Airworthiness Directives; Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 Airplanes

[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 85 (Friday, May 2, 2003)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 23387-23389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-10510]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 2003-CE-06-AD; Amendment 39-13140; AD 2003-09-11]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. Models PC-12 and 
PC-12/45 Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) that 
applies to certain Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. (Pilatus) Models PC-12 and PC-
12/45 airplanes. This AD requires you to inspect the pedestal leg 
assembly on aft facing passenger seats for correct configuration. If 
incorrectly configured, this AD requires you to modify to the correct 
configuration. This AD is the result of mandatory continuing 
airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the airworthiness authority 
for Switzerland. The actions specified by this AD are intended to 
detect and correct pedestal leg assemblies on aft facing passenger 
seats that are in nonconformance with manufacturing standards. 
Nonconforming passenger seats could result in passenger injury in an 
emergency situation.

DATES: This AD becomes effective on June 16, 2003.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of certain publications listed in the regulations as of June 
16, 2003.

ADDRESSES: You may get the service information referenced in this AD 
from Pilatus Aircraft Ltd., Customer Liaison Manager, CH-6371 Stans, 
Switzerland; telephone: +41 41 619 63 19; facsimile: +41 41 619 6224; 
or from Pilatus Business Aircraft Ltd., Product Support Department, 
11755 Airport Way, Broomfield, Colorado 80021; telephone: (303) 465-
9099; facsimile: (303) 465-6040. You may view this information at the 
Federal Aviation Administration

[[Page 23388]]

(FAA), Central Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, Attention: Rules 
Docket No. 2003-CE-06-AD, 901 Locust, Room 506, Kansas City, Missouri 
64106; or at the Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol 
Street, NW., suite 700, Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doug Rudolph, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 
Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 
64106; telephone: (816) 329-4059; facsimile: (816) 329-4090.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

    What events have caused this AD? The Federal Office for Civil 
Aviation (FOCA), which is the airworthiness authority for Switzerland, 
recently notified FAA that an unsafe condition may exist on certain 
Pilatus Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes. The FOCA reports that, 
during manufacture of certain aft facing aircraft passenger seats 
(vendor part numbers (VPN) 403008-1 and 403008-2), the forward pedestal 
legs were installed in reverse order. One instance was found during the 
seat manufacturer's final quality control inspection. Pilatus found 
another instance.
    What is the potential impact if FAA took no action? This condition, 
if not corrected, could result in failure of the aircraft seat pedestal 
leg assembly. Such failure could result in passenger injury in an 
emergency situation.
    Has FAA taken any action to this point? We issued a proposal to 
amend part 39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) to 
include an AD that would apply to certain Pilatus Models PC-12 and PC-
12/45 airplanes. This proposal was published in the Federal Register as 
a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on February 19, 2003 (68 FR 
7947). The NPRM proposed to require you to inspect the pedestal leg 
assembly on aft facing passenger seats for correct configuration. If 
incorrectly configured, the NPRM proposed to require you to modify to 
the correct configuration.
    Was the public invited to comment? The FAA encouraged interested 
persons to participate in the making of this amendment. We did not 
receive any comments on the proposed rule or on our determination of 
the cost to the public.

FAA's Determination

    What is FAA's final determination on this issue? After careful 
review of all available information related to the subject presented 
above, we have determined that air safety and the public interest 
require the adoption of the rule as proposed except for minor editorial 
corrections. We have determined that these minor corrections:

--Provide the intent that was proposed in the NPRM for correcting the 
unsafe condition; and
--Do not add any additional burden upon the public than was already 
proposed in the NPRM.

