2023-07773

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: • the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document • the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to • the agency docket number / agency internal file number • the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration • 14 CFR Part 39 • [Docket No. FAA-2022-1404; Project Identifier MCAI-2022-01044-A; Amendment 39-22410; AD 2023-07-08] • RIN 2120-AA64 AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. (Pilatus) Model PC-12/47E airplanes. This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI identifies the unsafe condition as corrosion of the actuator attachment lug areas underneath the anti-rotation pads of the main landing gear (MLG) and nose landing gear (NLG). This AD requires replacing certain MLG and NLG electro-mechanical actuators. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. DATES: This AD is effective May 19, 2023. ADDRESSES: AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under Docket No.FAA-2022-1404; 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, the MCAI, any comments received, and other information. The address for Docket Operations is U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Doug Rudolph, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, General Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, International Validation Branch, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, MO 64106; phone: (816) 329-4059; email: doug.rudolph@faa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR part 39 by adding an AD that would apply to certain serial-numbered Pilatus Model PC-12/47E airplanes. The NPRM published in the Federal Register on November 7, 2022 (87 FR 66971). The NPRM was prompted by EASA AD 2022-0158, dated August 4, 2022 (EASA AD 2022-0158) (referred to after this as “the MCAI”), issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union. The MCAI was prompted by occurrences of corrosion on the MLG and NLG actuator attachment lugs, underneath the anti-rotation pads of Pilatus Model PC-12/47E airplanes. The MCAI states that investigations revealed that extending or retracting the affected landing gear results in fretting between the anti-rotation pads and the actuator attachment lugs. This decreases the effectivity of surface protection, allows corrosion to develop on the attachment lug areas underneath the anti-rotation pads, and leads to cracking and failure of the attachment lugs. This condition, if not addressed, could result in loss of functionality of the MLG and NLG, which could result in damage to the airplane and injury to the occupants. The MCAI requires inspecting, and if required, replacing affected MLG and NLG electro-mechanical actuators with serviceable actuators and prohibits the installation of an affected actuator unless it has been reworked to become a serviceable actuator. Since issuance of the NPRM,…

Fonte: Federal Register (federalregister.gov). Texto original em inglês. Conteúdo sanitizado por segurança.