21402 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 69 / Tuesday, April 10, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) 

originated by an aviation authority of another 

country to identify and correct an unsafe 

condition on an aviation product. The MCAI 

describes the unsafe condition as incorrect 

re-installation of the rear cockpit securing 

rope for the headrest of the rear seat during 

maintenance. We are issuing this AD to 

correct the length of the rear cockpit headrest 

securing rope, which if too long, could cause 

the rear seat to interfere with the control stick 

of the sailplane and could result in loss of 

control of the sailplane. 

(f) Actions and Compliance 

Unless already done, do the following 

actions: 

(1) Within the next 30 days after May 15, 

2012 (the effective date of this AD), inspect 

the rear cockpit headrest securing rope to 

determine the length. Do the inspection as 

specified in Instruction No. 2 of DG 

Flugzeugbau GmbH Technical Note No. 500/ 

05, dated September 19, 2011. 

(i) If the length of the rear cockpit headrest 

securing rope is more than 450 millimeters 

(mm) or less than 400 mm, before further 

flight after the inspection required in 

paragraph (f)(1) of this AD, adjust the length 

of the rear cockpit headrest securing rope to 

a length between 400 mm and 450 mm as 

shown in Sketch 2 of DG Flugzeugbau GmbH 

Working Instruction No. 1 for TN348/20, 

Issue 3, dated September 13, 2011. After 

doing the adjustment, do the action required 

in paragraph (f)(2) of this AD. 

(ii) If the length of the rear cockpit headrest 

securing rope is between 400 mm and 450 

mm, do the action required in paragraph 

(f)(2) of this AD. 

(2) Within 3 months after May 15, 2012 

(the effective date of this AD), replace the 

rear cockpit headrest securing rope with a 

rear cockpit headrest securing rope with a 

snap hook. Do the replacement following DG 

Flugzeugbau GmbH Working Instruction No. 

1 for TN348/20, Issue 3, dated September 13, 

2011, as specified in Instruction No. 3 of DG 

Flugzeugbau GmbH Technical Note No. 500/ 

05, dated September 19, 2011. 

(3) Replacement of the rear cockpit 

headrest securing rope with a rear cockpit 

headrest securing rope with a snap hook 

done before May 15, 2012 (the effective date 

of this AD) following DG Flugzeugbau GmbH 

Working Instruction No. 1 for TN348/20, 

Issue 2, is considered acceptable for 

compliance with paragraph (f)(2) of this AD. 

(4) Although the European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA) MCAI and DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH Technical Note No. 500/05, dated 

September 19, 2011, allows the inspection 

required in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD to be 

done by a pilot-owner, the U.S. regulatory 

system requires all actions required by this 

AD be done by a certified mechanic. 

(g) Other FAA AD Provisions 

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: Jim Rutherford, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; 

telephone: (816) 329–4165; fax: (816) 329– 

4090; email: jim.rutherford@faa.gov. Before 

using any approved AMOC on any sailplane 

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, a federal 

agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a 

person is not required to respond to, nor 

shall a person be subject to a penalty for 

failure to comply with a collection of 

information subject to the requirements of 

the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that 

collection of information displays a current 

valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 

Control Number for this information 

collection is 2120–0056. Public reporting for 

this collection of information is estimated to 

be approximately 5 minutes per response, 

including the time for reviewing instructions, 

completing and reviewing the collection of 

information. All responses to this collection 

of information are mandatory. Comments 

concerning the accuracy of this burden and 

suggestions for reducing the burden should 

be directed to the FAA at: 800 Independence 

Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591, Attn: 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, 

AES–200. 

(h) Related Information 

Refer to MCAI EASA AD No.: 2011–0191, 

dated September 30, 2011; DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH Technical Note No. 500/05, dated 

September 19, 2011; and DG Flugzeugbau 

GmbH Working Instruction No. 1 for TN348/ 

20, Issue 3, dated September 13, 2011, for 

related information. 

(i) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) You must use the following service 

information to do the actions required by this 

AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. The 

Director of the Federal Register approved the 

incorporation by reference (IBR) under 5 

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

(i) DG Flugzeugbau GmbH Technical Note 

No. 500/05, dated September 19, 2011, and 

(ii) DG Flugzeugbau GmbH Working 

Instruction No. 1 for TN348/20, Issue 3, 

dated September 13, 2011. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact DG Flugzeugbau GmbH, 

Otto-Lilienthal-Weg 2, 76646 Bruchsal, 

Federal Republic of Germany; telephone: +49 

(0) 7251 3020140; fax: +49 (0) 7251 3020149; 

Internet: http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/techmitteilungen-e.html; email: dirks@dgflugzeugbau.de. 

(3) You may review copies of the service 

information at the FAA, Small Airplane 

Directorate, 901 Locust, Kansas City, 

Missouri 64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, call 

(816) 329–4148. 

(4) You may also review copies of the 

service information that is incorporated by 

reference at the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of this 

material at an NARA facility, call 202–741– 

6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/ 

federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 

19, 2012. 

Earl Lawrence, 

Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7003 Filed 4–9–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1113; Directorate 

Identifier 2009–SW–53–AD; Amendment 39– 

17005; AD 2012–06–24] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model S–92A helicopters. This AD was 

prompted by the discovery of tail rotor 

blade assemblies (blades) manufactured 

with mislocated aluminum wire mesh, 

leaving portions of the graphite torque 

tube (spar) region unprotected from a 

lightning strike. The actions are 

intended to detect mislocated blade 

wire mesh and to prevent spar 

delamination, loss of the blade tip cap 

during a lightning strike, blade 

imbalance, loss of a blade, and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: This AD is effective May 15, 

2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain documents listed in this AD 

as of May 15, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation, Attn: Manager, 

Commercial Technical Support, 

mailstop s581a, 6900 Main Street, 

Stratford, CT 06614; telephone (800) 

562–4409; email 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 69 / Tuesday, April 10, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 21403 

tsslibrary@sikorsky.com; or at http:// 

www.sikorsky.com. You may review a 

copy of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137. 

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 AD, any 

incorporated-by-reference service 

information, the economic evaluation, 

any comments received, and other 

information. The street address for the 

Docket Operations Office (phone: 800– 

647–5527) is U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations 

Office, M–30, West Building Ground 

Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nicholas Faust, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Boston Aircraft Certification 

Office, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 

12 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA 01803; telephone (781) 

238–7763; email nicholas.faust@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On October 26, 2011, at 76 FR 66209, 

the Federal Register published our 

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), 

which proposed to amend 14 CFR part 

39 to include an AD that would apply 

to Sikorsky Model S–92A helicopters 

with a tail rotor blade assembly (blade) 

part numbers (P/N) 92170–11000–044, 

–045, and –046, with a serial number 

with a prefix of ‘‘A111’’ and a number 

equal to or less than ‘‘-00585,’’ installed, 

certificated in any category. That NPRM 

proposed to require inspecting each 

blade to determine if the wire mesh is 

mislocated and replacing the blade with 

an airworthy blade if the wire mesh is 

mislocated. The proposed requirements 

were intended to detect mislocated 

blade wire mesh and to prevent spar 

delamination, loss of the blade tip cap 

during a lightning strike, blade 

imbalance, loss of a blade, and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD, but 

we did not receive any comments on the 

NPRM. 

Related Service Information 

Sikorsky issued Special Service 

Instructions SSI No. 92–021A, Revision 

A, dated October 21, 2009 (SSI), which 

specifies inspecting the blade for 

mislocated blade wire mesh. Two 

options are identified in the SSI. One 

option is to conduct an eddy current 

inspection and the other option is to 

conduct a visual inspection after 

sanding to determine if there is 

mislocated wire mesh. 

FAA’s Determination 

We have reviewed the relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other products of the 

same type design and that air safety and 

the public interest require adopting the 

AD requirements as proposed except for 

formatting changes. These formatting 

changes will not increase the economic 

burden on any operator nor increase the 

scope of the AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

44 helicopters of U.S. Registry. There 

are 486 suspect blades worldwide and 

we assume 29 percent (141) of those 

blades may be on helicopters of U.S. 

registry. 

We estimate that operators may incur 

the following costs in order to comply 

with this AD. We estimate that 

inspecting a blade for mislocated wire 

mesh will take about 4 work-hours per 

blade, assuming all operators opt to do 

the blade sanding inspection rather than 

the eddy current inspection, at an 

average labor rate of $85 per work-hour. 

Required parts will cost about $13,000 

for each blade repaired by the 

manufacturer or $180,000 for each new 

blade. The total cost of the AD for U.S. 

operators is $3,215,940, assuming 51 

blades are found with mislocated wire 

mesh, and assuming 36 of those blades 

are replaced with blades repaired by the 

manufacturer and 15 blades are replaced 

with new blades. 

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 

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 this AD: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866; 

(2) Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under 

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 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. 

Adoption of the Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA amends 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): 

2012–06–24 Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation: 

Amendment 39–17005; Docket No. 

