preamble attached >>>
ADs updated daily at www.Tdata.com
2009-11-05 AIR TRACTOR, INC.: Amendment 39-15915; Docket No. FAA-2009-0473; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-027-AD. 
EFFECTIVE DATE

(a) This AD becomes effective on June 1, 2009.

AFFECTED ADS

(b) This AD supersedes AD 2008-10-12; Amendment 39-15518.

APPLICABILITY

(c) This AD  applies to the  following airplane models  and serial numbers
    that are certificated in any category:
    ______________________________________________________________________
    MODELS                                              SERIAL NOS.       
    ______________________________________________________________________
    AT–400, AT–400A, AT–402, AT–402A, and           -0001 through -1175.
    AT–402B

    AT–502, AT–502A, AT–502B, and AT–503A           -0001 through -2597.

    AT–602                                          -0001 through -1141.

    AT–802 and AT–802A                              -0001 through -0227.
    ______________________________________________________________________

UNSAFE CONDITION

(d) This AD is the  result of a report of  a Model AT-602 airplane with  a
    crack completely through the gusset that was installed as required  in
    AD 2008-10-12. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks  in
    the engine mount, which could  result in failure of the  engine mount.
    Such failure could lead to separation of the engine from the airplane.

COMPLIANCE

(e) Inspect the engine mount  as follows using the service  information in
    paragraph (i) of this AD:
    ______________________________________________________________________


    MODELS » » »

    (1) For all Models AT–400, AT–400A, AT–402, AT–402A, AT–402B,  AT–502,
        AT–502B, and AT–503A airplanes

           COMPLIANCE TIME WITHOUT GUSSETS INSTALLED » » »

           Initially and repetitively as follows:

           (i) With less  than  5,000 hours time-in-service  (TIS) on  the
               airplane: Initially  within the  next 12  months after June
               12,   2008   (the  effective   date   of  AD   2008–10–12).
               Repetitively thereafter at intervals not to exceed every 12
               months until accumulating 5,000 hours TIS.

           (ii) With 5,000  hours TIS or  more on the  airplane: Initially
                upon  accumulating  5,000  hours TIS  on  the  airplane or
                within  the  next  10 hours  TIS  after  June 1, 2009 (the
                effective date of this AD),  or within the next 100  hours
                TIS from the  last inspection performed,  whichever occurs
                later. Repetitively thereafter at intervals not to  exceed
                every 100 hours TIS.

                       COMPLIANCE TIME WITH GUSSETS INSTALLED » » »

                       Initially and repetitively as follows:

                       (A) With less than 5,000 hours TIS on the airplane:
                           Initially within the next 12 months after  June
                           1, 2009   (the  effective  date  of  this  AD).
                           Repetitively  thereafter  at  intervals  not to
                           exceed every 12 months until accumulating 5,000
                           hours TIS.

                       (B) With 5,000 hours  TIS or more on  the airplane:
                           Initially upon accumulating 5,000 hours TIS  on
                           the airplane  or within  the next  10 hours TIS
                           after June 1, 2009 (the effective date of  this
                           AD), or within the next 100 hours TIS from  the
                           last  inspection  performed,  whichever  occurs
                           later. Repetitively thereafter at intervals not
                           to exceed every 100 hours TIS.

    ______________________________________________________________________


    MODELS » » »

    (2) AT–502A

           COMPLIANCE TIME WITHOUT GUSSETS INSTALLED » » »

           Initially and repetitively as follows:

           (i) With less than 5,000  hours TIS on the airplane:  Initially
               upon accumulating 1,300 hours TIS on the airplane or within
               the next 100 hours TIS  after June 12, 2008 (the  effective
               date of AD 2008–10–12) whichever occurs later. Repetitively
               thereafter at intervals not to exceed every 300 hours TIS.

           (ii) With 5,000  hours TIS or  more on the  airplane: Initially
                upon  accumulating  5,000  hours TIS  on  the  airplane or
                within  the  next  10 hours  TIS  after  June 1, 2009 (the
                effective date of this AD),  or within the next 100  hours
                TIS from the  last inspection performed,  whichever occurs
                later. Repetitively thereafter at intervals not to  exceed
                every 100 hours TIS.

                       COMPLIANCE TIME WITH GUSSETS INSTALLED » » »

                       Initially and repetitively as follows:

                       (i) With less than 5,000 hours TIS on the airplane:
                           Initially upon accumulating 1,300 hours TIS  on
                           the airplane or within  the next 100 hours  TIS
                           after June 1, 2009 (the effective date of  this
                           AD),  whichever   occurs  later.   Repetitively
                           thereafter at intervals not to exceed every 300
                           hours TIS.

                       (ii) With 5,000 hours TIS or more on the  airplane:
                            Initially upon accumulating 5,000 hours TIS on
                            the airplane or within  the next 10 hours  TIS
                            after June 1, 2009 (the effective date of this
                            AD), or within the next 100 hours TIS from the
                            last  inspection  performed,  whichever occurs
                            later.  Repetitively  thereafter  at intervals
                            not to exceed every 100 hours TIS.

    ______________________________________________________________________


    MODELS » » »

    (3) AT–602, AT–802, and AT–802A

           COMPLIANCE TIME WITHOUT GUSSETS INSTALLED » » »

           Initially and repetitively as follows:

           (i) With less than 5,000  hours TIS on the airplane:  Initially
               upon accumulating 1,300 hours TIS on the airplane or within
               the next 100 hours TIS after August 10, 2007 (the effective
               date   of   AD   2007–13–17),   whichever   occurs   later.
               Repetitively thereafter  at intervals  not to  exceed every
               300 hours TIS.

           (ii) With 5,000  hours TIS or  more on the  airplane: Initially
                upon  accumulating  5,000  hours TIS  on  the  airplane or
                within  the  next  10 hours  TIS  after  June 1, 2009 (the
                effective date of this AD),  or within the next 100  hours
                TIS from the  last inspection performed,  whichever occurs
                later. Repetitively thereafter at intervals not to  exceed
                every 100 hours TIS.

                       COMPLIANCE TIME WITH GUSSETS INSTALLED » » »

                       Initially and repetitively as follows:

                       (i) With less than 5,000 hours TIS on the airplane:
                           Initially upon accumulating 1,300 hours TIS  on
                           the airplane or within  the next 100 hours  TIS
                           after June 1, 2009 (the effective date of  this
                           AD),  whichever   occurs  later.   Repetitively
                           thereafter at intervals not to exceed every 300
                           hours TIS.

                       (ii) With 5,000 hours TIS or more on the  airplane:
                            Initially upon accumulating 5,000 hours TIS on
                            the airplane or within  the next 10 hours  TIS
                            after June 1, 2009 (the effective date of this
                            AD), or within the next 100 hours TIS from the
                            last  inspection  performed,  whichever occurs
                            later.  Repetitively  thereafter  at intervals
                            not to exceed every 100 hours TIS.

    ______________________________________________________________________

(f) For all airplanes: Before further flight after any inspection required
    by paragraph (e)(1), (e)(2), and (e)(3) of this AD where crack  damage
    is found, replace with a new engine mount or repair the engine mount.

(1) If  choosing repair,  return cracked  mounts to  Air Tractor, Inc. for
    repair or obtain FAA-approved written repair instructions  coordinated
    with Air Tractor, Inc. before starting the repair.

(2) Contact  Air  Tractor,  Inc.,   P.O.  Box  485,  Olney,  Texas  76374;
    telephone:  (940)  564-5616; fax:  (940)  564-5612; Internet:  http://
    www.airtractor.com,  for   specific  FAA-approved   repair/replacement
    instructions.

ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF COMPLIANCE (AMOCS)

(g) The Manager,  Fort Worth Airplane  Certification Office, 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: Andy
    McAnaul, Aerospace Engineer, ASW-150,  FAA San Antonio MIDO-43,  10100
    Reunion Place, Suite 650, San  Antonio, Texas 78216; phone: (210)  308
    -3365; fax:  (210) 308-3370.  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.

(h) AMOCs approved for AD 2008-10-12 are not approved for this AD.

MATERIAL INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

(i) You must use  Snow Engineering Co. Service  Letter 253, Rev. C,  dated
    April 17, 2008, to do the  actions required by this AD, unless  the AD
    specifies otherwise.

(1) As of  June 12,  2008 (73  FR 25967),  the  Director  of  the  Federal
    Register approved the incorporation  by reference of Snow  Engineering
    Co. Service Letter 253, Rev. C,  dated April 17, 2008, under 5  U.S.C.
    552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.

(2) For  service information  identified in  this AD,  contact Air Tractor
    Inc., P.O.  Box 485,  Olney, Texas 76374;  telephone:  (940) 564-5616;
    fax: (940) 564-5612.

(3) You may  review copies  at the  FAA,  Central  Region, Office  of  the
    Regional Counsel, 901 Locust, Kansas  City, Missouri 64106; 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/code_of_federal_regulations/i
    br_locations.html.

Issued in Kansas City,  Missouri, on May 15,  2009. Scott A. Horn,  Acting
Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.

FOR FURTHER  INFORMATION CONTACT:  Andy McAnaul,  Aerospace Engineer, FAA,
San  Antonio MIDO-43,  10100 Reunion  Pl.,  Ste.  650, San  Antonio, Texas
78216,   telephone:   (210)  308-3365,   fax:   (210)  308-3370;   e-mail:
andrew.mcanaul@faa.gov.
PREAMBLE 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule; request for comments.

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) to supersede AD 2008-10-12, which applies to certain Air Tractor, Inc. AT- 400, AT-500, AT-600, and AT-800 series airplanes. AD 2008-10-12 currently requires repetitively inspecting the engine mounts for cracks, repairing any crack damage found, and installing gussets as a terminating action for the repetitive inspections. This AD results from a report of a Model AT-602 airplane with a crack completely through the gusset that was installed as required in AD 2008-10-12. Consequently, this AD would require you to continue repetitively inspecting the engine mounts for cracks for all previously affected Air Tractor, Inc. AT-400, AT-500, AT-600, and AT-800 series airplanes with or without gussets installed, and repairing any crack damage found. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct cracks in the engine mount, which could result in failure of the engine mount. This failure could lead to separation of the engine from the airplane.

DATES: This AD becomes effective on June 1, 2009.
As of June 12, 2008 (73 FR 25967, May 8, 2008), the Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of Snow Engineering Co. Service Letter 253, Rev. C, dated April 17, 2008, listed in this AD.
We must receive any comments on this AD by July 21, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following addresses to comment on this AD.

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: (202) 493-2251.
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.
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 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

To get the service information identified in this AD, contact Air Tractor, Inc., P.O. Box 485, Olney, Texas 76374; telephone: (940) 564- 5616; fax: (940) 564-5612; Internet: http://www.airtractor.com.
To view the comments to this AD, go to http://www.regulations.gov. The docket number is FAA-2009-0473; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-027- AD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andy McAnaul, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, San Antonio MIDO-43, 10100 Reunion Pl., Ste. 650, San Antonio, Texas 78216, telephone: (210) 308-3365, fax: (210) 308-3370; e-mail: andrew.mcanaul@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

On April 30, 2008, we issued AD 2008-10-12, Amendment 39-15518 (73 FR 25967) on certain Air Tractor, Inc. AT-400, AT-500, AT-600, and AT- 800 series airplanes to supersede AD 2007-13-17.
AD 2007-13-17 required you to repetitively inspect the engine mount for any cracks, repair or replace any cracked engine mount, and report any cracks found to the FAA.
AD 2008-10-12 currently:

Retains the inspection actions of AD 2007-13-17 for Models AT-602, AT-802, and AT-802A airplanes, including the compliance times and effective dates;
Establishes new inspection actions for the AT-400 and AT- 500 series airplanes;
Incorporates a mandatory terminating action for all affected airplanes by installing gussets; and
Terminates the reporting requirement of AD 2007-13-17.

Since issuing AD 2008-10-12, we received a report of a Model AT-602 airplane with a crack in the engine mount and completely through the gusset that was installed as a terminating action as required in AD 2008-10-12. This engine mount was reported as having a crack that was repaired as part of the gusset installation. The mount reportedly accumulated approximately 1,100 hours time-in-service since being modified with the gusset.
Air Tractor, Inc. believes that the crack may have been improperly repaired during installation of the gusset. Additional procedures may be necessary to adequately address inspection and repair of cracked engine mounts and assure proper installation of the gussets.
This condition, if not corrected, could result in failure of the engine mount. This failure could lead to separation of the engine from the airplane.

Relevant Service Information

Snow Engineering Co. Service Letter 253, Rev. C, dated April 17, 2008, specified in AD 2008-10-12 is still valid for this AD.

FAA's Determination and Requirements of This AD

We are issuing this AD because we evaluated all the information and determined the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type design. This AD requires repetitively inspecting the engine mounts for cracks and repairing any crack damage found.
Air Tractor is reviewing the information related to the occurrences referenced in this AD and may develop additional procedures to adequately address inspection and repair of cracked engine mounts and assure proper installation of the gussets that, when incorporated, would eliminate the need for the repetitive inspections required by this AD. The FAA will review any modification that is developed, determine whether it would eliminate the need for the requirements of this action, and then determine whether additional AD action is necessary.

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 cracks in the engine mounts could result in failure of the engine mount. Such failure could lead to separation of the engine from the airplane. Therefore, we determined that notice and opportunity for public comment before issuing this AD are impracticable and that good cause exists for making this amendment effective in fewer 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 an opportunity for public comment. We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or arguments regarding this AD. Send your comments to an address listed under the ADDRESSES section. Include the docket number "FAA-2009-0473; Directorate Identifier 2009-CE-027-AD" at the beginning of your comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, economic, environmental, and energy aspects of the AD. We will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend the AD in light of 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 concerning this AD.

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 that contains the AD, the regulatory evaluation, any comments received, and other information on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov; or in person at the Docket Management Facility between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Docket Office (telephone (800) 647-5527) is located at the street address stated 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

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the FAA amends 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

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]

2. The FAA amends Sec. 39.13 by removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2008-10-12; Amendment 39-15518 (73 FR 25967, May 8, 2008), and by adding a new AD to read as follows: