[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 67 (Thursday, April 9, 2009)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16121-16124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7790]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2008-0899; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-022-AD; 
Amendment 39-15874; AD 2009-08-01]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Honeywell Flight Management Systems 
(FMSs) Equipped With Honeywell NZ-2000 Navigation Computers and 
Honeywell IC-800 or IC-800E Integrated Avionics Computers; as Installed 
on Various Transport Category Airplanes

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

ACTION: Final rule.

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

SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding an existing airworthiness directive 
(AD), which applies to all Honeywell FMSs served by Honeywell NZ-2000 
navigation computers and IC-800 integrated avionics computers. That AD 
currently requires identifying affected computers by part number and 
software modification level and revising the Limitations section of 
applicable airplane flight manuals to provide procedures for retaining 
optimum position determination and intended navigation. This new AD 
requires upgrading new software, which terminates the existing 
requirements. This AD results from reports of in-flight unannunciated 
shifts of computed position in airplanes with the subject FMS 
computers. We are issuing this AD to prevent a shift in the FMS 
computed position, which could result in uncommanded deviations from 
the intended flight path of the airplane, and, if those deviations are 
undetected by the flight crew, compromised terrain/traffic avoidance.

DATES: This AD becomes effective May 14, 2009.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of certain publications listed in the AD as of May 14, 2009.
    On April 18, 2007 (72 FR 15818, April 3, 2007), the Director of the 
Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of Honeywell 
Technical Newsletter A23-6111-008, Revision 001, dated February 22, 
2007.

ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Honeywell Technical Operations Center, 1944 East Sky Harbor Circle, 
Phoenix, Arizona 85034-3442; telephone (U.S. and Canada) 800-601-3099, 
(international) 602-365-3099; e-mail [email protected]; 
Internet http://www.honeywell.com.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov; or in person at the Docket Management Facility 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. The AD docket contains this AD, the regulatory evaluation, 
any comments received, and other information. The address for the 
Docket Office (telephone 800-647-5527) is the Document Management 
Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, 
West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., 
Washington, DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Daniel Bui, Aerospace Engineer, 
Systems and Equipment Branch, ANM-130L, FAA, Los Angeles Aircraft 
Certification Office, 3960 Paramount Boulevard, Lakewood, California 
90712-4137; telephone (562) 627-5339; fax (562) 627-5210.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion

    The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 
CFR part 39 to include an AD that supersedes AD 2007-07-12, amendment 
39-15009 (72 FR 15818, April 3, 2007). The existing AD applies to all 
Honeywell FMSs served by Honeywell NZ-2000 navigation computers and IC-
800 integrated avionics computers. That NPRM was published in the 
Federal Register on August 21, 2008 (73 FR 49368). That NPRM proposed 
to retain the existing requirements of identifying affected airplanes 
by part numbers/modification levels and revising the Limitations 
section of the airplane flight manual. That NPRM also proposed to 
require uploading new software, which would terminate the existing 
requirements.

Actions Since NPRM Was Issued

    Since we issued the NPRM, Honeywell has published Alert Service 
Bulletin 7017300-22-A6112, Revision 001, dated February 7, 2008. In the 
NPRM, we referred to Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin 7017300-22-A6112, 
dated June 22, 2007, as the appropriate source of service information 
for accomplishing the proposed actions. The procedures in Revision 001 
of this service bulletin are essentially the same as those in the 
original issue of this service bulletin. Revision 001 of this service 
bulletin includes instructions to load software onboard as an 
alternative

[[Page 16122]]

to sending the unit to a service center to have the software loaded.
    Therefore, we have revised this AD to refer to Honeywell Alert 
Service Bulletin 7017300-22-A6112, Revision 001, dated February 7, 
2008, as the appropriate source of service information. We have also 
added a new paragraph (i) to this AD that specifies that actions done 
before the effective date of this AD in accordance with Honeywell Alert 
Service Bulletin 7017300-22-A6112, dated June 22, 2007, are acceptable 
for compliance with the requirements of this AD and re-identified 
subsequent paragraphs.

Comments

    We provided the public the opportunity to participate in the 
development of this AD. We have considered the comments that have been 
received on the NPRM.

Request To Remove References to Service Bulletin

    Honeywell requests that we remove the references to Honeywell 
Service Bulletin 7018879-34-6061, Revision 001, dated January 21, 2008, 
from the NPRM because the service modifications identified in this 
service bulletin are not affected by the identified unsafe condition 
and the modification works correctly.
    We agree that Honeywell Service Bulletin 7018879-34-6061, Revision 
001, dated January 21, 2008, is unnecessary. This service bulletin, 
which includes Modifications A and B, did not exhibit the FMS position 
jump problem that this AD addresses. This problem started when 
Modification C was incorporated into the affected units. Since 
Modifications A and B did not exhibit the FMS position jump problem, 
operators of these units are not required to incorporate the AFM 
revision procedures. Therefore, we have removed references to Honeywell 
Service Bulletin 7018879-34-6061, Revision 001, dated January 21, 2008, 
from this AD.