FAA–2011–1113; Directorate Identifier 

2009–SW–53–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Sikorsky Aircraft 

Corporation (Sikorsky) Model S–92A 

helicopters with a tail rotor blade assembly 

(blade), part number (P/N) 92170–11000–044, 

–045, and –046, with a serial number with a 

prefix of ‘‘A111’’ and a number equal to or 

less than ‘‘-00585,’’ installed, certificated in 

any category. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES
21404 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 69 / Tuesday, April 10, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

mislocated aluminum wire mesh in the blade 

skin which leaves portions of the graphite 

torque tube (spar) region unprotected from a 

lightning strike. This condition could result 

in spar delamination, loss of the blade tip cap 

during a lightning strike, blade imbalance, 

loss of a blade, and subsequent loss of control 

of the helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective May 15, 2012. 

(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 

Within 60 days, inspect the upper and 

lower airfoils of each tail rotor blade to 

determine if the wire mesh is mislocated. 

(1) Inspect by using either an eddy current 

inspection in accordance with paragraphs 

B.(1)(a) through B.(1)(o) or using the handsanding method and visually inspecting in 

accordance with paragraphs B.(2)(a) through 

B.(2)(d) of Sikorsky Special Service 

Instructions SSI No. 92–021A, Revision A, 

dated October 21, 2009, except you are not 

required to contact or report nonconforming 

blades to the manufacturer. If you sand and 

visually inspect and confirm the correct 

location of the wire mesh, touch-up and 

repaint the sanded area. 

(2) If there is a blade with a mislocated 

wire mesh, before further flight, replace the 

blade with an airworthy blade. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Boston Aircraft 

Certification Office, FAA, may approve 

AMOCs for this AD. Send your proposal to: 

Nicholas Faust, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Boston Aircraft Certification Office, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

telephone (781) 238–7763; email 

nicholas.faust@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under a Part 

119 operating certificate or under 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) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6410, Tail Rotor Blades. 

(h) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) You must use the specified portions of 

Sikorsky Special Service Instructions SSI No. 

92–021A, Revision A, dated October 21, 

2009, to do the specified actions required by 

this AD. 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 Sikorsky Aircraft 

Corporation, Attn: Manager, Commercial 

Technical Support, mailstop s581a, 6900 

Main Street, Stratford, CT 06614; telephone 

(800) 562–4409; email 

tsslibrary@sikorsky.com; or at http:// 

www.sikorsky.com. 

(3) You may review a copy of the 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest 

Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137 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. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 20, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–8052 Filed 4–9–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–0109; Directorate 

Identifier 2007–NM–235–AD; Amendment 

39–16990; AD 2012–06–09] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Lockheed 

Martin Corporation/Lockheed Martin 

Aeronautics Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Lockheed Martin Corporation/Lockheed 

Martin Aeronautics Company Model 

382, 382B, 382E, 382F, and 382G 

airplanes. This AD was prompted by a 

report of incidents involving fatigue 

cracking and corrosion in transport 

category airplanes that are approaching 

or have exceeded their design service 

objective. This AD requires revising the 

maintenance inspection program to 

include inspections that will give no 

less than the required damage tolerance 

analysis for each principal structural 

element (PSE), doing repetitive 

inspections to detect cracks of all PSEs, 

and repairing cracked structure. We are 

issuing this AD to maintain the 

continued structural integrity of the 

fleet. 

DATES: This AD is effective May 15, 

2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in the AD 

as of May 15, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Lockheed 

Martin Corporation/Lockheed Martin 

Aeronautics Company, Airworthiness 

Office, Dept. 6A0M, Zone 0252, Column 

P–58, 86 S. Cobb Drive, Marietta, 

Georgia 30063; telephone 770–494– 

5444; fax 770–494–5445; email 

ams.portal@lmco.com; Internet http:// 

www.lockheedmartin.com/ams/tools/ 

TechPubs.html. You may review copies 

of the referenced service information at 

the FAA, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 

Renton, Washington. For information on 

the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Management Facility between 

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

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (phone: 800–647–5527) is 

Document Management Facility, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl 

Gray, Aerospace Engineer, Airframe 

Branch, ACE–117A, FAA, Atlanta 

Aircraft Certification Office, 1701 

Columbia Avenue, College Park, Georgia 

30337; phone: 404–474–5554; fax: 404– 

474–5606; email: carl.w.gray@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to the specified products. That 

NPRM was published in the Federal 

Register on November 14, 2007 (72 FR 

64005) (corrected December 3, 2007 (72 

FR 67998)). That NPRM proposed to 

require revising the maintenance 

inspection program to include 

inspections that will give no less than 

the required damage tolerance rating for 

each structural significant item (SSI), 

doing repetitive inspections to detect 

cracks of all SSIs, and repairing cracked 

structure. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. The 

following presents the comments 

received on the proposal (72 FR 64005, 

November 14, 2007; corrected December 


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