Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 240 / Monday, December 15, 2014 / Proposed Rules 74035 

changes to steps labeled as RC require 

approval of an AMOC. 

(m) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Haytham Alaidy, Aerospace 

Engineer, Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, 

FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office 

(ACO), 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; phone: 425–917–6573; fax: 425– 

917–6590; email: Haytham.alaidy@faa.gov. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Boeing Commercial 

Airplanes, Attention: Data & Services 

Management, P.O. Box 3707, MC 2H–65, 

Seattle, WA 98124–2207; telephone 206– 

544–5000, extension 1; fax 206–766–5680; 

Internet https://www.myboeingfleet.com. You 

may view this referenced service information 

at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on 

December 3, 2014. 

Michael Kaszycki, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29234 Filed 12–12–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–0922; Directorate 

Identifier 2014–NM–156–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Airbus Model A319 and A320 series 

airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by a report that fatigue 

cracking could appear at certain fastener 

locations in the longeron area below the 

emergency exit cut-outs. This proposed 

AD is intended to complete certain 

mandated programs intended to support 

the airplane reaching its limit of validity 

(LOV) of the engineering data that 

support the established structural 

maintenance program. This proposed 

AD would require modification of eight 

fastener locations in the longeron area 

below the emergency exit cut-outs on 

the left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) 

sides. We are proposing this AD to 

detect and correct cracking at certain 

fastener locations in the longeron area 

below the emergency exit cut-outs, 

which could lead to failure of the 

fasteners and reduced structural 

integrity of the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by January 29, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, 

using the procedures found in 14 CFR 

11.43 and 11.45, 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: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC, between 9 

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

Friday, except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Airbus, 

Airworthiness Office—EIAS, 1 Rond 

Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac 

Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 

96; fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email 

account.airworth-eas@airbus.com; 

Internet http://www.airbus.com. You 

may view this referenced service 

information at the FAA, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, WA. 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 by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2014– 

0922; 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 proposed AD, the 

regulatory 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 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; telephone 425–227–1405; 

fax 425–227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposed AD. Send your comments 

to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2014–0922; Directorate Identifier 

2014–NM–156–AD’’ at the beginning of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed AD based on those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA 

Airworthiness Directive 2014–0176, 

dated July 25, 2014 (referred to after this 

as the Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information, or ‘‘the 

MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe condition 

on certain Model A319 and Model A320 

series airplanes. The MCAI states: 

During the A320 fatigue test campaign for 

Extended Service Goal (ESG), it was 

determined that fatigue damage could appear 

at certain fastener locations on the longeron 

[area] below the emergency exit cut-outs, on 

the left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) sides 

of the fuselage. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could affect the structural integrity 

of the aeroplane. 

To address this potential unsafe condition, 

Airbus developed a modification, which has 

been published through Airbus Service 

Bulletin (SB) A320–53–1265 for in-service 

application to allow aeroplanes to operate up 

to the new ESG limit. 

For the reasons described above, this 

[EASA] AD requires modification (cold 

working) of 8 fastener locations in the 

Longeron area (Stringer 20A) below the 

emergency exit cut-outs on the LH and RH 

sides. 

As described in FAA Advisory 

Circular 120–104 (http://www.faa.gov/

documentLibrary/media/Advisory_

Circular/120-104.pdf), several programs 

have been developed to support 

initiatives that will ensure the 

continued airworthiness of aging 

airplane structure. The last element of 

those initiatives is the requirement to 

establish an LOV of the engineering data 

that support the structural maintenance 

program under 14 CFR 26.21. This 

proposed AD is the result of an 

assessment of the previously established 

programs by DAH during the process of 

establishing the LOV for Airbus Model 

A319 and A320 series airplanes. The 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
74036 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 240 / Monday, December 15, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

actions specified in this proposed AD 

are necessary to complete certain 

programs to ensure the continued 

airworthiness of aging airplane structure 

and to support an airplane reaching its 

LOV. 

You may examine the MCAI in the 

AD docket on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2014– 

0922. 

Relevant Service Information 

Airbus has issued Service Bulletin 

A320–53–1265, Revision 1, dated July 2, 

2013. The actions described in this 

service information are intended to 

correct the unsafe condition identified 

in the MCAI. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of This Proposed AD 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country, and is approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to our 

bilateral agreement with the State of 

Design Authority, we have been notified 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

MCAI and service information 

referenced above. We are proposing this 

AD because we evaluated all pertinent 

information and determined an unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of these same 

type designs. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 48 airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We also estimate that it would take 

about 12 work-hours per product to 

comply with the basic requirements of 

this proposed AD. The average labor 

rate is $85 per work-hour. Required 

parts would cost $0 per product. Based 

on these figures, we estimate the cost of 

this proposed AD on U.S. operators to 

be $48,960, or $1,020 per product. 

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 above, 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; 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. 

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): 

Airbus: Docket No. FAA–2014–0922; 

Directorate Identifier 2014–NM–156–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by January 29, 

2015. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Airbus airplanes 

identified in paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) of 

this AD, certificated in any category, all 

manufacturer serial numbers, except those on 

which Airbus modification (mod) 152637 or 

mod 32208 has been embodied in 

production. 

(1) Airbus Model A319–111, –112, –113, 

–114, –115, –131, –132, and –133 airplanes. 

(2) Airbus Model A320–211, –212, –214, 

–231, –232, and –233 airplanes. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 53, Fuselage. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by a report that 

fatigue cracking could appear at certain 

fastener locations in the longeron area below 

the emergency exit cut-outs. We are issuing 

this AD to detect and correct cracking at 

certain fastener locations on the longeron, 

which could lead to failure of the fasteners 

and reduced structural integrity of the 

airplane. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Modification of Fastener Locations 

Before the accumulation of 48,000 total 

flight cycles or 96,000 total flight hours, 

whichever occurs first since the airplane’s 

first flight, modify the 8 fastener locations in 

the longeron area (stringer 20A) below the 

emergency exit cut-outs on both right-hand 

and left-hand sides, in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions of Airbus 

Service Bulletin A320–53–1265, Revision 01, 

dated July 2, 2013. 

(h) Credit for Previous Actions 

This paragraph provides credit for actions 

required by paragraph (g) of this AD, if those 

actions were performed before the effective 

date of this AD using Airbus Service Bulletin 

A320–53–1265, dated January 2, 2013, which 

is not incorporated by reference in this AD. 

(i) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, International 

Branch, ANM–116, Transport Airplane 

Directorate ANE–170, FAA, has the authority 

to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested 

using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

In accordance with 14 CFR 39.19, send your 

request to your principal inspector or local 

Flight Standards District Office, as 

appropriate. If sending information directly 

to the International Branch, send it to ATTN: 

Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–1405; fax 425–227–1149. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-ANM-116- 

AMOC-REQUESTS@faa.gov. Before using 

any approved AMOC, notify your appropriate 

principal inspector, or lacking a principal 

inspector, the manager of the local flight 

standards district office/certificate holding 

district office. The AMOC approval letter 

must specifically reference this AD. 

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any 

requirement in this AD to obtain corrective 

actions from a manufacturer, the action must 

be accomplished using a method approved 

by the Manager, International Branch, ANM– 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 240 / Monday, December 15, 2014 / Proposed Rules 74037 

116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; or 

the European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA); or Airbus’s EASA Design 

Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by 

the DOA, the approval must include the 

DOA-authorized signature. 

(j) Related Information 

(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information (MCAI) European 

Aviation Safety Agency Airworthiness 

Directive 2014–0176, dated July 25, 2014, for 

related information. This MCAI may be 

found in the AD docket on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2014–0922. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus, Airworthiness 

Office—EAS, 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 

31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone +33 

5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email 

account.airworth-eas@airbus.com; Internet 

http://www.airbus.com. You may view this 

service information at the FAA, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 

Renton, WA. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, call 

425–227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on 

December 3, 2014. 

Michael Kaszycki, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–29233 Filed 12–12–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–1020; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–SW–078–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation (Type Certificate 

Previously Held by Schweizer Aircraft 

Corporation) Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (type 

certificate previously held by Schweizer 

Aircraft) (Sikorsky) Model 269D and 

Model 269D Configuration A 

helicopters. This proposed AD would 

require reducing the life limit of the ring 

gear carrier assembly. This proposed AD 

is prompted by cracks in the ring gear 

carrier assembly. The proposed actions 

are intended to reduce the life of the 

ring gear carrier assembly to prevent 

failure of the main rotor transmission, 

loss of engine power to the main rotor, 

and subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by February 13, 2015. 

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 Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation, Customer Service 

Engineering, 124 Quarry Road, 

Trumbull, CT 06611; telephone 1–800– 

Winged–S or 203–416–4299; email 

sikorskywcs@sikorsky.com. 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: 

Norman Perenson, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, New York Aircraft 

Certification Office, Propulsion & 

Services Branch, FAA, 1600 Stewart 

Ave., Westbury, New York; telephone 

(516) 228–7337; email 

Norman.Perenson@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 

We propose to adopt a new AD for 

Sikorsky Model 269D and Model 269D 

Configuration A helicopters with a 

certain part-numbered ring carrier 

assembly installed. This proposed AD 

would require reducing the life limit of 

the ring carrier assembly from 6,000 

hours time-in-service (TIS) to 5,000 

hours TIS by revising the Airworthiness 

Limitations Section of the applicable 

maintenance manual and by removing 

from service any ring carrier assembly 

that exceeded the new life limit. This 

proposed AD is prompted by the 

discovery of a crack in the ring gear 

carrier assembly discovered during 

unscheduled maintenance after black 

discoloration of the main transmission 

oil was observed. The crack extended 

around the entire circumference of the 

flange and intersected some of the bolt 

holes but did not propagate ‘‘bolt hole 

to bolt hole.’’ A metallurgical evaluation 

determined that fretting caused multiple 

origin fatigue cracking on the ring gear 

carrier assembly. The proposed actions 

to reduce the life of the ring gear carrier 

assembly are intended to prevent failure 

of the main rotor transmission, loss of 

engine power to the main rotor, and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all known relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other helicopters of 

the same type design. 

Related Service Information 

Sikorsky issued 269D Helicopter Alert 

Service Bulletin No. ASB DB–040A, 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS