Despite A Variety of Viewpoints, the FAA Charges Ahead on Revision 6

The FAA issued a final rule airworthiness directive regarding lighting protection on the Boeing 777, requiring all operators of the type to make changes to their fuel system in order to retain compliance.

The AD addresses "arcing inside the main and center fuel tanks in the event of a fault current or lightning strike" which could quickly ignite flammable fuel vapors inside to the complete loss of the aircraft. The fix will require Teflon sleeves in certain areas, in addition to cap sealing on fasteners, with detailed inspections of the affected areas added to procedures.

The AD was the subject of a heady amount of commentary among operators and industry groups, with some back and forth seen among international operators as they sought to nail down an agreeable fix. Overall, the FAA saw commentary from 7 operators, including American Airlines, Boeing, Emirates, Royal Dutch (KLM), Air France, FedEx, and United, in addition to pilot groups. American operators didn't seem to mind the NPRM too much, but Air France, KLM, United preferred the use of revision 7 as the mandate imposed by the final rule instead of Revision 6. Air France asserted that certain errors within Revision 6 were corrected with Boeing, with their fix published in Revision 7. 

KLM saw a different issue with the NPRM, saying that it contained "technical detail that should not be included in a high-level regulation such as an AD, and that it could possibly lead to confusion and mistakes by airline staff." One issue pointed to was the mention that "seven fasteners should be inspected and sealed", without specification as to exactly which of the numerous fasteners should receive the extra attention. 

Those issues are only a sample of the handful of comments made, with the final publication containing the details of each operator's commentary.

FMI: www.federalregister.gov