[Federal Register: October 2, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 191)]
[Notices]
[Page 61947-61948]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02oc02-145]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Proposed Advisory Circular; Continued Airworthiness Assessments
of Powerplant and Auxiliary Power Unit Installations on Transport
Category Airplanes
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.
ACTION: Notice of availability of proposed advisory circular and
request for comments.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of proposed Advisory
Circular (AC) No. 39.XX, Continued Airworthiness Assessments of Power
plant and Auxiliary Power Unit Installations on Transport Category
Airplanes.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before November 1, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Send all comments on the proposed AC to the Federal Aviation
Administration, Attn: Engine and Propeller Standards Staff, ANE-110,
Engine and Propeller Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service, 12
New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA, 01803-5299.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann Azevedo, Engine and Propeller
Standards Staff, ANE-110, at the above address, telephone (781) 238-
7117, fax (781) 238-7199. A copy of the subject AC may also be obtained
electronically by writing to the following Internet address:
ann.azevedo@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
A copy of the subject AC may be obtained by contacting the person
named under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or by downloading the
proposed AC from the following Internet website: http://
www.airweb.faa.gov/rgl. The FAA invites interested parties to comment
on the proposed AC. Comments should identify the subject of the AC and
be submitted to the individual identified under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT. The FAA will consider all communications received by the
closing date before issuing the final AC.
Background
The proposed Advisory Circular (AC) describes the Continued
Airworthiness Assessment Methodologies (CAAM). The Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) Engine and Propeller Directorate (EPD) and the
Transport Airplane Directorate (TAD) may use CAAM to identify unsafe
conditions and
[[Page 61948]]
determine when an ``unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in
other products of the same type design'' before prescribing corrective
action in accordance with Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations
(14 CFR) part 39. CAAM is used for products associated with the
Powerplant or Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Installations on Transport
Category Airplanes.
Continued airworthiness requires that safety concerns within the
existing fleet be addressed, and the knowledge gained applied for the
benefit of future fleets as well. This proposed AC also provides CAAM
guidance for estimating the risks associated with identified unsafe
conditions; defining prioritizing, and selecting suitable corrective
actions for all identified unsafe conditions; and verifying that the
corrective actions were effective. This proposed AC is intended to
present a tangible means of logically assessing and responding to the
safety risks posed by unsafe conditions.
This proposed AC does not establish any requirement that the FAA
must perform a risk assessment before issuing an AD, or that the FAA
must wait to issue an AD until the design approval holder performs a
risk assessment, or that the FAA must accept the findings of a risk
assessment performed by the design approval holder. CAAM, as described
in this proposed AC, assists the FAA in making decisions concerning the
priority in which unsafe conditions should be addressed. The FAA may
issue an AD for a particular unsafe condition before a risk assessment
is performed, or without having an assessment performed at all.
In this regard, CAAM does not define ``unsafe condition'' in a
powerplant or APU installation. Rather, CAAM is a tool that the FAA
usually will sue to make the kinds of decisions described above.
Note that the descriptive level of the CAAM process contained in
this AC is aimed at the individual, whether from the FAA or the
manufacturer, who is without extensive risk analysis experience. Some
of the material within this AC will therefore seem very basic to the
experienced analyst. Additionally, this proposed AC recognizes that an
analysis must sometimes be performed without the benefit of readily-
available information from the manufacturer. Typically, it is expected
that more specific information will be available to the analyst, thus
eliminating the need for some of the process steps that are described.
While information may be provided by and the assessment performed
by the applicant, decisions as to whether an unsafe condition exists,
and the appropriate responses to that unsafe condition, are exclusively
the responsibility of the Administrator.
This proposed advisory circular, published under the authority
granted to the Administrator by 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701-44702,
44704, provides guidance for the use of CAAM.
Dated: Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on September 24,
2002.
Francis Favara,
Assistant Manager, Engine and Propeller Directorate, Aircraft
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 02-25053 Filed 10-1-02; 8:45 am]
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