[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 72 (Friday, April 14, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 22928-22931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07775]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2023-0926; Project Identifier MCAI-2022-01583-A]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) 
for certain Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. (Pilatus) Model PC-24 airplanes. This 
proposed AD was prompted by a report that an incorrect wiring 
arrangement was detected around the weather radar system. This proposed 
AD would require modifying the weather radar redundant wiring, as 
specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which 
is proposed for incorporation by reference (IBR). The FAA is proposing 
this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this NPRM by May 30, 2023.

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 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.

[[Page 22929]]

     Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FAA-2023-0926; 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, the mandatory continuing airworthiness 
information (MCAI), any comments received, and other information. The 
street address for Docket Operations is listed above.

Material Incorporated by Reference

     For EASA service information that is proposed for IBR in 
this NPRM, contact EASA Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, Germany; 
phone: +49 221 8999 000; email: [email protected]; website: 
easa.europa.eu. You may find this service information on the EASA 
website at ad.easa.europa.eu.
     You may view this service information at the FAA, 
Airworthiness Products Section, Operational Safety Branch, 901 Locust, 
Kansas City, MO 64106. For information on the availability of this 
material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110. The EASA service information 
is also available at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2023-0926.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doug Rudolph, Aviation Safety 
Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, International 
Validation Branch, FAA, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, MO 64106; 
phone: (816) 329-4059; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or 
arguments about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed 
under ADDRESSES. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2023-0926; Project Identifier 
MCAI-2022-01583-A'' at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful 
comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the 
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. The FAA 
will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend 
this proposal 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 received, without change, to 
regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. The 
agency will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal 
contact received about this NPRM.

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 Doug 
Rudolph, Aviation Safety Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft 
Section, International Validation Branch, FAA, 901 Locust, Room 301, 
Kansas City, MO 64106. Any commentary that the FAA receives which is 
not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket 
for this rulemaking.

Background

    EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the 
European Union, has issued EASA AD 2022-0249, dated December 14, 2022 
(EASA AD 2022-0249) (referred to after this as the MCAI), to correct an 
unsafe condition on certain serial-numbered Pilatus Model PC-24 
airplanes. The MCAI states an occurrence was reported where an 
incorrect wiring arrangement was detected around the weather radar 
system on certain Pilatus Model PC-24 airplanes. In case of a lightning 
strike, the functionalities related to the Advanced Graphic Module 
(AGM) 1 and AGM2, the Dual Generic Input/Output (DGI0) 1 card in the 
Modular Avionics Unit (MAU) 1 module of the Honeywell Advanced Cockpit 
Environment (ACE) system, and the Attitude Heading Reference System 
(AHRS) 2 could be affected. The MCAI specifies modification of the 
weather radar redundant wiring.
    The FAA is proposing this AD to address an incorrect wiring 
arrangement around the weather radar system which, if not corrected, 
could lead to the partial loss of flight and navigation data displayed 
to the pilot or pilots, possibly resulting in increased flight crew 
workload and a consequent reduction of safety margins.
    You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket at regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FAA-2023-0926.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    EASA AD 2022-0249 requires modification of the weather radar 
redundant wiring.
    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 ADDRESSES.

FAA's Determination

    These products have been approved by the aviation authority of 
another country and are approved for operation in the United States. 
Pursuant to the FAA's bilateral agreement with this State of Design 
Authority, it has notified the FAA of the unsafe condition described in 
the MCAI described above. The FAA is issuing this NPRM after 
determining that the unsafe condition described previously is likely to 
exist or develop on other products of the same type design.

Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM

    This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified 
in the MCAI.

Explanation of Required Compliance Information

    In the FAA's ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of the AD 
process, the FAA developed a process to use some civil aviation 
authority (CAA) ADs as the primary source of information for compliance 
with requirements for corresponding FAA ADs. The FAA has been 
coordinating this process with manufacturers and CAAs. As a result, the 
FAA proposes to incorporate EASA AD 2022-0249 by reference in the FAA 
final rule. This proposed AD would, therefore, require compliance with 
EASA AD 2022-0249 in its entirety through that incorporation, except 
for any differences identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of 
this proposed AD. Service information referenced in EASA AD 2022-0249 
for compliance will be available at regulations.gov under Docket No. 
FAA-2023-0926 after the FAA final rule is published.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would 
affect 12 airplanes of U.S. registry.

[[Page 22930]]

    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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Modification......................  16 work-hours x $85 per            $5,000           $6,360          $76,320
                                     hour = $1,360.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FAA has included all known costs in its cost estimate. 
According to the manufacturer, however, some of the costs of this 
proposed AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost 
impact on affected operators.

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 
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) Would not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and
    (3) Would 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:

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd.: Docket No. FAA-2023-0926; Project Identifier 
MCAI-2022-01583-A.

(a) Comments Due Date

    The FAA must receive comments on this airworthiness directive 
(AD) by May 30, 2023.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Model PC-24 airplanes, 
serial numbers 231 through 252 inclusive and serial numbers 254 and 
255, certificated in any category.

(d) Subject

    Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) Codes 3497, Navigation 
System Wiring; and 3442, Weather Radar System.

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by a report that an incorrect wiring 
arrangement was detected around the weather radar system. The FAA is 
issuing this AD to address an incorrect wiring arrangement around 
the weather radar system. The unsafe condition, if not addressed, 
could, in the case of a lightning strike, lead to the partial loss 
of flight and navigation data displayed to the pilot or pilots, 
possibly resulting in increased flight crew workload and a 
consequent reduction of safety margins.

(f) Compliance

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

(g) Required Actions

    Except as specified in paragraphs (h) and (i) of this AD: Comply 
with all required actions and compliance times specified in, and in 
accordance with, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 
2022-0249, dated December 14, 2022 (EASA AD 2022-0249).

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2022-0249

    (1) Where EASA AD 2022-0249 requires compliance from its 
effective date, this AD requires using the effective date of this 
AD.
    (2) Where the service information referenced in paragraph (1) of 
EASA AD 2022-0249 specifies removing and discarding parts, this AD 
requires removing those parts from service.
    (3) This AD does not adopt the ``Remarks'' paragraph of EASA AD 
2022-0249.

(i) No Reporting Requirement

    Although the service information referenced in EASA AD 2022-0249 
specifies to submit certain information to the manufacturer, this AD 
does not include that requirement.

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    The Manager, International Validation Branch, FAA, has the 
authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the 
procedures found in Sec.  39.19. In accordance with Sec.  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 International Validation Branch, mail 
it to the address identified in paragraph (k) of this AD or email 
to: [email protected]. If mailing information, also submit 
information by email. 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.

(k) Additional Information

    For more information about this AD, contact Doug Rudolph, 
Aviation Safety Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, 
International Validation Branch, FAA, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas 
City, MO 64106; phone: (816) 329-4059; email: [email protected].

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference

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

[[Page 22931]]

    (2) You must use this service information as applicable to do 
the actions required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
    (i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency AD 2022-0249, dated 
December 14, 2022.
    (ii) [Reserved]
    (3) For EASA AD 2022-0249, contact EASA Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 
50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 000; email: 
[email protected]; website: easa.europa.eu.
    (4) You may view this service information at the FAA, 
Airworthiness Products Section, Operational Safety Branch, 901 
Locust, Kansas City, MO 64106. For information on the availability 
of this material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110.
    (5) You may view this service information that is incorporated 
by reference at the National Archives and Records Administration 
(NARA). For information on the availability of this material at 
NARA, email: [email protected], or go to: www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

    Issued on April 8, 2023.
Christina Underwood,
Acting Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-07775 Filed 4-13-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P