5994 Federal Register I Vol. 77, No. 25 I Tuesday, February 7, 2012 I Rules and Regulations 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on December 

28, 2011 . 

M. Monica Merritt, 

Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012-1118 Filed 2-6-12; 8:45am) 

BILLING CODE 491G-13-P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA-2012-Q086; Directorate 

Identifier 2011-SW-Q45-AD; Amendment 

39-16936; AD 2012-Q2-13) 

RIN 2120-AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule; request or 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adoptin a w 

airworthiness directive (AI ) fo 

Eurocopter France EC130B el 

that have not had Euroco r 

Modification 073880 inc p a 

AD is prompted by severa reg rts o 

cracks in the tailboom/Fen ron 

junction frame, which could result in 

structural failure of the tail boom, 

resulting in detachment of the Fenestron 

(tail rotor) and subsequent loss of 

control ofthe helicopter. We are issuing 

this AD to correct the unsafe condition 

on these helicopters. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

February 22, 2012. The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain documents listed in this AD 

as of February 22, 2012. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by April 9, 2012. 

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 AD, the 

economic evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

Office (telephone (800) 647-5227) is in 

the ADDRESSES section. Comments will 

be available in the AD docket shortly 

after receipt. 

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/tech u . o 

review copies of there re c d s i 

information a f · e f th 

Regio o sel, S s R g1 

each m'f, 63, 

T as 6ift. 

R I FOR ATI 

This AD is a final rule that involves 

requirements affecting flight safety, and 

we did not provide you with notice and 

an opportunity to provide your 

comments prior to it becoming effective. 

However, 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 resulted from 

adopting this AD. The most helpful 

comments reference a specific portion of 

the AD, 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 them 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 

rulemaking during the comment period. 

We will consider all the comments we 

receive and may conduct additional 

rulemaking based on those comments. 

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. 2011-

0116, dated July 6, 2011 (AD 2011-

0116) to correct an unsafe condition for 

Eurocopter EC 130 B4 helicopters. 

EASA advises of several reports of 

cracks in the tailboom/Fenestron 

junction frame . Prompted by these 

reports, Eurocopter published 

Information Notice No. 2167-I-53 

(2167- I- 53). Since publication of 2167-

I-53, new cases of cracks in the 

tailboom/Fenestron junction frame have 

been reported. Examination of the parts 

revealed the cracks were longer than the 

previously reported cracks and started 

to develo · he plane of the rivet head 

cou nk on the right hand (RH) side 

o the F io and spread to the web o t a . is condition, if not 

r,,,.....,,,..t,.,rt, o l lead to structural 

· ure, c c uld result in Fenestron 

ta n consequent loss of 

ol o licopter. AD 2011-0116 fdrnl.i<.-f>d epet' ive inspections of the 

ecte and depending on 

· gs, accomplishing corrective 

actions. 

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, their 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

EASA AD. We are issuing this AD 

because we evaluated all information 

provided by EASA and determined the 

unsafe condition is likely to exist or 

develop on other helicopters of these 

same type designs. 

Related Service Information 

We reviewed Eurocopter Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin 53A019, dated 

June 14, 2011 (EASB). The EASB 

describes procedures for inspecting the 

RH side of the tailboom/Fenestron 

junction frame from the inside and 

outside for cracks. If a crack is present, 

the EASB requires contacting 

Eurocopter for approved repair 

instructions. 

AD Requir ements 

This AD requires compliance with 

specified portions of the manufacturer's 

service bulletin, except as discussed 

under "Differences Between this AD 

and the EASA AD." 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASAAD 

The EASA AD allows for flights for a 

certain period of time with known 

cracks. Except for limited ferry flights, 

this AD does not permit operations with 

known cracks. The EASA AD allows for 

an initial inspection which does not 
Federal Register I Vol. 77, No. 25 I Tuesday, February 7, 2012 I Rules and Regulations 5995 

require stripping the paint, and then 

stripping the paint prior to inspection 

within 110 flight hours. This AD 

mandates stripping the paint as part of 

the initial inspection. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

109 helicopters of U.S. Registry. 

We estimate that operators may incur 

the following costs in order to comply 

with this AD. To inspect the tailbooml 

Fenestron junction frame for a crack 

will require 1 work-hour at an average 

labor cost of $85 per hour, for a total 

cost per inspection cycle of $85 per 

helicopter and $9,265 for the entire 

fleet. To replace a tailboom with an 

airworthy tail boom will require 50 

work-hours and a parts cost of $60,000, 

for a total cost per helicopter of $64,2 

FAA's Justification and De 

of the Effective Date 

These helicopters are u e 

by air tour and helicopte Em 

medical services. Helicop ers u 

these industries average in ce 

hours TIS per month. Th 

a primary structure of th h 1c p r 

that may prevent further e ight. 

Therefore, we find that the nsk to the 

flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to the adoption of 

this rule because the required corrective 

actions must be accomplished within 10 

hours TIS, a very short time period 

based on the average flight-hour 

utilization rate of these helicopters. 

Since an unsafe condition exists that 

requires the immediate adoption of this 

AD, we determined that notice and 

opportunity for public comment before 

issuing this AD are impracticable and 

that good cause exists for making this 

amendment effective in less than 30 

days. 

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 

a 1 · 1cant 

a t, ositive or negative, 

n a s bs 1al number of small entities 

nder e criteria of the Regulatory 

lexibility 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 AD: 

2012-02-13 Eurocopter France: 

Amendment 39- 16936; Docket No. 

