AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

SUMMARY:

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2017-19-04 and AD 2014-16-26, which apply to certain Dassault Aviation Model FALCON 900EX airplanes. Those ADs require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive maintenance requirements and/or airworthiness limitations. Since the FAA issued AD 2017-19-04 and AD 2014-16-26, the FAA determined that new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. This proposed AD would require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. 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 31, 2019.

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 http://www.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.

For service information identified in this NPRM, contact Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation, Teterboro Airport, P.O. Box 2000, South Hackensack, NJ 07606; telephone 201-440-6700; internet http://www.dassaultfalcon.com. You may view this referenced service information at the FAA, Transport Standards Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 206-231-3195.

Examining the AD Docket

You may examine the AD docket on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2019-0698; 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, the regulatory evaluation, any comments received, and other information. The street address for Docket Operations is listed above. Comments will be available in the AD docket shortly after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Tom Rodriguez, Aerospace Engineer, International Section, Transport Standards Branch, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone and fax 206-231-3226.

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 the ADDRESSES section. Include “Docket No. FAA-2019-0698; Product Identifier 2019-NM-109-AD” at the beginning of your comments. The FAA specifically invites comments on the overall regulatory, economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this proposed AD. The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend this proposed AD based on those comments.

The FAA will post all comments received, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact received about this proposed AD.

Discussion

The FAA issued AD 2017-19-04, Amendment 39-19034 (82 FR 43163, September 14, 2017) (“AD 2017-19-04”), for certain Dassault Aviation Model FALCON 900EX airplanes. AD 2017-19-04 requires revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate more restrictive airworthiness limitations. AD 2017-19-04 resulted from a determination that more restrictive airworthiness limitations or more restrictive maintenance requirements and/or airworthiness limitations are necessary. The FAA issued AD 2017-19-04 to address reduced structural integrity of the airplane. AD 2017-19-04 specifies that accomplishing the actions required by that AD would terminate the requirements of AD 2014-16-26, Amendment 39-17950 (79 FR 51077, August 27, 2014) (“AD 2014-16-26”), but it did not supersede AD 2014-16-26. In addition, AD 2014-16-26 specifies that accomplishing paragraph (g) of that AD would terminate the requirements of paragraph (g)(1) of AD 2010-26-05, Amendment 39-16544 (75 FR 79952, December 21, 2010); for Dassault Aviation Model FALCON 900EX airplanes, serial numbers 1 through 96 inclusive, and serial numbers 98 through 119 inclusive. This terminating provision of certain requirements of AD 2010-26-05 is included in this proposed AD.

This AD proposes to supersede AD 2017-19-04 and AD 2014-16-26, but does not propose to supersede AD 2010-26-05.

Actions Since AD 2017-19-04 and AD 2014-16-26 Were Issued

Since AD 2017-19-04 and AD 2014-16-26 were issued, the FAA has determined that new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA AD 2019-0133, dated June 11, 2019 (referred to after this as the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information, or “the MCAI”), to correct an unsafe condition for certain Dassault Aviation Model FALCON 900EX airplanes. The MCAI states:

The airworthiness limitations for Falcon 900EX aeroplanes, which are approved by EASA, are currently defined and published in Dassault Falcon 900EX AMM [Airplane Maintenance Manual], Chapter 5-40. These instructions have been identified as mandatory for continued airworthiness.

Failure to accomplish these instructions could result in an unsafe condition.

EASA previously issued AD 2016-0128 (which corresponds to FAA AD 2017-19-04), requiring the actions described in Dassault Falcon 900EX AMM Chapter 5-40 (DGT113874) at Revision 14.

Since that [EASA] AD was issued, Dassault published Revisions 15 and 16 of Dassault Falcon 900EX AMM Chapter 5-40 (DGT113874). Revision 16 contains new and/or more restrictive maintenance tasks.

For the reason described above, this [EASA] AD retains the requirements of EASA AD 2016-0128, which is superseded, and requires accomplishment of the actions specified in the ALS [airworthiness limitations section], as defined in this [EASA] AD.

You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating FAA-2019-0698.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

Dassault Aviation has issued Chapter 5-40, Airworthiness Limitations, Revision 16, dated September 2018, of the Dassault FALCON 900EX Maintenance Manual. This service information describes procedures, maintenance tasks, and airworthiness limitations specified in the Airworthiness Limitations section of the AMM.

This proposed AD would also require Chapter 5-40, Airworthiness Limitations, Revision 14, dated November 2015, of the FALCON 900EX Maintenance Manual, which the Director of the Federal Register approved for incorporation by reference as of October 19, 2017 (82 FR 43163, September 14, 2017).

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.

FAA's Determination

This product has been approved by the aviation authority of another country, and is approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant to a bilateral agreement with the State of Design Authority, the FAA has been notified of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and service information referenced above. The FAA is proposing this AD because the agency evaluated all the relevant information and determined the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type design.

Proposed Requirements of This NPRM

This proposed AD would retain all requirements of AD 2017-19-04. This proposed AD would require revising the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations. This proposed AD would also retain the terminating provisions of AD 2014-16-26, related to AD 2010-26-05.

This proposed AD would require revisions to certain operator maintenance documents to include new actions (e.g., inspections). Compliance with these actions is required by 14 CFR 91.403(c). For airplanes that have been previously modified, altered, or repaired in the areas addressed by this proposed AD, the operator may not be able to accomplish the actions described in the revisions. In this situation, to comply with 14 CFR 91.403(c), the operator must request approval for an alternative method of compliance according to paragraph (l)(1) of this proposed AD.

Costs of Compliance

The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 100 airplanes of U.S. registry.

The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed AD:

The FAA estimates the total cost per operator for the retained actions from AD 2017-19-04 to be $7,650 (90 work-hours × $85 per work-hour).

The FAA has determined that revising the existing maintenance or inspection program takes an average of 90 work-hours per operator, although the agency recognizes that this number may vary from operator to operator. In the past, the FAA has estimated that this action takes 1 work-hour per airplane. Since operators incorporate maintenance or inspection program changes for their affected fleet(s), the FAA has determined that a per-operator estimate is more accurate than a per-airplane estimate. Therefore, the FAA estimates the total cost per operator for the new proposed actions to be $7,650 (90 work-hours × $85 per work-hour).

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.

This proposed AD is issued in accordance with authority delegated by the Executive Director, Aircraft Certification Service, as authorized by FAA Order 8000.51C. In accordance with that order, issuance of ADs is normally a function of the Compliance and Airworthiness Division, but during this transition period, the Executive Director has delegated the authority to issue ADs applicable to transport category airplanes and associated appliances to the Director of the System Oversight Division.

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) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and

(3) Will 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.

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by

a. Removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2014-16-26, Amendment 39-17950 ( 79 FR 51077, August 27, 2014); and AD 2017-19-04, Amendment 39-19034 (82 FR 43163, September 14, 2017); and

b. Adding the following new AD:

Dassault Aviation: Docket No. FAA-2019-0698; Product Identifier 2019-NM-109-AD.

(a) Comments Due Date

The FAA must receive comments by October 31, 2019.

(b) Affected ADs

(1) This AD replaces AD 2014-16-26, Amendment 39-17950 (79 FR 51077, August 27, 2014) (“AD 2014-16-26”); and AD 2017-19-04, Amendment 39-19034 (82 FR 43163, September 14, 2017) (“AD 2017-19-04”).

(2) This AD affects AD 2010-26-05, Amendment 39-16544 (75 FR 79952, December 21, 2010) (“AD 2010-26-05”).

(c) Applicability

This AD applies to Dassault Aviation Model FALCON 900EX airplanes, certificated in any category, serial numbers 1 through 96 inclusive, and serial numbers 98 through 119 inclusive, certificated in any category.

(d) Subject

Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 05, Time Limits/Maintenance Checks.

(e) Reason

This AD was prompted by a determination that new or more restrictive airworthiness limitations are necessary. The FAA is issuing this AD to address reduced structural integrity of the airplane.

(f) Compliance

Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified, unless already done.

(g) Retained Revision of Maintenance or Inspection Program, With No Changes

This paragraph restates the requirements of paragraph (g) of AD 2017-19-04, with no changes. Within 90 days after October 19, 2017 (the effective date of AD 2017-19-04), revise the maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate the information specified in Chapter 5-40, Airworthiness Limitations, Revision 14, dated November 2015, of the FALCON 900EX Maintenance Manual. The initial compliance time for accomplishing the actions specified in Chapter 5-40, Airworthiness Limitations, Revision 14, dated November 2015, of the FALCON 900EX Maintenance Manual, is within the applicable times specified in the maintenance manual, or 90 days after October 19, 2017, whichever occurs later, except as provided by paragraphs (g)(1) through (4) of this AD.

(1) The term “LDG” in the “First Inspection” column of any table in the service information means total airplane landings.

(2) The term “FH” in the “First Inspection” column of any table in the service information means total flight hours.

(3) The term “FC” in the “First Inspection” column of any table in the service information means total flight cycles.

(4) The term “M” in the “First Inspection” column of any table in the service information means months.

(h) Retained No Alternative Actions and Intervals, With New Exception

This paragraph restates the requirement specified in paragraph (h) of AD 2017-19-04, with a new exception. Except as required by paragraph (i) of this AD, after accomplishing the revision required by paragraph (g) of this AD, no alternative actions (e.g., inspections) or intervals may be used unless the actions or intervals are approved as an alternative method of compliance (AMOC) in accordance with the procedures specified in paragraph (l)(1) of this AD.

(i) New Requirement of This AD: Maintenance or Inspection Program Revision

Within 90 days after the effective date of this AD, revise the existing maintenance or inspection program, as applicable, to incorporate the information specified in Chapter 5-40, Airworthiness Limitations, Revision 16, dated September 2018, of the Dassault FALCON 900EX Maintenance Manual. The initial compliance time for accomplishing the actions specified in Chapter 5-40, Airworthiness Limitations, Revision 16, dated September 2018, is within the applicable times specified in the maintenance manual, or 90 days after the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs later, except as provided by paragraphs (i)(1) through (4) of this AD.

(1) The term “LDG” in the “First Inspection” column of any table in the service information means total airplane landings.

(2) The term “FH” in the “First Inspection” column of any table in the service information means total flight hours.

(3) The term “FC” in the “First Inspection” column of any table in the service information means total flight cycles.

(4) The term “M” in the “First Inspection” column of any table in the service information means months since the date of issuance of the original airworthiness certificate or the date of issuance of the original export certificate of airworthiness.

(j) No Alternative Actions or Intervals

After the existing maintenance or inspection program has been revised as required by paragraph (i) of this AD, no alternative actions (e.g., inspections) or intervals may be used unless the actions and intervals are approved as an AMOC in accordance with the procedures specified in paragraph (l)(1) of this AD.

(k) Terminating Actions for Certain Actions in AD 2010-26-05

Accomplishing the actions required by paragraph (g) or (i) of this AD terminates the requirements of paragraph (g)(1) of AD 2010-26-05, for Dassault Aviation Model FALCON 900EX airplanes, serial numbers 1 through 96 inclusive, and serial numbers 98 through 119 inclusive.

(l) Other FAA AD Provisions

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs): The Manager, International Section, Transport Standards 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 local Flight Standards District Office, as appropriate. If sending information directly to the International Section, send it to the attention of the person identified in paragraph (m)(2) of this AD. Information may be emailed to 9-ANM-116-AMOC-REQUESTS@faa.gov. Before using any approved AMOC, notify your appropriate principal inspector, or lacking a principal inspector, the manager of the local flight standards district office/certificate holding district office.

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: As of the effective date of this AD, for any requirement in this AD to obtain corrective actions from a manufacturer, the action must be accomplished using a method approved by the Manager, International Section, Transport Standards Branch, FAA; or the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA); or Dassault Aviation's EASA Design Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by the DOA, the approval must include the DOA-authorized signature.

(m) Related Information

(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information (MCAI) EASA AD 2019-0133, dated June 11, 2019, for related information. This MCAI may be found in the AD docket on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2019-0698.

(2) For more information about this AD, contact Tom Rodriguez, Aerospace Engineer, International Section, Transport Standards Branch, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone and fax 206-231-3226.

(3) For service information identified in this AD, contact Dassault Falcon Jet Corporation, Teterboro Airport, P.O. Box 2000, South Hackensack, NJ 07606; telephone 201-440-6700; internet http://www.dassaultfalcon.com. You may view this service information at the FAA, Transport Standards Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 206-231-3195.