Proposed Rule2023-23521
Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes
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 26, 2023
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 757 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of operators finding frequent and severe damage to the blowout vent grills of the aft soft bulkhead lining in the aft lower lobe cargo compartment. This proposed AD would require repetitive detailed inspections of certain decompression panels and pressure equalization valves, as applicable, in the forward and aft lower lobe cargo compartments for damage, and applicable on-condition actions. For certain airplanes, this proposed AD would also require replacement of a certain soft bulkhead with a rigid bulkhead. For certain other airplanes, this proposed AD would require installation of doublers to a certain bulkhead assembly panel. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 206 (Thursday, October 26, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 206 (Thursday, October 26, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 73543-73545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23521]
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Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 206 / Thursday, October 26, 2023 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 73543]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2023-2003; Project Identifier AD-2022-01620-T]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD)
for certain The Boeing Company Model 757 airplanes. This proposed AD
was prompted by reports of operators finding frequent and severe damage
to the blowout vent grills of the aft soft bulkhead lining in the aft
lower lobe cargo compartment. This proposed AD would require repetitive
detailed inspections of certain decompression panels and pressure
equalization valves, as applicable, in the forward and aft lower lobe
cargo compartments for damage, and applicable on-condition actions. For
certain airplanes, this proposed AD would also require replacement of a
certain soft bulkhead with a rigid bulkhead. For certain other
airplanes, this proposed AD would require installation of doublers to a
certain bulkhead assembly panel. 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 December
11, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>. Follow
the instructions for submitting comments.
<bullet> Fax: 202-493-2251.
<bullet> 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.
<bullet> 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 <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> under
Docket No. FAA-2023-2003; 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:
<bullet> For service information identified in this NPRM, contact
Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data Services
(C&DS), 2600 Westminster Blvd., MC 110-SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740-5600;
telephone 562-797-1717; website <a href="http://myboeingfleet.com">myboeingfleet.com</a>.
<bullet> 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 at
<a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2023-2003.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine Venegas, Aviation Safety
Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone:
562-627-5353; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d992b8adb1bcabb0b7bcf78fbcb7bcbeb8aa99bfb8b8f7beb6af"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="aee5cfdac6cbdcc7c0cb80f8cbc0cbc9cfddeec8cfcf80c9c1d8">[email protected]</span></a>.
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-2023-2003; Project Identifier
AD-2022-01620-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
this 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
<a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, 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
Katherine Venegas, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th St.,
Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone: 562-627-5353; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#ace7cdd8c4c9dec5c2c982fac9c2c9cbcddfeccacdcd82cbc3da"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c289a3b6aaa7b0abaca7ec94a7aca7a5a3b182a4a3a3eca5adb4">[email protected]</span></a>. Any commentary that the FAA receives that is
not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket
for this rulemaking.
Background
Operators have found, on multiple aircraft, frequent and severe
damage to the blowout vent grills of the aft soft bulkhead lining in
the lower lobe cargo compartment. Damage to the grill assembly
consisted of bent, fractured, and missing sections of tubing; deformed
frames; and twisted cross members. Boeing investigated the reported
damage and found the blowout vent grills are vulnerable to being
damaged during baggage loading and unloading. Damage to the blowout
vent grills in the forward and aft lower lobe cargo compartments could
lead to latent failure of the decompression panels and pressure
equalization valves. This latent failure, in combination with a fire,
could make the cargo fire protection, detection, suppression, and
containment system ineffective. Also,
[[Page 73544]]
this latent failure, in combination with rapid decompression of the
airplane, could prevent activation of the station (STA) 1640
decompression panels, which could damage the STA 1640 floor beam and
cause loss of hydraulic systems components and flight control. This
condition, if not addressed could result in the inability of the
flightcrew to maintain safe flight and landing.
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 Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757-25A0319 RB,
dated March 24, 2023. This service information specifies procedures for
repetitive detailed inspections of certain bulkhead (including STA
1640), sidewall, ceiling, and E5 EE rack decompression panels, and
pressure equalization valves on certain airplanes, in the forward and
aft lower lobe cargo compartments for damage; and applicable on-
condition actions. On-condition actions include repair or replacement
of any damaged decompression panels or pressure equalization valves.
For certain airplanes, this service information also specifies
procedures for replacing the soft bulkhead at STA 1640 with a rigid
bulkhead having decompression panels with billet grilles. For certain
other airplanes, this service information specifies procedures for
installing doublers to the bulkhead assembly panel at STA 1640.
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.
Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM
This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified
in the service information already described, except for any
differences identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of this
proposed AD. For information on the procedures and compliance times,
see this service information at <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> under Docket No. FAA-
2023-2003.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would
affect 489 airplanes of U.S. registry. The FAA estimates the following
costs to comply with this proposed AD:
Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cost on U.S.
Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per product operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Detailed Inspection.............. Up to 21 work-hours $0 Up to $1,785 per Up to $872,865 per
x $85 per hour = inspection cycle. inspection cycle.
$1,785 per
inspection cycle.
Replacement of soft bulkhead (100 10 work-hours x $85 108,240 109,090............. 10,909,000.
airplanes). per hour = $850.
Installation of doublers (7 2 work-hours x $85 1,760 $1,930.............. 13,510.
airplanes). per hour = $170.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The FAA estimates the following costs to do any necessary repair or
replacement that would be required based on the results of the proposed
inspection. The agency has no way of determining the number of aircraft
that might need this repair or replacement:
On-Condition Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cost per
Action Labor cost Parts cost product
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Repair..................................... 12 work-hours x $85 per hour = $54,120 $55,140
$1,020.
Replacement................................ 12 work-hour x $85 per hour = 108,240 109,260
$1,020.
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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:
[[Page 73545]]
PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
0
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]
0
2. The FAA amends Sec. 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness
directive:
The Boeing Company: Docket No. FAA-2023-2003; Project Identifier AD-
2022-01620-T.
(a) Comments Due Date
The FAA must receive comments on this airworthiness directive
(AD) by December 11, 2023.
(b) Affected ADs
None.
(c) Applicability
This AD applies to The Boeing Company Model 757-200, -200PF, -
200CB, and -300 series airplanes, certificated in any category, as
identified in Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757-25A0319 RB,
dated March 24, 2023.
(d) Subject
Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 25, Equipment/
Furnishings.
(e) Unsafe Condition
This AD was prompted by reports that operators have found, on
multiple aircraft, frequent and severe damage to the blowout vent
grills of the aft soft bulkhead lining in the lower lobe cargo
compartment. The FAA is issuing this AD to address damage to the
blowout vent grills in the forward and aft lower lobe cargo
compartments that could lead to latent failure of the decompression
panels and pressure equalization valves. This latent failure, in
combination with a fire, could make the cargo fire protection,
detection, suppression, and containment system ineffective. Also,
this latent failure, in combination with rapid decompression of the
airplane, could prevent activation of the station (STA) 1640
decompression panels, which could damage the STA 1640 floor beam and
cause loss of hydraulic systems components and flight control. This
unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in the inability of
the flightcrew to maintain safe flight and landing.
(f) Compliance
Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified,
unless already done.
(g) Required Actions
Except as specified by paragraph (h) of this AD: At the
applicable times specified in the ``Compliance'' paragraph of Boeing
Alert Requirements Bulletin 757-25A0319 RB, dated March 24, 2023, do
all applicable actions identified in, and in accordance with, the
Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin
757-25A0319 RB, dated March 24, 2023.
Note 1 to paragraph (g): Guidance for accomplishing the actions
required by this AD can be found in Boeing Alert Service Bulletin
757-25A0319, dated March 24, 2023, which is referred to in Boeing
Alert Requirements Bulletin 757-25A0319 RB, dated March 24, 2023.
(h) Exceptions to Service Information Specifications
Where the Compliance Time columns of the tables in the
``Compliance'' paragraph of Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757-
25A0319 RB, dated March 24, 2023, use the phrase ``the original
issue date of Requirements Bulletin 757-25A0319 RB,'' this AD
requires replacing those words with ``the effective date of this
AD.''
(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)
(1) The Manager, AIR-520 Continued Operational Safety Branch,
FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested
using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14
CFR 39.19, send your request to your principal inspector or
responsible Flight Standards Office, as appropriate. If sending
information directly to the manager of the Continued Operational
Safety Branch, send it to the attention of the person identified in
paragraph (j)(1) of this AD. Information may be emailed to: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fec7d3bfb0b3d3b2bfbfbdb1d3bfb3b1bdd3ac9b8f8b9b8d8a8dbe989f9fd0999188"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="192034585754345558585a56345854565a344b7c686c7c6a6d6a597f7878377e766f">[email protected]</span></a>.
(2) Before using any approved AMOC, notify your appropriate
principal inspector, or lacking a principal inspector, the manager
of the responsible Flight Standards Office.
(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable level of safety may be
used for any repair, modification, or alteration required by this AD
if it is approved by The Boeing Company Organization Designation
Authorization (ODA) that has been authorized by the Manager, AIR-520
Continued Operational Safety Branch, FAA, to make those findings. To
be approved, the repair method, modification deviation, or
alteration deviation must meet the certification basis of the
airplane, and the approval must specifically refer to this AD.
(j) Related Information
(1) For more information about this AD, contact Katherine
Venegas, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des
Moines, WA 98198; telephone: 562-627-5353; email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#367d57425e53445f585318605358535157457650575718515940"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c68da7b2aea3b4afa8a3e890a3a8a3a1a7b586a0a7a7e8a1a9b0">[email protected]</span></a>.
(2) Service information identified in this AD that is not
incorporated by reference is available at the addresses specified in
paragraphs (k)(3) and (4) of this AD.
(k) Material Incorporated by Reference
(1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the
incorporation by reference (IBR) of the service information listed
in this paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.
(2) You must use this service information as applicable to do
the actions required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
(i) Boeing Alert Requirements Bulletin 757-25A0319 RB, dated
March 24, 2023.
(ii) [Reserved]
(3) For service information identified in this AD, contact
Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Contractual & Data Services
(C&DS), 2600 Westminster Blvd., MC 110-SK57, Seal Beach, CA 90740-
5600; telephone 562-797-1717; website <a href="http://myboeingfleet.com">myboeingfleet.com</a>.
(4) 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.
(5) You may view this material at the National Archives and
Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability
of this material at NARA, visit <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#96aaf7b6fee4f3f0ab" http: www.archives.gov federal-register cfr ibr-locationsoremailfr.inspection@nara.gov">www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/<span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b9d0dbcb94d5d6dad8cdd0d6d7cad6cbdcd4d8d0d5dfcb97d0d7cac9dcdacdd0d6d7f9d7d8cbd897ded6cf">[email protected]</span></a>"><a href="http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locationsoremailfr.inspection@nara.gov">www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/<span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="046d667629686b6765706d6b6a776b766169656d6862762a6d6a77746167706d6b6a446a6576652a636b72">[email protected]</span></a></a>.
Issued on October 19, 2023.
Caitlin Locke,
Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-23521 Filed 10-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
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