[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 2011)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-54]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket 90-NM-267-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Model
G-1159 Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal.
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SUMMARY: This action withdraws a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM)
that proposed a new airworthiness directive (AD) to supersede an
existing AD, applicable to certain Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation
Model G-1159 airplanes. The existing AD requires an inspection to
detect cracks or corrosion in the wing structure in the area of
Fuselage Station (FS) 452 inboard clothespin attachment fitting, and
repair if necessary. The proposed AD would have required repetitive
inspections to detect corrosion or cracks in the forward and aft wing
attach fittings at FS 345 and 452, respectively, and adjacent wing beam
and wing plank areas, and repair if necessary; and the application of
corrosion protection treatment. Since the issuance of the NPRM, the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has received new data that
indicate the aircraft maintenance manual has been revised to include
additional inspections that address the unsafe condition detailed in
the NPRM and that the full fleet is in compliance with the inspection
and applicable repair required by the existing AD. Accordingly, the
proposed rule is withdrawn.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carey O'Kelley, Aerospace Engineer,
Airframe Branch, ACE-117A, FAA, Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office
(ACO), 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, Georgia 30337; telephone
(404) 474-5543; fax (404) 474-5606.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal
Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) to add a new airworthiness
directive (AD), applicable to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Model G-
1159 airplanes, was published in the Federal Register as a Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on January 2, 1991 (56 FR 33). The proposed
rule would have superseded an existing airworthiness directive (AD 90-
13-02, Amendment 39-6660 (55 FR 29008, July 17, 1990)), applicable to
certain Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Model G-1159 airplanes. The
existing AD currently requires an inspection to detect cracks or
corrosion in the wing structure in the area of Fuselage Station (FS)
452 inboard clothespin attachment fitting, and repair if necessary. The
NPRM proposed to require additional repetitive inspections to detect
corrosion or cracks in the forward and aft wing attach fittings at FS
345 and 452, respectively, and adjacent wing beam and wing plank areas,
and repair if necessary; and the application of corrosion protection
treatment. The NPRM resulted from a review of the inspection reports
submitted in response to the existing AD. The proposed actions were
intended to prevent significantly reduced structural integrity of the
wing/fuselage attachment joint, and the inability to carry flight or
ground loads.
Actions That Occurred Since the NPRM Was Issued
Since the issuance of that NPRM, Gulfstream has revised Chapter 5,
inspection program (continued airworthiness), of the aircraft
maintenance manual (AMM) to include additional inspections that address
the unsafe condition detailed in the NPRM. We have also received data
that shows full fleet compliance with the inspection and applicable
repair required by AD 90-13-02.
FAA's Conclusions
Upon further consideration, the FAA has determined that the actions
required by AD 90-13-02 adequately addressed the identified unsafe
condition. Therefore, it is not necessary to mandate the repetitive
inspections specified in the Gulfstream AMM. Accordingly, the proposed
rule is hereby withdrawn.
Withdrawal of this NPRM constitutes only such action, and does not
preclude the agency from issuing another action in the future, nor does
it commit the agency to any course of action in the future.
Regulatory Impact
Since this action only withdraws a notice of proposed rulemaking,
it is neither a proposed nor a final rule and therefore is not covered
under Executive Order 12866, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, or DOT
Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979).
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39
Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Safety.
The Withdrawal
Accordingly, the notice of proposed rulemaking, Docket 90-NM-267-
AD, published in the Federal Register on January 2, 1991 (56 FR 33), is
withdrawn.
Issued in Renton, Washington, on December 27, 2010.
Jeffrey E. Duven,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification
Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-54 Filed 1-5-11; 8:45 am]
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