Airworthiness Directives; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2B Series Airplanes

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 125 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 36984-36986]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-5653]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2006-23578; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-01-AD; 
Amendment 39-14668; AD 2006-13-15]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2B 
Series Airplanes

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

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all 
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2B series airplanes. This AD requires 
you to do the following: Remove and visually inspect the wing attach 
barrel nuts, bolts, and retainers for cracks, corrosion, and fractures; 
replace any cracked, corroded, or fractured parts; inspect reusable 
wing attach barrel nuts and bolts for deformation and irregularities in 
the threads; check the minimum breakaway torque of reused wing attach 
barrel nuts; replace any deformed or irregular parts; and install new 
or reusable parts and torque to the correct value. This AD results from 
a recent safety evaluation that used a data-driven approach to evaluate 
the design, operation, and maintenance of the MU-2B series airplanes in 
order to determine their safety and define what steps, if any, are 
necessary for their safe operation. Part of that evaluation was the 
identification of unsafe conditions that exist or could develop on the 
affected type design airplanes. We are issuing this AD to detect and 
correct cracks, corrosion, fractures, and incorrect torque values in 
the wing attach barrel nuts, which could result in failure of the wing 
barrel nuts and/or associated wing attachment hardware. This failure 
could lead to in-flight separation of the outer wing from the center 
wing section and result in loss of controlled flight.

DATES: This AD becomes effective on August 11, 2006.
    As of August 11, 2006, the Director of the Federal Register 
approved the incorporation by reference of certain publications listed 
in the regulation.

ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc., 4951 Airport Parkway, Suite 
800, Addison, Texas 95001; telephone: (972) 934-5480; fax: (972) 934-
5488, or Turbine Aircraft Services, Inc., 4550 Jimmy Doolittle Drive, 
Addison, Texas 75001; telephone: (972) 248-3108; facsimile: (972) 248-
3321.
    To view the AD docket, go to the Docket Management Facility, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 
Room PL-401, Washington, DC 20590-0001, or on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov. The docket number is FAA-2006-23578; Directorate 
Identifier 2006-CE-01-AD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew McAnaul, Aerospace Engineer, 
ASW-150 (c/o MIDO-43), 10100 Reunion Place, Suite 650, San Antonio, 
Texas 78216; telephone: (210) 308-3365; facsimile: (210) 308-3370.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

    On April 18, 2006, 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 all Mitsubishi Heavy Industries MU-2B series airplanes. 
This proposal was published in the Federal Register as a supplemental 
notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on April 24, 2006 (71 FR 20915). 
We issued the supplemental NPRM to incorporate revised manufacturer 
service information that adds airplanes to the applicability, revises 
the serial numbers of the affected airplanes, and updates the 
manufacturer's contact information. The supplemental NPRM proposed to 
require you to do the following:
    <bullet> Remove and visually inspect the wing attach barrel nuts, 
bolts, and retainers for cracks, corrosion, and fractures;
    <bullet> Replace any cracked, corroded, or fractured wing attach 
barrel nuts, bolts, and retainers with new parts;
    <bullet> Inspect reusable wing attach barrel nuts and bolts for 
deformation and irregularities in the threads;
    <bullet> Check the minimum breakaway torque of reused wing attach 
barrel nuts;
    <bullet> Replace any deformed or irregular wing attach barrel nuts 
or bolts with new parts; and
    <bullet> Install new or reusable parts and torque to the correct 
value.

Comments

    We provided the public the opportunity to participate in developing 
this AD. We received no comments on the proposal or on the 
determination of the cost to the public.

Conclusion

    We have carefully reviewed the available data and determined that 
air safety and the public interest require adopting the AD as proposed 
except for minor editorial corrections. We have determined that these 
minor corrections:
    <bullet> are consistent with the intent that was proposed in the 
NPRM for correcting the unsafe condition; and
    <bullet> do not add any additional burden upon the public than was 
already proposed in the NPRM.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD affects 399 airplanes in the U.S. 
registry.
    We estimate the following costs to do the inspection:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Total cost for
           Labor cost                    Parts cost          each airplane       Total cost on U.S. operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12 work-hours x $80 an hour =     Not applicable..........            $960   $960 x 399 = $383,040
 $960.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We estimate the following costs to do any necessary replacements 
that will be required based on the results of the inspection. We have 
no way of determining the number of airplanes that may need this 
replacement:

[[Page 36985]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                        Total cost for
                                                       each airplane to
          Labor cost                 Parts cost       replace all 8 wing
                                                      attach barrel nuts
------------------------------------------------------------------------
No additional labor cost. Any  $60 for each barrel                 $480
 necessary replacements will    nut. There are 8
 be done at the time of         barrel nuts on each
 inspection.                    airplane. Possible
                                total cost of: $60 x
                                8 = $480.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FAA is committed to updating the aviation community of expected 
costs associated with the MU-2B series airplane safety evaluation 
conducted in 2005. As a result of that commitment, the accumulating 
expected costs of all ADs related to the MU-2B series airplane safety 
evaluation may be found in the Final Report section at the following 
Web site: http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/design_approvals/small_airplanes/cos/mu2_foia_reading_library/.

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 AD.

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 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 summary of the costs to comply with this AD (and 
other information as included in the Regulatory Evaluation) and placed 
it in the AD Docket. You may get a copy of this summary by sending a 
request to us at the address listed under ADDRESSES. Include ``Docket 
No. FAA-2006-23578; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-01-AD'' in your 
request.

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 the following new AD:

2006-13-15 Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.: Amendment 39-14668; 
Docket No. FAA-2006-23578; Directorate Identifier 2006-CE-01-AD.

Effective Date

    (a) This AD becomes effective on August 11, 2006.

Affected ADs

    (b) None.

Applicability

    (c) This AD affects the following airplane models and serial 
numbers that are certificated in any category:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Model                                                 Serial Nos.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MU-2B-10.........................  101 through 120 (Except 102, 114, 115, and 118).
MU-2B-15.........................  114, 115, and 118.
MU-2B-20.........................  102, and 121 through 238.
MU-2B-25.........................  239 through 318 (Except 313), and 313SA.
MU-2B-26.........................  319 through 347 (Except 321), and 349SA.
MU-2B-26A........................  321SA, 348SA, and 350SA through 394SA (Except 365SA).
MU-2B-30.........................  502 through 547.
MU-2B-35.........................  548 through 654 (Except 652), and 652SA.
MU-2B-36.........................  501, and 655 through 696 (Except 661).
MU-2B-36A........................  661SA, and 697SA through 730SA (Except 700SA).
MU-2B-40.........................  365SA.
MU-2B-60.........................  700SA.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unsafe Condition

    (d) This AD results from a recent safety evaluation that used a 
data-driven approach to evaluate the design, operation, and 
maintenance of the MU-2B series airplanes in order to determine 
their safety and define what steps, if any, are necessary for their 
safe operation. Part of that evaluation was to identify unsafe 
conditions that exist or could develop on the affected type design 
airplanes. The actions specified in this AD are intended to detect 
and correct cracks, corrosion, fractures, and incorrect torque 
values in the wing attach barrel nuts, which could result in failure 
of the wing attach barrel nuts and/or associated wing attachment 
hardware. This failure could lead to in-flight separation of the 
outer wing from the center wing section and result in loss of 
controlled flight.

