82302 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 244 / Friday, December 18, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 

information directly to the Large Aircraft 

Section, International Validation Branch, 

send it to the attention of the person 

identified in paragraph (k) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-AVS-AIR730-AMOC@faa.gov. Before using any 

approved AMOC, notify your appropriate 

principal inspector, or lacking a principal 

inspector, the manager of the responsible 

Flight Standards Office. 

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any 

requirement in this AD to obtain instructions 

from a manufacturer, the instructions must 

be accomplished using a method approved 

by the Manager, Large Aircraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, FAA; or 

EASA; or Airbus SAS’s EASA Design 

Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by 

the DOA, the approval must include the 

DOA-authorized signature. 

(3) Required for Compliance (RC): Except 

as required by paragraph (j)(2) of this AD and 

as specified in paragraph (i) of this AD, if any 

service information referenced in EASA AD 

2020–0258 contains paragraphs that are 

labeled as RC, the instructions in RC 

paragraphs, including subparagraphs under 

an RC paragraph, must be done to comply 

with this AD; any paragraphs, including 

subparagraphs under those paragraphs, that 

are not identified as RC are recommended. 

The instructions in paragraphs, including 

subparagraphs under those paragraphs, not 

identified as RC may be deviated from using 

accepted methods in accordance with the 

operator’s maintenance or inspection 

program without obtaining approval of an 

AMOC, provided the instructions identified 

as RC can be done and the airplane can be 

put back in an airworthy condition. Any 

substitutions or changes to instructions 

identified as RC require approval of an 

AMOC. 

(k) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 

Large Aircraft Section, International 

Validation Branch, FAA, 2200 South 216th 

St., Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone and 

fax 206–231–3223. 

(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. 

(3) The following service information was 

approved for IBR on January 4, 2021. 

(i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) AD 2020–0258, dated November 18, 

2020; corrected November 19, 2020. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(4) For EASA AD 2020–0258, contact the 

EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 

Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 

000; email ADs@easa.europa.eu; internet 

www.easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

EASA AD on the EASA website at https://

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

(5) You may view this material at the FAA, 

Airworthiness Products Section, Operational 

Safety Branch, 2200 South 216th St., Des 

Moines, WA. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, call 

206–231–3195. This material may be found 

in the AD docket on the internet at https:// 

www.regulations.gov by searching for and 

locating Docket No. FAA–2020–1121. 

(6) You may view this material that is 

incorporated by reference at the National 

Archives and Records Administration 

(NARA). For information on the availability 

of this material at NARA, email fedreg.legal@

nara.gov, or go to: https://www.archives.gov/ 

federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html. 

Issued on December 7, 2020. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–27975 Filed 12–15–20; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2020–1032; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2020–00856–E; Amendment 

39–21338; AD 2020–24–08] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (Type 

Certificate Previously Held by RollsRoyce plc) Turbofan Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 

(Type Certificate Previously Held by 

Rolls-Royce plc) (RRD) RB211 Trent 

768–60, 772–60, 772B–60 and 772C–60 

model turbofan engines. This AD 

requires replacement of high-pressure 

turbine (HPT) blades with parts eligible 

for installation before exceeding 

specified flight cycles since new. This 

AD was prompted by several reports 

from the manufacturer that HPT blades 

on RB211 Trent 700 model turbofan 

engines have been subject to high levels 

of corrosion fatigue, leading to blade 

cracking and eventual release, resulting 

in an aborted take-off and in-flight shutdowns. The FAA is issuing this AD to 

address the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: This AD is effective January 4, 

2021. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of January 4, 2021. 

The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD by February 1, 2021. 

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 

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

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Mail: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, M– 

30, West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 

Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this final rule, contact Rolls-Royce plc, 

P.O. Box 31, Derby, DE24 8BJ, United 

Kingdom, phone: +44 (0)1332 242424; 

website: https://www.rolls-royce.com/ 

contact-us.aspx. You may view this 

service information at the FAA, 

Airworthiness Products Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, 1200 District 

Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (781) 238– 

7759. It is also available at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2020– 

1032. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2020–1032; or in person at Docket 

Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. The AD docket contains this 

final rule, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

the Docket Operations is listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Scott Stevenson, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 

District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: (781) 238–7132; fax: (781) 238– 

7199; email: Scott.M.Stevenson@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA AD No. 

2018–0291, dated December 21, 2018 

(referred to after this as ‘‘the MCAI’’), to 

address the unsafe condition for the 

specified products. The MCAI states: 

HP turbine blades on a number of Trent 

700 engines have been subject to high levels 

of corrosion fatigue, leading to blade cracking 

and eventual release. This has caused a 


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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 244 / Friday, December 18, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 82303 

number of aborted take-off and in-flight shutdown events. Sampling has identified that 

corrosion fatigue affects blades at varying 

rates, likely dependent on environmental, 

operational and individual blade conditions. 

This condition, if not corrected, could lead 

to blade failure and subsequent increased 

risk of high energy debris release, possibly 

resulting in damage to, and reduced control 

of, the aeroplane. 

To address this potential unsafe condition, 

RR issued the NMSB to provide instructions 

for removal from service of certain engines 

where a higher level of corrosion exposure is 

expected for the affected blades. 

For the reason described above, this 

[EASA] AD requires removal from service of 

certain engines, to be corrected in shop. 

You may obtain further information 

by examining the MCAI in the AD 

docket at https://www.regulations.gov 

by searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2020–1032. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed Rolls-Royce 

RB211 Trent 700 Series Alert NonModification Service Bulletin (NMSB) 

RB.211–72–AK165, dated November 26, 

2018. The Alert NMSB describes 

procedures for removal of specific 

engines, identified by serial number, to 

enable replacement of potentially 

corrosion-fatigued HPT blades. The 

FAA also reviewed Task 72–41–52– 

200–800—General Data for the 

Inspection of the High Pressure (HP) 

Turbine Blades, dated June 10, 2011, 

from the (Rolls-Royce) RR Trent-768– 

60/15 Engine Manual. This Task 

describes procedures for inspection of 

the HPT blades. 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 ADDRESSES. 

FAA’s Determination 

This product has been approved by 

EASA and is approved for operation in 

the United States. Pursuant to our 

bilateral agreement with the European 

Community, EASA has notified us of 

the unsafe condition described in the 

MCAI and service information 

referenced above. The FAA is issuing 

this AD because it evaluated all the 

relevant information provided by EASA 

and determined that the unsafe 

condition described previously is likely 

to exist or develop in other products of 

the same type design. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires replacement of HPT 

blades on affected engines prior to 

accumulating a specified number of 

flight cycles since new, or before further 

flight, whichever occurs later. 

Justification for Immediate Adoption 

and Determination of the Effective Date 

Section 553(b)(3)(B) of the 

Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 

U.S.C.) authorizes agencies to dispense 

with notice and comment procedures 

for rules when the agency, for ‘‘good 

cause,’’ finds that those procedures are 

‘‘impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary 

to the public interest.’’ Under this 

section, an agency, upon finding good 

cause, may issue a final rule without 

providing notice and seeking comment 

prior to issuance. Further, section 

553(d) of the APA authorizes agencies to 

make rules effective in less than 30 

days, upon a finding of good cause. 

The FAA has found the risk to the 

flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to adoption of this 

rule because no domestic operators use 

this product. It is unlikely that the FAA 

will receive any adverse comments or 

useful information about this AD from 

U.S. operators. Accordingly, notice and 

opportunity for prior public comment 

are unnecessary, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

553(b)(3)(B). In addition, for the 

foregoing reasons, the FAA finds that 

good cause exists pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

553(d) for making this amendment 

effective in less than 30 days. 

Comments Invited 

This AD is a final rule that involves 

requirements affecting flight safety and 

was not preceded by notice and an 

opportunity for public comment. 

However, the FAA invites you to send 

any written data, views, or arguments 

about this final rule. Send your 

comments to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include the FAA– 

2020–1032 and Project Identifier MCAI– 

2020–00856–E at the beginning of your 

comments. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the 

proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. The FAA will consider 

all comments received by the closing 

date and may amend this final rule 

because of those comments. 

Except for Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) as described in the 

following paragraph, and other 

information as described in 14 CFR 

11.35, the FAA will post all comments 

received, without change, to https://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. The 

FAA will also post a report 

summarizing each substantive verbal 

contact received about this final rule. 

Confidential Business Information 

CBI is commercial or financial 

information that is both customarily and 

actually treated as private by its owner. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt 

from public disclosure. If your 

comments responsive to this final rule 

contain commercial or financial 

information that is customarily treated 

as private, that you actually treat as 

private, and that is relevant or 

responsive to this final rule, it is 

important that you clearly designate the 

submitted comments as CBI. Please 

mark each page of your submission 

containing CBI as ‘‘PROPIN.’’ The FAA 

will treat such marked submissions as 

confidential under the FOIA, and they 

will not be placed in the public docket 

of this final rule. Submissions 

containing CBI should be sent to Scott 

Stevenson, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 District 

Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803. Any 

commentary that the FAA receives 

which is not specifically designated as 

CBI will be placed in the public docket 

for this rulemaking. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

The requirements of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (RFA) do not apply when 

an agency finds good cause pursuant to 

5 U.S.C. 553 to adopt a rule without 

prior notice and comment. Because the 

FAA has determined that it has good 

cause to adopt this rule without notice 

and comment, RFA analysis is not 

required. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD 

affects 0 engines installed on airplanes 

of U.S. registry. 

The FAA estimates the following 

costs to comply with this AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Remove and replace HPT blades .................. 52 work hours × $85 per hour = $4,420 ........ $1,500,000 $1,504,420 $0 


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82304 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 244 / Friday, December 18, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 

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. 

The FAA is 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, 

and 

(2) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

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): 

2020–24–08 Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & 

Co KG (Type Certificate Previously Held 

by Rolls-Royce plc): Amendment 39– 

21338; Docket No. FAA–2020–1032; 

Project Identifier MCAI–2020–00856–E. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD is effective January 4, 2021. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (Type Certificate 

Previously Held by Rolls-Royce plc) (RRD) 

RB211 Trent 768–60, 772–60, 772B–60, and 

772C–60 model turbofan engines with an 

engine serial number (ESN) identified in 

Table 1 or Table 2 of Appendix 1 of RollsRoyce (RR) RB211 Trent 700 Series Alert 

Non-Modification Service Bulletin RB.211– 

72–AK165, dated November 26, 2018 (the 

NMSB). 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) 

Code/Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 7250—Turbine Section. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a determination 

by the manufacturer that high-pressure 

turbine (HPT) blades on several RB211 Trent 

700 model turbofan engines have been 

subject to high levels of corrosion fatigue, 

leading to HPT blade cracking and eventual 

release. The FAA is issuing this AD to 

prevent failure of the HPT blades. The unsafe 

condition, if not addressed, could result in 

blade failure and subsequent release of highenergy debris, possibly resulting in damage 

to, and reduced control of, the airplane. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Required Actions 

(1) For engines with an ESN listed in Table 

1 of Appendix 1 of the NMSB, prior to each 

HPT blade accumulating 3,500 flight cycles 

since new, or before further flight after the 

effective date of this AD, whichever occurs 

later, remove the HPT blade from service and 

replace with a part eligible for installation. 

(2) For engines with an ESN listed in Table 

2 of Appendix 1 of the NMSB, prior to each 

HPT blade accumulating 5,800 flight cycles 

since new, or before further flight after the 

effective date of this AD, whichever occurs 

later, remove the HPT blade from service and 

replace with a part eligible for installation. 

(3) If the flight cycles since new of an HPT 

blade are unable to be determined, use the 

flight cycles since new, flight cycles since 

refurbishment, or flight cycles since overhaul 

of the HPT module. 

(h) Definition 

For the purpose of this AD, ‘‘a part eligible 

for installation’’ is: 

(1) An HPT blade that has: 

(i) Been removed from an engine with a 

serial number listed in Table 1 of the NMSB; 

and 

(ii) not exceeded 3,500 flight cycles since 

new; and 

(iii) before installation, passed an 

inspection (no crack detected) in accordance 

with Task 72–41–52–200–800—General Data 

for the Inspection of the High Pressure (HP) 

Turbine Blades, dated June 10, 2011, from 

the (Rolls-Royce) RR Trent-768–60/15 Engine 

Manual (RR Task 72–41–52–200–800); or 

(2) An HPT blade that has: 

(i) Been removed from an engine with a 

serial number listed in Table 2 of the NMSB; 

and 

(ii) not exceeded 5,800 flight cycles since 

new; and 

(iii) before installation, passed an 

inspection (no crack detected) in accordance 

with Task 72–41–52–200–800—General Data 

for the Inspection of the High Pressure (HP) 

Turbine Blades, dated June 10, 2011, from 

the RR Trent-768–60/15 Engine Manual (RR 

Task 72–41–52–200–800); or 

(3) An HPT blade with zero flight cycles 

since new. 

(i) No Reporting Requirements 

The reporting requirements specified in 

paragraph R. of RR Task 72–41–52–200–800 

are not required by this AD. 

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, ECO Branch, 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 manager of the certification office, 

send it to the attention of the person 

identified in Related Information. You may 

email your request to: ANE-AD-AMOC@

faa.gov. 

(2) 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. 

(k) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Scott Stevenson, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 District 

Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803; phone: (781) 

238–7132; fax: (781) 238–7199; email: 

Scott.M.Stevenson@faa.gov. 

(2) Refer to European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA) AD No. 2018–0291, dated 

December 21, 2018, for more information. 

You may examine the EASA AD in the AD 

docket at https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating it in Docket No. 

FAA–2018–1032. 

(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 the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 700 Series 

Alert Non-Modification Service Bulletin 

RB.211–72–AK165, dated November 26, 

2018. 

(ii) Task 72–41–52–200–800—General Data 

for the Inspection of the High Pressure (HP) 

Turbine Blades, dated June 10, 2011, from 


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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 244 / Friday, December 18, 2020 / Rules and Regulations 82305 

the (Rolls-Royce) RR Trent-768–60/15 Engine 

Manual. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Rolls-Royce plc, P.O. Box 

31, Derby, DE24 8BJ, United Kingdom, 

phone: +44 (0)1332 242424; website: https:// 

www.rolls-royce.com/contact-us.aspx. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at the FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, 1200 District 

Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (781) 238–7759. 

(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, 

email: fedreg.legal@nara.gov, or go to: 

https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ 

ibr-locations.html. 

Issued on November 17, 2020. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–27897 Filed 12–17–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2020–0572; Product 

Identifier 2017–SW–056–AD; Amendment 

39–21358; AD 2020–26–03] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Helicopters Deutschland GmbH 

Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2007–26– 

51 which applied to certain Airbus 

Helicopters Deutschland GmbH Model 

EC135 helicopters. AD 2007–26–51 

required inspecting the tail rotor control 

rod (control rod) and ball pivot and, 

depending on findings, replacing those 

parts. This new AD requires inspecting 

certain ball pivots, applying corrosion 

preventative compound on the ball 

pivot, and corrective action, as 

applicable. This AD also requires 

replacing the control rod with a newly 

developed control rod. This AD was 

prompted by the manufacturer’s 

development of a new control rod, 

which the FAA has determined must be 

installed in order to address the 

identified unsafe condition. The actions 

of this AD are intended to address an 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective January 22, 

2021. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of January 22, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Airbus Helicopters, 2701 N Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052; 

telephone 972–641–0000 or 800–232– 

0323; fax 972–641–3775; or at https://

www.airbus.com/helicopters/services/ 

technical-support.html. You may view 

this service information at the FAA, 

Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood 

Pkwy., Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 

76177. It is also available on the internet 

at https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2020–0572. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov in Docket No. 

FAA–2020–0572; or in person at Docket 

Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. The AD docket contains this 

AD, the European Aviation Safety 

Agency (now European Union Aviation 

Safety Agency) (EASA) AD, any service 

information that is incorporated by 

reference, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is 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: 

David Hatfield, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Aircraft Systems Section, 

Technical Innovation Policy Branch, 

FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort 

Worth, TX 76177; telephone 817–222– 

5116; email David.Hatfield@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

The FAA issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to remove AD 2007–26–51, 

Amendment 39–15357 (73 FR 6008, 

February 1, 2008) (AD 2007–26–51), and 

add a new AD. AD 2007–26–51 applied 

to certain Airbus Helicopters 

Deutschland GmbH (type certificate 

previously held by Eurocopter 

Deutschland GmbH) Model EC135 

helicopters, serial number (S/N) 0005 

up to and including S/N 0444, except S/ 

N 0028, and with control rod part 

number (P/N) L672M2005207, installed. 

The NPRM was published in the 

Federal Register on June 18, 2020 (85 

FR 36816). The NPRM proposed to 

require inspecting certain ball pivots for 

damage and freedom of movement, 

applying corrosion preventative 

compound on the ball pivot, and 

corrective action, as applicable. The 

NPRM also proposed to require 

replacing the control rod with the newly 

developed control rod that the FAA 

determined was necessary to address 

the unsafe condition. 

The NPRM was prompted by EASA 

AD No. 2010–0227R1, dated April 7, 

2017 (referred to after this as the 

Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness 

Information, or ‘‘the MCAI’’), issued by 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent for 

the Member States of the European 

Union, to correct an unsafe condition 

for all Model EC135 P1, EC135 P2, 

EC135 P2+, EC135 T1, EC 135 T2, and 

EC135 T2+ helicopters; and Model 

EC635 T1, EC635 P2+, and EC635 T2+ 

helicopters. EASA advises that in 2007 

an accident occurred on an EC135 

helicopter in Japan. Preliminary 

investigation results indicated that loss 

of control was due to failure of the 

control rod. EASA issued EASA 

Emergency AD 2007–0301–E, dated 

December 13, 2007 (EASA AD 2007– 

0301–E) to inspect the affected control 

rod P/N L672M2005207 and the ball 

pivot (which correspond to the actions 

required by AD 2007–26–51). EASA AD 

2007–0301–E was subsequently 

superseded by EASA AD 2007–0313, 

dated December 21, 2007, to require 

repetitive inspections and, depending 

on findings, the replacement of the 

control rod and ball pivot, only for 

helicopters not equipped with an 

automatic flight control system (AFCS). 

After review of the inspection results, 

EASA issued EASA AD 2008–0064, 

dated April 4, 2008, and later revised to 

EASA AD 2008–0064 R1, dated April 

15, 2008 (EASA AD 2008–0064 R1), to 

apply the requirements to helicopters 

equipped with an AFCS. 

EASA also advises that after EASA 

AD 2008–0064R1 was issued, 

Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH 

developed a new control rod P/N 

L672M2006101, installation of which 

constituted terminating action for the 

repetitive inspections. Consequently, 

EASA issued EASA AD 2010–0227, 

dated November 3, 2010, and corrected 

November 8, 2010, retaining the 

requirements of EASA AD 2008– 

0064R1, and requiring the replacement 

of control rod P/N L672M2005207 with 

the new control rod P/N 

L672M2006101. The FAA has 

determined that this new control rod 

must be installed in order to address the 

unsafe condition. 

In addition, EASA advises that 

following a review of data and feedback 

received from in-service helicopters, it 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES