[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 54 (Monday, March 21, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 15229-15231]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-6500]



[[Page 15229]]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2011-0223; Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-161-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Goodrich Evacuation Systems Approved 
Under Technical Standard Order (TSO) TSO-C69b and Installed on Airbus 
Model A330-200 and -300 Series Airplanes, Model A340-200 and -300 
Series Airplanes, and Model A340-541 and -642 Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: We propose to supersede an existing airworthiness directive 
(AD) that applies to Goodrich evacuation systems approved under TSO-
C69b and installed on certain Model A330-200 and -300 series airplanes, 
Model A340-200 and -300 series airplanes, and Model A340-541 and -642 
airplanes. The existing AD currently requires inspecting to determine 
the part number of the pressure relief valves on the affected Goodrich 
evacuation systems, and corrective action if necessary. Since we issued 
that AD, we have received reports that during workshop testing, certain 
pressure relief valves, which were required by the existing AD, did not 
seal and allowed the pressure in slides/rafts to fall below the minimum 
raft mode pressure for the unit. This proposed AD would require 
inspecting to determine the part number of the pressure relief valves 
on the affected Goodrich evacuation systems and replacing certain 
pressure relief valves. This proposed AD would also add airplanes to 
the applicability. We are proposing this AD to prevent loss of pressure 
in the escape slides/rafts after an emergency evacuation, which could 
result in inadequate buoyancy to support the raft's passenger capacity 
during ditching and increase the chance for injury to raft passengers.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by May 5, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
     Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    For service information identified in this AD, contact Goodrich 
Corporation, Aircraft Interior Products, ATTN: Technical Publications, 
3414 South Fifth Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85040; phone: 602-243-2270; 
e-mail: [email protected]; Internet: http://www.goodrich.com/TechPubs; for service information identified in this 
proposed AD. You may review copies of the referenced service 
information 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.

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 proposed AD, the regulatory 
evaluation, any comments received, and other information. The street 
address for the Docket Office (phone: 800-647-5527) is in the ADDRESSES 
section. Comments will be available in the AD docket shortly after 
receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tracy Ton, Aerospace Engineer, Cabin 
Safety/Mechanical and Environmental Systems Branch, ANM-150L, FAA, Los 
Angeles Aircraft Certification Office, 3960 Paramount Boulevard, 
Lakewood, California 90712-4137; phone: 562-627-5352; fax: 562-627-
5210; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or 
arguments about this proposed AD. Send your comments to an address 
listed under the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2011-0223; 
Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-161-AD'' at the beginning of your 
comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, 
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this proposed AD. We 
will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend 
this proposed AD because of those comments.
    We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. We 
will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact we 
receive about this proposed AD.

Discussion

    On October 27, 2007, we issued AD 2007-23-01, Amendment 39-15247 
(72 FR 62568 November 6, 2007), for Goodrich evacuation systems 
approved under TSO-C69b and installed on certain Model A330-200 and -
300 series airplanes, Model A340-200 and -300 series airplanes, and 
Model A340-541 and -642 airplanes. That AD requires inspecting to 
determine the part number of the pressure relief valves on the affected 
Goodrich evacuation systems, and corrective action if necessary. That 
AD resulted from a report indicating that, during maintenance testing, 
the pressure relief valves on the affected Goodrich evacuation systems 
did not seal when activated, which caused the pressure in the escape 
slide/raft to drop below the minimum allowable raft mode pressure. We 
issued that AD to prevent loss of pressure in the escape slides/rafts 
after an emergency evacuation, which could result in inadequate 
buoyancy to support the raft's passenger capacity during ditching and 
increase the chance for injury to raft passengers.

Actions Since Existing AD Was Issued

    Since we issued AD 2007-23-01, we have received reports that during 
workshop testing the pressure relief valves required by AD 2007-23-01 
did not seal and allowed the pressure in some Model A330 and A340 
series airplane slides/rafts to fall below the minimum raft mode 
pressure for the unit.

Relevant Service Information

    We reviewed Goodrich Service Bulletin 7A1508/09/10/39-25-373, 
Revision 2, dated May 8, 2009; and Goodrich Service Bulletin 4A3928/
4A3934-25-374, Revision 1, dated May 8, 2009. The service information 
describes, among other things, procedures for replacing certain 
pressure relief valves with new improved valves for applicable 
airplanes and doors as shown in the following table, and for marking 
the system identification placard on the girt.

[[Page 15230]]



             Service Bulletin Airplane Model Valve Locations
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       Service bulletin           Affected airplanes         Doors
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Goodrich Service Bulletin       Airbus Model A330-200  Doors 1, 2, 3,
 7A1508/09/10/39-25-373.         and -300 series        and 4.
                                 airplanes, Model
                                 A340[dash]200 and -
                                 300 series airplanes.
Goodrich Service Bulletin       Airbus Model           Doors 1, 2, and
 7A1508/09/10/39-25-373.         A340[dash]541 and -    4.
                                 642 airplanes.
Goodrich Service Bulletin       Airbus Model           Door 3.
 4A3928/4A3934-25-374.           A340[dash]541 and -
                                 642 airplanes.
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FAA's Determination

    We are proposing this AD because we evaluated all the relevant 
information and determined the unsafe condition described previously is 
likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.

Proposed AD Requirements

    This proposed AD would retain none of the requirements of AD 2007-
23-01. This proposed AD would require inspecting to determine the part 
number of the pressure relief valves on the affected Goodrich 
evacuation systems, replacing certain pressure relief valves with new 
improved valves, and marking the system identification placard on the 
girt of the replaced part. This proposed AD would also add Airbus Model 
A330-223F and -243F airplanes to the applicability.

Differences Between the Proposed AD and the Service Information

    Goodrich Service Bulletin 4A3928/4A3934-25-374, Revision 1, dated 
May 8, 2009, specifies replacing certain firing pin cables with an 
improved firing pin cable, which is not included in this proposed AD.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this proposed AD affects 41 airplanes of U.S. 
registry.
    We estimate the following costs to comply with this proposed AD:

                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                               Cost per         Cost on U.S.
              Action                     Labor cost          Parts cost        product            operators
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Inspection to determine part        1 work-hour x $85                 $0              $85   Up to $3,485.
 numbers.                            per hour = $85.
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    We estimate the following costs to do any necessary replacements 
that would be required based on the results of the proposed inspection. 
We have no way of determining the number of aircraft that might need 
these replacements.

                                               On-Condition Costs
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                 Action                          Labor cost             Parts cost         Cost per product
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Valve replacement......................  1 work-hour x $85 per hour            $775   $860 per slide.
                                          = $85.
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    According to the manufacturer, some of the costs of this proposed 
AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost impact on 
affected individuals. We do not control warranty coverage for affected 
individuals. As a result, we have included all costs in our cost 
estimate.

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),
    (3) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and
    (4) 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.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

    Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by 
reference, 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:

[[Page 15231]]

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 FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by removing airworthiness directive 
(AD) 2007-23-01, Amendment 39-15247 (72 FR 62568, November 6, 2007), 
and adding the following new AD:

Goodrich (Formerly BF Goodrich): Docket No. FAA-2011-0223; 
Directorate Identifier 2010-NM-161-AD.

Comments Due Date

    (a) The FAA must receive comments on this AD action by May 5, 
2011.

Affected ADs

    (b) This AD supersedes AD 2007-23-01, Amendment 39-15247.

Applicability

    (c) This AD applies to Goodrich evacuation systems approved 
under Technical Standard Order (TSO) TSO-C69b, as installed on the 
Airbus airplanes, certificated in any category, identified in 
paragraphs (c)(1), (c)(2), and (c)(3) of this AD.
    (1) Model A330-201, -202, -203, -223, -223F, -243, -243F, -301, 
-321, -322, -323, -341, -342, and -343 airplanes; as identified in 
Goodrich Service Bulletin 7A1508/09/10/39-25-373, Revision 2, dated 
May 8, 2009.
    (2) Model A340-211, -212, -213, -311, -312, and -313 airplanes; 
as identified in Goodrich Service Bulletin 7A1508/09/10/39-25-373, 
Revision 2, dated May 8, 2009.
    (3) Model A340-541 and -642 airplanes, as identified in Goodrich 
Service Bulletins 7A1508/09/10/39-25-373, Revision 2, dated May 8, 
2009; and 4A3928/4A3934-25-374, Revision 1, dated May 8, 2009.

Subject

    (d) Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC)/Air Transport 
Association (ATA) of America Code 2560, Emergency Equipment.

Unsafe Condition

    (e) This AD was prompted by reports that during workshop 
testing, certain pressure relief valves did not seal and allowed the 
pressure in certain slides/rafts to fall below the minimum raft mode 
pressure for the unit. We are issuing this AD to prevent loss of 
pressure in the escape slides/rafts after an emergency evacuation, 
which could result in inadequate buoyancy to support the raft's 
passenger capacity during ditching and increase the chance for 
injury to raft passengers.

Compliance

    (f) Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified, 
unless already done.

Part Replacement

    (g) Within 36 months after the effective date of this AD, 
inspect the evacuation systems to determine whether any pressure 
relief valve having part number (P/N) 4A3641-1, 4A3791-3, 4A3641-26, 
or 4A3791-6 is installed. A review of airplane maintenance records 
or the system identification placard on the girt is acceptable in 
lieu of this inspection if the part number of the pressure relief 
valves can be conclusively determined from that review.
    (h) If any valve having part number (P/N) 4A3641-1, 4A3791-3, 
4A3641-26, or 4A3791-6 is identified during the inspection or review 
specified in paragraph (g) of this AD: Before further flight, do the 
applicable actions required by paragraphs (h)(1) and (h)(2) of this 
AD.
    (1) Replace all pressure relief valves P/Ns 4A3641-1 and 4A3791-
3 with pressure relief valves having P/N 115815-1, and mark the 
system identification placard on the girt, in accordance with the 
Accomplishment Instructions of Goodrich Service Bulletin 7A1508/09/
10/39-25-373, Revision 2, dated May 8, 2009.
    (2) Replace all pressure relief valves having P/Ns 4A3641-26 and 
4A3791-6 with pressure relief valves having P/N 115815-1 (for 
evacuation systems having P/N 4A3934 series units) or 115815-2 (for 
evacuation systems P/N 4A3928 series units); and mark the system 
identification placard on the girt; in accordance with the 
Accomplishment Instructions of Goodrich Service Bulletin 4A3928/
4A3934-25-374, Revision 1, dated May 8, 2009.

Parts Installation

    (i) As of the effective date of this AD, no person may install a 
pressure relief valve having part number 4A3641-1, 4A3791-3, 4A3791-
6, or 4A3641-26 in the evacuation system on any airplane.

Credit for Actions Accomplished in Accordance With Previous Service 
Information

    (j) Actions accomplished before the effective date of this AD in 
accordance with Goodrich Service Bulletin 7A1508/09/10/39-25-373, 
dated March 31, 2008, or Goodrich Service Bulletin 7A1508/09/10/39-
25-373, Revision 1, dated August 1, 2008; or Goodrich Service 
Bulletin 4A3928/4A3934-25-374, dated July 18, 2008; as applicable; 
are acceptable for compliance with the corresponding requirements of 
this AD.

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (k)(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. In accordance with 14 
CFR 39.19, send your request to your principal inspector or local 
Flight Standards District Office, as appropriate. If sending 
information directly to the manager of the ACO, send it to the 
attention of the person identified in the Related Information 
section of this AD.
    (2) Before using any approved AMOC, notify your appropriate 
principal inspector, or lacking a principal inspector, the manager 
of the local flight standards district office/certificate holding 
district office.

Related Information

    (l) For more information about this AD, contact Tracy Ton, 
Aerospace Engineer, Cabin Safety/Mechanical and Environmental 
Systems Branch, ANM-150L, FAA, Los Angeles Aircraft Certification 
Office, 3960 Paramount Boulevard, Lakewood, California 90712-4137; 
phone: 562-627-5352; fax: 562-627-5210; e-mail: [email protected].
    (m) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Goodrich Corporation, Aircraft Interior Products, ATTN: Technical 
Publications, 3414 South Fifth Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85040; 
phone: 602-243-2270; e-mail: [email protected]; 
Internet: http://www.goodrich.com/TechPubs. You may review copies of 
the referenced service information 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.

    Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 9, 2011.
Kalene C. Yanamura,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.

[FR Doc. 2011-6500 Filed 3-18-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P