FAA- 2012- 0086; Directorate Identifier 2011-SW-{)45-AD. 

(a) Applicability. This AD applies to Model 

EC130B4 helicopters that do not have 

Eurocopter Modification (MOD) 073880 

incorporated, all serial numbers, certificated 

in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition. This AD defines the 

unsafe condition as cracks on the tailboom/ 

Fenestron junction frame. This condition 

could result in structural failure of the 

tail boom, detachment of the Fenestron, and 

subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date. This airworthiness directive (AD) becomes effective February 22, 

2012. (d) Compliance. You are responsible for 

performing each action required by this AD 

within the specified compliance time unless 

accomplished previously. 

(e) Corrective Actions. 

(1) Within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS): 

(i) Inspect the right hand side of the 

tailboom/Fenestron junction frame for cracks 

in the web from the inside as depicted in 

Details C and of Figure 2 of Eurocopter 

e Service Bulletin 53A019, 

d Ju 14, 2 11 (EASB). 

(ii) S a nt on the areas of the right h side of th t ilboom/Fenestron junction 

fiJilllJ;:~ p d i Detail E of Figure 3 of the 

SB. l c at of primer to the stripped a. y · h to the stripped area. 

(i ') Ins e stripped area of the frame e outside. 

at intervals not to exceed 50 

h urs , mspect the frame by following the 

i ection requirements of paragraphs (1)(i) 

and (1)(iii) of this AD. 

(3) If there is a crack, before further flight, 

replace the tail boom with an airworthy 

tail boom that incorporates Eurocopter MOD 

073880. 

(4) After the effective date of this AD, do 

not install a tail boom that does not 

incorporate Eurocopter MOD 073880 on any 

helicopter. 

(f) Special flight permits. Special flight 

permits may be issued for up to 2 hours TIS 

to ferry the helicopter to a repair facility if 

the crack does not extend into the web ofthe 

tailboom/Fenestron junction frame. 

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs). 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Jim Grigg, Manager, FAA, Rotorcraft Directorate, Safety 

Management Group, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Fort Worth, TX 76137, telephone (817) 222-

5126, email: jim.grigg@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. 

(h) Subject. Joint Aircraft System 

Component (JASC) Code: 5302: Rotorcraft 

Tail Boom. (i) Additional Information. The subject of 

this AD is addressed in European Aviation 

Safety Agency (France) AD No. 2011- 0116, 

dated July 6, 2011. 

(j) Material Incorporated by Reference. You 

must use the specified portions of Eurocopter 

Emergency Alert Service Bulletin 53A019, 

dated June 14, 2011, to do the specified actions required by this AD. 

(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 N. Forum Drive, Grand 

Prairie, TX 75052, telephone (972) 641-0000 
5996 Federal Register I Vol. 77, No. 25 I Tuesday, February 7, 2012 I Rules and Regulations 

or (800) 232-0323, fax (972) 641-3775, or at 

http://www.eurocopter.com/techpub. 

(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 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_ ofJederal _regulations/ 

ibr locations.html. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on January 23, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012-2418 Filed 2-6-12; 8:45am] 

BILLING CODE 91~1 3-P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA-2011-117 ;IDII~·orb 

Identifier 2011- NM-1 01-A ; 

39-16932; AD 2012-02-09] 

RIN 2120-AA64 

Airworthiness Directive 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

The Boeing Company Model 737-100, 

-200, -200C, and -300 series airplanes. 

This AD was prompted by a report from 

the airplane manufacturer that airplanes 

were assembled with air distribution 

ducts in the environmental control 

system (ECS) wrapped with Boeing 

Material Specification (BMS) 8-39 or 

Aeronautical Materials Specifications 

(AMS) 3570 polyurethane foam 

insulation, a material with fire-retardant 

Action 

Duct assembly rework/part marking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

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 

properties that deteriorate with age. 

This AD requires reworking certain air 

distribution ducts in the ECS. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent ignition of 

the BMS 8-39 or AMS 3570 

polyurethane foam insulation on the 

duct assemblies of the ECS due to a 

potential electrical arc, which could 

start a small fire and lead to a larger fire 

that may spread throughout the airplane 

through the ECS. 

DATES: This AD is effective March 13, 

2012. 

The Director ofthe Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in the AD 

as of March 13,2012. 

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. 

ESTIMATED COSTS 

Labor cost 

250 work-hours x $85 per hour = $21 ,250 ........ 

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 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kimberly A. DeVoe, Aerospace 

Engineer, Cabin Safety and 

Environmental Systems Branch, ANM150S, FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification 

Office, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057-3356; phone: (425) 

917-6495; fax: (425) 917-6590; email: 

Kimberly.Devoe@jaa .gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We the public the opportunity to 

1cipate in developing this AD. We 

have considered the comments received. 

Boeing supports the NPRM (76 FR 

68666, November 7, 2011). 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comments received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting the AD 

as proposed- except for minor editorial 

changes. We have determined that these 

minor changes: 

• Are consistent with the intent that 

was proposed in the NPRM (76 FR 

68666, November 7, 2011) for correcting 

the unsafe condition; and 

• Do not add any additional burden 

upon the public than was already 

proposed in the NPRM (76 FR 68666, 

November 7, 2011). 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 292 

airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this AD: 

Parts cost Cost per Cost on U.S. 

product operators 

$3,545 $24,795 $7,240,140 

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