Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 727 Airplanes

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 27, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 36481-36483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5652]



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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 123 / Tuesday, June 27, 2006 / Rules 
and Regulations

[[Page 36481]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2006-24271; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-006-AD; 
Amendment 39-14669; AD 2006-13-16]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 727 Airplanes

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

ACTION: Final rule.

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

SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for 
certain Boeing Model 727 airplanes. This AD requires repetitive 
measurements of the freeplay of the left and right outboard aileron 
balance tabs and of the upper and lower rudder tabs, and related 
investigative/corrective actions if necessary. This AD also requires 
repetitive lubrication of the hinge bearings and rod end bearings of 
the outboard aileron balance tabs. This AD results from reports of 
freeplay-induced vibration of the outboard aileron balance tabs and 
rudder tabs. We are issuing this AD to prevent excessive vibration of 
the airframe during flight, which could result in divergent flutter and 
loss of control of the airplane.

DATES: This AD becomes effective August 1, 2006.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of a certain publication listed in the AD as of August 1, 
2006.

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov or in person at the Docket Management Facility, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 
Room PL-401, Washington, DC.
    Contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, 
Washington 98124-2207, for service information identified in this AD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dennis Stremick, Aerospace Engineer, 
Airframe Branch, ANM-120S, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, FAA, 
1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98055-4056; telephone (425) 
917-6450; fax (425) 917-6590.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Examining the Docket

    You may examine the airworthiness directive (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 street address stated in the ADDRESSES section.

Discussion

    The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 
CFR part 39 to include an AD that would apply to certain Boeing Model 
727 series airplanes. That NPRM was published in the Federal Register 
on April 5, 2006 (71 FR 17033). That NPRM proposed to require 
repetitive measurements of the freeplay of the left and right outboard 
aileron balance tabs and of the upper and lower rudder tabs, and 
related investigative/corrective actions if necessary. That NPRM also 
proposed to require repetitive lubrication of the hinge bearings and 
rod end bearings of the outboard aileron balance tabs.

Comments

    We provided the public the opportunity to participate in the 
development of this AD. We have considered the comments received.

Request for Clarification

    Boeing requests that certain wording about the compliance times in 
the ``Relevant Service Information'' paragraph of the preamble of the 
NPRM be clarified for consistency purposes with the wording in Boeing 
Special Attention Service Bulletin 727-27-0234, dated November 10, 2005 
(referred to as the appropriate source of service information for doing 
the actions specified in the NPRM).
    We partially agree. We agree that the wording used to describe the 
compliance times could be clarified as Boeing suggested. However, the 
``Relevant Service Information'' paragraph does not reappear in the 
final rule. Therefore, we find no change to the final rule is necessary 
in this regard.
    Boeing also requests that the words ``aileron balance tabs'' in 
paragraph (g)(2) of the NPRM be changed to ``outboard aileron balance 
tabs'' for consistency purposes with the words in Boeing Special 
Attention Service Bulletin 727-27-0234.
    We agree and have revised paragraph (g)(2) of this AD accordingly.

Conclusion

    We have carefully reviewed the available data, including the 
comments received, and determined that air safety and the public 
interest require adopting the AD with the change described previously. 
We have determined that this change will neither increase the economic 
burden on any operator nor increase the scope of the AD.

Costs of Compliance

    There are about 944 airplanes of the affected design in the 
worldwide fleet. The following table provides the estimated costs for 
U.S. operators to comply with this AD.

[[Page 36482]]



                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                 Number of U.S.-
            Action               Work hours     Average labor      Cost per        registered       Fleet cost
                                                rate per hour      airplane         airplanes
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Freeplay measurement.........               8             $80  $640, per                    539  $344,960, per
                                                                measurement                       measurement
                                                                cycle.                            cycle.
Lubrication..................               4              80  $320, per                    539  $172,480, per
                                                                lubrication                       lubrication
                                                                cycle.                            cycle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 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 this AD:
    (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.
    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):

2006-13-16 Boeing: Amendment 39-14669. Docket No. FAA-2006-24271; 
Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-006-AD.

Effective Date

    (a) This AD becomes effective August 1, 2006.

Affected ADs

    (b) None.

Applicability

    (c) This AD applies to Boeing Model 727, 727C, 727-100, 727-
100C, 727-200, and 727-200F series airplanes, certificated in any 
category; as identified in Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 
727-27-0234, dated November 10, 2005.

Unsafe Condition

    (d) This AD results from reports of freeplay-induced vibration 
of the outboard aileron balance tab and rudder tab. We are issuing 
this AD to prevent excessive vibration of the airframe during 
flight, which could result in divergent flutter and loss of control 
of the airplane.

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.

Compliance Times

    (f) Except as provided by paragraph (h) of this AD, at the 
applicable times specified in paragraph 1.E., ``Compliance,'' of 
Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 727-27-0234, dated 
November 10, 2005, do the actions specified in paragraph (g) of this 
AD. Where the service bulletin specifies a compliance time ``from 
the initial release of this service bulletin,'' this AD requires 
compliance within the applicable compliance time after the effective 
date of this AD.

Freeplay Measurement, Related Investigative and Corrective Actions, and 
Lubrication

    (g) At the applicable times specified in paragraph (f) of this 
AD, do the actions specified in paragraphs (g)(1) and (g)(2) of this 
AD in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing 
Special Attention Service Bulletin 727-27-0234, dated November 10, 
2005.
    (1) Measure the freeplay of the left and right outboard aileron 
balance tabs and of the upper and lower rudder tabs, and do 
applicable related investigative and corrective actions if 
necessary.
    (2) Lubricate the hinge bearings and rod end bearings of the 
outboard aileron balance tabs.

Concurrent Repetitive Cycles

    (h) If a freeplay measurement required by paragraph (g)(1) of 
this AD and a lubrication cycle required by paragraph (g)(2) of this 
AD are due at the same time or will be done during the same 
maintenance visit, the freeplay measurement and applicable related 
investigative and corrective actions must be done before the 
lubrication.

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (i)(1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office (ACO), 
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) An AMOC that provides an acceptable level of safety may be 
used for any repair required by this AD, if it is approved by an 
Authorized Representative for the Boeing Commercial Airplanes 
Delegation Option Authorization Organization who has been authorized 
by the Manager, Seattle ACO, to make those findings. For a repair 
method to be approved, the repair must meet the certification basis 
of the airplane, and the approval must specifically refer to this 
AD.

Material Incorporated by Reference

    (j) You must use Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 727-
27-0234, dated November 10, 2005, to perform the actions that are 
required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. The Director 
of the

[[Page 36483]]

Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of this 
document in accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 
Contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, 
Washington 98124-2207, 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 June 15, 2006.
Ali Bahrami,
Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 06-5652 Filed 6-26-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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