 2006.
Jeffrey E. Duven,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-8900 Filed 6-7-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P