# AD 2016-04-24: Placards and Markings

- Type: Airworthiness directive
- Status: Current
- Products: Boeing 757-200 Series with STC ST01529SE or ST02278SE
- Effective: April 4, 2016
- Published: February 29, 2016, 81 FR 10072–10074
- Issued: February 16, 2016
- Issued as: Final rule
- Superseded by: Nothing supersedes this AD
- Product type: Aircraft, Large airplane
- ATA chapter: 11 · Placards and markings
- Amendment: 39-18418
- Docket: FAA-2015-1423 (https://www.regulations.gov/docket/FAA-2015-1423)
- Project: 2014-NM-173-AD
- Registered aircraft: 243 may be affected, by airframe or engine model (OpenAirDocs)
- Official PDF: https://openairdocs.org/files/sha256/12/eb/12eb467ca74489cf909d1dd82ede6ecf77c60e2c0fd84f4b197a5040b1499889 (from https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-02-29/pdf/2016-04036.pdf)
- Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/02/29/2016-04036/airworthiness-directives-the-boeing-company-model-757-200-series-airplanes-modified-by-supplemental
- FAA DRS: https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/04DEF52EA59FAC8E86257F6800518CA0.0001
- DRS record last changed: May 30, 2024
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ad/2016-04-24

## Summary

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain The Boeing Company Model 757-200 series airplanes modified by particular STCs. This AD was prompted by reports of a main cargo door being blown past its full open position while on the ground during gusty wind conditions, which resulted in uncontrolled fall down to its closed position. This AD requires installing a new placard and bracket, replacing an existing placard, and replacing the main cargo door control panel. We are issuing this AD to prevent damage to the main cargo door, which could result in rapid decompression of the airplane, or injury to maintenance and ground crew during ground operations.

## The airworthiness directive

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

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

2016-04-24 The Boeing Company: Amendment 39-18418; Docket No. FAA-2015-1423; Directorate Identifier 2014-NM-173-AD.

### (a) Effective Date

This AD is effective April 4, 2016.

### (b) Affected ADs

None.

### (c) Applicability

This AD applies to The Boeing Company Model 757-200 series airplanes, certificated in any category, modified by the applicable supplemental type certificate identified in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of this AD.

  (1) ST01529SE ( http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgstc.nsf/0/0af09c3701a237ee86257a5d0064b3aa/$FILE/ST01529SE.pdf).

  (2) ST02278SE ( http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgstc.nsf/0/e54b5289a2e9f6ef86257b7f0056edaf/$FILE/ST02278SE.pdf).

### (d) Subject

Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 11, Placards and Markings.

### (e) Unsafe Condition

This AD was prompted by reports of a main cargo door being blown past its full open position while on the ground during gusty wind conditions, which resulted in uncontrolled fall down to its closed position. We are issuing this AD to prevent damage to the main cargo door, which could result in rapid decompression of the airplane, or injury to maintenance and ground crew during ground operations.

### (f) Compliance

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

### (g) Installation

Within 90 days after the effective date of this AD, install a new placard and bracket, replace the existing placard, and replace the main cargo door control panel, in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of Precision Conversions Service Bulletin PC-757-11-0023, dated August 1, 2014.

### (h) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

  (1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office (ACO), 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 ACO, send it to the attention of the person identified in paragraph (i)(1) of this AD. Information may be emailed to: 9-ANM-Seattle-ACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov.

  (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.

### (i) Related Information

For more information about this AD, contact Narinder Luthra, Aerospace Engineer, Airframe Branch, ANM-120S, FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office (ACO), 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057-3356; phone: 425-917-6513; fax: 425-917-6590; email: Narinder.Luthra@faa.gov.

### (j) Material Incorporated by Reference

  (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference (IBR) of the service information listed in this paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.

  (2) You must use this service information as applicable to do the actions required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.

    (i) Precision Conversions Service Bulletin PC-757-11-0023, dated August 1, 2014.

    (ii) Reserved.

  (3) For service information identified in this AD, contact Precision Conversions LLC, 4900 SW Griffith Drive, Suite 133, Beaverton, OR 97005; ATTN: Steven A. Lopez; phone: 503-601-3001; email: Steven.Lopez@precisionaircraft.com.

  (4) You may view this service information at FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 425-227-1221.

  (5) You may view this service information that is incorporated by reference at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

## Rule preamble

### Dates

This AD is effective April 4, 2016.

The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of a certain publication listed in this AD as of April 4, 2016.

### Addresses

For service information identified in this final rule, contact Precision Conversions LLC, 4900 SW Griffith Drive, Suite 133, Beaverton, OR 97005; ATTN: Steven A. Lopez; phone: 503-601-3001; email: Steven.Lopez@precisionaircraft.com. You may view this referenced service information at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 425-227-1221. It is also available on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2015-1423.

### For further information contact

Narinder Luthra, Aerospace Engineer, Airframe Branch, ANM-120S, FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office (ACO), 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057-3356; phone: 425-917-6513; fax: 425-917-6590; email: Narinder.Luthra@faa.gov.

### Discussion

We issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR part 39 by adding an AD that would apply to certain The Boeing Company Model 757-200 series airplanes modified by particular STCs. The NPRM published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2015 (80 FR 32061) (“the NPRM”). The NPRM was prompted by reports of a main cargo door being blown past its full open position while on the ground during gusty wind conditions, which resulted in uncontrolled fall down to its closed position. The NPRM proposed to require installation of a new placard and bracket, replacement of an existing placard, and replacement of the main cargo door control panel. We are issuing this AD to prevent damage to the main cargo door, which could result in rapid decompression of the airplane, or injury to maintenance and ground crew during ground operations.

### Comments

We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing this AD. The following presents the comments received on the NPRM and the FAA's response to each comment.

### Request To Revise Description of the Unsafe Condition

Precision Conversions, LLC requested that we revise the SUMMARY and Discussion sections of the NPRM and the unsafe condition section of the proposed AD. Precision Conversions, LLC stated that it was concerned by certain conclusions stated in the NPRM for which it does not believe there is a factual basis. Precision Conversions, LLC noted that the NPRM stated that wind damage to a cargo door could result in rapid decompression, leading to in-flight breakup. However, even without the accomplishment of Precision Conversions Service Bulletin PC-757-11-0023, dated August 1, 2014, Precision Conversions, LLC stated that the suggested scenario would not occur. If, during ground operations, the main cargo door were to deflect beyond the fully open position enough to be of concern, its damaged operating system would prevent the cargo door from closing as usual, which would not go unnoticed by the crew, and the airplane would not be dispatched. Thus, a potential unsafe condition would occur only on the ground, not in the air.

Precision Conversions, LLC stated that a potential for an unsafe condition does arise from the possibility of ground crew operating the main cargo door outside of the wind limits published in the aircraft maintenance manual and operations manual supplements. Precision Conversions, LLC asserted that exceeding published limits could result in damage to the door operating system and loss of control of the door, creating an unsafe condition, but only during ground operations; thus, Precision Conversions, LLC believed that the proposed language regarding rapid decompression and in-flight breakup had no basis, given the relevant factual scenario, and should not be included in the final rule. Precision Conversions, LLC requested that we revise the unsafe condition to indicate that the NPRM will “prevent wind damage to the main cargo door operating system and ensure its safe use during ground operations.”

We partially agree with the request. We disagree that a damaged door will always be detected because of human factors. We agree, however, that rapid decompression might not necessarily lead to in-flight breakup, which would depend on the decompression. We have therefore revised the SUMMARY and Discussion sections of this final rule and paragraph (e), Unsafe Condition, of this AD to remove reference to in-flight breakup, and to include injury to maintenance and ground crew during ground operations.

### Statement Regarding Content of NPRM

Boeing stated that the NPRM does not address or affect any Boeing designs; therefore, Boeing can neither review the data nor comment on the content of the NPRM.

### Conclusion

We reviewed the relevant data, considered the comments received, and determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting this AD with the changes described previously and minor editorial changes. We have determined that these minor changes:

• 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 also determined that these changes will not increase the economic burden on any operator or increase the scope of this AD.

### Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

We reviewed Precision Conversions LLC Service Bulletin PC-757-11-0023, dated August 1, 2014. The service information describes procedures for installing a new placard and bracket, replacement of an existing placard, and replacement of the main cargo door control panel. This service information is reasonably available because the interested parties have access to it through their normal course of business or by the means identified in the ADDRESSES section.

### Costs of Compliance

We estimate that this AD affects 9 airplanes of U.S. registry.

We estimate the following costs to comply with this AD:

*Estimated Costs*

| Action | Labor cost | Parts cost | Cost per product | Cost on U.S. operators |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Installation | 6 work-hours × $85 per hour = $510 | $0 * | $510 | $4,590 |

### 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.

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.

### Regulatory Findings

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),

  (3) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and

  (4) 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.

### Adoption of the Amendment

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

## Affected data sheets (1) (OpenAirDocs)

The type certificate data sheets whose models the AD names.

- [TCDS A2NM](https://openairdocs.org/tcds/A2NM): The Boeing Company; names 1 of 4 models: 757-200 Series

## Registered aircraft it may apply to (OpenAirDocs)

Matched by airframe and engine model; the AD's applicability may narrow it by serial number, part number or equipment.

- Aircraft: 243 (243 by airframe model, 0 by engine model)
- Makers: Boeing 243

Models with the most aircraft:

- [Boeing 757-232](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-232): 63 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-224](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-224): 40 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-222](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-222): 38 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-223](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-223): 23 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-236](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-236): 20 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-251](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-251): 18 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-231](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-231): 13 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-200 SERIES](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-200-series): 7 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-204](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-204): 6 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-225](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-225): 5 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-230](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-230): 4 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-258](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-258): 3 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Boeing 757-256](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-256): 3 aircraft (airframe model)

All 13 models: https://openairdocs.org/ad/2016-04-24/models.md
Every aircraft: https://openairdocs.org/ad/2016-04-24/aircraft.md

## Related documents

- [Proposed rule FAA-2015-1423](https://openairdocs.org/proposed/FAA-2015-1423): Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), published Jun 5, 2015
- [STC ST01529SE](https://openairdocs.org/stc/ST01529SE): Conversion of a Boeing Model 757-200 series aircraft passenger configuration to a freighter configuration (including main deck cargo door, crew entry door, interior, and associated systems). Precision Conversions LLC, Named in the applicability
- [STC ST02278SE](https://openairdocs.org/stc/ST02278SE): Installation of interior reconfiguration of a Boeing 757-200 series passenger configuration to a cargo/passenger (combi) configuration (including main deck cargo door, crew entry door, interior, and associated systems. Precision Conversions LLC, Named in the applicability

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.