37156 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 119 / Thursday, June 20, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

under the criteria of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

We prepared an economic evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this proposed AD and placed it in the 

AD docket. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

The Proposed Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA proposes to amend 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. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

Eurocopter France: Docket No. FAA–2013– 

0523; Directorate Identifier 2012–SW– 

091–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Eurocopter France 

(Eurocopter) Model AS350B, AS350BA, 

AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, 

AS350D, AS350D1, AS355E, AS355F, 

AS355F1, AS355F2, AS355N, and AS355NP 

helicopters with sliding doors installed, 

except those with modification AL.4262, 

certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

loss of the self-locking feature of the sliding 

door lower ball-joint nut. This condition 

could result in detachment of the lower balljoint bolt from the sliding door and 

subsequent loss of the sliding door from the 

helicopter in flight. 

(c) Reserved 

(d) Compliance 

You are responsible for performing each 

action required by this AD within the 

specified compliance time unless it has 

already been accomplished prior to that time. 

(e) Required Actions 

(1) Within 165 hours time-in-service, 

remove each nut, part number (P/N) 

ASN52320BH060N, and each washer, P/N 

23111AG0LE, from the left-hand and righthand sliding door lower ball-joint bolts and 

replace them with an airworthy nut and 

washer. 

(2) Do not install a nut, P/N 

ASN52320BH060N, or washer, P/N 

23111AG0LE, on any sliding door lower balljoint bolt. 

(f) Special Flight Permit 

Special flight permits are prohibited. 

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Robert Grant, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137; telephone 817–222– 

5110; email robert.grant@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under a 14 

CFR part 119 operating certificate or under 

14 CFR part 91, subpart K, we suggest that 

you notify your principal inspector, or 

lacking a principal inspector, the manager of 

the local flight standards district office or 

certificate holding district office before 

operating any aircraft complying with this 

AD through an AMOC. 

(h) Additional Information 

(1) Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) 

No. AS350–52.00.34 for Model AS350B, B1, 

B2, B3, BA, BB and D and L1 helicopters and 

ASB No. AS355–52.00.26 for Model AS355E, 

F, F1, F2, N, and NP helicopters, both 

Revision 0 and both dated July 9, 2012, 

which are not incorporated by reference, 

contain additional information about the 

subject of this AD. For service information 

identified in this AD, contact American 

Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 N. Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052; telephone 

(972) 641–0000 or (800) 232–0323; fax (972) 

641–3775; or at http://www.eurocopter.com/ 

techpub. You may review the referenced 

service information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort Worth, 

Texas 76137. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2012–0205, dated October 1, 2012. 

(i) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 5200: Doors. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 13, 

2013. 

Kim Smith, 

Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–14703 Filed 6–19–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0524; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–084–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model 

AS332C, AS332L, AS332L1, AS332L2, 

and EC225LP helicopters. This 

proposed AD would require visually 

inspecting each jettisonable emergency 

exit window panel (window) for sealant, 

and removing any sealant that exists in 

the window’s extruded sections. This 

proposed AD is prompted by jettison 

tests during routine maintenance 

inspections that showed the windows 

failed to jettison. The proposed actions 

are intended to prevent failure of the 

windows to jettison, so helicopter 

occupants can exit the aircraft during an 

emergency. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by August 19, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Docket: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for sending your 

comments electronically. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Send comments to the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to the 

‘‘Mail’’ address between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov or in person at the 

Docket Operations Office between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this proposed AD, the 

economic evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

Office (telephone 800–647–5527) is in 

the ADDRESSES section. Comments will 

be available in the AD docket shortly 

after receipt. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact American 

Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 N. Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052; 

telephone (972) 641–0000 or (800) 232– 

0323; fax (972) 641–3775; or at http:// 

www.eurocopter.com/techpub. You may 

review the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Grant, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Safety Management Group, FAA, 2601 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS

Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 119 / Thursday, June 20, 2013 / Proposed Rules 37157 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone 817–222–5110; email 

robert.grant@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to participate in this 

rulemaking by submitting written 

comments, data, or views. We also 

invite comments relating to the 

economic, environmental, energy, or 

federalism impacts that might result 

from adopting the proposals in this 

document. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the 

proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. To ensure the docket 

does not contain duplicate comments, 

commenters should send only one copy 

of written comments, or if comments are 

filed electronically, commenters should 

submit only one time. 

We will file in the docket all 

comments that we receive, as well as a 

report summarizing each substantive 

public contact with FAA personnel 

concerning this proposed rulemaking. 

Before acting on this proposal, we will 

consider all comments we receive on or 

before the closing date for comments. 

We will consider comments filed after 

the comment period has closed if it is 

possible to do so without incurring 

expense or delay. We may change this 

proposal in light of the comments we 

receive. 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA AD No. 2012– 

0152, dated August 13, 2012, to correct 

an unsafe condition for certain 

Eurocopter Model AS 332 C, AS 332 C1, 

AS 332 L, AS 332 L1, AS 332 L2 and 

EC 225 LP helicopters. EASA reports 

that during required maintenance 

checks, there have been problems 

jettisoning emergency exit windows. 

According to EASA, investigations on 

several windows showed sealant 

between the extrusion and the window. 

‘‘This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could prevent the jettisoning 

of a window, possibly affecting the 

evacuation of passengers in the event of 

an emergency situation,’’ EASA states. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters 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, its 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in its 

AD. We are proposing this AD because 

we evaluated all known relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Related Service Information 

Eurocopter issued Alert Service 

Bulletin (ASB) No. AS332–56.00.04 for 

Model AS332C, AS332C1, AS332L, 

AS332L1, and AS332L2 helicopters and 

ASB No. EC225–56A002 for the 

EC225LP helicopter, both dated August 

8, 2012. Eurocopter advises of 

difficulties jettisoning the window 

panel when performing a jettison test 

due to sealant installed between the 

extrusion and the window. According to 

Eurocopter, jettison tests are to be 

performed every two years. The ASBs 

provide instructions to inspect each 

jettisonable window panel to determine 

whether there is sealant between the 

extrusion and the window. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require, 

within 110 hours time-in-service (TIS), 

visually inspecting each window for 

sealant between the extrusion and the 

window. If there is sealant, the AD 

would require removing the sealant. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the EASA AD 

The EASA AD applies to Model AS 

332 C1 helicopters, and this proposed 

AD does not because that model is not 

FAA type-certificated. The EASA AD 

requires the inspection of each window 

within 110 hours TIS or six months, 

while this proposed AD requires the 

inspection within 110 hours TIS. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 19 helicopters of U.S. 

Registry and that labor rates average $85 

a work-hour. Based on these estimates, 

we expect the following costs: 

• Visually inspecting the windows for 

sealant would require 1 work-hour for a 

labor cost of $85 per helicopter, and 

$1,615 for the U.S. fleet. 

• If needed, removing the sealant 

from the windows would require 2 

work-hours for a labor cost of $170 per 

window. 

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. 

Regulatory Findings 

We determined that this proposed AD 

would not have federalism implications 

under Executive Order 13132. This 

proposed AD would 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, I certify 

this proposed 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); 

3. Will not affect intrastate aviation in 

Alaska to the extent that it justifies 

making a regulatory distinction; and 

4. 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 proposed AD and placed it in the 

AD docket. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

The Proposed Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA proposes to amend 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. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS

37158 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 119 / Thursday, June 20, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

Eurocopter France Helicopters: Docket No. 

FAA–2013–0524; Directorate Identifier 

2012–SW–084–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Eurocopter France 

(Eurocopter) Model AS332C, AS332L, 

AS332L1, AS332L2 and EC225LP 

helicopters, certificated in any category, that 

have never undergone a window-jettison test. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

the presence of sealant on an emergency exit 

window panel. This condition could result in 

the window failing to jettison, preventing the 

helicopter occupants from exiting the aircraft 

during an emergency. 

(c) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by August 19, 

2013. 

(d) Compliance 

You are responsible for performing each 

action required by this AD within the 

specified compliance time unless 

accomplished previously. 

(e) Required Actions 

Within 110 hours time-in-service (TIS), 

visually inspect each jettisonable emergency 

exit window panel (window) by doing the 

following: 

(1) Lift the extrusion slightly using a flat 

tool that does not cause scoring. 

(2) Inspect for sealant on the inside and 

outside of the window between the window 

and the extrusion and between the extrusion 

and the structure. 

Note 1 to paragraph (e)(1)(2): The presence 

of a sealant bead on the extrusion parting 

lines, on the window pull-out seal parting 

lines, and on the pull-out straps is expected, 

as shown in Figure 1 of Eurocopter Alert 

Service Bulletin No. AS332–56.00.04 or ASB 

No. EC225–56A002, both dated August 8, 

2012 (ASB), as appropriate for your model 

helicopter. 

(3) If there is no sealant as shown in Photo 

1 of Figure 2 of the ASB, no further action 

is required. 

(4) If there is sealant between the structure 

and the profile as shown in Photo 2 of Figure 

2 of the ASB or if you cannot determine 

whether there is sealant, remove the 

extrusion. 

(5) Remove all sealant from the extrusion, 

the window, and the structure. 

(6) If there is any crazing, cracking or other 

damage on the extrusion, replace with an 

airworthy extrusion. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Robert Grant, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137; telephone 817–222– 

5110; email robert.grant@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under a 14 

CFR part 119 operating certificate or under 

14 CFR part 91, subpart K, we suggest that 

you notify your principal inspector, or 

lacking a principal inspector, the manager of 

the local flight standards district office or 

certificate holding district office before 

operating any aircraft complying with this 

AD through an AMOC. 

(g) Additional Information 

(1) Eurocopter ASB No. AS332–56.00.04 

and ASB No. EC225–56A002, both dated 

August 8, 2012, contain additional 

information about the subject of this AD. For 

service information identified in this AD, 

contact American Eurocopter Corporation, 

2701 N. Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 

75052; telephone (972) 641–0000 or (800) 

232–0323; fax (972) 641–3775; or at http:// 

www.eurocopter.com/techpub. You may 

review the referenced service information at 

the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas 76137. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency AD No. 

2012–0152, dated August 13, 2012. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 5220, Emergency Exits. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 13, 

2013. 

Kim Smith, 

Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–14701 Filed 6–19–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0526; Directorate 

Identifier 2008–SW–14–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Bell 

Helicopter Textron Canada (Bell) Model 

Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell 

Model 206L–4 and 407 helicopters. This 

proposed AD would require replacing or 

reworking certain aft bearing caps. This 

proposed AD is prompted by the 

manufacture of certain freewheel aft 

bearing caps without a lubrication 

channel to allow oil flow into the aft 

bearing support assembly. The proposed 

actions are intended to prevent failure 

of the freewheel unit and subsequent 

loss of control of the helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by August 19, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.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 the 

‘‘Mail’’ address between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov or in person at the 

Docket Operations Office between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this proposed AD, the 

economic evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

Office (telephone 800–647–5527) is in 

the ADDRESSES section. Comments will 

be available in the AD docket shortly 

after receipt. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Bell 

Helicopter Textron, Inc., P.O. Box 482, 

Fort Worth, Texas 76101, telephone 

(817) 280–3391, fax (817) 280–6466. 

You may review the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric 

Haight, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, Regulations and 

Policy Group, Fort Worth, Texas 76137, 

telephone (817) 222–5110, email: 

eric.haight@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to participate in this 

rulemaking by submitting written 

comments, data, or views. We also 

invite comments relating to the 

economic, environmental, energy, or 

federalism impacts that might result 

from adopting the proposals in this 

document. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the 

proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. To ensure the docket 

does not contain duplicate comments, 

commenters should send only one copy 

of written comments, or if comments are 

filed electronically, commenters should 

submit only one time. 

We will file in the docket all 

comments that we receive, as well as a 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS