[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 29, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 45545-45547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16214]


 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 146 / Wednesday, July 29, 2020 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 45545]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2020-0718; Product Identifier 2019-CE-045-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Textron Aviation Inc. Airplanes (Type 
Certificate Previously Held by Beechcraft Corporation)

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) 
for certain Textron Aviation Inc. (Textron) (type certificate 
previously held by Beechcraft Corporation) Models F90, 65-90, 65-A90, 
B90, C90, H90 (T-44A), E90, 65-A90-1 (JU-21A, U-21A, RU-21A, RU-21D, U-
21G, RU-21H), 65-A90-2 (RU-21B), 65-A90-3 (RU-21C), 65-A90-4 (RU-21E, 
RU-21H), 99, 99A, 99A (FACH), A99, A99A, B99, C99, 100, A100 (U-21F), 
and B100 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of fatigue 
cracks in the lower forward wing fitting. This proposed AD would 
require a one-time inspection for the presence of washer part number 
(P/N) 90-380058-1 on the left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) lower 
forward wing bolt and, if applicable, removing washer P/N 90-380058-1, 
inspecting the wing fitting, bolt, and nut, replacing the wing fitting 
if it is cracked, and replacing the washer with washer P/N 90-380019-1. 
The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these 
products.

DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this proposed AD by September 
14, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://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 NPRM, contact Textron 
Aviation Inc., P.O. Box 7706, Wichita, KS 67277: phone: 316-517-5800; 
internet: https://txtav.com/. You may view this service information at 
the FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, Operational Safety Branch, 901 
Locust St, Kansas City, MO 64106. For information on the availability 
of this material at the FAA, call 816-329-4148.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-
0718; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains 
this NPRM, any comments received, and other information. The street 
address for Docket Operations is listed above. Comments will be 
available in the AD docket shortly after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian C. Adamson, Aerospace Engineer, 
Wichita ACO Branch, AIR-7K3, FAA, 1801 Airport Rd, Wichita, KS 67209; 
phone: 316-946-4193; fax: 316-946-4107; email: [email protected] or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites 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-2020-0718; 
Product Identifier 2019-CE-041-AD'' at the beginning of your comments. 
The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date and may 
amend this proposed AD because of those comments.
    Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in 
the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR 
11.35, the FAA will post all comments we receive, without change, to 
https://regulations.gov, including any personal information you 
provide. The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive 
verbal contact it receives about this proposed AD.

Confidential Business Information

    Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial 
information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by 
its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), 
CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments responsive to 
this NPRM contain commercial or financial information that is 
customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and 
that is relevant or responsive to this NPRM, it is important that you 
clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Please mark each page 
of your submission containing CBI as ``PROPIN.'' The FAA will treat 
such marked submissions as confidential under the FOIA, and they will 
not be placed in the public docket of this NPRM. Submissions containing 
CBI should be sent to Brian C. Adamson, Aerospace Engineer, Wichita ACO 
Branch, AIR-7K3, FAA, 1801 Airport Rd, Wichita, KS 67209; phone: 316-
946-4193; fax: 316-946-4107; email: [email protected] or [email protected]. Any commentary that the FAA receives which is not 
specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for 
this rulemaking.

Discussion

    Textron has received reports of fatigue cracks in the lower forward 
wing fitting on two airplanes. Investigation revealed that installing 
washer P/N 90-380058-1 on the wing bolt will cause a premature torque 
indication. This washer may have been installed as part of kit 101-
4024-3 on Models F90, 65-90, 65-A90, B90, C90, H90 (T-44A), E90, 65-
A90-1 (JU-21A, U-21A, RU-21A, RU-21D, U-21G, RU-21H), 65-A90-2 (RU-
21B), 65-A90-3 (RU-21C), 65-A90-4 (RU-21E, RU-21H), 99, 99A, 99A 
(FACH), A99, A99A, B99, C99, 100, A100 (U-21F), and B100 airplanes, or 
as part of kit 90-4077-1 on Models 65-90, 65-A90, 65-A90-1 (JU-21A, U-
21A, RU-21A, RU-21D, U-21G, RU-21H),

[[Page 45546]]

65-A90-2 (RU-21B), 65-A90-3 (RU-21C), 65-A90-4 (RU-21E, RU-21H), B90, 
C90, and E90 airplanes. Under-torque of the wing bolt causes a reduced 
clamping force that changes the load path reacted by the RH and LH 
lower forward wing fitting.
    This condition, if not addressed, could result in fatigue cracks 
that lead to failure of the forward lower wing fitting, wing 
separation, and loss of airplane control.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed Beechcraft Mandatory Service Letter MTL-57-01, 
Revision 1, dated September 19, 2018. The service information contains 
procedures for a one-time inspection for the presence of washer P/N 90-
380058-1 on the LH and RH lower forward wing bolt and, if applicable, 
removing washer P/N 90-380058-1; inspecting the wing fitting, bolt, and 
nut; replacing the wing fitting if it is cracked; and replacing the 
washer with washer P/N 90-380019-1. This service information is 
reasonably available because the interested parties have access to it 
through their normal course of business or by the means identified in 
the ADDRESSES section.

FAA's Determination

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

Proposed AD Requirements

    This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified 
in the service information described previously.

Differences Between This Proposed AD and the Service Information

    The service information specifies inspecting within 200 flight 
hours or 12 months, whichever occurs earlier. This proposed AD would 
require inspecting within the next 200 flight hours or 12 months, 
whichever occurs later.
    The service information applies to Models A100A and A100C 
airplanes, and to Model F90 with S/N LA-1. This proposed AD would not 
apply to these airplanes because they do not have an FAA type 
certificate.
    This proposed AD would apply to military models T-44A, JU-21A, RU-
21A, RU-21B, RU-21C, RU-21D, RU-21E, RU-21H, U-21A, U-21F, U-21G, and 
FACH airplanes, because these models have a civil counterpart that is 
subject to the unsafe condition. The service information does not apply 
to all of these military models.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 1,319 
airplanes of U.S. registry.
    The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed 
AD:

                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Cost per      Cost on U.S.
             Action                  Labor cost              Parts cost               product        operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inspection for washer P/N 90-    0.3 work-hour x    Not applicable..............          $25.50      $33,634.50
 380058-1 (LH Wing Fitting).      $85 per hour =
                                  $25.50.
Inspection for washer P/N 90-    0.3 work-hour x    Not applicable..............           25.50       33,634.50
 380058-1 (RH Wing Fitting).      $85 per hour =
                                  $25.50.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FAA estimates the following costs to do any necessary 
replacements that would be required based on the results of the 
proposed inspection. The FAA has no way of determining the number of 
airplanes that might need these replacements:

                                               On-Condition Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Cost per
               Action                        Labor cost                    Parts cost                 product
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RH Wing bolt, washer, and nut         8 work-hours x $85 per   $335.............................          $1,015
 removal.                              hour = $680.
LH Wing bolt, washer, and nut         8 work-hours x $85 per   335..............................           1,015
 removal.                              hour = $680.
Inspection of RH Lower Forward Wing   2 work-hours x $85 per   Not applicable...................             170
 Fitting.                              hour = $170.
Inspection of LH Lower Forward Wing   2 work-hours x $85 per   Not applicable...................             170
 Fitting.                              hour = $170.
Removal and Replacement of P/N 50-    150 work-hours x $85     7,297.85.........................       20,047.85
 120073-8 RH Lower Forward Wing        per hour = $12,750.
 Fitting.
Removal and Replacement of P/N 50-    150 work-hours x $85     11,812.56........................       24,562.56
 120073-7 LH Lower Forward Wing        per hour = $12,750.
 Fitting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    According to the manufacturer, some or all of the costs of this 
proposed AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost 
impact on affected individuals. The FAA does not control warranty 
coverage for affected individuals. As a result, the FAA has included 
all costs in this 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.
    The FAA is 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

    The FAA determined that this proposed AD would not have federalism 
implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would not

[[Page 45547]]

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 this proposed 
regulation:
    (1) Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive 
Order 12866,
    (2) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, 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.

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:

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 FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness 
directive (AD):

Textron Aviation Inc. (Type Certificate previously held by 
Beechcraft Corporation): Docket No. FAA-2020-0718; Product 
Identifier 2019-CE-045-AD.

(a) Comments Due Date

    The FAA must receive comments by September 14, 2020.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to the Textron Aviation Inc. (type certificate 
previously held by Beechcraft Corporation) airplanes, certificated 
in any category, identified in table 1 to paragraph (c) of this AD:

           Table 1 to Paragraph (c) of This AD--Applicability
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Models                       Serial numbers  (S/Ns)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
F90.......................................  LA-2 through LA-225.
65-90, 65-A90, B90, C90...................  All S/Ns.
H90 (T-44A)...............................  LL-1 through LL-61.
E90.......................................  LW-1 through LW-347.
65-A90-1 (JU-21A, U-21A, RU-21A, RU-21D, U- LM-1 through LM-144.
 21G, RU-21H).
65-A90-2 (RU-21B).........................  LS-1, LS-2, LS-3.
65-A90-3 (RU-21C).........................  LT-1 and LT-2.
65-A90-4 (RU-21E, RU-21H).................  LU-1 through LU-16.
99, 99A, 99A (FACH), A99, A99A, B99, C99..  U-1 through U-239.
100, A100 (U-21F).........................  B-1 through B-247.
B100......................................  BE-1 through BE-137.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

(d) Subject

    Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC): 5700, Wings.

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by information provided by Textron Aviation 
Inc. that a washer assembly may provide premature torque indication 
that could lead to cracking of the wing fitting. The FAA is issuing 
this AD to prevent such fatigue cracks. The unsafe condition, if not 
addressed, could result in failure of the forward lower wing 
fitting, which could lead to wing separation and loss of airplane 
control.

(f) Compliance

    Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified below, 
unless already done.

(g) Action

    (1) Within the next 200 flight hours after the effective date of 
this AD or within 12 months after the effective date of this AD, 
whichever occurs later, inspect each washer assembly attached to the 
left and right lower forward wing bolts and remove all part number 
90-380058-1 washers in accordance with the Accomplishment 
Instructions, paragraphs 3 through 5, of Beechcraft Mandatory 
Service Letter MTL-57-01, Revision 1, dated September 19, 2018 (MTL-
57-01). In all locations where a washer part number 90-380058-1 was 
removed, do the following:
    (i) Inspect the bolt, nut, and fitting in accordance with the 
Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 6, of MTL-57-01. If there is 
a crack in the fitting, replace the fitting before further flight.
    (ii) Install a part number 90-380019-1 washer in accordance with 
the Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 7, of MTL-57-01.
    (2) As of the effective date of this AD, do not install washer 
part number 90-380058-1 on any airplane listed in table 1 to 
paragraph (c) of this AD.

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, Wichita ACO Branch, 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: Brian C. Adamson, 
Aerospace Engineer, Wichita ACO Branch, AIR-7K3, FAA, 1801 Airport 
Rd, Wichita, KS 67209; phone: 316-946-4193; fax: 316-946-4107; 
email: [email protected] or [email protected]. 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.

(i) Related Information

    (1) For more information about this AD, contact Brian C. 
Adamson, Aerospace Engineer, Wichita ACO Branch, AIR-7K3, FAA, 1801 
Airport Rd, Wichita, KS 67209; phone: 316-946-4193; fax: 316-946-
4107; email: [email protected] or [email protected].
    (2) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Textron Aviation Inc., PO Box 7706, Wichita, KS 67277: phone: 316-
517-5800: internet: https://txtav.com/. You may view this service 
information at the FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, Operational 
Safety Branch, 901 Locust St, Kansas City, MO 64106. For information 
on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 816-329-4148.

    Issued on July 22, 2020.
Lance T. Gant,
Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-16214 Filed 7-28-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P