AD 2003-21-01

This AD becomes effective on December 1, 2003.

The Director of the Federal Register previously approved the incorporation by reference of Univair Aircraft Corporation Service Bulletin No. 29, Revision B, dated January 2, 1995, as of March 24, 1995 (60 FR 13626, March 14, 1995).

The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of Univair Aircraft Corporation Mandatory Service Bulletin No. 29, Revision C, dated July 8, 1999, as of December 1, 2003.

You may get the service information identified in this AD from Univair Aircraft Corporation, 2500 Himalaya Road, Aurora, Colorado 80011, telephone: (303) 375-8882; facsimile: (303) 375-8888.

You may view the AD docket at FAA, Central Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, Attention: Rules Docket No. 2002-CE-58-AD, 901 Locust, Room 506, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

Roger Caldwell, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Denver Aircraft Certification Office, 26805 East 68th Avenue, Room 214, Denver, Colorado 80249-6361; telephone: (303) 342-1086; facsimile: (303) 342-1088.

Has FAA taken any action to this point? Maintenance inspection procedures did not allow for thorough inspection of the wing structure on Univair Models Alon A-2 and A2-A; ERCO 415-C, 415-CD, 415-D, 415-E, and 415-G; Forney F-1 and F-1A; and Mooney M10 airplanes. This caused us to issue AD 94-18-04, Amendment 39-9017 (59 FR 43727, August 25, 1994) to require installing inspection openings in the outer wing panels, inspecting (one-time) the wing outer panel structure for corrosion, and repairing any corrosion found.

After AD 94-18-04 was issued, Univair revised Service Bulletin No. 29 to the Revision B level. Univair Service Bulletin No. 29, Revision B, dated January 2, 1995, changed the dimension of one of the openings to position it symmetrically between two ribs; and clarified the dimensioning system utilized in placement of the inspection openings. Univair SB No. 29, Revision B, also presented further discussion of the service difficulties encountered on the referenced subject and clarified the intent of the preliminary inspection procedure that may be accomplished prior to the installation of the inspection openings.

This caused us to issue AD 94-18-04 R1, Amendment 39-9173 (60 FR 62321, March 14, 1995).

What has happened since AD 94-18-04 R1 to initiate this action? The FAA has received additional reports of corrosion damage in the wing outer panel structural components continuing to go undetected. Univair has revised Service Bulletin No. 29 to the Revision C level, dated July 8, 1999. This revision changes the one-time inspection of the wing outer panel structural components for corrosion to a repetitive inspection.

What is the potential impact if FAA took no action? This condition, if not detected and corrected, could cause damage to the wing outer panel structural component. Such damage could result in structural failure.

Has FAA taken any action to this point? We issued a proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) to include an AD that would apply to all Univair Models Alon A-2 and A2-A; ERCO 415-C, 415-CD, 415-D, 415-E, and 415-G; Forney F-1 and F-1A, and Mooney M10. This proposal was published in the Federal Register as a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on May 30, 2003 (68 FR 32437). The NPRM proposed to supersede AD 94-18-04 R1 with a new AD that would retain the actions required in AD 94-18-04 R1 and make the one-time inspection of the wing outer panel structural components for corrosion a repetitive inspection.

Was the public invited to comment? We provided the public the opportunity to participate in the development of this AD. We received no comments on the proposal or on the determination of the cost to the public.

What is FAA's final determination on this issue? We have carefully reviewed the available data and determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting the AD as proposed except for minor editorial corrections. We have determined that these minor corrections:

—Provide the intent that was proposed in the NPRM for correcting the unsafe condition; and

—Do not add any additional burden upon the public than was already proposed in the NPRM.

How does the revision to 14 CFR part 39 affect this AD? On July 10, 2002, the FAA published a new version of 14 CFR part 39 (67 FR 47997, July 22, 2002), which governs the FAA's AD system. This regulation now includes material that relates to altered products, special flight permits, and alternative methods of compliance. This material previously was included in each individual AD. Since this material is included in 14 CFR part 39, we will not include it in future AD actions.

How many airplanes does this AD impact? We estimate that this AD affects 2,600 airplanes in the U.S. registry.

What is the cost impact of this AD on owners/operators of the affected airplanes? We estimate the following costs to accomplish the installation of the inspection openings:

We estimate the following costs to accomplish the inspection:

The FAA has no method of determining the number of repetitive inspections each owner/operator will incur over the life of each of the affected airplanes so the cost impact is based on the initial inspection.

The FAA has no method of determining the number of repairs or replacements each owner/operator will incur over the life of each of the affected airplanes based on the results of the inspections. We have no way of determining the number of airplanes that may need such repair. The extent of damage may vary on each airplane.

What is the compliance time of this AD? The compliance time of this AD is “within the next 12 calendar months after the effective date of this AD.”

Why is the compliance time presented in calendar time instead of hours time-in-service (TIS)? The unsafe condition specified by this AD is caused by corrosion. Corrosion can occur regardless of whether the airplane is in operation or is in storage. Therefore, to assure that the unsafe condition specified in this AD does not go undetected for a long period of time, the compliance is presented in calendar time instead of hours TIS.

Will this AD impact various entities? We have determined that this AD will not have federalism implications under Executive Order 13132. This AD will 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.

Will this AD involve a significant rule or regulatory action? For the reasons discussed above, I certify that this AD:

1. Is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866;

2. Is not a “significant rule” under the DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); 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.

We prepared a summary of the costs to comply with this AD and placed it in the AD Docket. You may get a copy of this summary by sending a request to us at the address listed under ADDRESSES. Include “AD Docket No. 2002-CE-58-AD” in your request.

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the Federal Aviation Administration amends part 39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) as follows:

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

2. FAA amends § 39.13 by removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 94-18-04 R1, Amendment 39-9173 (60 FR 62321, March 14, 1995), and by adding a new AD to read as follows: