[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 164 (Thursday, August 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50113-50114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-7114]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Printing and Distribution Changes for Airworthiness Directives 
and Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (DOT).

ACTION:  Notice of policy change.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the FAA's planned policy changes in the 
printing and distribution of airworthiness directives (AD) and special 
airworthiness information bulletins (SAIB). This planned change in 
policy is part of our transition to full electronic distribution of ADs 
and SAIBs.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 8, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the planned policy changes 
electronically by logging onto the following Web site: http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/draft_docs/. You may mail a hard copy of your 
comments to: Federal Aviation Administration, Aircraft Engineering 
Division, Delegation and Airworthiness Programs Branch, AIR-140, MMAC, 
P.O. Box 26460, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. Attn: Mary Ellen Anderson. Or 
deliver comments to: Federal Aviation Administration, Room 815, 800 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Ellen Anderson, Federal Aviation 
Administration, Aircraft Certification Service, Aircraft Engineering 
Division, Delegation and Airworthiness Programs Branch, AIR-140, 6500 
S. MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73125; phone: (405) 954-
7071; fax: (405) 954-2209.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    Interested persons are invited to comment on the planned policy 
changes by submitting written data, views, or arguments to the above 
address. Comments received may be examined, both before and after the 
closing date, at the Federal Aviation Administration, Room 815, 800 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591, weekends except Federal 
holidays, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The Director, Aircraft 
Certification Service, will consider all comments received on or before 
the closing date.

Background

    ADs are legally enforceable rules that apply to products (aircraft, 
aircraft engines, propellers, and appliances). ADs are issued when we 
find that an unsafe condition exists in a product, and the unsafe 
condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same 
design type design. All final rule ADs are offered to the public by: 
(1) Publishing in the Federal Register at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/advanced.html; (2) accessing the FAA's Web site at: http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/alerts; and (3) mailing to all registered owners and 
operators of the affected product.
    Emergency ADs (EAD) are issued when an unsafe condition exists that 
requires immediate corrective action. These types of ADs are mailed or 
faxed to all registered owners and operators of the affected product. 
After we mail or fax the EAD, it is published as a final

[[Page 50114]]

rule in the Federal Register and this version is also mailed to owners 
and operators of the product, resulting in an owner or operator 
receiving the same information twice.
    Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins (SAIB) provide 
recommended actions that owners and operators may use to improve the 
safety of their products. Because the information contained in SAIBs is 
not mandatory, they are not published in the Federal Register; instead 
we have mailed them to owners and operators as a public service.
    Since the advent of the internet and the Federal Government's 
initiative to make more information available to the public 
electronically, it is the intent of this notice to inform the public of 
our policy initiative to make documents available to the public on the 
internet and eliminate what is now evident to be an unnecessary 
printing and mailing expense.

Policy

    We will begin implementation of the following changes in the 
dissemination of all final rule ADs, EADs, and SAIBs effective 
immediately:
    (a) We will no longer mail AD corrections (corrections that don't 
receive a new amendment number and AD number) to affected owners and 
operators. ADs requiring corrections will continue to be published in 
their entirety in the Federal Register and on our website. ADs 
resubmitted because of a required ``correction'' will be so identified 
on our AD web page.
    (b) We will only mail ADs applicable to a certain engine model to 
the owners and operators who have registered their engine, not to the 
registered aircraft owners and operators referenced in the AD.
    (c) We will only mail the regulatory text, or ``body'', of ADs to 
registered owners and operators. We will no longer include the preamble 
information along with the text of the AD. Note that the complete text 
of ADs can be viewed by logging onto the Federal Register or FAA Web 
site. We will include both internet addresses in every mailed AD.
    (d) We will continue to mail or fax EADs to affected owners and 
operators. However, the final rule version of an EAD will no longer be 
mailed to owners and operators since this is a duplicate mailing.
    (e) We will no longer mail SAIBs to individual owners, operators, 
or repair stations. Instead, we have a new e-mail subscription service 
available on our SAIB Web page. As such, we are advising those 
interested to sign up for the SAIB free e-mail service and check our 
Web site at www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/alerts regularly for new SAIB 
postings.

Susan J.M. Cabler,
Assistant Manager, Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 06-7114 Filed 8-23-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M