DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2022-1301; Project Identifier MCAI-2021-01447-T]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Viking Air Limited (Type Certificate
Previously Held by Bombardier, Inc.; Canadair Limited) 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) 96-
12-11, which applies to all Canadair Model CL-215-1A10 airplanes. AD
96-12-11 requires repetitive inspections to detect discrepancies of the
microswitches fitted at the water door actuator; replacement of any
discrepant microswitch; and modification of the water door actuator
switches, which terminates the repetitive inspections. Since the FAA
issued AD 96-12-11, it has determined that the corrective actions of
that AD have not been effective at mitigating the risk of uncommanded
opening of the water doors. This proposed AD would continue to require
the modification of the water door actuator switches. This proposed AD
would also require modification of the water door solenoid valve common
grounds, add airplanes to the applicability, and prohibit installing
certain water door solenoid valve selector assemblies. 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 December
12, 2022.

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 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 Viking Air
Limited, 1959 de Havilland Way, Sidney, British Columbia V8L 5V5,
Canada; telephone +1-250-656-7227; fax +1-250-656-0673; email acs-technical.publications@vikingair.com; internet vikingair.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 regulations.gov by
searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2022-1301; 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. Comments will be available in the AD docket
shortly after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Niczky, Aerospace Engineer,
Avionics and Electrical Systems Section, FAA, New York ACO Branch, 1600
Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; telephone 516-228-7347;
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-2022-1301; Project Identifier
MCAI-2021-01447-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
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
Thomas Niczky, Aerospace Engineer, Avionics and Electrical Systems
Section, FAA, New York ACO Branch, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410,
Westbury, NY 11590; telephone 516-228-7347; 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

The FAA issued AD 96-12-11, Amendment 39-9653 (61 FR 28734, June 6,
1996) (AD 96-12-11), for all Canadair Model CL-215-1A10 airplanes. AD
96-12-11 requires repetitive inspections to detect discrepancies of the
microswitches fitted at the water door actuator, replacement of any
discrepant microswitch, and a terminating action for the repetitive
inspections. AD 96-12-11 resulted from a report indicating
that the water doors on one airplane opened inadvertently during
flight, due to corrosion of the microswitches fitted to the water door
actuator. The FAA issued AD 96-12-11 to address a possible uncommanded
opening of the water doors, especially at high speed during a takeoff
run, a water pick-up run, or a landing run, which could cause serious
damage to the airplane.

Actions Since AD 96-12-11 Was Issued

Since the FAA issued AD 96-12-11, it has been determined that
mandating the modification of the water door actuator microswitches, in
lieu of the previous repetitive inspections, will provide a more robust
water door design that will better mitigate the risk of uncommanded
water door opening. Also, it has been determined that modifying the
water door solenoid valve common grounds will mitigate the risk of
corroded or contaminated electrical contact leading to a sneak path and
subsequent uncommanded opening of the water doors.
Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), which is the aviation
authority for Canada, has issued TCCA AD CF-2021-51, dated December 21,
2021 (TCCA AD CF-2021-51) (also referred to after this as the Mandatory
Continuing Airworthiness Information, or the MCAI), to correct an
unsafe condition for all Viking Air Limited Model CL-215-1A10 and CL-
215-6B11 (CL-215T Variant) airplanes. You may examine the MCAI in the
AD docket on the internet at regulations.gov by searching for and
locating Docket No. FAA-2022-1301.
This proposed AD was prompted by reports of uncommanded opening of
the water doors during flight and water scooping. The FAA is proposing
this AD to address the uncommanded opening of water doors, which, at
high speed during the take-off run, water pick-up run, or landing run,
could cause serious damage to the airplane. See the MCAI for additional
background information.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

Viking Air Limited has issued Viking Service Bulletin 215-389,
Revision 2, dated September 21, 2021. This service information
describes procedures for modifying the water door actuator switches,
which includes replacing the water door actuator microswitches,
installing a relay channel and relays, and modifying related wiring.
Bombardier has issued Alert Service Bulletin 215-A497, dated
November 16, 1998. This service information describes procedures for
installing two additional water door solenoid common grounds, as well
as inspecting the existing ground studs for corrosion and cleaning if
necessary.
This proposed AD would also require Canadair Service Bulletin 215-
389, Revision 1, dated September 30, 1991, which the Director of the
Federal Register approved for incorporation by reference as of June 21,
1996 (61 FR 28734, June 6, 1996).
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 retain certain requirements of AD 96-12-11
and add airplanes to the applicability. This proposed AD would require
accomplishing the actions specified in the service information
described previously. This proposed AD would also prohibit installing
certain water door solenoid valve selector assemblies.

Costs of Compliance

The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 6 airplanes of U.S.
registry. The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this
proposed AD:

Estimated Costs for Required Actions

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 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:

a. Removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 96-12-11, Amendment 39-9653
(61 FR 28734, June 6, 1996); and

b. Adding the following new AD: