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AGENCY:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION:
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
SUMMARY:
The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain DAHER AEROSPACE (DAHER) (type certificate previously held by SOCATA) Model TBM 700 airplanes. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of wear of the inner flap actuator drive nut. This proposed AD would require cleaning and lubricating the internal actuator rods, measuring the play between the drive nuts and the internal actuator rods, and if any play is found, replacing the drive nuts. This proposed AD would also allow replacing the drive nuts with certain other design drive nut as terminating action for the proposed requirements. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
DATES:
The FAA must receive comments on this NPRM by November 14, 2024.
ADDRESSES:
You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
- Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
- Fax: (202) 493-2251.
- Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
- Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2024-2321; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains this NPRM, the mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI), any comments received, and other information. The street address for Docket Operations is listed above.
Material Incorporated by Reference:
- For DAHER AEROSPACE material identified in this proposed AD, contact DAHER AEROSPACE, Customer Support, Airplane Business Unit, Tarbes Cedex 9, France; phone: (833) 826-2273; email:tbmcare@daher.com; website: daher.com.
- You may view this material at the FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, Operational Safety Branch, 901 Locust, Kansas City, MO 64106. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Fred Guerin, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (206) 231-2346; email: fred.guerin@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or arguments about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed under ADDRESSES . Include “Docket No. FAA-2024-2321; Project Identifier MCAI-2024-00126-A” at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend this proposal because of those comments.
Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR 11.35, the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. The agency will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact received about this NPRM.
Confidential Business Information
CBI is commercial or financial information that is both customarily and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments responsive to this NPRM contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to this NPRM, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission containing CBI as “PROPIN.” The FAA will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public docket of this NPRM. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Fred Guerin, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590. Any commentary that the FAA receives which is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this rulemaking.
Background
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA AD 2013-0104R3, dated February 20, 2024 (also referred to as the MCAI), to correct an unsafe condition on all DAHER AEROSPACE Model TBM 700 airplanes that do not have DAHER Modification (MOD) 70-0777-27 embodied in production. The MCAI states that wear of the inner flap actuator drive nut was detected, which could result in improper play between the actuator threaded rod and the drive nut with potential loss of flap control and consequent reduced or loss of control of the airplane. The MCAI requires cleaning and lubricating the internal actuator rods, measuring the play between the drive nuts and the internal actuator rods, and if any play is found, replacing the drive nuts. The MCAI also allows replacing the drive nuts with newly designed drive nuts as terminating action for the repetitive cleaning, lubricating, and measuring for play.
You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2024-2321.
Material Incorporated by Reference Under 1 CFR Part 51
The FAA reviewed Daher Aerospace Service Bulletin SB 70-118 Revision 3, dated December 2023. This material specifies procedures for cleaning and lubricating the internal actuator rods, measuring the play between the drive nut and the internal actuator rods, and replacing the drive nut. This material 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.
FAA's Determination
These products have been approved by the aviation authority of another country and are approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant to the FAA's bilateral agreement with this State of Design Authority, it has notified the FAA of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and material referenced above. The FAA is issuing this NPRM after determining that the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type design.
Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM
This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified in the material already described.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would affect 807 airplanes of U.S. registry.
The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed AD:
Estimated Costs
| Action | Labor cost | Parts cost | Cost per product | Cost on U.S. operators |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean and lubricate left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) internal actuator rods | 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85, per cleaning and lubricating cycle | $0 | $85 | $68,595 per cleaning and lubricating cycle. |
| Measure the play for the LH and RH drive nuts | 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85, per measurement cycle | 0 | $85 per measurement cycle | $68,595 per measurement cycle. |
On-Condition Costs
| Action | Labor cost | Parts cost | Cost per product |
|---|---|---|---|
| Replace drive nuts | 4 work-hours × $85 per hour = $340 | $200 | $540 |