DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2021-0093; Project Identifier MCAI-2020-01213-T]
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 all Bombardier, Inc., Model BD-700-1A10 and BD-700-1A11 airplanes.
This proposed AD was prompted by reports indicating that the left- and
right-hand elevator torque tube bearings were contaminated with sand
and corrosion, restricting free rotation. This proposed AD would
require repetitive general visual inspections of the left- and right-
hand elevator torque tube bearings for any sand, dust, or corrosion;
repetitive functional tests of the elevator control system; and
replacement of the elevator torque tube bearings if necessary. 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 April 12, 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
Bombardier, Inc., 200 Cote-Vertu Road West, Dorval, Quebec
H4S 2A3, Canada; North America toll-free telephone 1-866-538-1247 or
direct-dial telephone 1-514-855-2999; email ac.yul@aero.bombardier.com;
internet http://www.bombardier.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.
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-2021-
0093; 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: Siddeeq Bacchus, Aerospace Engineer,
Mechanical Systems and Administrative Services Section, FAA, New York
ACO Branch, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590;
telephone 516-228-7362; 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 ADDRESSES. Include "Docket No. FAA-2021-0093; Project Identifier
MCAI-2020-01213-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 received 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
Siddeeq Bacchus, Aerospace Engineer, Mechanical Systems and
Administrative Services Section, FAA, New York ACO Branch, 1600 Stewart
Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; telephone 516-228-7362; fax 516-
794-5531; email 9-avs-nyaco-cos@faa.gov. Any commentary that the FAA
receives which is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in
the public docket for this rulemaking.
Background
Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), which is the aviation
authority for Canada, has issued TCCA AD CF-2020-29, dated August 21,
2020 (referred to after this as the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness
Information, or the MCAI), to correct an unsafe condition for all
Bombardier, Inc., Model BD-700-1A10 and BD-700-1A11 airplanes. You may
examine the MCAI in the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov
by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2021-0093.
This proposed AD was prompted by reports indicating that the left-
and right-hand elevator torque tube bearings were contaminated with
sand and corrosion, restricting free rotation. The FAA is proposing
this AD to address sand contamination and corrosion of the elevator
torque tube bearings, which could lead to binding or seizure of the
bearings, and potentially lead to a reduction in or loss of airplane
pitch control. See the MCAI for additional background information.
Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51
Bombardier has issued the following service information.
Bombardier Service Bulletin 700-1A11-27-041, Revision 1, dated December 7, 2020.
Bombardier Service Bulletin 700-27-083, Revision 1, dated December 7, 2020.
Bombardier Service Bulletin 700-27-5012, Revision 1, dated December 7, 2020.
Bombardier Service Bulletin 700-27-5503, Revision 1, dated December 7, 2020.
Bombardier Service Bulletin 700-27-6012, Revision 1, dated December 7, 2020.
Bombardier Service Bulletin 700-27-6503, Revision 1, dated December 7, 2020.
This service information describes procedures for repetitive
general visual inspections of the left- and right-hand elevator torque
tube bearings for any sand, dust, or corrosion; repetitive functional
tests of the elevator control system; and corrective actions including
replacement of the elevator torque tube bearings if necessary. These
documents are distinct since they apply to different airplane models
and serial numbers.
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 accomplishing the actions specified
in the service information described previously. This proposed AD also
would require sending the inspection results to Bombardier.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 392 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
|
22 work-hours x $85 per hour = $1,870. |
Up to $4 (for four cotter pins) **. |
Up to $1,874
|
Up to $734,608.
|
* Table does not include estimated costs for reporting.
** Parts cost include replacement parts where necessary.
The FAA estimates that it would take about 1 work-hour per product
to comply with the proposed reporting requirement in this proposed AD.
The average labor rate is $85 per hour. Based on these figures, the FAA
estimates the cost of reporting the inspection results on U.S.
operators to be $33,320, or $85 per product.
The FAA estimates the following costs to do any necessary on-
condition action that would be required based on the results of any
required actions. The FAA has no way of determining the number of
aircraft that might need this on-condition action:
Estimated Costs of On-Condition Actions
LABOR COST
|
PARTS COST
|
COST PER PRODUCT
|
5 work-hours x $85 per hour = $425 |
$271 (for four bearings). |
$696
|
According to the manufacturer, some or all of the costs of this
proposed AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost
impact on affected operators. The FAA does not control warranty
coverage for affected operators. As a result, the FAA has included all
known costs in the cost estimate.
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 proposed AD
is 2120-0056. The paperwork cost associated with this proposed 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 proposed AD is mandatory. Comments concerning the
accuracy of this burden and suggestions for reducing the burden should
be directed to Information Collection Clearance Officer, Federal
Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177-1524.
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 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) Would not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and
(3) Would 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:
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