Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model A300 B4-600, B4-600R, and F4-600R Series Airplanes, and Model C4-605R Variant F Airplanes (Collectively Called A300-600 Series Airplanes)

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 62 (Friday, March 31, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16206-16208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-3063]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2006-24124; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-272-AD; 
Amendment 39-14534; AD 2006-07-07]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model A300 B4-600, B4-600R, and 
F4-600R Series Airplanes, and Model C4-605R Variant F Airplanes 
(Collectively Called A300-600 Series Airplanes)

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

ACTION: Final rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for 
certain Airbus Model A300-600 series airplanes. This AD requires 
modifying nine bolt holes in the vertical flange to prevent cracking 
before the inspection threshold of AD 98-18-02. This AD results from 
reports of cracking in the vertical web of the center spar sealing 
angles of the wing earlier than the inspection interval specified in 
the existing AD. We are issuing this AD to prevent crack formation in 
the sealing angles; such cracks could rupture the sealing angle and 
lead to subsequent crack formation in the bottom skin of the wing, and 
resultant reduced structural integrity of the center spar section of 
the wing.

DATES: This AD becomes effective April 17, 2006.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of certain publications listed in the AD as of April 17, 
2006.
    We must receive comments on this AD by May 30, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following addresses to submit comments on 
this AD.
    <bullet> DOT Docket Web site: Go to http://dms.dot.gov and follow 
the instructions for sending your comments electronically.
    <bullet> Government-wide rulemaking Web site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
    <bullet> Mail: Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, room PL-401, 
Washington, DC 20590.
    <bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    <bullet> Hand Delivery: Room PL-401 on the plaza level of the 
Nassif Building, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Contact Airbus, 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, 
France, for service information identified in this AD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Backman, Aerospace Engineer, ANM-
116, International Branch, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 
Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98055-4056; telephone (425) 227-
2797; fax (425) 227-1149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

    On August 19, 1998, we issued AD 98-18-02, amendment 39-10718 (63 
FR 45689, August 27, 1998), for certain Airbus Industrie Model A300-600 
series airplanes. That AD requires inspections to detect cracks in the 
center spar sealing angles adjacent to the pylon rear attachment and in 
the adjacent butt strap and skin panel, and correction of 
discrepancies. That AD was prompted by reports of cracking in the 
vertical web of the center spar sealing angles of the wing. We issued 
that AD to prevent crack formation in the sealing angles; such cracks 
could rupture and lead to subsequent crack formation in the bottom skin 
of the wing, and resultant reduced structural integrity of the center 
spar section of the wing.
    Since we issued AD 98-18-02, the Direction G[eacute]n[eacute]rale 
de l'Aviation Civile (DGAC), which is the airworthiness authority for 
France, notified us that the manufacturer conducted further 
investigations based on an operator's report of cracks on an airplane 
in service that occurred before the inspection interval required by AD 
98-18-02. The DGAC therefore advises us that a modification of the 
center spar sealing angles that was previously not required in AD 98-
18-02 is now necessary to extend the inspection threshold and prevent 
cracking of the unmodified structure before the mandated inspection 
interval. French airworthiness directive 91-253-128(B)R1, dated March 
1, 1995, is the parallel French airworthiness directive to AD 98-18-02, 
and has been replaced by French airworthiness directive 2003-290(B) R1, 
dated October 1, 2003.

Relevant Service Information

    Airbus has issued Service Bulletin A300-57-6033, Revision 01, dated 
December 18, 2003. The service bulletin describes procedures for 
modifying nine bolt holes in the vertical flange of the center spar 
sealing angles outboard of rib 8, adjacent to the pylon attachment 
fitting. The modification involves removing the nine bolts from the 
vertical flange of the sealing angle, re-machining the spot faces, 
cold-expanding the nine bolt holes in the vertical flange, installing 
oversize bolts in the vertical flange, and installing new oversize 
bolts at the skin attachment fittings if necessary. The modification 
also involves the related investigative action of doing high-frequency 
eddy current inspections for cracks of all bolt holes from which bolts 
have been removed, including the skin bolt holes. If any crack is 
found, Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6033 specifies that these 
findings should be reported to Airbus and that the crack should be 
repaired in accordance with Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6027, 
Revision 06, dated March 2, 2005. (Earlier revisions of Service 
Bulletin A300-57-6027 were cited as the source of service information 
for doing the inspections and corrective actions in AD 98-18-02.) The 
repair includes replacing the forward and aft sealing angles with 
improved sealing angles, and cold-expanding the attachment holes. The 
DGAC mandated the service information and issued French airworthiness 
directive 2003-290(B) R1, dated October 1, 2003, to ensure the 
continued airworthiness of these airplanes in France.

[[Page 16207]]

FAA's Determination and Requirements of This AD

    This airplane model is manufactured in France and is type 
certificated for operation in the United States under the provisions of 
section 21.29 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 21.29) and 
the applicable bilateral airworthiness agreement. Pursuant to this 
bilateral airworthiness agreement, the DGAC has kept the FAA informed 
of the situation described above. We have examined the DGAC's findings, 
evaluated all pertinent information, and determined that we need to 
issue an AD for products of this type design that are certificated for 
operation in the United States.
    Therefore, we are issuing this AD to prevent crack formation in the 
sealing angles; such cracks could rupture the sealing angle and lead to 
subsequent crack formation in the bottom skin of the wing, and 
resultant reduced structural integrity of the center spar section of 
the wing. This AD requires accomplishing the actions specified in the 
service information described previously.
    Operators should note that after doing Airbus Modification 8609 
(modification of the nine bolt holes of the vertical flange) in 
accordance with Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6033, Revision 01, 
post-modification inspection is required in accordance with AD 98-18-
02. Airbus Modification 8608, installed during production, introduces 
new strengthened sealing angles with repositioned bolt holes done in 
production. Holes in the web, flange, and skin are all cold-worked. 
Airplanes with Airbus Modification 8608 installed during production are 
not subject to the requirements of this AD.

Difference Between This AD and the French Airworthiness Directive

    We have determined that either Airbus Modification 8608 has been 
accomplished in production or Airbus Modification 8609 has been 
accomplished through Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6033 on all 
airplanes of U.S. Registry, and therefore no airplanes of U.S. Registry 
are affected by the requirements of this AD. All airplanes of U.S. 
Registry are equipped with either strengthened sealing angles with 
repositioned holes (production modification 8608) or have had the nine 
holes of the sealing angle outboard of rib 8 cold-worked in accordance 
with Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6033 (modification 8609). The 
post-modification 8609 U.S.-registered airplanes continue to be subject 
to the post-Modification inspection requirements of AD 98-18-02, 
paragraph (d). Therefore, unlike the French airworthiness directive, 
the applicability of this AD also includes the A300-600 series 
airplanes that have incorporated Airbus Modification 8609. The actions 
in this new AD apply only to affected airplanes that might be imported 
and placed on the U.S. Register in the future and that do not have the 
modification. Therefore, although the French airworthiness directive 
requires accomplishing repetitive inspections of post-modification 8609 
airplanes in accordance with Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6027, 
Revision 06, this AD does not include those inspections. Those 
inspections are included in AD 98-18-02.

Clarification of Compliance Time

    The French airworthiness directive gives a compliance time for 
doing the modification that is based on accomplishment of previous 
inspections. As discussed above, this AD does not require those 
inspections. Therefore, the compliance time for doing the modification 
in this AD is 500 flight cycles after the effective date of this AD. In 
developing an appropriate compliance time for this AD, we considered 
the manufacturer's recommendation, the degree of urgency associated 
with the subject unsafe condition, and the average utilization of the 
affected fleet. In light of all of these factors, we find that a 500-
flight-cycle compliance time represents an appropriate interval of time 
for affected airplanes to continue to operate without compromising 
safety.

Costs of Compliance

    None of the airplanes affected by this action are on the U.S. 
Register. All airplanes affected by this AD are currently operated by 
non-U.S. operators under foreign registry; therefore, they are not 
directly affected by this AD action. However, we consider this AD 
necessary to ensure that the unsafe condition is addressed if any 
affected airplane is imported and placed on the U.S. Register in the 
future.
    If an affected airplane is imported and placed on the U.S. Register 
in the future, the required modification would take about 25 work hours 
per airplane, at an average labor rate of $80 per work hour. Required 
parts would cost about $1,249 per airplane. Based on these figures, the 
estimated cost of the AD would be $3,249 per airplane.

FAA's Determination of the Effective Date

    No airplane affected by this AD is currently on the U.S. Register. 
Therefore, providing notice and opportunity for public comment is 
unnecessary before this AD is issued, and this AD may be made effective 
in less than 30 days after it is published in the Federal Register.

Comments Invited

    This AD is a final rule that involves requirements that affect 
flight safety and was not preceded by notice and an opportunity for 
public comment; however, we invite you to submit any relevant written 
data, views, or arguments regarding this AD. Send your comments to an 
address listed in the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2006-
24124; Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-272-AD'' at the beginning of your 
comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, 
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of the AD that might 
suggest a need to modify it.
    We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://dms.dot.gov, including any personal information you provide. We will 
also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact with FAA 
personnel concerning this AD. Using the search function of that Web 
site, anyone can find and read the comments in any of our dockets, 
including the name of the individual who sent the comment (or signed 
the comment on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). 
You may review the DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal 
Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78), or you may visit 
http://dms.dot.gov.

Examining the Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov, or in person at the Docket Management Facility office 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. The Docket Management Facility office (telephone (800) 647-
5227) is located on the plaza level of the Nassif Building at the DOT 
street address stated in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 
available in the AD docket shortly after the Docket Management System 
receives them.

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

[[Page 16208]]

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 the 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); 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 by 
adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD):

2006-07-07 Airbus: Amendment 39-14534. Docket No. FAA-2006-24124; 
Directorate Identifier 2004-NM-272-AD.

Effective Date

    (a) This AD becomes effective April 17, 2006.

Affected ADs

    (b) None.

Applicability

    (c) This AD applies to A300 B4-600, B4-600R, and F4-600R series 
airplanes, and Model C4-605R variant F airplanes (collectively 
called A300-600 series airplanes); certificated in any category; 
except those on which Airbus Modification 8608 or 8609 is 
incorporated.

Unsafe Condition

    (d) This AD results from reports of cracking in the vertical web 
of the center spar sealing angles of the wing earlier than the 
inspection interval specified in AD 98-18-02, amendment 39-10718. We 
are issuing this AD to prevent crack formation in the sealing 
angles; such cracks could rupture the sealing angle and lead to 
subsequent crack formation in the bottom skin of the wing, and 
resultant reduced structural integrity of the center spar section of 
the wing.

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.

Modification

    (f) Within 500 flight cycles after the effective date of this 
AD: Modify nine bolt holes in the vertical flange of the center spar 
sealing angles outboard of rib 8, adjacent to the pylon attachment 
fitting, and do any applicable related investigative and corrective 
actions before further flight; by doing all the actions in and in 
accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of Airbus Service 
Bulletin A300-57-6033, Revision 01, dated December 18, 2003. If any 
crack is found during the related investigative action: Before 
further flight, repair in accordance with the Accomplishment 
Instructions of Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6027, Revision 06, 
dated March 2, 2005.

No Reporting Required

    (g) Although Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6033, Revision 01, 
dated December 18, 2003, specifies to report crack findings to the 
manufacturer, this AD does not include that requirement.

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (h)(1) The Manager, International Branch, ANM-116, Transport 
Airplane Directorate, FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs for 
this AD, if requested in accordance with the procedures found in 14 
CFR 39.19.
    (2) Before using any AMOC approved in accordance with Sec.  
39.19 on any airplane to which the AMOC applies, notify the 
appropriate principal inspector in the FAA Flight Standards 
Certificate Holding District Office.
    (3) Airbus Repair Drawing R571-40588 or R571-40942, as 
referenced in paragraphs (c) and (d) of AD 98-18-02, is an AMOC for 
the modification in paragraph (f) of this AD.

Related Information

    (i) French airworthiness directive 2003-290(B) R1, dated October 
1, 2003, also addresses the subject of this AD.

Material Incorporated by Reference

    (j) You must use Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6027, Revision 
06, dated March 2, 2005; and Airbus Service Bulletin A300-57-6033, 
Revision 01, dated December 18, 2003; as applicable; to perform the 
actions that are required by this AD, unless the AD specifies 
otherwise. The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference of these documents in accordance with 5 
U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. Contact Airbus, 1 Rond Point 
Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France, for a copy of this 
service information. You may review copies at the Docket Management 
Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
room PL-401, Nassif Building, Washington, DC; on the Internet at 
http://dms.dot.gov; or at the National Archives and Records 
Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this 
material at the 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 15, 2006.
Kalene C. Yanamura,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 06-3063 Filed 3-30-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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