DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2020-1140; Project Identifier AD-2020-01009-T]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD)
2017-14-13, which applies to certain The Boeing Company Model 737-600,
-700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. AD 2017-14-13
requires a torque check of the screws in the cover assembly of the heel
rest for both the captain's and the first officer's rudder pedals, and
corrective action if necessary. Since the FAA issued AD 2017-14-13,
operators have continued to find loose rudder pedal cover fasteners on
previously inspected airplanes and airplanes outside the applicability
of AD 2017-14-13. This proposed AD would require modifying the rudder
pedal cover and shroud, and apply to all The Boeing Company Model 737-
600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes and Model
737-8 and 737-9 airplanes. 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 March 8,
2021.

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 https://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 Boeing
Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data Services (C&DS),
2600 Westminster Blvd., MC 110-SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740-5600;
telephone 562-797-1717; internet https://www.myboeingfleet.com. You may
view this service information at the FAA, Airworthiness Products
Section, Operational Safety Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines,
WA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA,
call 206-231-3195. It is also available on the internet at https://www.
regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-1140.

Examining the AD Docket

You may examine the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.
gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-1140;
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, any comments received, and other information. The street
address for Docket Operations is listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas Tsuji, Aerospace Engineer,
Systems and Equipment Section, FAA, Seattle ACO Branch, 2200 South
216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; phone and fax: 206-231-3548; email:
douglas.tsuji@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-2020-1140;
Project Identifier AD-2020-01009-T" at the beginning of your comments.
The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the proposal,
explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting
data. The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date
and may amend the proposal because of those comments.

Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in
the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR
11.35, the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you
provide. The agency will also post a report summarizing each
substantive verbal contact the FAA receives about this proposed AD.

Confidential Business Information

CBI is commercial or financial information that is both customarily
and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public
disclosure. If your comments responsive to this NPRM contain commercial
or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that
you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to
this NPRM, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted
comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission containing
CBI as "PROPIN." The FAA will treat such marked submissions as
confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public
docket of this NPRM. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to the
person identified in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. Any
commentary that the FAA receives which is not specifically designated
as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this rulemaking.

Background

The FAA issued AD 2017-14-13, Amendment 39-18957 (82 FR 33007, July
19, 2017) ("AD 2017-14-13"), for certain The Boeing Company Model
737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. AD 2017-
14-13 requires a torque check of the screws in the cover assembly of
the heel rest for both the captain's and the first officer's rudder
pedals, and corrective action if necessary. AD 2017-14-13 resulted from
a report of an aborted takeoff because the rudder pedals were not
operating correctly. Investigation revealed a protruding screw in the
rudder pedal heel rest adjacent to the pedals. The FAA issued AD 2017-
14-13 to address a protruding screw in the cover assembly of the heel
rest of a rudder pedal. A protruding screw could restrict rudder pedal
motion and reduce differential braking control during takeoff or
landing, which could cause a high-speed runway excursion.

Actions Since AD 2017-14-13 Was Issued

Since the FAA issued AD 2017-14-13, operators have continued to
find loose rudder pedal cover fasteners on previously inspected
airplanes and on airplanes outside the applicability of the AD. The FAA
has determined that this design issue is an unsafe condition that
affects all The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900,
and -900ER series airplanes and Model 737-8 and 737-9 airplanes.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

The FAA reviewed Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 737-27A1313 RB,
Revision 1, dated June 24, 2020; and Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin
737-27A1314 RB, Revision 1, dated June 24, 2020. The service
information describes procedures for modifying the captain's and first
officer's rudder pedal cover and shroud assemblies. 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.

FAA's Determination

The FAA is issuing this NPRM after determining 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 none of the requirements of AD 2017-
14-13. This proposed AD would expand the applicability to include all
The Boeing Company Model -600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER
series airplanes and Model 737-8 and 737-9 airplanes. This proposed AD
would require accomplishment of the actions identified in Boeing Alert
Requirements Bulletin 737-27A1313 RB, Revision 1, dated June 24, 2020;
and Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 737-27A1314 RB, Revision 1,
dated June 24, 2020; described previously, except as discussed under
"Differences Between this Proposed AD and the Service Information,"
and except for any differences identified as exceptions in the
regulatory text of this proposed AD.

For information on the procedures and compliance times, see this
service information at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and
locating Docket No. FAA-2020-1140.

Differences Between This Proposed AD and the Service Information

The effectivity of Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 737-27A1313
RB, Revision 1, dated June 24, 2020, is limited to Model 737-8 and 737-
9 airplanes with certain line numbers. The effectivity of Boeing Alert
Requirements Bulletin 737-27A1314 RB, Revision 1, dated June 24, 2020,
is limited to Model 737-600, 737-700, 737-700C, 737-800, 737-900, and
737-900ER series airplanes with certain line numbers. However, the
applicability of this proposed AD includes all Boeing Model 737-600,
-700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes and Model 737-8 and
737-9 airplanes. Because the affected captain's and first officer's
rudder pedal cover and shroud assemblies are rotable parts, the FAA has
determined that these parts could later be installed on airplanes that
were initially delivered with acceptable rudder pedal cover and shroud
assemblies, thereby subjecting those airplanes to the unsafe condition.
The agency has confirmed with Boeing that the Accomplishment
Instructions in Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 737-27A1313 RB,
Revision 1, dated June 24, 2020, and Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin
737-27A1314 RB, Revision 1, dated June 24, 2020, are applicable to the
expanded group of airplanes.

Costs of Compliance

The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 2,048 airplanes of
U.S. registry. The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with
this proposed AD:

Estimated Costs for Required Actions

The FAA has included all costs in its cost estimate. According to
the manufacturer, however, some or all of the costs of this proposed AD
may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost impact on
affected operators.

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.

Regulatory Findings

The FAA has 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) 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:

a. Removing Airworthiness Directive 2017-14-13, Amendment 39-18957 (82
FR 33007, July 19, 2017), and

b. Adding the following new airworthiness directive: