AD 2007-20-01

This AD becomes effective October 31, 2007.

The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in the AD as of October 31, 2007.

You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov or in person at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC.

Contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes, P.O. Box 3707, Seattle, Washington 98124-2207, for service information identified in this AD.

Sulmo Mariano, Aerospace Engineer, Propulsion Branch, ANM-140S, FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 98057-3356; telephone (425) 917-6501; fax (425) 917-6590.

You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov or in person at the Docket Operations office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Docket Operations office (telephone (800) 647-5527) is located on the ground floor of the West Building at the DOT street address stated in the ADDRESSES section.

The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR part 39 to include an AD that would apply to certain Boeing Model 747-100B SUD, 747-200B, 747-200C, 747-200F, 747-300, 747-400, 747-400D, 747-400F, and 747SP series airplanes. That NPRM was published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2007 (72 FR 30999). That NPRM proposed to require reconfiguring the clamps of certain wire bundles and applying insulating sealant to certain fasteners inside the fuel tanks.

We provided the public the opportunity to participate in the development of this AD. We have considered the single comment received.

Boeing requests that we add information about the design of the replacement clamps. Boeing asserts that the second paragraph of the Relevant Service Information section of the NPRM does not describe how the new clamps protect the wire bundle. Boeing explains that the new clamps are of a different design and have additional protection on their edges. Boeing therefore requests that we revise the described paragraph to read “* * * installing new, larger clamps, which contain additional protection against metal to bundle contact, * * *.”

We partially agree with this request. We agree that this information clarifies the nature of the modification developed to address the unsafe condition; however, the Relevant Service Information section of the NPRM is not retained in the final rule. Therefore, we find that no change to the AD is necessary in this regard.

We have carefully reviewed the available data, including the comment received, and determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting the AD as proposed.

There are about 707 airplanes of the affected design in the worldwide fleet. This AD affects about 107 airplanes of U.S. registry. Depending on airplane configuration, the required actions take between 106 and 448 work hours per airplane, at an average labor rate of $80 per work hour. Required parts cost between $430 and $2,074 per airplane. Based on these figures, the estimated cost of the AD for U.S. operators is between $8,910 and $37,914 per airplane, or up to $4,056,798 for all airplanes.

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.

We are 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.

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.

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 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 regulatory evaluation of the estimated costs to comply with this AD and placed it in the AD docket. See the ADDRESSES section for a location to examine the regulatory evaluation.

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the FAA amends 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

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

2. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) amends § 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD):