63422 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 

directly to the ACO, send it to ATTN: 

Program Manager, Continuing Operational 

Safety, FAA, New York ACO, 1600 Stewart 

Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; 

telephone 516–228–7300; fax 516–794–5531. 

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, New York ACO, ANE–170, 

FAA; or Transport Canada Civil Aviation 

(TCCA); or Bombardier, Inc.’s TCCA Design 

Approval Organization (DAO). If approved by 

the DAO, the approval must include the 

DAO-authorized signature. 

(k) Related Information 

(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information (MCAI) Canadian 

Airworthiness Directive CF–2014–31R2, 

dated November 14, 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–2015–1985–0003. 

(2) Service information identified in this 

AD that is not incorporated by reference is 

available at the addresses specified in 

paragraphs (l)(3) and (l)(4) of this AD. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

(IBR) of the service information listed in this 

paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 

part 51. 

(2) You must use this service information 

as applicable to do the actions required by 

this AD, unless this AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) Bombardier Service Bulletin 8–24–84, 

Revision D, dated April 10, 2014. 

(ii) Bombardier Service Bulletin 8–24–89, 

Revision C, dated November 4, 2014. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Bombardier, Inc., Q-Series 

Technical Help Desk, 123 Garratt Boulevard, 

Toronto, Ontario M3K 1Y5, Canada; 

telephone 416–375–4000; fax 416–375–4539; 

email thd.qseries@aero.bombardier.com; 

Internet http://www.bombardier.com. 

(4) 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. 

(5) You may view this service information 

that is incorporated by reference 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/cfr/ibrlocations.html. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on October 

6, 2015. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–26218 Filed 10–19–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2008–0442; Directorate 

Identifier 2007–SW–24–AD; Amendment 39– 

18291; AD 2015–20–12] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Various 

Sikorsky-Manufactured Transport and 

Restricted Category Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 98–26–02 

for certain Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation 

(Sikorsky) Model S–61A, D, E, L, N, 

NM, R, and V helicopters. AD 98–26–02 

required determining whether the main 

rotor shaft (MRS) was used in repetitive 

external lift (REL) operations, 

performing a nondestructive inspection 

(NDI) for cracks, replacing any 

unairworthy MRS, and establishing 

retirement lives for each REL MRS. This 

new AD retains some of the 

requirements of AD 98–26–02 but 

determines a new retirement life for 

each MRS, expands the applicability to 

include additional helicopters, and 

requires removing from service any 

MRS with oversized dowel pin bores. 

This AD was prompted by the 

manufacturer’s reevaluation of the 

retirement life for the MRS based on 

torque, ground-air-ground (GAG) cycle, 

and fatigue testing. We are issuing this 

AD to prevent MRS structural failure, 

loss of power to the main rotor, and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: This AD is effective November 

24, 2015. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of November 24, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation, Attn: Manager, 

Commercial Technical Support, 

mailstop s581a, 6900 Main Street, 

Stratford, Connecticut, telephone (203) 

383–4866, email tsslibrary@

sikorsky.com, or at http://

www.sikorsky.com. You may view this 

referenced service information at the 

FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

10101 Hillwood Pkwy, Room 6N–321, 

Fort Worth, TX 76177. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov in Docket No. 

FAA–2008–0442; 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, any 

incorporated-by-reference information, 

the economic 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: 

Tracy Murphy, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Boston Aircraft Certification 

Office, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 

FAA, 12 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, Massachusetts 01803; 

telephone (781) 238–7172; email 

tracy.murphy@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On April 10, 2008, we issued a notice 

of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) (73 FR 

21556, April 22, 2008) proposing to 

amend 14 CFR part 39 by adding an AD 

for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation Model 

S–61A, D, E, L, N, NM, R, and V; 

Croman Corporation Model SH–3H; 

Carson Helicopters, Inc., Model S–61L; 

Glacier Helicopters, Inc., Model CH–3E; 

Robinson Air Crane, Inc., Model CH–3E, 

CH–3C, HH–3C and HH–3E; and Siller 

Helicopters Model CH–3E and SH–3A 

helicopters. The NPRM proposed 

superseding AD 98–26–02 (63 FR 69177, 

December 16, 1998), which required 

determining whether the MRS was used 

in REL operations, performing an NDI 

for cracks, replacing any unairworthy 

MRS, and establishing retirement lives 

for each REL MRS. The NPRM proposed 

to retain some of the requirements of AD 

98–26–02 but also proposed a new 

retirement life determination for each 

MRS, removing from service any MRS 

with oversized dowel pin bores, and 

expanding the applicability to include 

certain restricted category models. The 

NPRM was prompted by the 

manufacturer’s reevaluation of the 

retirement life for the MRS based on 

torque, GAG cycle, and fatigue testing. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 63423 

Those proposals were intended to 

prevent MRS structural failure, loss of 

power to the main rotor, and subsequent 

loss of control of the helicopter. 

