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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

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Rules and Regulations Federal Register

145 

Vol. 81, No. 2 

Tuesday, January 5, 2016 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–8311; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–CE–039–AD; Amendment 

39–18356; AD 2015–26–08] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Piper 

Aircraft, Inc. 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Piper Aircraft, Inc. Model PA–44–180 

and PA–44–180T airplanes. This AD 

requires an inspection and, if necessary, 

modification of the emergency gear 

extension cable. This AD was prompted 

by a report of a misrouted emergency 

gear extension cable. We are issuing this 

AD to correct the unsafe condition on 

these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective January 20, 

2016. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of January 20, 2016. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by February 19, 2016. 

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 

http://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: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, M– 

30, West Building Ground Floor, Room 

W12–140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 

Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this final rule, contact Piper Aircraft, 

Inc., Customer Service, 2926 Piper 

Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32960; 

telephone: (877) 879–0275; fax: none; 

email: customer.service@piper.com; 

Internet: www.piper.com. You may 

review the 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 

locating Docket No. FAA–2015–4085. 

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– 

8311; or in person at the Docket 

Management Facility between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

the Docket Office (phone: 800–647– 

5527) is in the ADDRESSES section. 

Comments will be available in the AD 

docket shortly after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Hector Hernandez, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Atlanta Aircraft Certification 

Office, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College 

Park, Georgia 30337; telephone: (404) 

474–5587; fax: (404) 474–5606; email: 

hector.hernandez@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

The FAA has received recent reports 

of misrouted emergency gear extension 

cables on Piper Models PA–44–180 and 

PA–44–180T airplanes. This condition 

spans many years beginning in 2007 

where one of the airplanes experienced 

the left-side copilot rudder pedal 

snagging on the emergency landing gear 

extension cable during taxi maneuvers. 

Piper Modification Kit 884333 (Piper 

Service Bulletin No. 1188, dated April 

14, 2008) provides the parts and 

instructions to reroute the cable away 

from the pedal for airplanes in service 

and a production change was made to 

duplicate the kit configuration. 

In 2009, there was a quality escape on 

the production aircraft (after issuance of 

SB 1188), which was addressed with 

Piper Service Bulletin No. 1213, dated 

March 24, 2010. Recently, there has 

been another quality escape reported of 

the cable being routed incorrectly, 

resulting in the issuance of Piper 

Service Bulletin 1213A, dated October 

23, 2015 to more fully address the 

incorrect routing of the emergency gear 

extension cables. 

Although the incidents occurred on 

the ground, the airworthiness concern is 

the potential for this rudder restriction 

to occur in flight at high angles of 

rudder deflection. 

The FAA believes that a majority of 

the airplanes have already incorporated 

Service Bulletin 1188 and Service 

Bulletin 1213. However, the only way to 

mandate its incorporation is through AD 

action. In addition, the FAA believes 

that a large percentage of the airplanes 

that were manufactured after SB 1213 

was issued could have the emergency 

gear extension cable routed incorrectly 

because the P-clamp that secures the 

cable could be installed on the inboard 

bolt just as easily as the outboard bolt 

(the type design configuration). 

Piper is establishing a very robust 

assembly/inspection procedure going 

forward to ensure that the quality 

escape issue does not reoccur. The FAA 

has determined that this condition can 

be addressed by requiring: 

• The modification in Service 

Bulletin 1188 for all Models PA–44–180 

and PA–44–180T airplanes 

manufactured prior to April 14, 2008 

(the date of SB 1188); and 

• The inspection of the emergency 

gear inspection cable for correct routing 

of all Model PA–44–180 airplanes 

manufactured after April 14, 2008 (the 

date of SB 1188) following SB 1213A, 

dated October 23, 2015. 

This condition, if not corrected, could 

result in restriction of the rudder 

movement at high angles of rudder 

deflection with consequent loss of 

control. We are issuing this AD to 

correct the unsafe condition on these 

products. 


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146 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 2 / Tuesday, January 5, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed Piper Aircraft, Inc. 

Service Bulletin No. 1213A, dated 

October 23, 2015. The service 

information describes procedures for 

inspection of the routing and security of 

the emergency gear extension cable and, 

if necessary, instructions to reroute the 

emergency gear extension cable. Piper 

considers compliance with this service 

bulletin mandatory. 

We reviewed Piper Aircraft, Inc. 

Service Bulletin No. 1188, dated April 

14, 2008. The service information 

describes procedures to reroute and 

restrain the emergency gear extension 

cable. Piper considers compliance with 

this service bulletin mandatory. 

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. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are issuing this AD because we 

evaluated all the relevant information 

and determined the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop in other products of the same 

type design. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires accomplishing the 

actions specified in the service 

information described previously. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

An unsafe condition exists that 

requires the immediate adoption of this 

AD. The FAA has found that the risk to 

the flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to adoption of this 

rule because if the emergency gear 

extension cable is left routed 

incorrectly, it could allow the copilot’s 

left rudder pedal to become entangled 

with the cable, resulting in a restriction 

of rudder movement at high angles of 

rudder deflection with consequent loss 

of control. Therefore, we find that notice 

and opportunity for prior public 

comment are impracticable and that 

good cause exists 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, we invite you to send any 

written data, views, or arguments about 

this AD. Send your comments to an 

address listed under the ADDRESSES

section. Include the docket number 

FAA–2015–8311 and Directorate 

Identifier 2015–CE–039–AD at the 

beginning of your comments. We 

specifically invite comments on the 

overall regulatory, economic, 

environmental, and energy aspects of 

this AD. We will consider all comments 

received by the closing date and may 

amend this AD because of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 415 

airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on 

U.S. operators 

Inspect the emergency gear extension cable for proper routing..5 work-hour × $85 per hour = 

$42.50.

Not applicable ... $42.50 (Estimated 35 airplanes) 

$1,487.75. 

Install Piper emergency gear extension modification kit.2 work-hours × $85 per hour = 

$170.

$21 .................... $191 (Estimated 380 airplanes) 

$72,580. 

We estimate the following costs to do 

any necessary replacements that would 

be required based on the either the 

results of the inspection or other 

requirements. We have no way of 

determining the number of aircraft that 

might need this replacement: 

ON-CONDITION COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Reroute the emergency gear extension cable ............. 2 work-hours × $85 per hour = $170 ........................... $21 $191 

According to the manufacturer, some 

of the costs of this AD may be covered 

under warranty, thereby reducing the 

cost impact on affected individuals. We 

do not control warranty coverage for 

affected individuals. As a result, we 

have included all costs in our cost 

estimate. 

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 

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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 2 / Tuesday, January 5, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 147 

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, 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 adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

2015–26–08: Amendment 39–18356; Docket 

No. FAA–2015–8311; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–CE–039–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD is effective January 20, 2016. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Piper Aircraft, Inc. 

Model PA–44–180 Seminole airplanes, serial 

numbers (S/Ns) 44–7995001 through 44– 

8195026, 4495001 through 4496377, 

4496379, 4496380, and 4496384 through 

4496386; and Piper Aircraft, Inc. Model PA– 

44–180T Seminole airplanes, S/Ns 44– 

8107001 through 44–8207020, certificated in 

any category. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC)/

Air Transport Association (ATA) of America 

Code 2720, Rudder Control System. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a report of a 

misrouted emergency gear extension cable. 

We are issuing this AD to require an 

inspection and, if necessary, modification of 

the emergency gear extension cable. We are 

issuing this AD to correct the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with paragraphs (g)(1) through 

(g)(2) including all subparagraph’s of this AD 

within the compliance times specified, 

unless already done. 

(g) Actions 

(1) For Piper Model PA–44–180 Seminole 

airplanes serial numbers (S/N) 4496245 

through 4496377, 4496379, 4496380, and 

4496384 through 4496386: Within 30 days 

after January 20, 2016 (the effective date of 

this AD), inspect the emergency gear 

extension cable for proper routing and 

appropriate attachment of the cable to the 

rudder pedal assembly following the Part 1 

instructions in Piper Aircraft, Inc. Service 

Bulletin (SB) No. 1213A, dated October 23, 

2015. 

(i) If the inspection required in paragraph 

(g)(1) of this AD reveals a misrouted cable, 

before further flight, correct the emergency 

gear extension cable following the Part 2 

instructions in Piper Aircraft, Inc. SB No. 

1213A, dated October 23, 2015. 

(ii) If the inspection required in paragraph 

(g)(1) of this AD reveals a correct installation 

following the Part 1 instructions in Piper 

Aircraft, Inc. SB No. 1213A, dated October 

23, 2015, no further action is required. 

(2) For Piper Model PA–44–180 Seminole 

airplanes SNs 44–7995001 through 44– 

8195026, 4495001 through 4496244; and 

Piper Model PA–44–180T Seminole 

airplanes, SNs 44–8107001 through 44– 

8207020: Within 30 days after January 20, 

2016 (the effective date of this AD), install 

the Piper emergency gear extension cable 

modification kit, part number 88433–002, 

following the instructions in Piper Aircraft, 

Inc. SB No. 1188, dated April 14, 2008. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Atlanta ACO, 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 ACO, send it to the 

attention of the person identified in 

paragraph (k) of this AD. 

(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. 

(i) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Hector Hernandez, Aerospace 

Engineer, FAA, Atlanta Aircraft Certification 

Office, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, 

Georgia 30337; telephone: (404) 474–5587; 

fax: (404) 474–5606; email: 

hector.hernandez@faa.gov. 

(j) 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) Piper Aircraft, Inc. Service Bulletin No. 

1188, dated April 14, 2008. 

(ii) Piper Aircraft, Inc. Service Bulletin No. 

1213A, dated October 23, 2015. 

(3) For Piper Aircraft, Inc. service 

information identified in this AD, contact 

Piper Aircraft, Inc., Customer Service, 2926 

Piper Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32960; 

telephone: (877) 879–0275; fax: none; email: 

customer.service@piper.com; Internet: 

www.piper.com. 

(4) You may review the 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. 

(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 Kansas City, Missouri, on 

December 23, 2015. 

Pat Mullen, 

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–32907 Filed 1–4–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–0335; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–SW–021–AD; Amendment 

39–18358; AD 2015–26–10] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model S–76A, S–76B, and S–76C 

helicopters. This AD requires inspecting 

the main gearbox (MGB) lower housing 

jet bores for leaks, paint or caulk 

blistering, and liner protrusion. This AD 

was prompted by several reports of 

MGB low oil pressure warnings which 

were determined to be the result of 

unsecured jet bore liners that had 

protruded. The actions are intended to 

prevent failure of the MGB from loss of 

oil, which could result in subsequent 

loss of control of the helicopter. 


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