DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2022-0679; Project Identifier MCAI-2021-01213-T]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; MHI RJ Aviation ULC (Type Certificate
Previously Held by Bombardier, Inc.) Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive
(AD)
for all MHI RJ Aviation ULC Model CL-600-2C10 (Regional Jet Series 700,
701 & 702) airplanes, Model CL-600-2C11 (Regional Jet Series 550)
airplanes, Model CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet Series 705) airplanes, Model
CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900) airplanes, and Model CL-600-2E25
(Regional Jet Series 1000) airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by
a determination that new and more restrictive airworthiness limitations
are necessary. This proposed AD would require revising the existing
maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new
and more restrictive airworthiness limitations. 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
1,
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 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 MHI RJ
Aviation Group, Customer Response Center, 3655 Ave. des Grandes-
Tourelles, Suite 110, Boisbriand, Qu[eacute]bec J7H 0E2 Canada; North
America toll-free telephone 833-990-7272 or direct-dial telephone 450-
990-7272; fax 514-855-8501; email thd.crj@mhirj.com; internet https://
mhirj.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-2022-
0679; 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: Chirayu A. Gupta, Aerospace Engineer,
Airframe and Propulsion Section, FAA, New York ACO Branch, 1600 Stewart
Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; telephone 516-228-7300; 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-2022-0679; Project Identifier
MCAI-2021-01213-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
Chirayu A. Gupta, Aerospace Engineer, Airframe and Propulsion Section,
FAA, New York ACO Branch, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY
11590; telephone 516-228-7300; 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.
Discussion
Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA), which is the aviation
authority for Canada, has issued TCCA AD CF-2021-38, dated November 5,
2021 (TCCA AD CF-2021-38) (also referred to after this as the Mandatory
Continuing Airworthiness Information, or the MCAI), to correct an
unsafe condition for all MHI RJ Aviation ULC Model CL-600-2C10
(Regional Jet Series 700, 701 & 702) airplanes, Model CL-600-2C11
(Regional Jet Series 550) airplanes, Model CL-600-2D15 (Regional Jet
Series 705) airplanes, Model CL-600-2D24 (Regional Jet Series 900)
airplanes, and Model CL-600-2E25 (Regional Jet Series 1000) 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-2022-0679.
This proposed AD was prompted by a determination that new or more
restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. In-service reports
of emergency ram air valve (ERAV) part number (P/N) GG670-95019-1 stuck
in closed or partially open positions have been received. Further
investigation revealed the ERAV is failing due to corrosion on multiple
sub-components, causing an increase in the breakaway torque that cannot
be overcome by the valve actuator. Based on these findings, MHI RJ
Aviation ULC issued CRJ700/900/1000 Series Regional Jet Temporary
Revision (TR) ALI-0744, dated April 27, 2021, which reduced the
interval for the existing Maintenance Review Board (MRB) Task 215000-
201, Operational Check of the Ram Air Shutoff Valve; and CRJ700/900/
1000 Series Regional Jet TR ALI-0745, dated April 27, 2021, which added
new MRB Task 215000-204, Detailed Inspection of the Pack Discharge and
Ram Air Supply Duct. The FAA is proposing this AD to address in-service
reports of ERAV P/N GG670-95019-1 stuck in closed or partially open
positions, which if not corrected, could result in a complete loss of
outside air supply, leading to an increase in flight deck and cabin
temperatures and a possible increased level of contaminated air (carbon
monoxide, carbon dioxide, or ozone). See the MCAI for additional
background information.
Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51
MHI RJ Aviation issued the following TRs, which describe
airworthiness limitations for the air conditioning system.
CRJ700/900/1000 Series Regional Jet TR ALI-0744, dated
April 27, 2021, specifies a reduced interval for the operational check
of the ram air shutoff valve.
CRJ700/900/1000 Series Regional Jet TR ALI-0745, dated
April 27, 2021, describes a new MRB task for inspecting the pack
discharge and ram air supply duct.
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.
This proposed AD would require revisions to certain operator
maintenance documents to include new actions (e.g., inspections).
Compliance with these actions is required by 14 CFR 91.403(c). For
airplanes that have been previously modified, altered, or repaired in
the areas addressed by this proposed
AD, the operator may not be able to accomplish the actions described in
the revisions. In this situation, to comply with 14 CFR 91.403(c), the
operator must request approval for an alternative method of compliance
according to paragraph (i)(1) of this proposed AD.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 1,158 airplanes of
U.S. registry. The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with
this proposed AD:
The FAA has determined that revising the maintenance or inspection
program takes an average of 90 work-hours per operator, although the
agency recognizes that this number may vary from operator to operator.
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
agency estimates the average total cost per operator to be $7,650 (90
work-hours x $85 per work-hour).
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:
|