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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2023-1805; Project Identifier AD-2023-00019-T]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation 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)
2020-23-04, which applies to certain Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation
Model GVII-G500 and GVII-G600 airplanes. AD 2020-23-04 requires
revising the existing airplane flight manual (AFM) and airplane
maintenance manual (AMM) to include information pertaining to the fuel
boost pump. Since the FAA issued AD 2020-23-04, an inspection for a
missing or misplaced impeller shaft key of suspect fuel boost pumps has
been developed that would terminate the actions of AD 2020-23-04. This
proposed AD would retain the requirements of AD 2020-23-04 and require
inspecting affected fuel boost pumps for proper installation of the
impeller shaft key, marking affected fuel boost pumps that pass that
inspection, and replacing fuel boost pumps that fail. This proposed AD
would also limit installation of affected fuel boost pumps. 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 October
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 under
Docket No. FAA-2023-1805; 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.
Material Incorporated by Reference:
For service information identified in this NPRM, contact
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Technical Publications Dept., P.O.
Box 2206, Savannah, GA 31402-2206; telephone 800-810-4853; email
pubs@gulfstream.com; website gulfstream.com/en/customer-support.
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. It is also available on the
internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating
Docket No. FAA-2023-1805.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jared Meyer, Aviation Safety Engineer,
FAA, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337; phone: 404-474-5534;
email: 9-ASO-ATLACO-ADs@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-2023-1805; Project Identifier
AD-2023-00019-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 Jared
Meyer, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College
Park, GA 30337; phone: 404-474-5534; email: 9-ASO-ATLACO-ADs@faa.gov.
Any commentary that the FAA receives that is not specifically
designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this
rulemaking.
Background
The FAA issued AD 2020-23-04, Amendment 39-21320 (85 FR 71232,
November 9, 2020) (AD 2020-23-04), for certain Gulfstream Aerospace
Corporation Model GVII-G500 and GVII-G600 airplanes. AD 2020-23-04 was
prompted by a report of misassembled impellers on the shaft of the fuel
boost pump during production. AD 2020-23-04 requires revising the
existing AFM and AMM to include information pertaining to the fuel
boost pump. The agency issued AD 2020-23-04 to prevent the ignition of
flammable vapors in the fuel tank as a result of frictional heating or
sparks caused by a dislodged impeller shaft key inside the fuel boost
pump, which, if the pump were to run dry, could result in a fuel tank
fire or fuel tank explosion.
Actions Since AD 2020-23-04 Was Issued
The preamble to AD 2020-23-04 specifies that the FAA considers the
requirements ``interim action'' and that the manufacturer is developing
a modification that will address the unsafe condition. That AD explains
that the FAA might consider further rulemaking if a modification is
developed, approved, and available. The manufacturer now has developed
inspection instructions for fuel boost pumps to determine correct
installation of the impeller shaft key, including replacement or re-
identification, as applicable, that will terminate the requirement to
update the AFM and AMM, and the FAA has determined that further
rulemaking is indeed necessary; this proposed AD follows from that
determination.
FAA's Determination
The FAA is issuing this NPRM after determining that the unsafe
condition described previously is likely to exist or develop on other
products of the same type design.
Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51
The FAA reviewed Gulfstream GVII-G500 Customer Bulletin No. 069 and
Gulfstream GVII-G600 Customer Bulletin No. 037, both Revision A, both
dated February 2, 2023, which describe procedures for inspecting
affected fuel boost pumps for proper installation of the impeller shaft
key, marking affected fuel boost pumps that pass that inspection, and
replacing fuel boost pumps that fail. These documents are distinct
since they apply to different airplane models.
This proposed AD would also require the following Gulfstream
service information, which the Director of the Federal Register
approved for incorporation on November 24, 2020 (85 FR 71232).
GVII-G500 Maintenance Manual 12-13-01 Defueling Procedure-
Defuel, dated August 31, 2020.
GVII-G500 Maintenance Manual 28-26-04 Fuel Boost Pump-
Prime, dated August 31, 2020.
Gulfstream Aerospace GVII-G500 Airplane Flight Manual
Supplement No. GVII-G500 (Issue 1)-2020-05, dated September 8, 2020.
Gulfstream Aerospace GVII-G500 Airplane Flight Manual
Supplement No. GVII-G500-2020-06, dated September 8, 2020.
GVII-G600 Maintenance Manual 28-26-05 Fuel Boost Pump
Canister-Removal/Installation, dated August 31, 2020.
GVII-G600 Maintenance Manual 12-13-01 Defueling Procedure-
Defuel, dated August 31, 2020.
GVII-G600 Maintenance Manual 28-26-04 Fuel Boost Pump-
Prime, dated August 31, 2020.
GVII-G600 Maintenance Manual 28-26-04 Fuel Boost Pump-
Removal/Installation, dated August 31, 2020.
Gulfstream Aerospace GVII-G600 Airplane Flight Manual
Supplement No. GVII-G600-2020-06 dated September 8, 2020.
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.
Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM
This proposed AD would retain all requirements of AD 2020-23-04.
This proposed AD would also require accomplishing the actions
identified as ``RC'' (required for compliance) in the Accomplishment
Instructions of Gulfstream GVII-G500 Customer Bulletin No. 069 and
Gulfstream GVII-G600 Customer Bulletin No. 037, both Revision A, both
dated February 2, 2023, already described, except as discussed under
``Differences Between the Service Information and this Proposed AD.''
This proposed AD would also limit the installation of affected parts.
Difference Between Service Information and This Proposed AD
For this AD, step III.D. of Gulfstream GVII-G500 Customer Bulletin
No. 069, Revision A, dated February 2, 2023, and Gulfstream GVII-G600
Customer Bulletin No. 037, Revision A, dated February 2, 2023, as
applicable, is also RC.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would
affect 89 airplanes 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
|
| Incorporate information into
AMM and AFM (retained actions from AD 2020-23-04) |
2 work-hours x $85 per hour
= $170 |
$0
|
$170
|
$15,130
|
| Impeller shaft key inspection
(new proposed action) |
36 work-hours x $85 per hour
= $3,060 |
0
|
3,060
|
272,340
|
The FAA estimates the following costs
to do any necessary part
marking and fuel boost pump replacements that would be required based
on the results of the proposed inspection for proper installation. The
FAA has no way of determining the number of aircraft that might need
these actions:
On-Condition Costs
|
Action
|
Labor cost
|
Parts cost
|
Cost per
product
|
| Part marking |
0.5 work-hour x $85 per hour
= $42.50 |
$10
|
$52.50
|
| Fuel pump replacement (per
fuel boost pump) |
10 work-hours x $85 per hour
= $850 |
106,706
|
107,556
|
The FAA has included all known costs
in its cost estimate.
According to the manufacturer, however, some or all of the costs of
this proposed 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
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 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) 2020-23-04, Amendment 39-21320
(85 FR 71232, November 9, 2020), and
b. Adding the following new AD:
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