|
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2022-1303; Project Identifier MCAI-2022-01001-G]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.
Segelflugzeugbau Gliders
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive
(AD)
2022-14-14, which applies to all Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.
Segelflugzeugbau Model ASW-15 gliders. AD 2022-14-14 requires
repetitively inspecting the wing root ribs for cracks, looseness, and
damage and replacing any root rib with a crack, a loose rib or lift pin
bushing, or any damage. Since the FAA issued AD 2022-14-14, the
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) superseded its mandatory
continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) to add all Model ASW-15B
gliders to the applicability. This proposed AD is prompted by MCAI
originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and
correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. This proposed AD
would retain the requirements from AD 2022-14-14 of repetitively
inspecting the wing root ribs for cracks, looseness, and damage and
replacing any root rib with a crack, a loose rib or lift pin bushing,
or any damage; and would add the Model ASW-15B gliders to the
applicability. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe
condition on these products.
DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this NPRM 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.
AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under
Docket No. FAA-2022-1303; 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 MCAI, any comments received, and other
information. The street address for Docket Operations is listed above.
Material Incorporated by Reference:
For service information identified in this NPRM, contact
Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau, Alexander-Schleicher-
Str. 1, Poppenhausen, Germany D-36163; phone: +49 (0) 06658 89-0;
email: info@alexander-schleicher.de; website: alexander-schleicher.de.
You may view this service information at the FAA,
Airworthiness Products Section, Operational Safety Branch, 901 Locust,
Kansas City, MO 64106. For information on the availability of this
material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Rutherford, Aviation Safety
Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, International
Validation Branch, FAA, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, MO 64106;
phone: (816) 329-4165; email: jim.rutherford@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-2022-1303; Project Identifier
MCAI-2022-01001-G'' 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 NPRM.
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 Jim
Rutherford, Aviation Safety Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft
Section, International Validation Branch, FAA, 901 Locust, Room 301,
Kansas City, MO 64106. 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 2022-14-14, Amendment 39-22119 (87 FR 43403, July
21, 2022), (AD 2022-14-14), for all serial-numbered Alexander
Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau Model ASW-15 gliders. AD 2022-
14-14 was prompted by MCAI originated by EASA, which is the Technical
Agent for the Member States of the European Union. EASA issued EASA AD
2021-0187, dated August 9, 2021 (EASA AD 2021-0187), for all Alexander
Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau Model ASW 15 gliders to correct
an unsafe condition identified as wing root rib damage.
AD 2022-14-14 requires repetitively inspecting the wing root ribs
for cracks, looseness, and damage and replacing any root rib with a
crack, a loose rib or lift pin bushing, or any damage. The FAA issued
AD 2022-14-14 to detect and correct damaged root ribs.
Actions Since AD 2022-14-14 Was Issued
Since the FAA issued AD 2022-14-14, Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.
Segelflugzeugbau determined that Model ASW-15B gliders can also be
affected by wing root rib damage. As a result, EASA superseded EASA AD
2021-0187, and issued EASA AD 2022-0146, dated July 11, 2022 (referred
to after this as ``the MCAI''). The MCAI states that wing root rib
damage can also affect Model ASW-15B gliders and the Model ASW-15B as
well as the ASW-15 gliders require repetitively inspecting the wing
root ribs and replacing any damaged wing root ribs. The MCAI retains
the requirements of EASA AD 2021-0187 and expands the applicability to
include all Model ASW-15B gliders.
You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket at regulations.gov under
Docket No. FAA-2022-1303.
Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51
The FAA reviewed Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau
ASW 15 Technical Note No. 29, Issue II (TN No. 29, Issue II), dated May
4, 2022. This service information specifies replacement of root ribs.
This proposed AD would also require Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co.
Segelflugzeugbau ASW 15 Technical Note No. 29, dated June 28, 2021;
Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau ASW 15 Repair
instruction exchange of wing root ribs according to TN 29, dated June
28, 2021; and Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau ASW 15
Maintenance Instruction G, Issue 1, dated June 28, 2021, which the
Director of the Federal Register approved for incorporation by
reference as of August 25, 2022 (87 FR 43403, July 21, 2022).
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 ADDRESSES.
FAA's Determination
These products have been approved by the aviation authority of
another country and are approved for operation in the United States.
Pursuant to the FAA's bilateral agreement with this State of Design
Authority, it has notified the FAA of the unsafe condition described in
the MCAI and service information described above. The FAA is issuing
this NPRM after determining that the unsafe condition described
previously is likely to exist or develop on other products of these
same type designs.
Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM
This proposed AD would retain all of the requirements of AD 2022-
14-14, would add Model ASW-15B gliders to the applicability, and would
provide the option of using the service material from AD 2022-14-14 or
the updated service material.
Differences Between This Proposed AD and the Service Information
TN No. 29, Issue II, specifies the exchange of page 22A and page
27A of the Flight and Operations Manual for the Model ASW-15 and ASW-
15B gliders, respectively, with a new version of those pages and then
specifies documenting this change on page 3, Amendments, of the
respective manual, and the MCAI, and this proposed AD do not.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would
affect 29 gliders of U.S. registry.
The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed
AD:
Estimated Costs
|
Action
|
Labor cost
|
Parts cost
|
Cost per
product
|
Cost on
U.S. operators
|
| Inspect root ribs |
1 work-hour x $85
per hour = $85 |
Not Applicable |
$85 per product per inspection
cycle |
$2,465 per inspection
cycle |
The FAA estimates the following costs
to do any necessary
replacements that would be required based on the results of the
proposed inspection. The agency has no way of determining the number of
gliders that might need these replacements:
On-Condition Costs
|
Action
|
Labor cost
|
Parts cost
|
Cost per
product
|
| Replace all four root ribs |
8 work-hours x $85 per hour =
$680 |
$1,000
|
$1,680
|
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 that the 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:
a. Removing Airworthiness Directive AD 2022-14-14, Amendment 39-22119
(87 FR 43403, July 21, 2022); and
b. Adding the following new airworthiness directive:
|