Compliance

    (e) To address this problem, you must do the following, unless 
already done:

[[Page 36986]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Actions                 Compliance            Procedures
------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) Remove each wing attach   Within the next 200   Follow Mitsubishi
 barrel nut, bolt, and         hours time-in-        Heavy Industries,
 retainer and do a visual      service or 12         Ltd. MU-2 Service
 inspection for cracks,        months after August   Bulletins
 corrosion, and fractures.     11, 2006 (the         referenced as JCAB
                               effective detailed    T.C.: No. 241,
                               date of this AD),     dated July 14,
                               whichever occurs      2004, and FAA T.C.:
                               first, unless         No. 103/57-004A,
                               already done.         dated March 10,
                                                     2006, as
                                                     applicable.
(2) If any signs of cracks,   Before further        Follow Mitsubishi
 corrosion, or fractures are   flight after the      Heavy Industries,
 found on any wing attach      inspection required   Ltd. MU-2 Service
 barrel nut during the         in paragraph (e)(1)   Bulletins
 inspection required in        of this AD, unless    referenced as JCAB
 paragraph (e)(1) of this      already done.         T.C.: No. 241,
 AD, replace that wing                               dated July 14,
 attach barrel nut, bolt,                            2004, and FAA T.C.:
 and retainer with new parts                         No. 103/57-004A,
 and install to the correct                          dated March 10,
 torque value.                                       2006, as
                                                     applicable, and the
                                                     appropriate
                                                     maintenance manual.
(3) If no signs of cracks,    Before further        Follow Mitsubishi
 corrosion, or fractures are   flight after the      Heavy Industries,
 found during the inspection   inspection required   Ltd. MU-2 Service
 required in paragraph         in paragraph (e)(1)   Bulletins
 (e)(1) of this AD, you may    of this AD, unless    referenced as JCAB
 reuse the wing attach         already done.         T.C.: No. 241,
 barrel nuts and bolts if                            dated July 14,
 they have been inspected                            2004, and FAA T.C.:
 and are free of deformation                         No. 103/57-004A,
 and irregularities in the                           dated March 10,
 threads and meet the                                2006, as
 minimum breakaway torque                            applicable, and the
 requirement. Reinstall                              appropriate
 inspected parts to the                              maintenance manual.
 correct torque value. If
 the wing attach barrel nuts
 and bolts are not free of
 deformation and
 irregularities in the
 threads or do not meet the
 minimum breakaway torque
 requirement, install new
 parts to the correct torque
 value.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (f) The Manager, Fort Worth Airplane Certification Office, FAA, 
ATTN: Andrew McAnaul, Aerospace Engineer, ASW-150 (c/o MIDO-43), 
10100 Reunion Place, Suite 650, San Antonio, Texas 78216; telephone: 
(210) 308-3365; facsimile: (210) 308-3370, has the authority to 
approve alternative methods of compliance for this AD, if requested 
using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19.

Related Information

    (g) Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. MU-2 Service Bulletins 
JCAB T.C.: No. 241, dated July 14, 2004, and FAA T.C.: No. 103/57-
004A, dated March 10, 2006, pertain to the subject of this AD.

Material Incorporated by Reference

    (h) You must do the actions required by this AD following 
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. MU-2 Service Bulletins referenced 
as JCAB T.C.: No. 241, dated July 14, 2004, and FAA T.C.: No. 103/
57-004A, pages 1 and 4 dated March 10, 2006, pages 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 
dated August 2, 2004. The Director of the Federal Register approved 
the incorporation by reference of this service bulletin in 
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. To get a copy of 
this service information, contact Mitsubishi Heavy Industries 
America, Inc., 4951 Airport Parkway, Suite 800, Addison, Texas 
95001; telephone: (972) 934-5480; fax: (972) 934-5488, or Turbine 
Aircraft Services, Inc., 4550 Jimmy Doolittle Drive, Addison, Texas 
75001; telephone: (972) 248-3108; facsimile: (972) 248-3321. To 
review copies of this service information, go to the National 
Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the 
availability of this material at NARA, go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html or call (202) 741-6030. To view the AD docket, 
go to the Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, Room PL-
401, Washington, DC 20590-001 or on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov. The docket number is FAA-2006-23578; Directorate 
Identifier 2006-CE-01-AD.

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on June 19, 2006.
James E. Jackson,
Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 06-5653 Filed 6-28-06; 8:45 am]
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