AD 2007-26-01

This AD becomes effective on January 22, 2008.

On January 22, 2008, the Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in this AD.

For service information identified in this AD, contact Thrush Aircraft, Inc., P.O. Box 3149, 300 Old Pretoria Road, Albany, Georgia 31706-3149; telephone: 229-883-1440; facsimile: 229-436-4856; or on the Internet at: www.thrushaircraft.com.

To view the AD docket, go to U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, or on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. The docket number is FAA-2007-28432; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-051-AD.

—Cindy Lorenzen, Aerospace Engineer, ACE-115A, Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office, One Crown Center, 1895 Phoenix Blvd., Suite 450, Atlanta, Georgia 30349; telephone: (770) 703-6078; fax: (770) 703-6097; e-mail: cindy.lorenzen@faa.gov; or

—Mike Cann, Aerospace Engineer, ACE-117A, Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office, One Crown Center, 1895 Phoenix Blvd., Suite 450, Atlanta, Georgia 30349; telephone: (770) 703-6038; facsimile: (770) 703-6097; e-mail: michael.cann@faa.gov.

On July 26, 2007, 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 certain S2R series airplanes. This proposal was published in the Federal Register as a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on July 26, 2007 (72 FR 41042). The NPRM proposed to require repetitive visual inspections of the vertical and horizontal stabilizer attach fitting, attach fitting bolts, and the vertical fin aft spar for corrosion or cracks. The NPRM also proposed to require immediate replacement of the vertical and horizontal stabilizer attach fittings and attach fitting bolts if cracked or corroded parts are found, and inspection of the vertical fin aft spar with repair or replacement if cracks or corrosion are found. This AD requires the eventual replacement of the vertical and horizontal stabilizer attach fittings and attach fitting bolts if no corrosion or cracks are found as terminating action for the repetitive inspections.

We provided the public the opportunity to participate in developing this AD. We received no comments on the proposal or on the determination of the cost to the public.

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:

• Are consistent with 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.

We estimate that this AD affects 910 airplanes in the U.S. registry.

We estimate the following costs to do the inspection:

We estimate the following costs to do any necessary replacements of the vertical fin aft spar that would be required based on the results of the inspection. We have no way of determining the number of airplanes that may need this replacement:

We estimate the following costs to replace the vertical and horizontal stabilizer attach fittings and attachment bolt:

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 AD.

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 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 other information as included in the Regulatory Evaluation) 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 “Docket No. FAA-2007-28432; Directorate Identifier 2007-CE-051-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 adding the following new AD: