Back in September we wrote a piece, “The Birds & the Bees– Where do ADs Come From?” outlining the process used by the FAA to formally create an AD. The last part of that process, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking—or NPRM—is how the FAA announces the proposed AD and invites the public (by law) to submit comments before the rule becomes final.

To wit, in May of 2025, the FAA released an Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) regarding Twin Commander empennage cracking concerns. Just last week, that issue is now evolving into an NPRM.

NPRMs exist to ensure transparency, public involvement, and due process—but most importantly, to solicit feedback from public participants like MECHANICS who can review the proposed rules and help the FAA create rules that are just, rational, and technically sound.

The FAA reads every single comment and, in many instances, incorporates this feedback to make ADs easy to understand and comply with, helping improve safety and accountability across General Aviation.

Because they’ve been hard to track, NPRMs usually slip through without much public comments. To help close the loop between the mechanic community and the FAA, we’ve launched an internal dashboard where our users can track NPRMS and easily submit comments based on their area of expertise or concerns. Just one more way we help our users stay on top of pertinent safety information.

If you are an A&P or IA, consider submitting comments to the FAA on upcoming actions right from TBX.

If you are interested in how our tools help maintainers, owners, and operators find relevant safety information almost instantly, check out out 10-day free trial here.