DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2018-0003; Directorate Identifier 2017-CE-033-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; American Champion Aircraft Corp.

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2017-07-
10, which applies to certain American Champion Aircraft Corp. (ACAC)
Model 8KCAB airplanes. AD 2017-07-10 requires fabrication and
installation of a placard to prohibit aerobatic flight, inspection of
the aileron hinge rib and support, and a reporting requirement of the
inspection results to the FAA. This AD was prompted by a report of a
cracked hinge support and cracked hinge ribs, which resulted in partial
loss of control with the aileron binding against the cove. Since we
issued AD 2017-07-10, ACAC redesigned the aileron hinge supports with a
reinforcement kit to strengthen the supports and prevent future damage
from developing. This proposed AD would require repetitive inspections
of the aileron hinge support, installation of the aileron hinge support
reinforcement kit, and incorporation of revised pages into the service
manual. We are proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on
these products.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by February 26, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:

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: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

For service information identified in this NPRM, contact American
Champion Aircraft Corp., P.O. Box 37, 32032 Washington Ave., Rochester,
Wisconsin 53167; telephone: (262) 534-6315; fax: (262) 534-2395; email:
aca-engineering@tds.net; internet: http://www.americanchampionaircraft.
com/service-letters.html. You may review copies of the referenced service
information at the FAA, Policy and Innovation Division, 901 Locust, Kansas
City, Missouri 64106. For information on the availability of this material
at the FAA, call (816) 329-4148.

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-2018-0003; or in person
at the Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains this NPRM, the regulatory
evaluation, any comments received, and other information. The street
address for the Docket Operations (phone: 800-647-5527) is in the
ADDRESSES section. Comments will be available in the AD docket shortly
after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wess Rouse, Small Airplane Program
Manager, 2300 East Devon Avenue, Room 107, Des Plaines, Illinois 60018;
telephone: (847) 294-8113; fax: (847) 294-7834; email:
wess.rouse@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or
arguments about this proposed AD. Send your comments to an address
listed under the ADDRESSES section. Include "Docket No. FAA-2018-0003;
Directorate Identifier 2017-CE-033-AD" at the beginning of your
comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory,
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this NPRM. We will
consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend this
NPRM because 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 about this proposed AD.

Discussion

We issued AD 2017-07-10, Amendment 39-18849 (82 FR 17542, April 12,
2017), ("AD 2017-07-10"), for certain American Champion Aircraft
Corp. (ACAC) Model 8KCAB airplanes. AD 2017-07-10 requires fabrication
and installation of a placard to prohibit aerobatic flight, inspection
of the aileron hinge rib and support, and a reporting requirement of
the inspection results to the FAA. AD 2017-07-10 resulted from a report
of a cracked hinge support and cracked hinge ribs, which resulted in
partial loss of control with the aileron binding against the cove. We
issued AD 2017-07-10 to prevent failure of the aileron support
structure, which may lead to excessive deflection, binding of the
control surface, and potential loss of control.

Actions Since AD 2017-07-10 Was Issued

Since we issued AD 2017-10, ACAC redesigned the aileron hinge
supports with a reinforcement kit. This kit, when incorporated,
strengthens the supports and prevents future damage from developing.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

We reviewed American Champion Aircraft Corp. Service Letter (SL)
442, Revision A, dated August 18, 2017 (ACAC SL No. 442); American
Champion Aircraft Corp. Service Letter 444 Initial Revision, dated
August 18, 2017 (ACAC SL No. 444); and page 4-1 of the Airworthiness
Limitations section and page 5-9 of the Time and Maintenance Checks,
both dated October 3, 2017, and included in American Champion Aircraft
Corporation SM-601 8KCAB Service Manual, Reissue B, dated October 3,
2017. ACAC SL No. 442 describes procedures and inspection intervals for
inspection of the aileron hinge rib and hinge support. ACAC SL No. 444
provides instructions for the installation of the aileron hinge
reinforcement kit.

Page 4-1 and page 5-9 are revised pages that add a repetitive
inspection to the 8KCAB Service Manual, SM-601, Reissue B, dated
October 3, 2017. 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

We are proposing this AD because we evaluated all the relevant
information and determined the unsafe condition described previously is
likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.

Proposed AD Requirements

This proposed AD would retain the placarding requirement of AD
2017-07-10 to prohibit aerobatic flight until completion of the initial
10-hour inspection. This proposed AD would also require repetitive 100-
hour inspections until a maximum of 400 hours is reached, installation
of the aileron hinge reinforcement kit, and incorporation of pages into
the Airworthiness Limitations and Time and Maintenance Checks sections
of the service manual. The existing AD contained a reporting
requirement for the inspection results. This proposed NPRM will not
include a reporting requirement.

Provided no damage is found during the inspections, an airplane
could have up to five inspections before incorporating the
reinforcement kit (initially at 10 hours TIS with the retained
inspection from AD 2017-07-10, and then four 100-hour inspections up to
a maximum of 400 hours TIS).

Differences Between This Proposed AD and the Service Information

ACAC SL No. 442 and ACAC SL No. 444 both require installation of
the aileron hinge support reinforcement kit within 100 hours TIS for
airplanes used for competitive aerobatics. Since the FAA has no way of
tracking airplanes used for competitive aerobatics, we require
installation of the reinforcement kit within 400 hours TIS. ACAC SL No.
444 requires 100-hour repetitive inspections after installation of the
reinforcement kit. This proposed AD does not write those actions into
the AD requirements; however, the revised pages of the Airworthiness
Limitations section in the service manual include that inspection
requirement. Both ACAC SL No. 442 and ACAC SL No. 444 have reporting
requirements, but this AD does not include a reporting requirement. The
actions of this AD take precedence over the service information.

Costs of Compliance

We estimate that this proposed AD affects 64 airplanes of U.S. registry.

We estimate the following costs to comply with this proposed AD:

Estimated Costs

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 small airplanes, gliders, domestic
business jet transport airplanes, and associated appliances to the
Director of the Policy and Innovation Division.

Regulatory Findings

We have determined that this proposed AD would not have federalism
implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would 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 the proposed
regulation:

(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.

The Proposed Amendment

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the FAA proposes to amend 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)
2017-07-10, Amendment 39-18849 (82 FR 17542, April 12, 2017), and
adding the following new AD: