Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 47 / Thursday, March 10, 2011 / Rules and Regulations 13065 

Other FAA AD Provisions 

(g) The following provisions also apply to 

this AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, Standards Office, 

FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs 

for this AD, if requested using the procedures 

found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information to 

Attn: Gary B. Roach, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Rotorcraft Directorate, 2601 Meacham 

Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; telephone: 

(817) 222–5130; fax: (817) 222–5961. Before 

using any approved AMOC on any airplane 

to which the AMOC applies, notify your 

appropriate principal inspector (PI) in the 

FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), 

or lacking a PI, your local FSDO. 

(2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement 

in this AD to obtain corrective actions from 

a manufacturer or other source, use these 

actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective 

actions are considered FAA-approved if they 

are approved by the State of Design Authority 

(or their delegated agent). You are required 

to assure the product is airworthy before it 

is returned to service. 

(3) Reporting Requirements: For any 

reporting requirement in this AD, under the 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act 

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) has 

approved the information collection 

requirements and has assigned OMB Control 

Number 2120–0056. 

Related Information 

(h) Refer to MCAI European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) Emergency AD No.: 

2009–0172–E, dated August 5, 2009; and, for 

related information. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

(i) You must use EUROCOPTER Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin No. 67.18, dated 

August 3, 2009, to do the actions required by 

this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

this service information under 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact American Eurocopter 

Corporation, 2701 Forum Drive, Grand 

Prairie, TX 75053–4005; telephone: (800) 

232–0323; fax: (972) 641–3710; or Internet: 

http://www.eurocopter.com. 

(3) You may review copies of the 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest 

Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137. 

(4) You may also review copies of the 

service information incorporated by reference 

for this AD 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/ 

code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 10, 

2011. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certificate Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–4466 Filed 3–9–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2010–0781; Directorate 

Identifier 2007–SW–49–AD; Amendment 39– 

16590; AD 2011–03–06] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Model AS–365N2, AS 365 N3, 

and SA–365N1 Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for the 

specified Eurocopter France 

(Eurocopter) model helicopters. This AD 

requires replacing the aluminum tail 

rotor (T/R) blade pitch control shaft 

with a steel T/R blade pitch control 

shaft. This AD is prompted by an 

incident involving a Eurocopter Model 

AS–365N2 helicopter on which there 

was a loss of control of the T/R due to 

a broken shaft. The actions specified by 

this AD are intended to prevent failure 

of the T/R blade pitch control shaft, loss 

of T/R control, and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

DATES: Effective April 14, 2011. 

The incorporation by reference of 

certain publications listed in the 

regulations is approved by the Director 

of the Federal Register as of April 14, 

2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may get the service 

information identified in this AD from 

American Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 

Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, Texas 

75053–4005, telephone (800) 232–0323, 

fax (972) 641–3710, or at http:// 

www.eurocopter.com. 

Examining the Docket: You may 

examine the docket that contains this 

AD, any comments, and other 

information on the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov or at the Docket 

Operations office, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, 

DC. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Grigg, Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety 

Management Group, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Fort Worth, Texas 76137, telephone 

(817) 222–5126, fax (817) 222–5961. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On August 2, 2010 we issued a Notice 

of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to 

amend 14 CFR part 39 to include an AD 

that would apply to the Eurocopter 

Model AS–365N2, AS 365 N3, and SA– 

365N1 helicopters, all serial numbers, 

with an aluminum T/R blade pitch 

control shaft, part number (P/N) 

365A33.6161.20 or P/N 

365A33.6161.21. That NPRM was 

published in the Federal Register on 

August 11, 2010 (75 FR 48618) and 

proposed to require replacing the 

aluminum T/R blade pitch control shaft 

with a steel T/R blade pitch control 

shaft. The actions specified by the 

NPRM are intended to prevent failure of 

the T/R blade pitch control shaft, loss of 

T/R control, and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA AD No. 

2007–0220, dated August 13, 2007, to 

correct an unsafe condition for the 

Eurocopter Model AS–365N2, AS 365 

N3, and SA–365N1 helicopters, all 

serial numbers, equipped with an 

aluminum T/R blade pitch control shaft, 

P/N 365A33.6161.20 or P/N 

365A33.6161.21. EASA advises of an 

incident in which the pilot of a Model 

AS 365 N2 helicopter encountered a 

loss of control of the T/R, but executed 

an uneventful run-on landing. A 

subsequent investigation revealed that 

the T/R blade pitch control shaft, P/N 

365A33.6161.21, had broken in the 

main section of the shaft sliding area, 

which appeared to be damaged by 

peening. The origin of the crack, which 

developed under fatigue loading, could 

not be determined. However, accidental 

damage (i.e., shock impact), is believed 

to have caused the initiation of a crack. 

Related Service Information 

Eurocopter has issued Alert Service 

Bulletin No. 01.00.59, dated June 21, 

2007 (ASB), which specifies removing 

any T/R blade pitch control shaft, P/N 

365A33.6161.20 or P/N 

365A33.6161.21, and replacing it with a 

steel T/R blade pitch control shaft, P/N 

365A33.6214.20. EASA classified this 

ASB as mandatory and issued EASA AD 

No. 2007–0220, dated August 13, 2007, 

to ensure the continued airworthiness of 

these helicopters. 


jdjones on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with RULES
13066 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 47 / Thursday, March 10, 2011 / Rules and Regulations 

FAA’s Evaluation and Unsafe Condition 

Determination 

These products have been approved 

by the aviation authority of France, and 

are approved for operation in the United 

States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with France, EASA, their 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

EASA AD. We are adopting this AD 

because we evaluated all information 

provided by EASA and determined the 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other products of 

these same type designs. This AD 

requires, within 100 hours time-inservice (TIS), removing any aluminum 

T/R blade pitch control shaft, P/N 

365A33.6161.20 or P/N 

365A33.6161.21, and replacing it with a 

steel T/R blade pitch control shaft, P/N 

365A33.6214.20. The actions are 

required to be accomplished by 

following specified portions of the ASB 

described previously. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

Our AD differs from the EASA AD in 

that we require compliance within 100 

hours TIS instead of no later than 

December 31, 2007, since that date has 

passed. 

Comments 

By publishing the NPRM, we gave the 

public an opportunity to participate in 

developing this AD. However, we 

received no comment on the NPRM or 

on our determination of the cost to the 

public. Therefore, based on our review 

and evaluation of the available data, we 

have determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting the AD 

as proposed. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

36 helicopters of U.S. registry and the 

actions will take approximately 12 work 

hours per helicopter to accomplish at an 

average labor rate of $85 per work hour. 

Required parts will cost approximately 

$3,525. Based on these figures, we 

estimate the total cost impact of the AD 

on U.S. operators to be $163,620 to 

replace the aluminum T/R blade pitch 

control shaft on the entire fleet, or 

$4,545 per helicopter. 

Regulatory Findings 

We have determined that 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 the regulation: 

1. Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866; 

2. Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under the 

DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures 

(44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); and 

3. 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. We prepared an 

economic evaluation of the estimated 

costs to comply with this AD. See the 

AD docket to examine the economic 

evaluation. 

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. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

Adoption of the Amendment 

Accordingly, pursuant to the 

authority delegated to me by the 

Administrator, the Federal Aviation 

Administration amends part 39 of the 

Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 

part 39) as follows: 

PART 39—AIRWORTHINESS 

DIRECTIVES 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 39 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701. 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

■ 2. Section 39.13 is amended by adding 

a new airworthiness directive to read as 

follows: 

2011–03–06 Eurocopter France: 

Amendment 39–16590; Docket No. FAA 

2010–0781; Directorate Identifier 2007– 

SW–49–AD. 

Applicability: Model AS–365N2, AS 365 

N3, and SA–365N1 helicopters, with an 

aluminum tail rotor (T/R) blade pitch control 

shaft, part number (P/N) 365A33.6161.20 or 

P/N 365A33.6161.21, installed, certificated in 

any category. 

Compliance: Required within 100 hours 

time-in-service, unless accomplished 

previously. 

To prevent failure of the T/R blade pitch 

control shaft, loss of T/R control, and 

subsequent loss of control of the helicopter, 

accomplish the following: 

(a) Remove the aluminum T/R blade pitch 

control shaft, P/N 365A33.6161.20 or P/N 

365A33.6161.21, and replace it with a steel 

T/R blade pitch control shaft, P/N 

365A33.6214.20, in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions, Operational 

Procedure, paragraphs 2.B.1. through 2.B.3., 

of Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin No. 

01.00.59, dated June 21, 2007. 

(b) To request a different method of 

compliance or a different compliance time 

for this AD, follow the procedures in 14 CFR 

39.19. Contact the Manager, Safety 

Management Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

FAA, Attn: Jim Grigg, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, 

Texas 76137, telephone (817) 222–5126, fax 

(817) 222–5961. 

(c) The Joint Aircraft System/Component 

(JASC) Code is 6500: Tail Rotor Drive 

System. 

(d) Replace the T/R blade pitch control 

shaft in accordance with the specified 

portions of Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin 

No. 01.00.59, dated June 21, 2007. The 

Director of the Federal Register approved this 

incorporation by reference in accordance 

with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

Copies may be obtained from American 

Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 Forum Drive, 

Grand Prairie, TX 75053–4005, telephone 

(800) 232–0323, fax (972) 641–3710, or at 

http://www.eurocopter.com. Copies may be 

inspected at the FAA, Office of the Regional 

Counsel, Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham 

Blvd., Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas, or 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/ 

code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

(e) This amendment becomes effective on 

April 14, 2011. 

Note: The subject of this AD is addressed 

in European Aviation Safety Agency AD No. 

2007–0220, dated August 13, 2007. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 24, 

2011. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–4467 Filed 3–9–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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