Airworthiness Directives; Airbus SAS Airplanes

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 141 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 34761-34763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15658]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2018-0636; Product Identifier 2018-NM-097-AD; Amendment 
39-19337; AD 2018-15-05]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Airbus SAS Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 
Airbus SAS Model A319-115, -132, and -133 airplanes; and Model A320-
214, -216, -232, -233, -251N, and -271N airplanes. This AD was prompted 
by reports of safety pins that had been installed on the inflation 
reservoirs of escape slides/slide rafts during production, but had not 
been removed. This AD requires inspecting each passenger escape slide/
slide raft to determine whether the safety pin is installed on the 
slide inflation reservoir, and removing any installed safety pin. We 
are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: This AD becomes effective August 7, 2018.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of a certain publication listed in this AD as of August 7, 
2018.
    We must receive comments on this AD by September 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Fax: 202-493-2251.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    For service information identified in this final rule, contact 
Airbus SAS, Airworthiness Office--EIAS, 2 Rond-Point Emile Dewoitine, 
31700 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 
93 44 51; email [email protected]; internet http://www.airbus.com. You may view this referenced service information at the 
FAA, Transport Standards Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA. 
For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 
206-231-3195. It is also available on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2018-
0636.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2018-
0636; or in person at the Docket Operations office between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket 
contains this AD, the regulatory evaluation, any comments received, and 
other information. The street address for the Docket Operations office 
(telephone 800-647-5527) is in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 
available in the AD docket shortly after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 
International Section, Transport Standards Branch, FAA, 2200 South 
216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone and fax 206-231-3323.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

    The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 
Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA AD 
2018-0129, dated June 15, 2018 (referred to after this as the Mandatory 
Continuing Airworthiness Information, or ``the MCAI''), to correct an 
unsafe condition for certain Airbus SAS Model A319-115, -132, and -133 
airplanes; and Model A320-214, -216, -232, -233, -251N, and -271N 
airplanes. The MCAI states:

    Safety pins have been found installed on the escape slide/slide 
raft inflation reservoir on several aeroplanes. Investigations 
determined that, on certain aeroplanes, safety pins may not have 
been removed on the production line.
    This condition, if not detected and corrected, would prevent the 
deployment of the escape slide/slide raft, when required in case of 
emergency, possibly resulting in injury to the occupants.
    To address this potential unsafe condition, Airbus issued the 
original issue of the AOT [alert operators transmission], providing 
inspection instructions. The AOT has been later revised twice to 
extend the applicability.
    For the reasons described above, this AD requires a one-time 
inspection of each affected slide/raft and, depending on findings, 
removal of the safety pin.

    You may examine the MCAI on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2018-
0636.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    Airbus has issued Alert Operators Transmission A25N012-17, Revision 
02, dated May 29, 2018. This service information describes procedures 
for inspecting each passenger escape slide/slide raft to determine 
whether the safety pin is installed on the slide inflation reservoir, 
and removing any installed safety pin and stowing the pin in the 
stowage pocket of the soft cover of the pack assembly. 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 the ADDRESSES section.

FAA's Determination

    This product has been approved by the aviation authority of another 
country, and is approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant 
to our bilateral agreement with the State of Design Authority, we have 
been notified of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and service 
information referenced above. We are issuing this AD because we 
evaluated all pertinent information and determined the unsafe condition 
exists and is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same 
type design.

Requirements of This AD

    This AD requires accomplishing the actions specified in the service 
information described previously.

[[Page 34762]]

FAA's Determination of the Effective Date

    An unsafe condition exists that requires the immediate adoption of 
this AD. The FAA has found that the risk to the flying public justifies 
waiving notice and comment prior to adoption of this rule because 
safety pins installed in the inflation reservoirs of passenger escape 
slides/slide rafts would prevent the deployment of the escape slides/
slide rafts when required in case of emergency, possibly resulting in 
injury to the occupants. Therefore, we determined that notice and 
opportunity for public comment before issuing this AD are impracticable 
and that, for the same reason, good cause exists for making this 
amendment effective in less than 30 days.

Comments Invited

    This AD is a final rule that involves requirements affecting flight 
safety, and we did not precede it by notice and opportunity for public 
comment. We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or 
arguments about this AD. Send your comments to an address listed under 
the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2018-0636; Product 
Identifier 2018-NM-097-AD'' at the beginning of your comments. We 
specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, economic, 
environmental, and energy aspects of this AD. We will consider all 
comments received by the closing date and may amend this AD based on 
those comments.
    We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. We 
will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact we 
receive about this AD.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD affects 10 airplanes of U.S. registry. We 
estimate the following costs to comply with this AD:

                                      Estimated Costs for Required Actions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                    Cost per       Cost on U.S.
                          Labor cost                              Parts cost        product         operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 work-hours x $85 per hour = $85............................              $0             $340           $3,400
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    We estimate the following costs to do any necessary on-condition 
actions that would be required based on the results of any required 
actions. We have no way of determining the number of aircraft that 
might need these on-condition actions:

                                     Estimated Costs of On-Condition Actions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Cost per
                                  Labor cost                                       Parts cost        product
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 work-hours x $85 per hour = $85.............................................              $0             $340
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
    This AD is issued in accordance with authority delegated by the 
Executive Director, Aircraft Certification Service, as authorized by 
FAA Order 8000.51C. In accordance with that order, issuance of ADs is 
normally a function of the Compliance and Airworthiness Division, but 
during this transition period, the Executive Director has delegated the 
authority to issue ADs applicable to transport category airplanes to 
the Director of the System Oversight Division.

Regulatory Findings

    We 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);
    3. Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska; and
    4. 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.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

    Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by 
reference, Safety.

Adoption of the Amendment

    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 FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness 
directive (AD):

2018-15-05 Airbus SAS: Amendment 39-19337; Docket No. FAA-2018-0636; 
Product Identifier 2018-NM-097-AD.

(a) Effective Date

    This AD becomes effective August 7, 2018.

[[Page 34763]]

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to Airbus SAS Model A319-115, -132, and -133 
airplanes; and Model A320-214, -216, -232, -233, -251N, and -271N 
airplanes; certificated in any category, having manufacturer serial 
numbers as identified in Airbus Alert Operators Transmission 
A25N012-17, Revision 02, dated May 29, 2018.

(d) Subject

    Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 25, Equipment/
furnishings.

(e) Reason

    This AD was prompted by reports of safety pins that had been 
installed on the inflation reservoirs of escape slides/slide rafts 
during production, but had not been removed and stowed in the 
stowage pocket of the soft cover of the pack assembly. We are 
issuing this AD to address safety pins that had been installed on 
the inflation reservoirs of escape slides/slide rafts during 
production but had not been removed, which would prevent deployment 
of the escape slide/slide raft when required in case of emergency 
and could result in injury to the occupants.

(f) Compliance

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

(g) Definition of Affected Escape Slides/Slide Rafts

    For purposes of this AD, affected escape slides/slide rafts are 
those installed on the left-hand and right-hand forward and aft 
passenger doors.

(h) Inspection

    Within 750 flight hours, or 750 flight cycles, or 4 months, 
whichever occurs first after the effective date of this AD, do a 
general visual inspection of each affected escape slide/slide raft 
to determine whether the safety pin is installed on the slide 
inflation reservoir, in accordance with Airbus Alert Operators 
Transmission A25N012-17, Revision 02, dated May 29, 2018.

(i) Corrective Action

    If, during the inspection required by paragraph (h) of this AD, 
a safety pin is found installed, before further flight, remove and 
stow the affected pin, in accordance with Airbus Alert Operators 
Transmission A25N012-17, Revision 02, dated May 29, 2018.

(j) Credit for Previous Actions

    This paragraph provides credit for actions required by 
paragraphs (h) and (i) of this AD, if those actions were performed 
before the effective date of this AD using the service information 
identified in paragraph (j)(1) or (j)(2) of this AD.
    (1) Airbus Alert Operators Transmission A25N012-17, dated 
December 14, 2017.
    (2) Airbus Alert Operators Transmission A25N012-17, Revision 01, 
dated April 11, 2018.

(k) Reporting Specifications

    Although Airbus Alert Operators Transmission A25N012-17, 
Revision 02, dated May 29, 2018, specifies submitting a report to 
Airbus, this AD does not require a report.

(l) Other FAA AD Provisions

    The following provisions also apply to this AD:
    (1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs): The Manager, 
International Section, Transport Standards Branch, FAA, has the 
authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the 
procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14 CFR 39.19, 
send your request to your principal inspector or local Flight 
Standards District Office, as appropriate. If sending information 
directly to the International Section, send it to the attention of 
the person identified in paragraph (m)(2) of this AD. Information 
may be emailed to [email protected]. 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.
    (2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any requirement in this AD 
to obtain corrective actions from a manufacturer, the action must be 
accomplished using a method approved by the Manager, International 
Section, Transport Standards Branch, FAA; or the European Aviation 
Safety Agency (EASA); or Airbus's EASA Design Organization Approval 
(DOA). If approved by the DOA, the approval must include the DOA-
authorized signature.

(m) Related Information

    (1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information 
(MCAI) EASA AD 2018-0129, dated June 15, 2018, for related 
information. This MCAI may be found in the AD docket on the internet 
at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket 
No. FAA-2018-0636.
    (2) For more information about this AD, contact Sanjay Ralhan, 
Aerospace Engineer, International Section, Transport Standards 
Branch, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone 
and fax 206-231-3323.

(n) Material Incorporated by Reference

    (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference (IBR) of the service information listed 
in this paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.
    (2) You must use this service information as applicable to do 
the actions required by this AD, unless this AD specifies otherwise.
    (i) Airbus Alert Operators Transmission A25N012-17, Revision 02, 
dated May 29, 2018.
    (ii) Reserved.
    (3) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Airbus SAS, Airworthiness Office--EIAS, 2 Rond-Point Emile 
Dewoitine, 31700 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; 
fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email [email protected]; 
internet http://www.airbus.com.
    (4) You may view this service information at the FAA, Transport 
Standards Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA. For 
information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 
206-231-3195.
    (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, call 202-741-6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

    Issued in Des Moines, Washington, on July 13, 2018.
Michael Kaszycki,
Acting Director, System Oversight Division, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-15658 Filed 7-20-18; 8:45 am]
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