    What are the differences between this AD, the service information, 
and the FOCA AD? The FOCA AD and the service information require an 
inspection of the identification tag on certain passenger seats to 
determine if the Pilatus part number correctly corresponds to the ERDA 
vendor part number. The identification tag may incorrectly identify the 
Pilatus part number; although the ERDA vendor part number is correct. 
If the corresponding part numbers are incorrect, the FOCA AD and the 
service information require affixing a new identification tag with the 
correct corresponding Pilatus part number. The procedures for 
accomplishing this inspection and modification are contained in Decrane 
Aircraft, ERDA, Inc., Service Bulletin SB02011, Revision A, June 3, 
2002.
    Because the ERDA part number is correct, we are not including this 
as part of the unsafe condition. However, we will include a note in 
this AD recommending that you verify that the corresponding Pilatus 
part number is correct.
    How does the revision to 14 CFR part 39 affect this AD? On July 10, 
2002, FAA published a new version of 14 CFR part 39 (67 FR 47997, July 
22, 2002), which governs FAA's AD system. This regulation now includes 
material that relates to special flight permits, alternative methods of 
compliance, and altered products. This material previously was included 
in each individual AD. Since this material is included in 14 CFR part 
39, we will not include it in future AD actions.
    How many airplanes does this AD impact? We estimate that this AD 
affects 280 airplanes in the U.S. registry.
    What is the cost impact of this AD on owners/operators of the 
affected airplanes? We estimate the following costs to accomplish the 
inspection:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Total cost  per
             Labor cost                      Parts cost            airplane       Total cost on U.S.  operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 workhour x $60 = $60..............  No parts required to                $60   $60 x 280 = $16,800
                                       perform inspection.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We estimate the following costs to accomplish the modification:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Total cost  per
               Labor cost                   Parts cost        airplane         Total cost on U.S.  operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2 workhours x $60 = $120...............            $150             $270   $270 x 280 = $75,600
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Compliance Time of This AD

    What is the compliance time of this AD? The compliance time of this 
AD is ``within the next 90 days after the effective date of this AD.''
    Why is the compliance time presented in calendar time instead of 
hours time-in-service (TIS)? The compliance of this AD is presented in 
calendar time instead of hours TIS because the unsafe condition is a 
result of an improper installation. The unsafe condition has the same 
chance of occurring on an airplane with 50 hours TIS as it is for an 
airplane with 1,000 hours TIS. Therefore, we believe that a compliance 
time of 90 days will:

--Ensure that the unsafe condition does not go undetected for a long 
period of time on the affected airplanes; and
--Not inadvertently ground any of the affected airplanes.

Regulatory Impact

    Does this AD impact various entities? The regulations adopted 
herein 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

[[Page 23389]]

responsibilities among the various levels of government. Therefore, it 
is determined that this final rule does not have federalism 
implications under Executive Order 13132.
    Does this AD involve a significant rule or regulatory action? For 
the reasons discussed above, I certify that this action (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. A copy 
of the final evaluation prepared for this action is contained in the 
Rules Docket. A copy of it may be obtained by contacting the Rules 
Docket at the location provided under the caption ADDRESSES.

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 Federal Aviation Administration amends part 39 of the Federal 
Aviation Regulations (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. FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding a new AD to read as follows:

2003-09-11 Pilatus Aircraft LTD.: Amendment 39-13140; Docket No. 
2003-CE-06-AD.
    (a) What airplanes are affected by this AD? This AD affects 
Models PC-12 and PC-12/45 airplanes, manufacturer serial numbers 
(MSN) 101 through 436, that:
    (1) Incorporate a passenger seat, ERDA Vendor Part Number (VPN) 
403008-1 or 403008-2 (also identified as Pilatus Part Number (P/N) 
959.30.01.601, 959.30.01.602, 959.30.01.613, or 959.30.01.614) (or 
FAA-approved equivalent part number), with a serial number as 
specified in Decrane Aircraft, ERDA, Inc., Service Bulletin SB02010, 
Revision A, June 3, 2002; and
    (2) Are certificated in any category.
    (b) Who must comply with this AD? Anyone who wishes to operate 
any of the airplanes identified in paragraph (a) of this AD must 
comply with this AD.
    (c) What problem does this AD address? The actions specified by 
this AD are intended to detect and correct pedestal leg assemblies 
on aft facing passenger seats that are in nonconformance with 
manufacturing standards. Nonconforming passenger seats could result 
in passenger injury in an emergency situation.
    (d) What actions must I accomplish to address this problem? To 
address this problem, you must accomplish the following, unless 
already accomplished:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Actions                 Compliance            Procedures
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Inspect the forward       Within the next 90    In accordance with
 pedestal legs on the          days after June 16,   Decrane Aircraft,
 aircraft aft facing           2003 (the effective   ERDA, Inc., Service
 passenger seat for correct    date of this AD).     Bulletin SB02010,
 configuration.                                      Revision A, June 3,
                                                     2002; as specified
                                                     in Pilatus PC12
                                                     Service Bulletin
                                                     No. 25-025, dated
                                                     September 27, 2002.
(2) If the legs are           Prior to further      In accordance with
 incorrectly configured,       inspection required   Decrane flight
 modify to the correct         in paragraph (d)(1)   after Aircraft, the
 configuration.                of this AD.           ERDA, Inc., Service
                                                     Bulletin SB02010,
                                                     Revision A, June 3,
                                                     2002; as specified
                                                     in Pilatus PC12
                                                     Service Bulletin
                                                     No. 25-025, dated
                                                     September 27, 2002.
(3) Do not install any        As of June 16, 2003   In accordance with
 affected seat specified in    (the effective date   Decrane Aircraft,
 paragraph (a) of this AD      of this AD).          ERDA, Inc., Service
 unless it has been                                  Bulletin SB02010,
 inspected as specified in                           Revision A, June 3,
 paragraph (d)(1) of this AD                         2002; as specified
 and configured in                                   in Pilatus PC12
 accordance with Decrane                             Service Bulletin
 Aircraft, ERDA, Inc.,                               No. 25-025, dated
 Service Bulletin SB02010,                           September 27, 2002.
 Revision A, June 3, 2002;
 as specified in Pilatus
 PC12 Service Bulletin No.
 25-025, dated September 27,
 2002.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Note 1: Although not required by this AD, we recommend that you 
verify that the Pilatus part number correctly corresponds with the 
ERDA vendor part number on certain passenger seats. The procedures 
for accomplishing this action are contained in Decrane Aircraft, 
ERDA, Inc., Service Bulletin SB02011, Revision A, June 3, 2002.

    (e) Can I comply with this AD in any other way? To use an 
alternative method of compliance or adjust the compliance time, use 
the procedures in 14 CFR 39.19. Send these requests to the Manager, 
Standards Office, Small Airplane Directorate. For information on any 
already approved alternative methods of compliance, contact Doug 
Rudolph, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 
Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329-
4059; facsimile: (816) 329-4090.
    (f) Are any service bulletins incorporated into this AD by 
reference? Actions required by this AD must be done in accordance 
with Decrane Aircraft, ERDA, Inc., Service Bulletin SB02010, 
Revision A, June 3, 2002 (Annex B); as specified in Pilatus PC12 
Service Bulletin No. 25-025, dated September 27, 2002 excluding 
Decrane Aircraft, ERDA, Inc, Service Bulletin SB0211, Revision A, 
dated June 3, 2002 (Annex A). The Director of the Federal Register 
approved this incorporation by reference under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 
CFR part 51. You may get copies from Pilatus Aircraft Ltd., Customer 
Liaison Manager, CH-6371 Stans, Switzerland; telephone: +41 41 619 
63 19; facsimile: +41 41 619 6224; or from Pilatus Business Aircraft 
Ltd., Product Support Department, 11755 Airport Way, Broomfield, 
Colorado 80021; telephone: (303) 465-9099; facsimile: (303) 465-
6040. You may view copies at the FAA, Central Region, Office of the 
Regional Counsel, 901 Locust, Room 506, Kansas City, Missouri, or at 
the Office of the Federal Register, 800 North Capitol Street, NW., 
suite 700, Washington, DC.

    Note 2: The subject of this AD is addressed in Swiss AD Number 
HB 2002-658, dated November 30, 2002.

    (g) When does this amendment become effective? This amendment 
becomes effective on June 16, 2003.

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 23, 2003.
Dorenda D. Baker,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 03-10510 Filed 5-1-03; 8:45 am]
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