On April 16, 2013, we issued a 

supplemental NPRM (SNPRM) (78 FR 

24363, April 25, 2013) that proposed to 

revise the NPRM based on comments 

received on the NPRM and a 

reevaluation of the relevant data. The 

SNPRM proposed retaining the 

proposals in the NPRM but extending 

the hours TIS required for identifying 

the MRS as an REL MRS to coincide 

with the NDI to prevent repeated 

disassembly of the shaft. The SNPRM 

also proposed to extend the time 

required to replace the MRS and revise 

calculations for establishing the 

retirement life. 

On September 19, 2014, we issued a 

second SNPRM (79 FR 60789, October 

8, 2014). In addition to retaining 

previously-proposed requirements, the 

second SNPRM revised the Cost of 

Compliance section to reflect an 

increased cost for parts to replace an 

MRS and clarified some of the wording 

for complying with the AD. 

Since the SNPRM (79 FR 60789, 

October 8, 2014) was issued, the FAA 

Southwest Regional Office has 

relocated. We have revised the physical 

address to reflect the new address. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD, but 

we did not receive any comments on the 

second SNPRM (79 FR 60789, October 

8, 2014). 

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 helicopters of 

these same type designs and that air 

safety and the public interest require 

adopting the AD requirements as 

proposed except for a minor change. 

Sikorsky Aircraft was inadvertently 

omitted as one of the current type 

certificate holders of some of the 

applicable model helicopters; we are 

correcting that error in this AD. This 

change is consistent with the intent of 

the proposals in the SNPRM (79 FR 

60789, October 8, 2014) and will not 

increase the economic burden on any 

operator nor increase the scope of the 

AD. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

Sikorsky issued Alert Service Bulletin 

No. 61B35–69, dated April 19, 2004, 

which provides procedures for 

determining REL and Non-REL status, 

assigns new REL and Non-REL MRS 

retirement lives, and provides a method 

for marking the REL MRS. This service 

information is reasonably available 

because the interested parties have 

access to it through their normal course 

of business or by the means identified 

in the ADDRESSES section of this AD. 

Other Related Service Information 

Sikorsky issued Customer Service 

Notice (CSN) No. 6135–10, dated March 

18, 1987, and Service Bulletin (SB) No. 

61B35–53, dated December 2, 1981, 

both revised with Revision A on April 

19, 2004, for Model S–61L, N, and NM 

(serial number (S/N) 61454), and R 

series transport category helicopters; 

and S–61A, D, E, and V series restricted 

category helicopters. CSN 6135–10A 

specifies replacing the planetary 

assembly and MRS assembly attaching 

hardware with high strength hardware. 

CSN 6135–10A also specifies reworking 

the dowel retainer to increase hole 

chamfer and related countersink 

diameters. SB 61B35–53A specifies 

replacing the existing planetary 

matching plates with new steel 

matching plates during overhaul at the 

operator’s discretion. 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation also 

issued an All Operators Letter CCS–61– 

AOL–04–0005, dated May 18, 2004, 

which contains an example and 

additional information about tracking 

cycles and the moving average 

procedure. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 60 

helicopters of U.S. Registry. We estimate 

that operators may incur the following 

costs in order to comply with this AD. 

It will take about 2.2 work-hours to NDI 

an REL MRS at $85 per work-hour plus 

a $50 consumable cost, for a total 

estimated cost of $237 per helicopter 

and $14,220 for the U.S. fleet. It will 

take about 2.2 work-hours to replace an 

MRS at $85 per work-hour plus parts 

cost of $81,216, for a total estimated cost 

of $81,403 per helicopter. 

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 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 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 a regulatory 

distinction is required, 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. 

