[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 248 (Friday, December 27, 2019)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 71333-71335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-27716]


 ========================================================================
 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. 84, No. 248 / Friday, December 27, 2019 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 71333]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2019-1060; Product Identifier 2018-CE-020-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation 
Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) 
for all Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (Gulfstream) Model G-IV 
airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of un-commanded 
nose wheel steering turns. This proposed AD would require replacing the 
nose wheel steering servo valve manifold, incorporating revised 
operating procedures into the airplane flight manual (AFM), doing a 
records inspection for any incidents of un-commanded nose wheel 
steering turns, and reporting the results to the FAA. 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 February 
10, 2020.

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 https://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 Gulfstream 
Aerospace Corporation, Technical Publications Dept., P.O. Box 2206, 
Savannah, Georgia 31402-2206; telephone: (800) 810-4853; fax 912-965-
3520; email: pubs@gulfstream.com; internet: https://www.gulfstream.com/customer-support. You may view this service information at the FAA, 
Policy and Innovation Division, 901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 
64106. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, 
call (816) 329-4148.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2019-
1060; 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: Alex Armas, Aerospace Engineer, 
Atlanta ACO Branch, FAA, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, Georgia 
30337; phone: (404) 474-5538; fax: (404) 474-5605; email: 
alex.armas@faa.gov.

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-2019-1060; 
Product Identifier 2018-CE-020-AD'' at the beginning of your comments. 
The FAA specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, 
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this NPRM. The FAA will 
consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend this 
NPRM because of those comments.
    The FAA will post all comments received, without change, to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. 
The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal 
contact received about this NPRM.

Discussion

    The FAA received reports of numerous incidents of un-commanded nose 
wheel steering turns on Gulfstream Model G-IV airplanes. An 
investigation revealed the supplier compromised the seals during 
assembly of the electro-hydraulic servo valves, which allows moisture 
to enter the valve. During cold soak conditions, the moisture forms ice 
crystals in the servo valve armature air gaps, which may cause the 
valve armature to displace to a non-neutral position. This condition, 
if not addressed, could result in an un-commanded nose wheel position 
once power is applied to the nose wheel servo and subsequent lateral 
runway departure.
    To address this condition, the supplier improved their production 
quality control process to reduce the risk of compromised seals in the 
nose wheel steering servo valve. Gulfstream also revised the normal, 
abnormal, and emergency procedures in the AFMs related to nose wheel 
steering un-commanded turns.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed Gulfstream IV Customer Bulletin Number 244, dated 
March 12, 2018; Gulfstream G300 Customer Bulletin 244, dated March 12, 
2018; and Gulfstream G400 Customer Bulletin 244, dated March 12, 2018. 
For the applicable airplane configuration, each customer bulletin 
describes procedures for replacing the nose wheel steering servo valve 
manifold assembly.
    The FAA also reviewed Gulfstream IV Airplane Flight Manual, 
Gulfstream Aerospace Document Number GAC-AC-GIV-OPS-0001, Revision 52, 
dated October 30, 2017; Gulfstream G300 Airplane Flight Manual, 
Gulfstream Aerospace Document Number GAC-AC-G300-OPS-0001, Revision 20, 
dated October 30, 2017; and Gulfstream G400 Airplane Flight Manual, 
Gulfstream Aerospace Document Number GAC-AC-G400-OPS-0001, Revision 20, 
dated October 30, 2017. For the applicable airplane configuration, each 
AFM document provides revisions to the AFM with instructions for flight 
crew to follow if un-commanded nose wheel steering turns occur.
    This service information is reasonably available because the 
interested parties have access to it through their normal

[[Page 71334]]

course of business or by the means identified in the ADDRESSES section.

FAA's Determination

    The FAA is proposing this AD because it evaluated all the relevant 
information and determined the unsafe condition described previously is 
likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.

Proposed AD Requirements

    This proposed AD would require revising the AFM and replacing the 
nose wheel steering servo valve manifold. This proposed AD would also 
require a records inspection for any incidents of un-commanded nose 
wheel steering turns and reporting the results to the FAA.

Differences Between This Proposed AD and the Service Information

    The Gulfstream customer bulletins require reporting compliance with 
the bulletins to Gulfstream. This proposed AD does not contain that 
requirement; however, this proposed AD would require reporting any 
known occurrences of un-commanded nose wheel steering turns to the FAA.
    The Gulfstream customer bulletins include a compliance time of 48 
months beginning on March 12, 2018. The compliance time for this 
proposed AD is 36 months after the effective date of the AD.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 425 airplanes 
of U.S. registry.
    The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed 
AD:

                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Cost per      Cost on U.S.
            Action                  Labor cost               Parts cost               product        operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Incorporate AFM revisions.....  1 work-hour x $85  Not applicable...............             $85         $36,125
                                 per hour = $85.
Replace nose wheel steering     7 work-hours x     $63,624......................          64,219      27,293,075
 servo valve.                    $85 per hour =
                                 $595.
Records review and reporting    2 work-hours x     Not applicable...............             170          72,250
 of the review results.          $85 per hour =
                                 $170.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    According to the manufacturer, some of the costs of this proposed 
AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost impact on 
affected individuals. The FAA does not control warranty coverage for 
affected individuals. As a result, the FAA has included all costs in 
this cost estimate.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 
required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for 
failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of 
information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 
Control Number for this information collection is 2120-0056. Public 
reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be 
approximately 2 hours per response, including the time for reviewing 
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing the collection of 
information. All responses to this collection of information are 
mandatory as required by this AD; the nature and extent of 
confidentiality to be provided, if any. Send comments regarding this 
burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, 
including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 
Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177-1524.

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 small airplanes, gliders, balloons, airships, domestic business jet 
transport airplanes, and associated appliances to the Director of the 
Policy and Innovation 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

0
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.

[[Page 71335]]

Sec.  39.13   [Amended]

0
2. The FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness 
directive (AD):

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation: Docket No. FAA-2019-1060; Product 
Identifier 2018-CE-020-AD.

(a) Comments Due Date

    The FAA must receive comments by February 10, 2020.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Model G-IV 
airplanes, certificated in any category.

(d) Subject

    Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC)/Air Transport Association 
(ATA) of America Code 32, Landing Gear.

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by reports of un-commanded nose wheel 
steering turns. The FAA is issuing this AD to prevent moisture from 
entering the nose steering wheel servo valve, which could freeze and 
cause an un-commanded nose wheel steering position during touchdown. 
The unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in a lateral 
runway departure.

(f) Compliance

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

(g) Airplane Flight Manual Revisions

    Within 30 days after the effective date of this AD, revise your 
airplane flight manual (AFM) by incorporating the revision 
applicable to your airplane configuration as listed in paragraphs 
(g)(1) through (3) of this AD:
    (1) Gulfstream IV Airplane Flight Manual, Gulfstream Aerospace 
Document Number GAC-AC-GIV-OPS-0001, Revision 52, dated October 30, 
2017;
    (2) Gulfstream G300 Airplane Flight Manual, Gulfstream Aerospace 
Document Number GAC-AC-G300-OPS-0001, Revision 20, dated October 30, 
2017; or
    (3) Gulfstream G400 Airplane Flight Manual, Gulfstream Aerospace 
Document Number FAC-AC-G400-OPS-0001, Revision 20, dated October 30, 
2017.

(h) Replace the Nose Wheel Steering Servo Valve Manifold

    Within 36 months after the effective date of this AD, replace 
the nose wheel steering servo valve manifold with nose wheel 
steering servo valve manifold part number 5100-11 or 5105-5 in 
accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of the customer 
bulletin that applies to your airplane configuration as listed in 
paragraphs (h)(1) through (3) of this AD, except you are not 
required to comply with step H:
    (1) Gulfstream IV Customer Bulletin Number 244, dated March 12, 
2018;
    (2) Gulfstream G300 Customer Bulletin 244, dated March 12, 2018; 
or
    (3) Gulfstream G400 Customer Bulletin 244, dated March 12, 2018.

(i) Records Inspection and Report of Results

    (1) Between 12 months and 24 months after the replacement of the 
nose wheel steering valve manifold assembly required in paragraph 
(h) of this AD, inspect all aircraft records for entries of an un-
commanded nose wheel steering turn.
    (2) Within 10 days after the records inspection required in 
paragraph (i)(1) of this AD, report the results of the inspection, 
regardless of whether the inspection found any entries, to the FAA 
by either email: 9-ASO-ATLCOS-Reporting@faa.gov; or by mail: Attn: 
Continued Operational Safety, Atlanta ACO Branch, FAA, 1701 Columbia 
Avenue, College Park, Georgia 30337. The report must include as much 
of the information listed in paragraphs (i)(2)(i) through (vii) of 
this AD as is known about the event:
    (i) Date of records inspection;
    (ii) Date and time of all un-commanded occurrences (if any);
    (iii) Airplane serial number;
    (iv) Weather and runway conditions at the time of each 
occurrence;
    (v) Copy of the pilot's report of the occurrence (if available);
    (vi) Maintenance entry of the root cause of the un-commanded 
deflection (if available); and
    (vii) Any other information pertinent to the occurrence.

(j) Paperwork Reduction Act

    A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 
required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty 
for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to 
the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that 
collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control 
Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 
2120-0056. Public reporting for this collection of information is 
estimated to be approximately 2 hours per response, including the 
time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, 
gathering and maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing 
the collection of information. All responses to this collection of 
information are mandatory as required by this AD; the nature and 
extent of confidentiality to be provided, if any. Send comments 
regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this 
collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this 
burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, Federal 
Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 
76177-1524.

(k) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, Atlanta ACO 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 
manager of the certification office, send it to the attention of the 
person identified in paragraph (l)(1) of this AD.
    (2) 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.

(l) Related Information

    (1) For more information about this AD, contact Alex Armas, 
Aerospace Engineer, Atlanta ACO Branch, FAA, 1701 Columbia Avenue, 
College Park, Georgia 30337; phone: (404) 474-5538; fax: (404) 474-
5605; email: alex.armas@faa.gov.
    (2) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, Technical Publications Dept., P.O. 
Box 2206, Savannah, Georgia 31402-2206; telephone: (800) 810-4853; 
fax 912-965-3520; email: pubs@gulfstream.com; internet: https://www.gulfstream.com/customer-support. You may view this referenced 
service information at the FAA, Policy and Innovation Division, 901 
Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For information on the 
availability of this material at the FAA, call (816) 329-4148.

    Issued on December 18, 2019.
Patrick R. Mullen,
Aircraft Certification Service Manager, Small Airplane Standards 
Branch, AIR-690.
[FR Doc. 2019-27716 Filed 12-26-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P


