DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2019-0436; Product Identifier 2019-NM-014-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc., Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive
(AD)
for certain Bombardier, Inc., Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series
100 & 440), CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701 & 702), CL-600-
2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705), CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900),
and CL-600-2E25 (Regional Jet Series 1000) airplanes. This proposed AD
was prompted by reports of power control unit (PCU) rod end fractures
due to pitting corrosion. This proposed AD would require revising the
existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to
incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. This
proposed AD would also require detailed inspections of the elevator PCU
rod ends and applicable corrective actions. This proposed AD would also
prohibit using certain aircraft maintenance manual tasks. The FAA is
proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this proposed AD by August
5,
2019.
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
Bombardier, Inc., 400 Cote-Vertu Road West, Dorval, Quebec
H4S 1Y9, Canada; Widebody Customer Response Center North America toll-
free telephone 1-866-538-1247 or direct-dial telephone 1-514-855-2999;
fax 514-855-7401; email ac.yul@aero.bombardier.com; internet http://www.
bombardier.com. 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.
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-2019-0436;
or in person at 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 Docket Operations is listed above.
Comments will be available in the AD docket shortly after receipt.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Darren Gassetto, Aerospace Engineer,
Mechanical Systems and Admin Services Section, FAA, New York ACO
Branch, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; telephone
516-228-7323; fax 516-794-5531; email 9-avs-nyaco-cos@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or
arguments about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed
under the ADDRESSES section. Include "Docket No. FAA-2019-0436;
Product Identifier 2019-NM-014-AD" at the beginning of your comments.
The FAA specifically invites comments on the overall regulatory,
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this NPRM. The FAA will
consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend this
NPRM because of those comments.
The FAA will post all comments the agency receives, without change,
to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you
provide. The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive
verbal contact the agency receives about this NPRM.
Discussion
Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), which is the aviation
authority for Canada, has issued Canadian AD CF-2018-29, dated November
2, 2018 (referred to after this as the Mandatory Continuing
Airworthiness Information, or "the MCAI"), to correct an unsafe
condition for certain Bombardier, Inc., Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet
Series 100 & 440), CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700, 701 & 702),
CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705), CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series
900), and CL-600-2E25 (Regional Jet Series 1000) airplanes. The MCAI
states:
There have been several in-service reports of Power Control Unit
(PCU) rod end fractures due to pitting corrosion. Investigation
revealed that the PCU rod end spherical bearing could seize which,
in turn, could induce a bending moment on the PCU output rod. This
bending moment will eventually fracture the rod end. It was also
noted that this failure mode typically occurs within the first 6000
hours of aeroplane operation.
This condition, if not corrected, could lead to a disconnect
between the PCU and the control surface, potential loss of the
control surface function or inadequate flutter suppression.
This [Canadian] AD mandates incorporation of revised tasks into
the maintenance manuals for detailed inspections of the PCU rod ends
in order to allow timely detection of pitting corrosion [and would
prohibit using certain aircraft maintenance manual tasks].
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-2019-0436.
Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51
Bombardier, Inc., has issued the following service information.
Bombardier Service Bulletin 670BA-27-074, dated June 22, 2017. This
service information describes procedures for detailed inspections for
pitting and corrosion of the left and right rod ends of the elevator
PCUs and to make sure that the spherical ball and inner race of the rod
ends move freely, and applicable corrective actions. Corrective actions
include installing a new PCU.
The following tasks describe operational checks of the elevator and
rudder control systems, and a detailed inspection of the rudder PCU rod
end spherical ball.
Task 27-20-00-13, Operational Check of the Rudder Control
System of Section 3--Systems and Powerplant Program, of the Bombardier
Model CL-600-2B19 Series 100/200/440 Maintenance Planning Manual, Low
Utilization Maintenance Program (MRLUMP-001), CSP A-054-009, Revision
37, dated July 10, 2018 ("MRLUMP-001, Revision 37").
Task 27-23-01-01, Detailed Inspection of the Rudder PCU
Rod End Spherical Ball, of MRLUMP-001, Revision 37.
Task 27-31-00-05, Operational Check of the Elevator
Control System, of MRLUMP-001, Revision 37.
The following tasks describe operational tests of the elevator and
rudder control systems, and a detailed inspection of the rudder PCU rod
end spherical ball.
Task 27-20-00-13, Operational Test of the Rudder Control
System, of Section 3--Systems and Powerplant Program, of the Bombardier
Model CL-600-2B19 Series 100/200/440 Maintenance Planning Manual, Low
Utilization Maintenance Program (MRLUMP-002), CSP A-054-060, Revision
37, dated July 10, 2018 ("MRLUMP-002, Revision 37").
Task 27-23-01-01, Detailed Inspection of the Rudder PCU
Rod End Spherical Ball, of MRLUMP-002, Revision 37.
Task 27-31-00-05, Operational Test of the Elevator Control
System, of MRLUMP-002, Revision 37.
The following tasks describe operational tests of the elevator and
rudder PCUs, and a detailed inspection of the elevator PCU rod end
spherical ball.
Task 27-20-00-106, Operational Test of the Rudder PCUs
(Duplicate CMR 27-20-00-106), of Section 3--Systems/Power Plant Tasks,
of the Bombardier Model CL-600-2C10, CL-600-2D15, CL-600-2D24, Series
700/705/900 Maintenance Planning Manual, Low Utilization Maintenance
Program (LUMP), CSP BC-116, Revision 15, dated May 25, 2017 ("LUMP,
Revision 15").
Task 273000-207, Operational Test of the Elevator Power-
Control Units (PCUs), of LUMP, Revision 15.
Task 273000-215, Detailed Inspection of the Elevator PCU
Rod End Spherical Ball, of LUMP, Revision 15.
The following task describes an operational check of each elevator
PCU.
Task 273000-207, Operational Check of each Elevator PCU,
of Subject 1-27, of Section 1, Systems and Powerplant Program, Volume
1
of Part 1, Maintenance Review Board Report, Revision 18, dated July 25,
2018, of the Bombardier Model CL-600-2C10, CL-600-2D15, CL-600-2D24,
and CL-600-2E25 Series 700/705/900/1000 Maintenance Requirements
Manual, CSP B-053.
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 the FAA's bilateral agreement with the State of Design Authority,
the FAA has been notified of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI
and service information referenced above. The FAA is proposing this AD
because the FAA evaluated all the relevant information and determined
the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop
on other products of the same type design.
Proposed Requirements of This NPRM
This proposed AD would require revising the existing maintenance or
inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more
restrictive airworthiness limitations and to prohibit using certain
aircraft maintenance manual tasks. Additionally, this proposed AD would
require detailed inspections for pitting and corrosion of the left and
right rod ends of the elevator PCUs and to make sure that the spherical
ball and inner race of the rod ends move freely, and applicable
corrective actions.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 1,008 airplanes of
U.S. registry. The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with
this proposed AD:
Estimated Costs for Required Actions *
Labor cost
|
Parts cost
|
Cost per
product
|
Cost on
U.S. operators
|
9 work-hours
x $85 per hour = $765 |
$0
|
$765
|
$771,120
|
* Table does not include estimated
costs for revising the maintenance or
inspection program.
The FAA has determined that revising the existing maintenance or
inspection program takes an average of 90 work-hours per operator,
although the FAA recognizes that this number may vary from operator to
operator. In the past, the FAA has estimated that this action takes 1
work-hour per airplane. Since operators incorporate maintenance or
inspection program changes for their affected fleet(s), the FAA has
determined that a per-operator estimate is more accurate than a per-
airplane estimate. Therefore, the FAA estimates the total cost per
operator to be $7,650 (90 work-hours x $85 per work-hour).
The FAA has received no definitive data that would enable the
agency to provide cost estimates for the on-condition actions specified
in this proposed 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.
The FAA is 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 proposed 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 and associated appliances to the Director of the System
Oversight Division.
Regulatory Findings
The FAA 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 this proposed
regulation:
1. Is not a "significant regulatory action" under Executive Order
12866;
2. Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska; 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.
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 adding the following new airworthiness
directive (AD):
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