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 

removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

98–26–02, Amendment 39–10943 (63 

FR 69177, December 16, 1998), and 

adding the following new AD: 

2015–20–12 Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation; 

Sikorsky Aircraft; Croman Corporation; 

Carson Helicopters, Inc.; Glacier 

Helicopters, Inc.; Robinson Air Crane, 

Inc.; and Siller Helicopters: Amendment 

39–18291; Docket No. FAA–2008–0442; 

Directorate Identifier 2007–SW–24–AD. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES

63424 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model S–61A, D, E, L, 

N, NM (serial number (S/N) 61454), R, V, 

CH–3C, CH–3E, HH–3C, HH–3E, SH–3A, and 

SH–3H helicopters with main rotor shaft 

(MRS), part number S6135–20640–001, 

S6135–20640–002, or S6137–23040–001, 

installed, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

MRS structural failure, loss of power to the 

main rotor, and subsequent loss of control of 

the helicopter. 

(c) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 98–26–02, 

Amendment 39–10943 (63 FR 69177, 

December 16, 1998). 

(d) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective November 24, 

2015. 

(e) 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. 

(f) Required Actions 

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

(i) Create a component history card or 

equivalent record for each MRS. 

(ii) If there is no record of the hours TIS 

on an individual MRS, substitute the 

helicopter’s hours TIS or the helicopter’s 

transmission hours TIS if both the shaft and 

transmission were installed new at the same 

time. 

(iii) If the record of external lift cycles (lift 

cycles) on an individual MRS is incomplete, 

add the known number of lift cycles to a 

number calculated by multiplying the 

number of hours TIS of the individual MRS 

by the average lift cycles calculated 

according to the instructions in Section I of 

Appendix 1 of this AD or by a factor of 13.6, 

whichever is higher. An external lift cycle is 

defined as a flight cycle in which an external 

load is picked up, the helicopter is 

repositioned (through flight or hover), and 

the helicopter hovers and releases the load 

and departs or lands and departs. 

(iv) At the end of each day’s operations, 

record the number of lift cycles performed 

and the hours TIS. 

(2) Within 250 hours TIS, determine 

whether the MRS is a repetitive external lift 

(REL) or Non-REL MRS. 

(i) Calculate the first moving average of lift 

cycles by following the instructions in 

Section I of Appendix 1 of this AD. 

(A) If the calculation results in 6 or more 

lift cycles per hour TIS, the MRS is an REL– 

MRS. 

(B) If the calculation results in less than 6 

lift cycles per hour TIS, the MRS is a NonREL MRS. 

(ii) If the MRS is a Non-REL MRS based on 

the calculation performed in accordance with 

paragraph (f)(2)(i) of this AD, thereafter at 

intervals of 50 hour TIS, recalculate the 

average lift cycles per hour TIS by following 

the instructions in Section II of Appendix 1 

of this AD. 

(iii) Once an MRS is determined to be an 

REL MRS, you no longer need to perform the 

250-hour TIS moving average calculation, but 

you must continue to count and record the 

lift cycles and number of hours TIS. 

(iv) If an MRS is determined to be an REL 

MRS, it remains an REL MRS for the rest of 

its service life and is subject to the retirement 

times for an REL MRS. 

(3) Within 1,100 hours TIS: 

(i) Conduct a Non-Destructive Inspection 

for a crack on each MRS. If there is a crack 

in an MRS, before further flight, replace it 

with an airworthy MRS. 

(ii) If an MRS is determined to be an REL 

MRS, identify it as an REL MRS by etching 

‘‘REL’’ on the outside diameter of the MRS 

near the part S/N by following the 

Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 

3.C., of Sikorsky Alert Service Bulletin No. 

61B35–69, dated April 19, 2004. 

(4) Replace each MRS with an airworthy 

MRS on or before reaching the revised 

retirement life as follows: 

(i) For an REL MRS that is not modified by 

following Sikorsky Customer Service Notice 

(CSN) No. 6135–10, dated March 18, 1987, 

and Sikorsky Service Bulletin (SB) No. 

61B35–53, dated December 2, 1981 

(unmodified REL MRS), the retirement life is 

30,000 lift cycles or 1,500 hours TIS, 

whichever occurs first. 

(ii) For an REL MRS that is modified by 

following Sikorsky CSN No. 6135–10, dated 

March 18, 1987, and Sikorsky SB No. 61B35– 

53 dated December 2, 1981; or Sikorsky CSN 

No. 6135–10A and Sikorsky SB No. 61B35– 

53A, both Revision A, and both dated April 

19, 2004 (modified REL MRS), the retirement 

life is 30,000 lift cycles or 5,000 hours TIS, 

whichever occurs first. 

(iii) For a Non-REL MRS, the retirement 

life is 13,000 hours TIS. 

(5) Establish or revise the retirement lives 

of the MRS as indicated in paragraphs (f)(4)(i) 

through (f)(4)(iii) of this AD by recording the 

new or revised retirement life on the MRS 

component history card or equivalent record. 

(6) Within 50 hours TIS, remove from 

service any MRS with oversized (0.8860’’ or 

greater diameter) dowel pin bores. 

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Boston Aircraft 

Certification Office, FAA, may approve 

AMOCs for this AD. Send your proposal to: 

Tracy Murphy, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Boston Aircraft Certification Office, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, FAA, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, Massachusetts 

01803; telephone (781) 238–7172; email 

tracy.murphy@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 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation All 

Operators Letter CCS–61–AOL–04–0005, 

dated May 18, 2004; Sikorsky Customer 

Service Notice (CSN) No. 6135–10, dated 

March 18, 1987; Sikorsky CSN No. 6135– 

10A, Revision A, dated April 19, 2004; 

Sikorsky Service Bulletin (SB) No. 61B35–53, 

dated December 2, 1981; and Sikorsky SB No. 

61B35–53A, Revision A, dated April 19, 

2004, which are not incorporated by 

reference, contain additional information 

about the subject of this AD. For more 

information about these documents, contact 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Attn: Manager, 

Commercial Technical Support, mailstop 

s581a, 6900 Main Street, Stratford, 

Connecticut, telephone (203) 383–4866, 

email 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, 10101 

Hillwood Pkwy, Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, 

TX 76177. 

(i) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6320, Main Rotor Gearbox. 

(j) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

the service information listed in this 

paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 

part 51. 

(2) You must use this service information 

as applicable to do the actions required by 

this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) Sikorsky Alert Service Bulletin No. 

61B35–69, dated April 19, 2004. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(3) For Sikorsky service information 

identified in this AD, contact Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation, Attn: Manager, 

Commercial Technical Support, mailstop 

s581a, 6900 Main Street, Stratford, 

Connecticut, telephone (203) 383–4866, 

email tsslibrary@sikorsky.com, or at http://

www.sikorsky.com. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, 

Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (817) 222–5110. 

(5) You may view this service information 

that is incorporated by reference 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/cfr/ibrlocations.html. 

Appendix 1 to AD 2015–20–12 

Section I: The First Moving Average of 

External Lift Cycles (Lift Cycles) per Hour 

Time-in-Service (TIS) 

The first moving average calculation is 

performed on the main rotor shaft (MRS) 

assembly when the external lift component 

history card record reflects that the MRS 

assembly has reached its first 250 hours TIS. 

To perform the calculation, divide the total 

number of lift cycles performed during the 

first 250 hours TIS by 250. The result will be 

the first moving average calculation of lift 

cycles per hour TIS. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 202 / Tuesday, October 20, 2015 / Rules and Regulations 63425 

Section II: Subsequent Moving Average of 

Lift Cycles per Hour TIS 

Subsequent moving average calculations 

are performed on the MRS assembly at 

intervals of 50 hour TIS after the first moving 

average calculation. Subtract the total 

number of lift cycles performed during the 

first 50-hour TIS interval used in the 

previous moving average calculation from the 

total number of lift cycles performed on the 

MRS assembly during the previous 300 hours 

TIS. Divide this result by 250. The result will 

be the next or subsequent moving average 

calculation of lift cycles per hour TIS. 

Section III: Sample Calculation for 

Subsequent 50 Hour TIS Intervals 

Assume the total number of lift cycles for 

the first 50 hour TIS interval used in the 

previous moving average calculation = 450 

lift cycles and the total number of lift cycles 

for the previous 300 hours TIS = 2700 lift 

cycles. The subsequent moving average of lift 

cycles per hour TIS = (2700 ¥ 450) divided 

by 250 = 9 lift cycles per hour TIS. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 4, 

2015. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–25976 Filed 10–19–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–1832; Airspace 

Docket No. 14–ACE–10] 

Establishment of Class E Airspace; 

Wakeeney, KS 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This action establishes Class 

E airspace at Wakeeney, KS. Controlled 

airspace is necessary to accommodate 

new Standard Instrument Approach 

Procedures (SIAPs) at Trego Wakeeney 

Airport. The FAA is taking this action 

to enhance the safety and management 

of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) 

operations at the airport. The airport 

name also is correctly noted in the 

airspace description. 

DATES: Effective 0901 UTC, December 

10, 2015. The Director of the Federal 

Register approves this incorporation by 

reference action under title 1, Code of 

Federal Regulations, part 51, subject to 

the annual revision of FAA Order 

7400.9 and publication of conforming 

amendments. 

ADDRESSES: FAA Order 7400.9Z, 

Airspace Designations and Reporting 

Points, and subsequent amendments can 

be viewed on line at http://

www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publications. 

For further information, you can contact 

the Airspace Policy and ATC 

Regulations Group, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 800 Independence 

Avenue SW., Washington, DC 29591; 

telephone: 202–267–8783. The order is 

also available for inspection 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_federalregulations/ibr_locations.html. 

FAA Order 7400.9, Airspace 

Designations and Reporting Points is 

published yearly and effective on 

September 15. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rebecca Shelby, Central Service Center, 

Operations Support Group, Federal 

Aviation Administration, Southwest 

Region, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort 

Worth, TX 76177; telephone: 817–222– 

5857. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority for This Rulemaking 

The FAA’s authority to issue rules 

regarding aviation safety is found in 

Title 49 of the United States Code. 

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. This rulemaking is 

promulgated under the authority 

described in Subtitle VII, Part A, 

Subpart I, Section 40103. Under that 

section, the FAA is charged with 

prescribing regulations to assign the use 

of airspace necessary to ensure the 

safety of aircraft and the efficient use of 

airspace. This regulation is within the 

scope of that authority as it establishes 

Class E airspace at Trego Wakeeney 

Airport, Wakeeney, KS. 

History 

On June 25, 2015, the FAA published 

in the Federal Register a notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to 

propose Class E airspace extending 

upward from 700 feet above the surface 

at Trego Wakeeney Airport, Wakeeney, 

KS, (80 FR 36495). The airport name is 

corrected in the airspace description 

from Sheridan Municipal Airport to 

Trego Wakeeney Airport. Interested 

parties were invited to participate in 

this rulemaking effort by submitting 

written comments on the proposal to the 

FAA. No comments were received. 

Class E airspace designations are 

published in paragraph 6005 of FAA 

Order 7400.9Z, dated August 6, 2015, 

and effective September 15, 2015, which 

is incorporated by reference in 14 CFR 

part 71.1. The Class E airspace 

designations listed in this document 

will be published subsequently in the 

Order. 

Availability and Summary of 

Documents for Incorporation by 

Reference 

This document amends FAA Order 

7400.9Z, Airspace Designations and 

Reporting Points, dated August 6, 2015, 

and effective September 15, 2015. FAA 

Order 7400.9Z is publicly available as 

listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 

document. FAA Order 7400.9Z lists 

Class A, B, C, D, and E airspace areas, 

air traffic service routes, and reporting 

points. 

The Rule 

This action amends Title 14, Code of 

Federal Regulations (14 CFR), Part 71 by 

establishing Class E airspace extending 

upward from 700 feet above the surface 

within a 6.0-mile radius of Trego 

Wakeeney Airport, Wakeeney, KS, to 

accommodate new Standard Instrument 

Approach Procedures for IFR operations 

at the airport. The correct airport name 

is noted in the airspace description, 

changing it from Sheridan Municipal 

Airport. 

Regulatory Notices and Analyses 

The FAA has determined that this 

regulation only involves an established 

body of technical regulations for which 

frequent and routine amendments are 

necessary to keep them operationally 

current, is non-controversial and 

unlikely to result in adverse or negative 

comments. It, therefore: (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); and (3) 

does not warrant preparation of a 

regulatory evaluation as the anticipated 

impact is so minimal. Since this is a 

routine matter that only affect air traffic 

procedures and air navigation, it is 

certified that this rule, when 

promulgated, will not have a significant 

economic impact on a substantial 

number of small entities under the 

criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. 

Environmental Review 

The FAA has determined that this 

action qualifies for categorical exclusion 

under the National Environmental 

Policy Act in accordance with FAA 

Order 1050.1F, ‘‘Environmental 

Impacts: Policies and Procedures’’ 

paragraph 311a. This airspace action is 

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