Rule2022-21451
Special Conditions: Airbus Model A321neo XLR Airplane; Flight-Control Surface Awareness and Mode Annunciation
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 4, 2022
Effective
October 4, 2022
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
These special conditions are issued for the Airbus Model A321neo XLR airplanes. The airplane will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design feature is a fly-by-wire system requiring flight-control surface- position awareness and flight-control system mode-change alerting to the flight crew. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 191 (Tuesday, October 4, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 191 (Tuesday, October 4, 2022)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 60059-60061]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21451]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No. FAA-2021-0651; Special Conditions No. 25-799-SC]
Special Conditions: Airbus Model A321neo XLR Airplane; Flight-
Control Surface Awareness and Mode Annunciation
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Airbus Model
A321neo XLR airplanes. The airplane will have a novel or unusual design
feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the
airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design
feature is a fly-by-wire system requiring flight-control surface-
position awareness and flight-control system mode-change alerting to
the flight crew. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not
contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design
feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety
standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a
level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing
airworthiness standards.
[[Page 60060]]
DATES: This action is effective on Airbus on October 4, 2022. Send
comments on or before November 18, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2021-0651 using
any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> and follow the online instructions for sending
your comments electronically.
<bullet> Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
<bullet> Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
<bullet> Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Privacy: Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as
described in the following paragraph, and other information as
described in title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 11.35, the
FAA will post all comments received without change to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>, including any personal information you provide.
The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal
contact received about these special conditions.
Confidential Business Information: 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 these special
conditions contain commercial or financial information that is
customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and
that is relevant or responsive to these special conditions, 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 the indicated comments will not be placed in the public
docket of these special conditions. Send submissions containing CBI to
Troy Brown, Performance and Environment Section, AIR-625, Technical
Innovation Policy Branch, Policy and Innovation Division, Aircraft
Certification Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 1801 S Airport
Rd., Wichita, KS 67209-2190; telephone and fax 405-666-1050; email
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4531372a3c6b246b27372a322b052324246b222a33"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="9de9eff2e4b3fcb3ffeff2eaf3ddfbfcfcb3faf2eb">[email protected]</span></a>. Comments the FAA receives, which are not
specifically designated as CBI, will be placed in the public docket for
these special conditions.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
<a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> at any time. Follow the online
instructions for accessing the docket or go to Docket Operations in
Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Troy Brown, Performance and
Environment Section, AIR-625, Technical Innovation Policy Branch,
Policy and Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal
Aviation Administration, 1801 S Airport Rd., Wichita, KS 67209-2190;
telephone and fax 405-666-1050; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0e7a7c6177206f206c7c6179604e686f6f20696178"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="4236302d3b6c236c20302d352c022423236c252d34">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The substance of these special conditions
has been published in the Federal Register for public comment in
several prior instances with no substantive comments received.
Therefore, the FAA finds, pursuant to Sec. 11.38(b), that new comments
are unlikely, and notice and comment prior to this publication are
unnecessary.
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested people to take part in this rulemaking
by sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the special conditions, explain the
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data.
The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date for
comments. The FAA may change these special conditions based on the
comments received.
Background
On September 16, 2019, Airbus applied for an amendment to Type
Certificate No. A28NM to include the new Model A321neo XLR airplanes.
These airplanes are twin-engine, transport-category airplanes with
seating for 244 passengers and a maximum takeoff weight of 222,000
pounds.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of 14 CFR 21.101, Airbus must show that the
Model A321neo XLR airplanes meet the applicable provisions of the
regulations listed in Type Certificate No. A28NM, or the applicable
regulations in effect on the date of application for the change, except
for earlier amendments as agreed upon by the FAA.
If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness
regulations (e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Airbus Model A321neo XLR airplanes
because of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are
prescribed under the provisions of Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the type certificate for that model be amended
later to include any other model that incorporates the same novel or
unusual design feature, or should any other model already included on
the same type certificate be modified to incorporate the same novel or
unusual design feature, these special conditions would also apply to
the other model under Sec. 21.101.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Airbus Model A321neo XLR airplanes must comply with the
fuel-vent and exhaust-emission requirements of 14 CFR part 34, and the
noise-certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in Sec. 11.19, in
accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type
certification basis under Sec. 21.101.
Novel or Unusual Design Features
The Airbus Model A321neo XLR airplanes will incorporate the
following novel or unusual design feature:
A fly-by-wire system requiring flight-control surface-position
awareness and flight-control system mode-change alerting to the flight
crew.
Discussion
With a response-command type flight-control system and no direct
coupling from cockpit controller to control surface, the pilot is not
aware of actual surface position utilized to fulfill the requested
demand. Some unusual flight conditions, arising from atmospheric
conditions, or airplane or engine failures, may result in full or
nearly full surface deflection. Unless the flight crew is made aware of
excessive deflection or impending control-surface limiting, piloted or
auto-flight system control of the airplane might be inadvertently
continued in such a manner as to cause loss of control or other unsafe
stability or performance characteristics.
These special conditions also address flight-control-system mode
annunciation. Suitable mode
[[Page 60061]]
annunciation must be provided to the flightcrew for events that
significantly change the operating mode of the system but do not merit
the classic ``failure warning.''
These special conditions contain the additional safety standards
that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of
safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness
standards.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions apply to Airbus Model
A321neo XLR airplanes. Should Airbus apply later for a change to the
type certificate to include another model incorporating the same novel
or unusual design feature, the special conditions would apply to that
model as well.
Conclusion
This action affects only a certain novel or unusual design feature
on one model series of airplanes. It is not a rule of general
applicability.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority Citation
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702,
44704.
The Special Conditions
[ssquf] Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by
the Administrator, the following special conditions are issued as part
of the type certification basis for Airbus Model A321neo XLR airplanes.
In addition to the requirements of Sec. 25.143, the following
special condition applies:
1. The flight-control system must indicate to the flight crew when
the primary control means is near the limit of control authority.
In addition to the requirements of Sec. Sec. 25.671 and 25.672,
the following special condition applies:
2. If the flight-control system has multiple modes of operation,
the system must alert the flight crew when the airplane enters any mode
that significantly changes or degrades the normal handling or
operational characteristics of the airplane.
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on September 28, 2022.
Patrick R. Mullen,
Manager, Technical Innovation Policy Branch, Policy and Innovation
Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-21451 Filed 10-3-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on October 4, 2022.
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