DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2016-9568; Product Identifier 2016-NM-150-AD;
Amendment 39-19077; AD 2017-21-06]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; 328 Support Services GmbH (Type
Certificate Previously Held by AvCraft Aerospace GmbH; Fairchild
Dornier GmbH; Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH) 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 certain
328 Support Services GmbH Model 328-100 and Model 328-300 airplanes.
This AD was prompted by reports of broken bonding wires of certain fuel
line clamps. This AD requires repetitive inspections of certain fuel
line clamps for discrepancies; repetitive inspections of certain parts
for chafing marks; and replacement of any discrepant parts. This AD
also includes an optional modification, which is a terminating action
for the inspections. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe
condition on these products.

DATES: This AD is effective December 20, 2017.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by
reference of certain publications listed in this AD as of December 20,
2017.

ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this final rule,
contact 328 Support Services GmbH, Global Support Center, P.O. Box
1252, D-82231 Wessling, Federal Republic of Germany; telephone +49 8153
88111 6666; fax +49 8153 88111 6565; email gsc.op@328support.de;
Internet http://www.328support.de. You may view this referenced service
information at the FAA, Transport Standards Branch, 1601 Lind Avenue
SW., Renton, WA. For information on the availability of this material
at the FAA, call 425-227-1221. It is also available on the Internet at
http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No.
FAA-2016-9568.

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-2016-
9568; or in person at the Docket Management Facility 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 Office (telephone
800-647-5527) is Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Thompson, Aerospace Engineer,
International Section, Transport Standards Branch, FAA, 1601 Lind
Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057-3356; telephone 425-227-1175; fax 425-227-
1149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

We issued a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) to
amend 14 CFR part 39 by adding an AD that would apply to certain 328
Support Services GmbH Model 328-100 and Model 328-300 airplanes. The
SNPRM published in the Federal Register on June 30, 2017 (82 FR 29786)
(``the SNPRM''). We preceded the SNPRM with a notice of proposed
rulemaking (NPRM) that published in the Federal Register on January 11,
2017 (82 FR 3217) (``the NPRM''). The NPRM proposed to require a one-
time inspection of certain fuel line clamps for discrepancies, and
replacement of any discrepant clamps. The NPRM was prompted by reports
of broken bonding wires of certain fuel line clamps. The SNPRM proposed
to expand the applicability and require repetitive inspections of
certain fuel line clamps for discrepancies; repetitive inspections of
certain jet fuel pumps, connection parts, and fuel lines for chafing
marks; a measurement of the depth of the chafing marks on affected
parts; and replacement of any discrepant parts. We are issuing this AD
to prevent the loss of bonding function, which, in
combination with a lightning strike, could create a source of ignition
in a fuel tank, possibly resulting in a fire or explosion and
consequent loss of the airplane.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical
Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA
Airworthiness Directive 2017-0016, dated January 31, 2017 (referred to
after this as the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information, or
``the MCAI''), to correct an unsafe condition for certain 328 Support
Services GmbH Model 328-100 and Model 328-300 airplanes. The MCAI
states:

Occurrences of broken bonding wires of the fuel line clamps have
been reported on Dornier 328-100 and Dornier 328-300 aeroplanes
equipped with fuel line clamps Part Number (P/N) 14C02-10A, or P/N
14C02-12A, or P/N 14C02-16A. The affected fuel line clamps have been
installed in accordance with the instructions of Dornier 328 Service
Bulletin (SB) SB-328-28-490 or SB-328J-28-241, as applicable, to
reduce occurrences of fuel line chafing.
The results of the investigation did not identify design
deficiency or production failure of the fuel line clamps. It is
assumed that the chafing and breaking of the bonding wires are
caused either by excessive vibration, misalignment, excessive
installation tolerances or mistakes on installation or a combination
thereof.
This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to the
loss of bonding function and, in combination with a lightning
strike, create a source of ignition in a fuel tank, possibly
resulting in a fire or explosion and consequent loss of the
aeroplane.
To address the unsafe condition, 328 Support Services issued
Alert SB (ASB) ASB-328-28-041 (for Dornier 328-100) and ASB-328J-28-
018 (for Dornier 328-300), providing inspection instructions.
Consequently, EASA issued AD 2016-0169 [which corresponds to the
NPRM] to require a one-time inspection of the fuel line clamps and,
depending on findings, replacement. That [EASA] AD also required the
reporting of all inspection results to the design approval holder.
Since that [EASA] AD was issued, it was determined that
repetitive inspections are necessary and 328 Support Services
revised the applicable ASBs accordingly.
For the reason described above, this [EASA] AD retains the
requirements of EASA AD 2016-0169, which is superseded, and requires
repetitive inspections of all Hydraflow fuel line clamps [i.e., a
general visual inspection of all Hydraflow fuel line clamps for worn
and missing bonding wires; a general visual inspection of the jet
pump outlet, connection part, and fuel lines for chafing marks; and
a measurement of the depth of the chafing marks on affected parts]
and continued reporting to the TC Holder.

You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket on the Internet at http://
www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2016-
9568.

Comments

We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing
this AD. The following presents the comment received on the SNPRM and
the FAA's response to that comment.

Request To Incorporate a New Optional Terminating Action

One commenter, Christoph Thallmayr, stated that 328 Support
Services has released Service Bulletin SB-328-28-553, Revision 1, dated
July 10, 2017; and Service Bulletin SB-328J-28-322, Revision 1, dated
July 10, 2017. The commenter noted that this service information
contains instructions for a modification, which is considered a
terminating action to the inspections specified in the SNPRM. The
commenter requested that we incorporate the terminating action and
applicable service information into the final rule.
We agree with the commenter's request. We have added paragraph (l)
to this AD to allow operators to accomplish an optional terminating
modification, which must be done in accordance with 328 Support
Services GmbH Service Bulletin SB-328-28-553, Revision 1, dated July
10, 2017; or Service Bulletin SB-328J-28-322, Revision 1, dated July
10, 2017; as applicable. We also have redesignated subsequent
paragraphs accordingly.

Conclusion

We reviewed the relevant data, considered the comment received, and
determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting
this AD with the changes described previously and minor editorial
changes. We have determined that these minor changes:
Are consistent with the intent that was proposed in the
SNPRM for correcting the unsafe condition; and
Do not add any additional burden upon the public than was
already proposed in the SNPRM.
We also determined that these changes will not increase the
economic burden on any operator or increase the scope of this AD.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

328 Support Services GmbH has issued Alert Service Bulletin ASB-
328J-28-018, Revision 2, dated December 12, 2016; and Alert Service
Bulletin ASB-328-28-041, Revision 2, dated December 12, 2016. The
service information describes procedures for a general visual
inspection of all Hydraflow fuel line clamps for worn and missing
bonding wires; a general visual inspection of the jet pump outlet,
connection part, and fuel lines for chafing marks; a measurement of the
depth of the chafing marks; and replacement of discrepant parts. These
documents are distinct since they apply to different airplane models.
328 Support Services GmbH has also issued Service Bulletin SB-328-
28-553, Revision 1, dated July 10, 2017; and Service Bulletin SB-328J-
28-322, Revision 1, dated July 10, 2017. The service information
describes procedures for modifying the wing tank distribution system.
These documents are distinct since they apply to different airplane
models.
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.

Costs of Compliance

We estimate that this AD affects 25 airplanes of U.S. registry.
We estimate the following costs to comply with this AD:

Estimated Costs

Estimated Costs for Optional Actions

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

On-Condition Costs

Paperwork Reduction Act

A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not
required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to penalty for
failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of
information displays a current valid OMB control number. The control
number for the collection of information required by this AD is 2120-
0056. The paperwork cost associated with this AD has been detailed in
the Costs of Compliance section of this document and includes time for
reviewing instructions, as well as completing and reviewing the
collection of information. Therefore, all reporting associated with
this AD is mandatory. Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden
and suggestions for reducing the burden should be directed to the FAA
at 800 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591, ATTN: Information
Collection Clearance Officer, AES-200.

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

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 adding the following new airworthiness
directive (AD):