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482 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 26.43 

Damage Tolerance Evaluation (DTE) 

means a process that leads to a deter-
mination of maintenance actions nec-
essary to detect or preclude fatigue 
cracking that could contribute to a 
catastrophic failure. As applied to re-
pairs and alterations, a DTE includes 
the evaluation both of the repair or al-
teration and of the fatigue critical 
structure affected by the repair or al-
teration. 

Damage Tolerance Inspection (DTI) 

means the inspection developed as a re-
sult of a DTE. A DTI includes the areas 
to be inspected, the inspection method, 
the inspection procedures, including 
acceptance and rejection criteria, the 
threshold, and any repeat intervals as-
sociated with those inspections. The 
DTI may specify a time limit when a 
repair or alteration needs to be re-
placed or modified. If the DTE con-
cludes that DT-based supplemental 
structural inspections are not nec-
essary, the DTI contains a statement 
to that effect. 

DT data mean DTE documentation 

and the DTI. 

DTE documentation means data that 

identify the evaluated fatigue critical 
structure, the basic assumptions ap-
plied in a DTE, and the results of a 
DTE. 

Fatigue critical structure means air-

plane structure that is susceptible to 
fatigue cracking that could contribute 
to a catastrophic failure, as determined 
in accordance with § 25.571 of this chap-
ter. Fatigue critical structure includes 
structure, which, if repaired or altered, 
could be susceptible to fatigue crack-
ing and contribute to a catastrophic 
failure. Such structure may be part of 
the baseline structure or part of an al-
teration. 

Implementation schedule consists of 

documentation that establishes the 
timing for accomplishing the necessary 
actions for developing DT data for re-
pairs and alterations, and for incor-
porating those data into an operator’s 
continuing airworthiness maintenance 
program. The documentation must 
identify times when actions must be 
taken as specific numbers of airplane 
flight hours, flight cycles, or both. 

Published repair data mean instruc-

tions for accomplishing repairs, which 
are published for general use in struc-

tural repair manuals and service bul-
letins (or equivalent types of docu-
ments). 

§ 26.43

Holders of and applicants for 

type certificates—Repairs. 

(a) 

Applicability.  Except as specified 

in paragraph (g) of this section, this 
section applies to transport category, 
turbine powered airplane models with a 
type certificate issued after January 1, 
1958, that as a result of original type 
certification or later increase in capac-
ity have— 

(1) A maximum type certificated pas-

senger seating capacity of 30 or more; 
or 

(2) A maximum payload capacity of 

7,500 pounds or more. 

(b) 

List of fatigue critical baseline struc-

ture.  For airplanes specified in para-
graph (a) of this section, the holder of 
or applicant for a type certificate 
must— 

(1) Identify fatigue critical baseline 

structure for all airplane model vari-
ations and derivatives approved under 
the type certificate; and 

(2) Develop and submit to the respon-

sible Aircraft Certification Service of-
fice for review and approval, a list of 
the structure identified under para-
graph (b)(1) of this section and, upon 
approval, make the list available to 
persons required to comply with § 26.47 
and §§ 121.1109 and 129.109 of this chap-
ter. 

(c) 

Existing and future published repair 

data.  For repair data published by a 
holder of a type certificate that is cur-
rent as of January 11, 2008 and for all 
later published repair data, the holder 
of a type certificate must— 

(1) Review the repair data and iden-

tify each repair specified in the data 
that affects fatigue critical baseline 
structure identified under paragraph 
(b)(1) of this section; 

(2) Perform a DTE and develop the 

DTI for each repair identified under 
paragraph (c)(1) of this section, unless 
previously accomplished; 

(3) Submit the DT data to the respon-

sible Aircraft Certification Service of-
fice or its properly authorized des-
ignees for review and approval; and 

(4) Upon approval, make the DTI 

available to persons required to comply 

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483 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 26.43 

with §§ 121.1109 and 129.109 of this chap-
ter. 

(d) 

Future repair data not published. 

For repair data developed by a holder 
of a type certificate that are approved 
after January 11, 2008 and are not pub-
lished, the type certificate holder must 
accomplish the following for repairs 
specified in the repair data that affect 
fatigue critical baseline structure: 

(1) Perform a DTE and develop the 

DTI. 

(2) Submit the DT data required in 

paragraph (d)(1) of this section for re-
view and approval by the responsible 
Aircraft Certification Service office or 
its properly authorized designees. 

(3) Upon approval, make the approved 

DTI available to persons required to 
comply with §§ 121.1109 and 129.109 of 
this chapter. 

(e) 

Repair evaluation guidelines. Ex-

cept for airplane models whose type 
certificate is issued after January 11, 
2008, holders of a type certificate for 
each airplane model subject to this sec-
tion must— 

(1) Develop repair evaluation guide-

lines for operators’ use that include— 

(i) A process for conducting surveys 

of affected airplanes that will enable 
identification and documentation of all 
existing repairs that affect fatigue 
critical baseline structure identified 
under paragraph (b)(1) of this section 
and § 26.45(b)(2); 

(ii) A process that will enable opera-

tors to obtain the DTI for repairs iden-
tified under paragraph (e)(1)(i) of this 
section; and 

(iii) An implementation schedule for 

repairs covered by the repair evalua-
tion guidelines. The implementation 
schedule must identify times when ac-
tions must be taken as specific num-
bers of airplane flight hours, flight cy-
cles, or both. 

(2) Submit the repair evaluation 

guidelines to the responsible Aircraft 
Certification Service office for review 
and approval. 

(3) Upon approval, make the guide-

lines available to persons required to 
comply with §§ 121.1109 and 129.109 of 
this chapter. 

(4) If the guidelines direct the oper-

ator to obtain assistance from the 
holder of a type certificate, make such 

assistance available in accordance with 
the implementation schedule. 

(f) 

Compliance times. Holders of type 

certificates must submit the following 
to the responsible Aircraft Certifi-
cation Service office or its properly au-
thorized designees for review and ap-
proval by the specified compliance 
time: 

(1) The identified list of fatigue crit-

ical baseline structure required by 
paragraph (b)(2) of this section must be 
submitted no later than 180 days after 
January 11, 2008 or before issuance of 
the type certificate, whichever occurs 
later. 

(2) For published repair data that are 

current as of January 11, 2008, the DT 
data required by paragraph (c)(3) of 
this section must be submitted by June 
30, 2009. 

(3) For repair data published after 

January 11, 2008, the DT data required 
by paragraph (c)(3) of this section must 
be submitted before FAA approval of 
the repair data. 

(4) For unpublished repair data devel-

oped after January 11, 2008, the DT 
data required by paragraph (d)(1) of 
this section must be submitted within 
12 months of the airplane’s return to 
service or in accordance with a sched-
ule approved by the responsible Air-
craft Certification Service office. 

(5) The repair evaluation guidelines 

required by paragraph (e)(1) of this sec-
tion must be submitted by December 
30, 2009. 

(g) 

Exceptions.  The requirements of 

this section do not apply to the fol-
lowing transport category airplane 
models: 

(1) Convair CV–240, 340, 440, if modi-

fied to include turbine engines. 

(2) Vickers Armstrong Viscount, 

TCDS No. A–814. 

(3) Douglas DC–3, if modified to in-

clude turbine engines, TCDS No. A–618. 

(4) Bombardier CL–44, TCDS No. 

1A20. 

(5) Mitsubishi YS–11, TCDS No. 

A1PC. 

(6) British Aerospace BAC 1–11, TCDS 

No. A5EU. 

(7) Concorde, TCDS No. A45EU. 
(8) deHavilland D.H. 106 Comet 4C, 

TCDS No. 7A10. 

(9) deHavilland DHC–7, TCDS No. 

A20EA. 

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484 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 26.45 

(10) VFW-Vereinigte Flugtechnische 

Werk VFW–614, TCDS No. A39EU. 

(11) Illyushin Aviation IL 96T, TCDS 

No. A54NM. 

(12) Bristol Aircraft Britannia 305, 

TCDS No. 7A2. 

(13) Handley Page Herald Type 300, 

TCDS No. A21N. 

(14) Avions Marcel Dassault—Breguet 

Aviation Mercure 100C, TCDS No. 
A40EU. 

(15) Airbus Caravelle, TCDS No. 7A6. 
(16) Lockheed L–300, TCDS No. A2S0. 
(17) Boeing 707–100/–200, TCDS No. 

4A21. 

(18) Boeing 707–300/–400, TCDS No. 

4A26. 

(19) Boeing 720, TCDS No. 4A28. 

[Doc. No. FAA–2005–21693, 72 FR 70505, Dec. 
12, 2007, as amended by Amdt. 26–4, 75 FR 
11734, Mar. 12, 2010; Doc. No. FAA–2018–0119, 
Amdt. 26–7, 83 FR 9170, Mar. 5, 2018] 

§ 26.45

Holders of type certificates—Al-

terations and repairs to alterations. 

(a) 

Applicability.  This section applies 

to transport category airplanes subject 
to § 26.43. 

(b) 

Fatigue critical alteration structure. 

For existing and future alteration data 
developed by the holder of a type cer-
tificate, the holder must— 

(1) Review alteration data and iden-

tify all alterations that affect fatigue 
critical baseline structure identified 
under § 26.43(b)(1); 

(2) For each alteration identified 

under paragraph (b)(1) of this section, 
identify any fatigue critical alteration 
structure; 

(3) Develop and submit to the respon-

sible Aircraft Certification Service of-
fice for review and approval a list of 
the structure identified under para-
graph (b)(2) of this section; and 

(4) Upon approval, make the list re-

quired in paragraph (b)(3) of this sec-
tion available to persons required to 
comply with §§ 121.1109 and 129.109 of 
this chapter. 

(c) 

DT Data. For existing and future 

alteration data developed by the holder 
of a type certificate that affect fatigue 
critical baseline structure identified 
under § 26.43(b)(1), unless previously ac-
complished, the holder must— 

(1) Perform a DTE and develop the 

DTI for the alteration and fatigue crit-

ical baseline structure that is affected 
by the alteration; 

(2) Submit the DT data developed in 

accordance with paragraphs (c)(1) of 
this section to the responsible Aircraft 
Certification Service office or its prop-
erly authorized designees for review 
and approval; and 

(3) Upon approval, make the DTI 

available to persons required to comply 
with §§ 121.1109 and 129.109 of this chap-
ter. 

(d) 

DT Data for Repairs Made to Alter-

ations.  For existing and future repair 
data developed by a holder of a type 
certificate, the type certificate holder 
must— 

(1) Review the repair data, and iden-

tify each repair that affects any fa-
tigue critical alteration structure iden-
tified under paragraph (b)(2) of this sec-
tion; 

(2) For each repair identified under 

paragraph (d)(1) of this section, unless 
previously accomplished, perform a 
DTE and develop DTI; 

(3) Submit the DT data developed in 

accordance with paragraph (d)(2) of 
this section to the responsible Aircraft 
Certification Service office or its prop-
erly authorized designees for review 
and approval; and 

(4) Upon approval, make the DTI 

available to persons required to comply 
with §§ 121.1109 and 129.109 of this chap-
ter. 

(e) 

Compliance times. Holders of type 

certificates must submit the following 
to the responsible Aircraft Certifi-
cation Service office or its properly au-
thorized designees for review and ap-
proval by the specified compliance 
time: 

(1) The list of fatigue critical alter-

ation structure identified under para-
graph (b)(3) of this section must be sub-
mitted— 

(i) No later than 360 days after Janu-

ary 11, 2008, for alteration data ap-
proved before January 11, 2008. 

(ii) No later than 30 days after March 

12, 2010 or before initial approval of the 
alteration data, whichever occurs 
later, for alteration data approved on 
or after January 11, 2008. 

(2) For alteration data developed and 

approved before January 11, 2008, the 
DT data required by paragraph (c)(2) of 

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