Request To Clarify Terminology

    Honeywell notes that the NPRM states that the new software should 
be ``uploaded.'' This term may cause some confusion as very few of the 
affected airplanes have the capability to field-load the software. 
Honeywell recommends replacing the term ``upload'' with ``upgrade.''
    We agree that this terminology may cause some confusion, and we 
have changed the ``upload'' terminology to ``upgrade'' throughout this 
AD.

Request To Change Contact Information of Manufacturer

    The manufacturer, Honeywell, has requested that we change the 
contact information for service information to Honeywell Technical 
Operations Center, 1944 East Sky Harbor Circle, Phoenix, Arizona 85034-
3442; telephone (U.S. and Canada) 800-601-3099; (international) 602-
365-3099; e-mail [email protected].
    We agree, and we have provided the specific contact information for 
the manufacturer as requested.

Conclusion

    We have carefully reviewed the available data, including the 
comments that have been received, and determined that air safety and 
the public interest require adopting the AD with the changes described 
previously. We have determined that these changes will neither increase 
the economic burden on any operator nor increase the scope of the AD.

Costs of Compliance

    There are about 104 airplanes of the affected design in the 
worldwide fleet. The following table provides the estimated costs for 
U.S. operators to comply with this AD.

                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Number of U.S.-
             Action                  Work hour     Average labor     Cost per       registered      Fleet cost
                                                   rate per hour     airplane        airplanes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AFM revision (required by AD                   1             $80             $80              77          $6,160
 2007-07-12)....................
Terminating action (new required               1              80              80              77           6,160
 action)........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

[[Page 16123]]

by removing amendment 39-15009 (72 FR 15818, April 3, 2007) and by 
adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD):

2009-08-01 Honeywell, Inc.: Amendment 39-15874. Docket No. FAA-2008-
0899; Directorate Identifier 2008-NM-022-AD.

Effective Date

    (a) This AD becomes effective May 14, 2009.

Affected ADs

    (b) This AD supersedes AD 2007-07-12.

Applicability

    (c) This AD applies to all Honeywell NZ-2000 navigation 
computers and Honeywell IC-800 or IC-800E integrated avionics 
computers; as installed on transport category airplanes, 
certificated in any category, including but not limited to the 
airplanes identified in Table 1 of this AD.

                    Table 1--Known Affected Airplanes
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Manufacturer                            Model
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bombardier, Inc........................  CL-600-2B16 (CL-601-3A, CL-601-
                                          3R, and CL-604) airplanes.
Dassault Aviation......................  Mystere-Falcon 900 airplanes.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation.......  G-1159A and GV airplanes, and G-
                                          IV series airplanes.
Lockheed...............................  382G series airplanes.
Hawker Beechcraft (formerly Raytheon     BAe.125 Series 800A (including
 Aircraft Company).                       C-29A and U-125) airplanes.
                                         Hawker 800XP and 1000
                                          airplanes.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unsafe Condition

    (d) This AD results from reports of in-flight unannunciated 
shifts of computed position in airplanes with the subject flight 
management system (FMS) computers identified in paragraph (c) of 
this AD. We are issuing this AD to prevent a shift in the FMS 
computed position, which could result in uncommanded deviations from 
the intended flight path of the airplane and, if those deviations 
are undetected by the flight crew, compromised terrain/traffic 
avoidance.

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.

Requirements of AD 2007-07-12

Identification of Part Number/Modification Level

    (f) Within 14 days after April 18, 2007 (the effective date of 
AD 2007-07-12): Determine if the installed NZ-2000 navigation 
computers and IC-800 or IC-800E integrated avionics computers 
serving FMSs have computer part numbers and software modification 
levels identified in Honeywell Technical Newsletter A23-6111-008, 
Revision 001, dated February 22, 2007. For purposes of this AD, 
airplanes with FMS computers having a part number and software 
modification level identified in the newsletter are ``affected 
airplanes.''

Revision of Airplane Flight Manual (AFM)

    (g) For any affected airplane: Within 14 days after April 18, 
2007, revise the Limitations section of the applicable AFM to 
incorporate the information included in Appendix A of Honeywell 
Technical Newsletter A23-6111-008, Revision 001, dated February 22, 
2007. This may be done by inserting a copy of Appendix A of the 
newsletter into the AFM.

New Requirements of This AD

Terminating Action

    (h) Within 12 months after the effective date of this AD, 
upgrade the applicable software as specified in Table 2 of this AD. 
After upgrading the applicable software, the requirements of 
paragraphs (f) and (g) of this AD are no longer necessary, and the 
AFM revision required by paragraph (g) of this AD may be removed.

                       Table 2--Terminating Action
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               In accordance with
  Upgrade new software in--    the accomplishment           For--
                                instructions of--
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) The IC-800 or             Honeywell Alert       The IAC identified
 IC[dash]800E integrated       Service Bulletin      in Honeywell Alert
 avionic computer (IAC), as    7017300-22-A6112,     Service Bulletin
 applicable.                   Revision 001, dated   7017300-22-A6112,
                               February 7, 2008.     Revision 001, dated
                                                     February 7, 2008.
(2) The NZ-2000 navigation    Honeywell Alert       The NAV computer
 computer (NAV computer).      Service Bulletin      identified in
                               7018879-34-A6060,     Honeywell Alert
                               Revision 001, dated   Service Bulletin
                               January 21, 2008.     7018879-34-A6060,
                                                     Revision 001, dated
                                                     January 21, 2008.
                              Honeywell Alert       The NAV computer
                               Service Bulletin      identified in
                               7018879-34-A6062,     Honeywell Alert
                               dated June 12, 2007.  Service Bulletin
                                                     7018879-34-A6062,
                                                     dated June 12,
                                                     2007.
                              Honeywell Alert       The NAV computer
                               Service Bulletin      identified in
                               7018879-34-A6063,     Honeywell Alert
                               dated July 6, 2007.   Service Bulletin
                                                     7018879-34-A6063,
                                                     dated July 6, 2007.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Credit for Actions Done According to Previous Issue of Service 
Bulletin

    (i) Actions done before the effective date of this AD in 
accordance with Honeywell Service Bulletin 7017300-22-A6112, dated 
June 22, 2007, are acceptable for compliance with the requirements 
of paragraph (h)(1) of this AD.

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (j)(1) The Manager, Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Office, 
FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested 
using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information to 
Attn: Daniel Bui, Aerospace Engineer, Systems and Equipment Branch, 
ANM-130L, FAA, Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Office, 3960 
Paramount Boulevard, Lakewood, California 90712-4137; telephone 
(562) 627-5339; fax (562) 627-5210.
    (2) To request a different method of compliance or a different 
compliance time for this AD, follow the procedures in 14 CFR 39.19. 
Before using any approved AMOC on any airplane to which the AMOC 
applies, notify your appropriate principal inspector (PI) in the FAA 
Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), or lacking a PI, your local 
FSDO.

Material Incorporated by Reference

    (k) You must use the service information contained in Table 3 of 
this AD to do the actions required by this AD, as applicable, unless 
the AD specifies otherwise. (The revision level of Honeywell Alert 
Service Bulletin 7017300-22A6112, Revision 001;

[[Page 16124]]

and Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin 7018879-34-A6060, Revision 001; 
is identified only on the first page of these documents.)

                                 Table 3--All Material Incorporated by Reference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Document                        Revision                                Date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin      001.....................  February 7, 2008.
 7017300-22A6112.
Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin      001.....................  January 21, 2008.
 7018879-34-A6060.
Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin      Original................  June 12, 2007.
 7018879-34-A6062.
Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin      Original................  July 6, 2007.
 7018879-34-A6063.
Honeywell Technical Newsletter A23-   001.....................  February 22, 2007.
 6111-008.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference of the service information contained in 
Table 4 of this AD under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.

                                 Table 4--New Material Incorporated by Reference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Document                        Revision                                Date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin      001.....................  February 7, 2008.
 7017300-22A6112.
Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin      001.....................  January 21, 2008.
 7018879-34-A6060.
Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin      Original................  June 12, 2007.
 7018879-34-A6062.
Honeywell Alert Service Bulletin      Original................  July 6, 2007.
 7018879-34-A6063.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (2) The Director of the Federal Register previously approved the 
incorporation by reference of the service information contained in 
Table 5 of this AD on April 18, 2007 (72 FR 15818, April 3, 2007).

                             Table 5--Material Previously Incorporated by Reference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Document                        Revision                                Date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Honeywell Technical Newsletter A2-    001.....................  February 22, 2007.
 6111-008.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     (3) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Honeywell Technical Operations Center, 1944 East Sky Harbor Circle, 
Phoenix, Arizona 85034-3442; telephone (U.S. and Canada) 800-601-
3099, (international) 602-365-3099; e-mail 
[email protected]; Internet http://www.honeywell.com.
    (4) You may review copies of the service information that is 
incorporated by reference at the FAA, Transport Airplane 
Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington. For 
information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 
425-227-1221 or 425-227-1152.
    (5) You may also review copies of the service information at the 
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information 
on the availability of this material at 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 March 30, 2009.
Stephen P. Boyd,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. E9-7790 Filed 4-8-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P