Airworthiness Directives; Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. (EMBRAER) ERJ 170 Airplanes

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 125 (Friday, June 29, 2007)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 35645-35647]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12221]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2007-27508; Directorate Identifier 2006-NM-252-AD; 
Amendment 39-15117; AD 2007-13-13]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. 
(EMBRAER) ERJ 170 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 the 
products listed above. This AD results from mandatory continuing 
airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by an airworthiness authority 
of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an 
aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as an 
obstruction at the cargo compartment fire extinguisher system drier 
metering unit (DMU) inlet, affecting the system effectiveness and, 
consequently, making the fire extinguishing capability at those 
compartments inadequate should a fire erupt. We are issuing this AD to 
require actions to correct the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: This AD becomes effective August 3, 2007.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of a certain publication listed in this AD as of August 3, 
2007.

ADDRESSES: You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov or in person at the U.S. Department of Transportation, 
Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 
New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Thompson, Aerospace Engineer, 
International Branch, ANM-116, FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 
1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98057-3356; telephone (425) 
227-1175; fax (425) 227-1149.

[[Page 35646]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

    The FAA is implementing a new process for streamlining the issuance 
of ADs related to MCAI. This streamlined process will allow us to adopt 
MCAI safety requirements in a more efficient manner and will reduce 
safety risks to the public. This process continues to allow all FAA AD 
issuance processes to meet legal, economic, Administrative Procedure 
Act, and Federal Register requirements. We also continue to meet our 
technical decision-making responsibilities to identify and correct 
unsafe conditions on U.S.-certificated products.
    This AD references the MCAI and related service information that we 
considered in forming the engineering basis to correct the unsafe 
condition. The AD contains text copied from the MCAI and for this 
reason might not follow our plain language principles.
    We issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 
part 39 to include an AD that would apply to the specified products. 
That NPRM was published in the Federal Register on March 12, 2007 (72 
FR 10947). That NPRM proposed to require installation of a debris 
strainer at the drier metering unit (DMU) inlet. The MCAI states that 
it has been found the occurrence of one case of obstruction at the 
cargo compartment fire extinguisher system DMU inlet, affecting the 
system effectiveness and, consequently, making the fire extinguishing 
capability at those compartments inadequate should a fire erupt.

Comments

    We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing 
this AD. We considered the comment received.

Request To Revise Applicability

    The airplane manufacturer, EMBRAER, requests that we change the 
proposed applicability to refer to certain Model ERJ 170 airplanes 
identified in EMBRAER Service Bulletin 170-26-0002, dated November 11, 
2005.
    We agree to revise the applicability. The service bulletin 
identifies only those airplanes that have an affected DMU installed. We 
have revised paragraph (c) of this AD to reference the service 
bulletin. We have coordinated this change with Ag[ecirc]ncia Nacional 
de Avia[ccedil][atilde]o Civil (ANAC).

Conclusion

    We reviewed the available data, including the comment received, and 
determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting the 
AD with the change described previously. We determined that this change 
will not increase the economic burden on any operator or increase the 
scope of the AD.

Differences Between This AD and the MCAI or Service Information

    We have reviewed the MCAI and related service information and, in 
general, agree with their substance. But we might have found it 
necessary to use different words from those in the MCAI to ensure the 
AD is clear for U.S. operators and is enforceable in a U.S. court of 
law. In making these changes, we do not intend to differ substantively 
from the information provided in the MCAI and related service 
information.
    We might also have required different actions in this AD from those 
in the MCAI in order to follow our FAA policies. Any such differences 
are described in a separate paragraph of the AD. These requirements, if 
any, take precedence over the actions copied from the MCAI.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD will affect 75 products of U.S. registry. 
We also estimate that it will take about 4 work-hours per product to 
comply with this AD. The average labor rate is $80 per work-hour. 
Required parts will cost about $0 per product. Where the service 
information lists required parts costs that are covered under warranty, 
we have assumed that there will be no charge for these parts. As we do 
not control warranty coverage for affected parties, some parties may 
incur costs higher than estimated here. Based on these figures, we 
estimate the cost of this AD to the U.S. operators to be $24,000, or 
$320 per product.

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 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.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov; 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 the NPRM, 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.

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 FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding the following new AD:

2007-13-13 Empresa Brasileira De Aeronautica S.A. (EMBRAER): 
Amendment 39-15117. Docket No. FAA-2007-27508; Directorate 
Identifier 2006-NM-252-AD.

[[Page 35647]]

Effective Date

    (a) This airworthiness directive (AD) becomes effective August 
3, 2007.

Affected ADs

    (b) None.

Applicability

    (c) This AD applies to EMBRAER Model ERJ 170-100 LR, -100 STD, -
100 SE, -100 SU, -200 LR, -200 STD, and -200 SU airplanes, as 
identified in EMBRAER Service Bulletin 170-26-0002, dated November 
11, 2005; certificated in any category.

Reason

    (d) The MCAI states that it has been found the occurrence of one 
case of obstruction at the cargo compartment fire extinguisher 
system drier metering unit (DMU) inlet, affecting the system 
effectiveness and, consequently, making the fire extinguishing 
capability at those compartments inadequate should a fire erupt. The 
MCAI requires installation of a debris strainer at the DMU inlet.

Actions and Compliance

    (e) Unless already done, do the following actions. Within 700 
flight hours after the effective date of this AD, install a debris 
strainer at the DMU inlet, in accordance with the detailed 
instructions and procedures described in EMBRAER Service Bulletin 
170-26-0002, dated November 11, 2005.

FAA AD Differences

    Note: This AD differs from the MCAI and/or service information 
as follows: No Differences.

Other FAA AD Provisions

    (f) The following provisions also apply to this AD:
    (1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs): The Manager, 
International Branch, ANM-116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 
has the authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using 
the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information to ATTN: Todd 
Thompson, Aerospace Engineer, International Branch, ANM-116, FAA, 
Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, 
Washington 98057-3356; telephone (425) 227-1175; fax (425) 227-1149. 
Before using any approved AMOC on any airplane to which the AMOC 
applies, notify your appropriate principal inspector (PI) in the FAA 
Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), or lacking a PI, your local 
FSDO.
    (2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement in this AD to obtain 
corrective actions from a manufacturer or other source, use these 
actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective actions are considered 
FAA-approved if they are approved by the State of Design Authority 
(or their delegated agent). You are required to assure the product 
is airworthy before it is returned to service.
    (3) Reporting Requirements: For any reporting requirement in 
this AD, under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act, the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has approved the information 
collection requirements and has assigned OMB Control Number 2120-
0056.

Related Information

    (g) Refer to MCAI Brazilian Airworthiness Directive 2006-01-03, 
effective February 7, 2006; and EMBRAER Service Bulletin 170-26-
0002, dated November 11, 2005; for related information.

Material Incorporated by Reference

    (h) You must use EMBRAER Service Bulletin 170-26-0002, dated 
November 11, 2005, to do the actions required by this AD, unless the 
AD specifies otherwise.
    (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference of this service information under 5 
U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.
    (2) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. (EMBRAER), P.O. Box 343--CEP 
12.225, Sao Jose dos Campos--SP, Brazil.
    (3) You may review copies at the FAA, Transport Airplane 
Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington; or 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 Renton, Washington, on June 18, 2007.
Ali Bahrami,
Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
 [FR Doc. E7-12221 Filed 6-28-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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