13162 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 43 / Monday, March 8, 2021 / Rules and Regulations 

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: 

2021–04–17 Airbus Helicopters: 

Amendment 39–21439; Docket No. 

FAA–2021–0095; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2020–01658–R. 

(a) Effective Date 

This airworthiness directive (AD) becomes 

effective March 23, 2021. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Airbus Helicopters 

Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, 

AS350B2, AS350D, AS355E, AS355F, 

AS355F1, AS355F2, and AS355N 

helicopters, certificated in any category, with 

a tail rotor (T/R) blade part number (P/N) 

listed in Appendix 1, Table 1, of European 

Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

2020–0224R1, dated November 11, 2020 

(EASA AD 2020–0224R1) (pre-mod 075580). 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) 

Code 6410, Tail Rotor Blades. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by two reports of 

debonding of the T/R blade leading edge 

protection shields. The FAA is issuing this 

AD to prevent failure of the T/R blade, which 

could result in loss of tail rotor control and 

subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Requirements 

Except as specified in paragraph (h) of this 

AD: Comply with all required actions and 

compliance times specified in, and in 

accordance with, EASA AD 2020–0224R1. 

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD EASA AD 2020– 

0224R1 

(1) Where EASA AD 2020–0224R1 refers to 

flight hours (FH), this AD requires using 

hours time-in-service. 

(2) Where EASA AD 2020–0224R1 refers to 

October 20, 2020 (the effective date of the 

original issuance of its AD (EASA AD 2020– 

0224–E, dated October 16, 2020)) and its 

effective date, this AD requires using the 

effective date of this AD. 

(3) Where paragraph (1) of EASA AD 2020– 

0224R1 specifies visually inspecting each T/ 

R blade leading edge protection shield with 

instructions in the service information, this 

AD requires visually checking each T/R blade 

leading edge protection shield and bonding 

strip for a distortion, dent, and scratch; 

visually checking the area surrounding each 

T/R blade leading edge protection along the 

skin length for a gap; and visually checking 

the area surrounding the bonding strip for a 

crack. These visual checks may be performed 

by the owner/operator (pilot) holding at least 

a private pilot certificate and must be entered 

into the aircraft records showing compliance 

with this AD in accordance with 14 

CFR 43.9(a)(1) through (4) and 14 CFR 

91.417(a)(2)(v). The record must be 

maintained as required by 14 CFR 91.417, 

121.380, or 135.439. 

(4) Where paragraph (5) of EASA AD 2020– 

0224R1 specifies the modification of 

replacing each affected part with a 

serviceable part, this AD does not require this 

modification. 

(5) The ‘‘Remarks’’ section of EASA AD 

2020–0224R1 does not apply to this AD. 

(i) Parts Installation Prohibition 

As of the effective date of this AD, do not 

install a T/R blade identified in paragraph (c) 

of this AD on any helicopter. 

(j) Special Flight Permit 

Special flight permits are prohibited if an 

installed T/R blade does not pass the visual 

or tap inspections. 

(k) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, International Validation 

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 International Validation 

Branch, send it to the attention of the person 

identified in paragraph (l)(1) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-AVS-AIR730-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. 

(l) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Kristi Bradley, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft 

Section, International Validation Branch, 

FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 

76177; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

kristin.bradley@faa.gov. 

(m) 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) European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) AD 2020–0224R1, dated November 

11, 2020. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For EASA AD 2020–0224R1, 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. 

(4) 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. For 

information on the availability of this 

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

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–2021–0095. 

(5) 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 February 10, 2021. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–04803 Filed 3–4–21; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2017–0682; Product 

Identifier 2017–SW–028–AD; Amendment 

39–21433; AD 2021–04–12] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Robinson 

Helicopter Company Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Robinson Helicopter Company 

(Robinson) Model R66 helicopters. This 

AD was prompted by reports of tail rotor 

(T/R) drive shaft forward hanger bearing 

failures. This AD requires installing a 

certain part numbered kit and removing 

parts from service or replacing a certain 

part-numbered T/R drive shaft 

assembly. This AD also prohibits the 

installation of certain parts. The FAA is 


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issuing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective April 12, 

2021. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain document listed in this AD 

as of April 12, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Robinson Helicopter Company, 2901 

Airport Drive, Torrance, CA 90505; 

telephone 310–539–0508; fax 310–539– 

5198; or at https://robinsonheli.com/ 

technical-support/. You may view a 

copy of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N–321, 

Fort Worth, TX 76177. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2017– 

0682; 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, any 

comments received, and other 

information. The 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: 

Danny Nguyen, Aerospace Engineer, Los 

Angeles ACO Branch, FAA, 3960 

Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, California 

90712; telephone 562–627–5247; email 

danny.nguyen@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

The FAA issued a supplemental 

notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM) 

to amend 14 CFR part 39 by adding an 

AD that would apply to Robinson Model 

R66 helicopters with a T/R drive shaft 

assembly part number (P/N) D224–3 

without B900–11 modification installed. 

The SNPRM published in the Federal 

Register on July 28, 2020 (85 FR 45360). 

The FAA preceded the SNPRM with a 

notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) 

that published in the Federal Register 

on March 30, 2018 (83 FR 13706). The 

NPRM was prompted by two incidents 

of forward hanger bearing failure of the 

T/R drive shaft assembly because the 

bearing was undersized for its housing. 

Consequently, the bearing was spinning 

at a speed that caused excessive heating 

of the bearing during operation and led 

to the breakdown of the bearing’s grease 

and ultimately seizure of the C647–16 

bearing. 

To correct this condition, Robinson 

initially issued R66 Service Bulletin 

SB–14, dated June 25, 2015 (SB–14), for 

certain serial-numbered helicopters, 

which specified installing a temperature 

recorder on the T/R drive shaft forward 

hanger bearing assembly and inspecting 

the temperature recorder during 

preflight checks and during each 100- 

hour inspection. If the bearing was 

found running hot, then Robinson 

advised upgrading the bearing to a 

newer design. 

Following additional reports of 

overheating forward hanger bearing 

assemblies, Robinson superseded SB–14 

with R66 Service Bulletin SB–20, dated 

November 7, 2016 (SB–20), which 

affected additional serial-numbered 

helicopters and specified modifying T/ 

R drive shaft assembly P/Ns D224–3 and 

D224–4 by using kit Robinson KI–235 

R66 TRDS Forward Yoke Assembly and 

Hanger Installation Kit Instructions, 

Revision A, dated June 23, 2015 (KI– 

235) and installing yoke assembly P/N 

D224–5. This installation has an 

improved, larger bearing that spins with 

less friction. SB–20 also specified 

inspecting the forward and aft sides of 

the hanger and damper bearings for a 

minimum of 0.5 inch in length of 

sealant on the junction of the black seal 

and bearing outer race and applying 

sealant if there was less than 0.5 inch in 

length of sealant. 

Robinson revised SB–20 with R66 

Service Bulletin SB–20A, dated June 6, 

2017 (SB–20A), to clarify that 

helicopters with either T/R drive shaft 

assembly P/N D224–3 with modification 

B900–11 or P/N D224–4 installed 

include the upgraded bearing and do 

not require kit KI–235. 

Robinson later revised SB–20A with 

R66 Service Bulletin SB–20B, dated 

December 20, 2017 (SB–20B), which 

updates writing practices and organizes 

the procedures into two separate 

sections, clarifies the ‘‘Rotorcraft 

Affected’’ section, and reduces the 

helicopters that need to perform the 

inspection and sealant application 

procedures to just helicopters without 

the latest version damper and housing 

bearings. 

The NPRM proposed to require within 

100 hours time-in-service (TIS) 

replacing an affected T/R drive shaft 

forward yoke assembly with T/R drive 

shaft yoke assembly P/N D224–5. The 

NPRM proposed to require inspections 

of the forward and aft sides of the 

hanger bearing and the damper bearing 

for sealant, and depending on the 

results of the inspections applying 

sealant. The SNPRM proposed to revise 

the NPRM by expanding the 

applicability, changing the proposed 

requirements, and correcting 

nomenclature. The FAA is issuing this 

AD to address the unsafe condition on 

these products. 

Comments 

The FAA gave the public the 

opportunity to comment on the 

proposed rulemaking. The following 

presents the comments received on the 

SNPRM and the FAA’s response to each 

comment. 

Request: Robinson requested the FAA 

change the note to the Applicability 

paragraph to identify certain serialnumbered helicopters that had T/R 

drive shaft assembly P/N D224–4 

installed during production and clarify 

that these helicopters are not affected by 

this AD. Robinson explained that the 

specified serial-numbered helicopters 

with T/R drive shaft assembly P/N 

D224–4 installed have the larger 

(hanger) bearing, which is not affected 

by this AD, and clarified that P/N D224– 

5 is a sub-assembly upgrade to P/N 

D224–4. 

FAA Response: The FAA agrees and 

has revised that note in this final rule 

to identify the serial-numbered 

helicopters with T/R drive shaft 

assembly P/N D224–4 installed during 

production and clarify that this partnumbered T/R drive shaft assembly is 

not affected by this AD. 

Request: Robinson requested that the 

FAA change the exception in paragraph 

(e)(1)(i) of this AD about not requiring 

the discarding of removed nuts and 

palnuts and stated that exception 

implies that the nuts and palnuts may 

be reused. Robinson explained that FAA 

Advisory Circular (AC) 43.13–1B 

Section 7–122 (d) specifies that these 

nuts should be discarded and referenced 

Robinson service information that 

specifies upgrading certain nuts any 

time maintenance is done. Robinson 

also stated that the KI–235 kit includes 

all required nuts and palnuts to replace 

discarded hardware. 

FAA Response: The FAA disagrees. 

The FAA cannot require discarding of 

parts in an AD. Paragraph (d), section 7– 

122, of FAA AC 43.13–1B states that the 

removed nuts should never be reused 

and should be replaced with new ones 

when removed. Accordingly, the FAA 

has added language to the exception 

stating that this AD requires removing 

the affected parts from service. 

FAA’s Determination 

The FAA has reviewed the relevant 

information, considered the comments 

received, and determined that an unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 


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13164 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 43 / Monday, March 8, 2021 / Rules and Regulations 

develop on other products of the same 

type design and that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting the AD 

requirements as proposed with the 

changes described previously. These 

changes are consistent with the intent 

proposed in the SNPRM for correcting 

the unsafe condition and will neither 

increase the economic burden on any 

operator nor increase the scope of the 

AD. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed KI–235. This 

service information provides 

instructions for installing the newly 

designed yoke assembly, P/N D224–5. 

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. 

Related Service Information 

The FAA has reviewed SB–14, which 

specifies installing a temperature 

recorder on the T/R drive shaft forward 

hanger bearing assembly and inspecting 

the temperature during preflight checks 

and during each 100-hour inspection. If 

the temperature of the bearing is found 

running hot, then Robinson advises 

upgrading the bearing to a newer design 

(kit P/N KI–235). This service 

information also specifies adding a 

caution page to the Pilot Operating 

Handbook regarding the overheating 

bearing assemblies. This service 

information was superseded by SB–20. 

The FAA has reviewed SB–20, SB– 

20A, and SB–20B, which specify 

upgrading the forward hangar bearing 

assembly of certain T/R drive shaft 

assemblies to the newer design with kit 

P/N KI–235 if not previously done. For 

certain installations, this service 

information contains procedures for 

inspecting for sealant and applying 

sealant to the damper and hanger 

bearings if needed to prevent seal 

rotation. This service information also 

specifies removing the caution page 

from the Pilot Operating Handbook 

regarding the overheating bearing 

assemblies that was added by SB–14. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

Service Information 

SB–20 specifies replacing the yoke 

assembly and applying sealant to the 

bearing seals within the next 100 flight 

hours or by January 31, 2017, whichever 

comes first, and SB–20A and SB–20B 

continue the compliance time of no later 

than January 31, 2017. This AD does not 

have a calendar time compliance 

requirement. SB–20, SB– 20A, and SB– 

20B specify inspecting for sealant and 

applying sealant to the damper and 

hanger bearings if needed, while this 

AD does not. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD 

affects 290 helicopters of U.S. Registry. 

The FAA estimates that operators may 

incur the following costs in order to 

comply with this AD. Labor costs are 

estimated at $85 per work-hour. 

Installing Robinson field kit KI–235 

takes about 6 work-hours and parts cost 

about $950, for an estimated cost of 

$1,460 per helicopter. As an option, 

replacing an affected T/R drive shaft 

assembly P/N D224–3 with T/R drive 

shaft assembly P/N D224–4 takes about 

5 work-hours and parts cost about 

$4,400, for an estimated cost of $4,825 

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. 

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 

The FAA 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, I certify 

that this AD: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866, 

(2) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska, and 

(3) 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 adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive: 

2021–04–12 Robinson Helicopter Company: 

Amendment 39–21433; Docket No. 

FAA–2017–0682; Product Identifier 

2017–SW–028–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This airworthiness directive (AD) applies 

to Robinson Helicopter Company (Robinson) 

Model R66 helicopters, certificated in any 

category, with a tail rotor (T/R) drive shaft 

assembly part number (P/N) D224–3 without 

B900–11 modification installed. 

Note 1 to paragraph (a): Helicopters with 

serial number (S/N) 0631 and subsequent had 

T/R drive shaft assembly P/N D224–4 

installed during production, which is not 

affected by this AD. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

failure of a T/R drive shaft forward hanger 

bearing. This condition could result in failure 

of the T/R drive shaft and subsequent loss of 

helicopter control. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD is effective April 12, 2021. 

(d) Compliance 

You are responsible for performing each 

action required by this AD within the 

specified compliance time unless it has 

already been accomplished prior to that time. 

(e) Required Actions 

(1) Within 100 hours time-in-service, do 

one of the following: 

(i) Install Robinson kit P/N KI–235 using 

KI–235 R66 TRDS Forward Yoke Assembly 

and Hanger Installation Kit Instructions, 

Revision A, dated June 23, 2015, except 

where the service information specifies 

discarding parts, you are required to remove 

those parts from service instead. 

(ii) Replace the entire T/R drive shaft 

assembly with T/R drive shaft assembly P/N 

D224–4. 

(2) As of the effective date of this AD, do 

not install a T/R drive shaft assembly P/N 

D224–3 without B900–11 modification on 

any helicopter. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 43 / Monday, March 8, 2021 / Rules and Regulations 13165 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOC) 

(1) The Manager, Los Angeles ACO Branch, 

FAA, may approve AMOCs for this AD. Send 

your proposal to: Danny Nguyen, Aerospace 

Engineer, Los Angeles ACO Branch, FAA, 

3960 Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, California 

90712; telephone 562–627–5247; email 9- 

ANM-LAACO-AMOC-REQUESTS@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under a 14 

CFR part 119 operating certificate or under 

14 CFR part 91, subpart K, the FAA suggests 

that you notify your principal inspector, or 

lacking a principal inspector, the manager of 

the local flight standards district office or 

certificate holding district office before 

operating any aircraft complying with this 

AD through an AMOC. 

(g) Related Information 

For service information identified in this 

AD, contact Robinson Helicopter Company, 

2901 Airport Drive, Torrance, CA 90505; 

telephone 310–539–0508; fax 310–539–5198; 

or at https://www.robinsonheli.com. You may 

view a copy of the service information at the 

FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., 

Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. 

(h) 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) Robinson KI–235 R66 TRDS Forward 

Yoke Assembly and Hanger Installation Kit 

Instructions, Revision A, dated June 23, 2015. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Robinson Helicopter 

Company, 2901 Airport Drive, Torrance, CA 

90505; telephone 310–539–0508; fax 310– 

539–5198; or at https://

www.robinsonheli.com. 

(4) 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. 

(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. 

(i) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6510, Tail Rotor Drive Shaft. 

Issued on February 8, 2021. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03656 Filed 3–5–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2021–0094; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2021–00100–R; Amendment 

39–21437; AD 2021–04–15] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Airbus Helicopters Model AS355E, 

AS355F, AS355F1, AS355F2, AS355N 

and AS355NP helicopters; and certain 

Model AS350B3 helicopters. This AD 

was prompted by a report that, during 

an unscheduled post-flight inspection of 

the tail cone area, a crack was found in 

the spar of the upper part of the vertical 

fin and fractures were found in the two 

front attachment screws. This AD 

requires repetitive visual inspections of 

the right-hand side of the vertical fin 

spar for discrepancies (cracking), and 

corrective action if necessary, as 

specified in a European Union Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is 

incorporated by reference. The FAA is 

issuing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

March 23, 2021. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of March 23, 2021. 

The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD by April 22, 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 material incorporated by reference 

(IBR) in this AD, 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 material on the EASA website 

at https://ad.easa.europa.eu. You may 

view this material at the 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. 

It is also available in the AD docket on 

the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2021– 

0094. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the internet at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2021– 

0094; 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, any 

comments received, and other 

information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

Comments will be available in the AD 

docket shortly after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kathleen Arrigotti, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Large Aircraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, FAA, 

2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA 

98198; phone and fax: 206–231–3218; 

email: kathleen.arrigotti@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

The EASA, which is the Technical 

Agent for the Member States of the 

European Union, has issued EASA AD 

2020–0186, dated August 20, 2020 

(EASA AD 2020–0186) (also referred to 

as the Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information, or the 

MCAI), to correct an unsafe condition 

for all Airbus Helicopters Model 

AS355E, AS355F, AS355F1, AS355F2, 

AS355N and AS355NP helicopters; and 

certain Model AS350B3 helicopters. 

This AD was prompted by a report 

that, during an unscheduled post-flight 

inspection of the tail cone area of an 

Airbus Helicopters Model AS355NP 

helicopter, a crack was found in the spar 

of the upper part of the vertical fin and 

fractures were found in the two front 

attachment screws. Airbus Helicopters 

Model AS350B3 helicopters have a 

similar vertical fin configuration and are 

subject to comparable load levels as the 

affected Model AS355NP helicopter, 

therefore, this model may be subject to 

the same unsafe condition revealed on 

the Model AS355NP helicopter. The 

FAA is issuing this AD to address 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with RULES