DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2023-0424; Project Identifier AD-2022-01575-A;
Amendment 39-22368; AD 2023-04-20]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Cirrus Design Corporation Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all
Cirrus Design Corporation (Cirrus) Model SF50 airplanes. This AD was
prompted by reports of an accident and an incident due to uncommanded
activation of the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (CAPS) autopilot
mode while in flight. This AD requires booting the avionics in
configuration mode, inhibiting the CAPS autopilot, fabricating and
installing information placards, revising the existing airplane flight
manual (AFM) for your airplane, and revising the airworthiness
limitations section (ALS) of the existing airplane maintenance manual
(AMM) or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA) and your
existing approved maintenance or inspection program, as applicable. For
certain airplanes, this AD also requires modifying the wiring to remove
the CAPS power timer functionality. The FAA is issuing this AD to
address the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: This AD is effective March 21, 2023.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by
reference of certain publications listed in this AD as of March 21,
2023.
The FAA must receive comments on this AD by April 20, 2023.

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 by
searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2023-0424; 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 final rule, 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 final rule,
contact Cirrus Design Corporation, 4515 Taylor Circle, Duluth, MN
55811; phone: (833) 735-0651; email: info@cirrusaircraft.com; website:
cirrusaircraft.com.
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. It is also available at
regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2023-0424.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joe Dubusky, Aviation Safety Engineer,
Chicago ACO Branch, FAA, 2300 E Devon Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018;
phone: (847) 294-7543; email: joseph.dubusky@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

The FAA invites you to send any written data, views, or arguments
about this final rule. Send your comments to an address listed under
ADDRESSES. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2023-0424 and Project Identifier
AD-2022-01575-A'' at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful
comments reference a specific portion of the final rule, 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
this final rule 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 final rule.

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 AD 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 AD, 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 AD. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Joe
Dubusky, Aviation Safety Engineer, Chicago ACO Branch, FAA, 2300 E
Devon Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018. 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 received a report that a Cirrus Model SF50 airplane was
involved in an accident in which multiple flight control issues
occurred after takeoff, causing the pilot to manually deploy the CAPS
parachute. The FAA has no data showing the pilot received any crew
alert system (CAS) messages indicating a CAPS autopilot malfunction. It
was determined that the uncommanded activation of the CAPS autopilot
mode contributed to the accident. It was also determined that corrosion
in the CAPS power timer circuit (part of the CAPS autopilot control
mode circuit) may have
provided an erroneous signal to the CAPS control box, inadvertently
activating the CAPS autopilot mode. The FAA received several additional
reports of corrosion on the CAPS power timer circuits on Cirrus Model
SF50 airplanes.
The FAA also received a report of an autopilot auto-throttle
malfunction on a Cirrus Model SF50 airplane that caused the airplane to
pitch up during climb shortly after takeoff and required manual
intervention by the pilot. This event, and the previously mentioned
accident, occurred shortly after takeoff and at an altitude of less
than 1,000 feet above ground level. The inadvertent activation of the
CAPS autopilot mode introduces an uncommanded 30-degree pitch upward at
a g-force of approximately 1.9g, which could cause the airplane to
stall in a critical phase of flight if the autopilot is not
disconnected.
This condition, if not addressed, could result in reduced ability
of the flight crew to maintain safe flight and landing of the airplane.
The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these
products.

FAA's Determination

The FAA is issuing this AD because the agency has determined the
unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop in
other products of the same type design.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

The FAA reviewed Cirrus SF5X Service Bulletin SB5X-90-14R1, dated
January 20, 2023. This service information specifies procedures for
booting the avionics in configuration mode, inhibiting the CAPS
autopilot, fabricating and installing information placards, and
revising the AFM. For certain airplanes, the service information also
provides procedures for modifying the wiring to remove the CAPS power
timer functionality.
The FAA also reviewed the following temporary changes. These
temporary changes provide revised CAPS procedures including interior
placards, emergency procedures, emergency CAS procedures, and abnormal
CAS procedures for affected AFMs part number (P/N) 31452-001 Revision
A1 and P/N 31452-002 Revision 3.
Cirrus Vision SF50 Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) Temporary
Change TAFM 22-03, dated December 8, 2022, for AFM 31452-001 Revision
A1.
Cirrus Vision SF50 Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) Temporary
Change TAFM 22-04, dated December 8, 2022, for AFM 31452-002 Revision
3.
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.

AD Requirements

This AD requires accomplishing the actions specified in the service
information already described. This AD also requires revising the
existing AFM for your airplane and revising the ALS of the existing AMM
or ICA and your existing approved maintenance or inspection program, as
applicable.
The owner/operator (pilot) holding at least a private pilot
certificate may revise the existing AFM for your airplane and may
revise the ALS of the existing AMM or ICA and your existing approved
maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, and must enter
compliance with the applicable paragraphs of this AD into the aircraft
records in accordance with 14 CFR 43.9(a) and 14 CFR 91.417(a)(2)(v).
The pilot may perform these actions because they only involve revising
the existing AFM and the ALS of the existing AMM or the ICA and the
existing approved maintenance or inspection program, as applicable.
These actions could be performed equally well by a pilot or mechanic.
This is an exception to the FAA's standard maintenance regulations.

Interim Action

The FAA considers this AD to be an interim action. The manufacturer
is currently developing a modification that will address the unsafe
condition identified in this AD. Once the modification is developed,
approved, and available, the FAA might consider additional rulemaking.

Justification for Immediate Adoption and Determination of the Effective
Date

Section 553(b)(3)(B) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5
U.S.C. 551 et seq.) authorizes agencies to dispense with notice and
comment procedures for rules when the agency, for ``good cause,'' finds
that those procedures are ``impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to
the public interest.'' Under this section, an agency, upon finding good
cause, may issue a final rule without providing notice and seeking
comment prior to issuance. Further, section 553(d) of the APA
authorizes agencies to make rules effective in less than thirty days,
upon a finding of good cause.
An unsafe condition exists that requires the immediate adoption of
this AD without providing an opportunity for public comments prior to
adoption. The FAA has found that the risk to the flying public
justifies foregoing notice and comment prior to adoption of this rule
because of the possibility of uncommanded activation of the CAPS
autopilot mode occurring while in flight without advanced warning. The
inadvertent activation of the CAPS autopilot mode introduces an
uncommanded 30-degree pitch upward at a g-force of approximately 1.9g,
which could cause the airplane to stall in a critical phase of flight
if the autopilot is not disconnected. If not addressed, the unsafe
condition could result in reduced ability of the flight crew to
maintain safe flight and landing of the airplane. The actions of
inhibiting the CAPS autopilot mode and installing CAPS information
placards must be accomplished within 25 hours time-in-service, which is
approximately 2.5 months based on the average flight-hour utilization
rates of these airplanes. Accordingly, notice and opportunity for prior
public comment are impracticable and contrary to the public interest
pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553(b)(3)(B).
In addition, the FAA finds that good cause exists pursuant to 5
U.S.C. 553(d) for making this amendment effective in less than 30 days,
for the same reasons the FAA found good cause to forego notice and
comment.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

The requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) do not
apply when an agency finds good cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 to adopt
a rule without prior notice and comment. Because the FAA has determined
that it has good cause to adopt this rule without prior notice and
comment, RFA analysis is not required.

Costs of Compliance

The FAA estimates that this AD affects 365 airplanes of U.S.
registry.
The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this AD:

Estimated Costs

The FAA has included all known costs in its cost estimate.
According to the manufacturer, however, some of the costs of this 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

This AD will not have federalism implications under Executive Order
13132. This AD will 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 this AD:
(1) Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive
Order 12866, and
(2) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by
reference, Safety.

The Amendment

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the FAA amends 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: