This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains regulatory documents having general

applicability and legal effect, most of which

are keyed to and codified in the Code of

Federal Regulations, which is published under

50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

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REGISTER issue of each week.

Rules and Regulations Federal Register

11407 

Vol. 81, No. 43 

Friday, March 4, 2016 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–2568; Directorate 

Identifier 2014–SW–026–AD; Amendment 

39–18424; AD 2016–05–06] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Helicopters (Previously Eurocopter 

France) Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2014–07– 

52 for certain Airbus Helicopters 

(previously Eurocopter France) Model 

AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, 

AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, 

AS350D1, AS355E, AS355F, AS355F1, 

AS355F2, AS355N, and AS355NP 

helicopters. AD 2014–07–52 required 

repetitively inspecting certain 

reinforcement angles of the rear 

structure to tailboom junction frame 

(reinforcement angles) for a crack at 10 

hour time-in-service (TIS) intervals, 

repairing any cracked reinforcement 

angle, and allowed an optional 

repetitive inspection with a 165 hour 

TIS inspection interval as a terminating 

action for the 10 hour TIS inspections. 

This AD retains the inspection 

requirements of AD 2014–07–52 and 

requires the inspection of the area 

around each reinforcement angle screw 

hole as terminating action to the 10 hour 

TIS inspections. We are issuing this AD 

to detect a crack in the reinforcement 

angle, which if not corrected, could 

result in loss of the tailboom and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: This AD is effective April 8, 

2016. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain documents listed in this AD 

as of June 25, 2014 (79 FR 33054, June 

10, 2014). 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Airbus Helicopters, Inc., 2701 N. Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052; 

telephone (972) 641–0000 or (800) 232– 

0323; fax (972) 641–3775; or at http://

www.airbushelicopters.com/techpub. 

You may review 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 http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2015– 

2568; 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 European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) AD, any 

incorporated-by-reference service 

information, the economic evaluation, 

any comments received, and other 

information. The street address for the 

Docket Operations Office (phone: 800– 

647–5527) is U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations 

Office, M–30, West Building Ground 

Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert Grant, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Safety Management Group, FAA, 10101 

Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; 

telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

robert.grant@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to remove AD 2014–07–52, 

Amendment 39–17858 (79 FR 33054, 

June 10, 2014) and add a new AD. AD 

2014–07–52 applied to Airbus 

Helicopters Model AS350B, AS350BA, 

AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, 

AS350D, AS350D1, AS355E, AS355F, 

AS355F1, AS355F2, AS355N, and 

AS355NP helicopters with Modification 

(MOD) 07 3215 or with a reinforcement 

angle part number (P/N) 

350A08.2493.21 or P/N 350A08.2493.23 

installed. AD 2014–07–52 required, for 

helicopters with 640 or more hours TIS, 

repetitively inspecting each 

reinforcement angle for a crack every 10 

hours TIS. As an optional action, AD 

2014–07–52 allowed a repetitive 165 

hour TIS inspection of the 

reinforcement angle under each 

attaching screw for a crack. AD 2014– 

07–52 was prompted by Emergency AD 

No. 2014–0076–E, dated March 25, 

2014, issued by EASA, which is the 

Technical Agent for the Member States 

of the European Union. EASA advises 

that during the inspection of several 

AS355 helicopters, cracks found in the 

reinforcement angles had initiated on 

the non-visible surface of the angle, and 

that this condition, if not corrected, 

could lead to further crack propagation 

and subsequent loss of the tailboom, 

resulting in loss of control of the 

helicopter. The EASA AD requires 

repetitive inspections of the 

reinforcement angles, and states that a 

terminating action is under 

investigation. 

The NPRM published in the Federal 

Register on July 23, 2015 (80 FR 43645). 

The NPRM proposed to retain the 10 

hour TIS repetitive inspections of the 

reinforcement angle and require (instead 

of allow as an option) the 165 hour TIS 

inspection of the junction frame bores as 

terminating action for the 10 hour TIS 

inspections. The NPRM also proposed 

to revise the applicability to only 

include helicopters with reinforcement 

angle P/N 350A08.2493.21 and P/N 

350A08.2493.23, and not include 

helicopters with MOD 07 3215. Since 

MOD 07 3215 installed reinforcement 

angle P/N 350A08.2493.21 and P/N 

350A08.2493.23, AD 2014–07–52 was 

written to apply to helicopters with 

either the reinforcement angle P/Ns or 

with MOD 07 3215, so that operators 

could more easily determine whether 

AD 2014–07–52 applied to their aircraft. 

Airbus Helicopters then developed 

MOD 07 3232, which removes 

reinforcement angle P/N 

350A08.2493.21 and P/N 

350A08.2493.23. We removed MOD 07 

3215 from the applicability because we 

did not want the AD to apply to a 

helicopter with both MOD 07 3215 and 

MOD 07 3232 in its aircraft records, as 

it would not have reinforcement angle 

P/N 350A08.2493.21 or P/N 

350A08.2493.23 installed. The proposed 

requirements were intended to detect a 


jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with RULES
11408 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 

crack in the reinforcement angle, which 

if not corrected, could result in loss of 

the tailboom and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

Since the NPRM was issued, a group 

email address has been established for 

requesting an FAA alternative method 

of compliance for a helicopter of foreign 

design. We have revised this contact 

information in this final rule to reflect 

the new email address. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD, but 

we did not receive any comments on the 

NPRM (79 FR 33054, June 10, 2014). 

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, its 

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 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. 

Interim Action 

We consider this AD to be an interim 

action. If final action is later identified, 

we might consider further rulemaking 

then. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

This AD is not applicable to the 

AS350BB as that model is not type 

certificated in the U.S. This AD applies 

to Airbus Helicopters Model AS350C 

and AS350D1 helicopters because these 

helicopters have a similar design. 

Finally, the EASA AD requires operators 

to contact Airbus Helicopters if there is 

a crack, and this AD does not, however 

it does require repairing the crack before 

further flight. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

Airbus Helicopters issued Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin (EASB) No. 

05.00.70 for Model AS350B, BA, BB, Bl, 

B2, B3, and D helicopters, and EASB 

No. 05.00.62 for Model AS355E, F, F1, 

F2, N, and NP helicopters, both 

Revision 0 and dated March 24, 2014. 

EASB No. 05.00.70 and EASB No. 

05.00.62 describe procedures for 

inspecting the angle reinforcements for 

a crack. 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. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 822 

helicopters of U.S. Registry. We estimate 

that operators may incur the following 

costs in order to comply with this AD. 

At an average labor rate of $85 per workhour, inspecting the reinforcement 

angles for a crack without removing the 

screws requires 1.0 work-hour, for a cost 

per helicopter of $85 and a total cost of 

$69,870 for the U.S. fleet, per inspection 

cycle. Removing the screws and 

inspecting the reinforcement angle 

requires 2 work-hours, for a cost per 

helicopter of $170 and a total cost of 

$139,740 for the U.S. fleet, per 

inspection cycle. If required, repairing a 

cracked reinforcement angle requires 

about 10 work-hours, and required parts 

cost about $300, for a total cost per 

helicopter of $1,150. 

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 

helicopters 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; 

(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 it justifies 

making a regulatory distinction; 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. 

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 

removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

2014–07–52, Amendment 39–17858 (79 

FR 33054, June 10, 2014), and adding 

the following new AD: 

2016–05–06 Airbus Helicopters (previously 

Eurocopter France): Amendment 39– 

18424; Docket No. FAA–2015–2568; 

Directorate Identifier 2014–SW–026–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Airbus Helicopters 

Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, 

AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, 

AS350D1, AS355E, AS355F, AS355F1, 

AS355F2, AS355N, and AS355NP 

helicopters, with a reinforcement angle part 

number (P/N) 350A08.2493.21 or P/N 

350A08.2493.23 installed, certificated in any 

category. 

Note 1 to paragraph (a) of this AD: 

Helicopters with Modification (MOD) 073232 

do not have P/N 350A08.2493.21 or P/N 

350A08.2493.23 installed. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

crack in a rear structure to tailboom junction 

frame reinforcement angle (reinforcement 

angle), which if not detected could result in 

loss of the tail boom and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

(c) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 2014–07–52, 

Amendment 39–17858 (79 FR 33054, June 

10, 2014). 


jstallworth on DSK7TPTVN1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 11409 

(d) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective April 8, 2016. 

(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) For helicopters with 640 or more hours 

time-in-service (TIS) since installation of 

MOD 073215 or since installation of an 

applicable reinforcement angle, within 10 

hours TIS, and thereafter at intervals not 

exceeding 10 hours TIS, inspect each 

reinforcement angle for a crack as depicted 

in Figure 1 of Airbus Helicopters Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin No. 05.00.70 for Model 

AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, 

AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, and AS350D1 

helicopters and Airbus Helicopters 

Emergency Alert Service Bulletin No. 

05.00.62 for AS355E, AS355F, AS355F1, 

AS355F2, AS355N, and AS355NP 

helicopters, both Revision 0 and dated March 

24, 2014. 

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

repair the reinforcement angle in a manner 

approved by the manager listed in paragraph 

(h)(1) of this AD. 

(3) Within 165 hours TIS after the first 

inspection required by paragraph (f)(1) of this 

AD, and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 

165 hours TIS, remove screw No. 5 from the 

reinforcement angle, thoroughly clean the 

area around the hole and inspect the 

reinforcement angle for a crack. If there is not 

a crack, reinstall the screw. Sequentially 

repeat the steps required by this paragraph 

for screws No. 6 through No. 12. If there is 

a crack, comply with paragraph (f)(2) of this 

AD. Accomplishment of the inspection 

required by this paragraph terminates the 

repetitive inspections required by paragraph 

(f)(1) of this AD. 

(g) Special Flight Permits 

Special flight permits are prohibited. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Robert Grant, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, Fort 

Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222–5110; 

email 9-ASW-FTW-AMOC-Requests@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. 

(3) AMOCs approved previously in 

accordance with AD 2014–07–52, 

Amendment 39–17858 (79 FR 33054, June 

10, 2014) are approved as AMOCs for the 

corresponding requirements of paragraph 

(f)(2) of this AD. 

(i) Additional Information 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

2014–0076–E, dated March 25, 2014. You 

may view the EASA AD on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. 

FAA–2015–2568. 

(j) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 5302: Rotorcraft Tailboom. 

(k) 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. 

(3) The following service information was 

approved for IBR on June 25, 2014 (79 FR 

33054, June 10, 2014). 

(i) Airbus Helicopters Emergency Alert 

Service Bulletin (EASB) No. 05.00.62, 

Revision 0, dated March 24, 2014. 

(ii) Airbus Helicopters EASB No. 05.00.70, 

Revision 0, dated March 24, 2014. 

Note 2 to paragraph (k)(3): Airbus 

Helicopters EASB No. 05.00.62 and EASB 

No. 05.00.70, both Revision 0 and dated 

March 24, 2014, are co-published as one 

document along with Airbus Helicopters 

EASB No. 05.00.45 and EASB No. 05.00.41, 

both Revision 0 and dated March 24, 2014, 

which are not incorporated by reference in 

this AD. 

(4) For Airbus Helicopters service 

information identified in this final rule, 

contact Airbus Helicopters, Inc., 2701 N. 

Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052; 

telephone (972) 641–0000 or (800) 232–0323; 

fax (972) 641–3775; or at http://

www.airbushelicopters.com/techpub. 

(5) 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. 

(6) 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 Fort Worth, Texas, on February 

25, 2016. 

Scott A. Horn, 

Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–04678 Filed 3–3–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–3607; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–CE–010–AD; Amendment 

39–18398; AD 2016–04–04] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; M7 

Aerospace LLC Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all M7 

Aerospace LLC Models SA26–AT, 

SA226–T(B), SA226–AT, SA226–T, 

SA226–TC, SA227–AC (C–26A), 

SA227–AT, SA227–BC (C–26A), 

SA227–CC, SA227–DC (C–26B), and 

SA227–TT airplanes. This AD was 

prompted by information that the 

airplane flight manual (AFM) does not 

provide adequate guidance in the 

handling of engine failures, which may 

lead to reliance on the negative torque 

system (NTS) for reducing drag. This 

condition could lead the pilot to not 

fully feather the propeller with 

consequent loss of control. This AD 

requires inserting updates into the 

airplane flight manual (AFM) and/or the 

pilot operating handbook (POH) that 

will clearly establish that the NTS is not 

designed to automatically feather the 

propeller but only to provide drag 

protection. We are issuing this AD to 

correct the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: This AD is effective April 8, 

2016. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in this AD 

as of April 8, 2016. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact M7 

Aerospace LLC, 10823 NE Entrance 

Road, San Antonio, Texas 78216; phone: 

(210) 824–9421; fax: (210) 804–7766; 

Internet: http://www.elbitsystemsus.com; email: MetroTech@

M7Aerospace.com. You may view this 

referenced service information at the 

FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 

Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 816–329– 

4148. It is also available on the Internet 

at http://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2015–3607. 


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