30230 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 22, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

(i) Optional Terminating Action 

Modifying the crossbeam fuselage frame 

stations FR 22/23 and FR 61/62, including 

doing rotating probe inspections for cracks of 

fastener holes in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions of the 

applicable service bulletin identified in 

paragraph (i)(1), (i)(2), or (i)(3) of this AD, 

and repairing any crack using a method 

approved by the Manager, International 

Branch, ANM–116; or EASA (or its delegated 

agent), terminates the repetitive inspections 

required by paragraph (g)(1) of this AD. 

(1) Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53–0389, 

Revision 02, dated April 27, 2011 (for Model 

A300 series airplanes). 

(2) Airbus Service Bulletin A310–53–2133, 

Revision 02, dated April 27, 2011 (for Model 

A310 series airplanes). 

(3) Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53–6166, 

Revision 01, dated May 21, 2010 (for Model 

A300–600 series airplanes). 

(j) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, International 

Branch, ANM–116, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, 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 International Branch, send it to ATTN: 

Dan Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057– 

3356; telephone (425) 227–2125; fax (425) 

227–1149: Information may be emailed to: 

9-ANM-116-AMOC-REQUESTS@faa.gov. 

Before using any approved AMOC, notify 

your appropriate principal inspector, or 

lacking a principal inspector, the manager of 

the local flight standards district office/ 

certificate holding district office. The AMOC 

approval letter must specifically reference 

this AD. 

(2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement 

in this AD to obtain corrective actions from 

a manufacturer or other source, use these 

actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective 

actions are considered FAA-approved if they 

are approved by the State of Design Authority 

(or their delegated agent). You are required 

to assure the product is airworthy before it 

is returned to service. 

(k) Related Information 

Refer to EASA Airworthiness Directive 

2011–0086, dated May 12, 2011; and the 

applicable service bulletin identified in 

paragraphs (k)(1), (k)(2), (k)(3), (k)(4), (k)(5), 

and (k)(6) of this AD for related information. 

(1) Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53–0389, 

Revision 02, dated April 27, 2011. 

(2) Airbus Service Bulletin A310–53–2133, 

Revision 02, dated April 27, 2011. 

(3) Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53–6166, 

Revision 01, dated May 21, 2010. (4) Airbus 

Mandatory Service Bulletin A300–53–0390, 

dated January 15, 2010. 

(5) Airbus Mandatory Service Bulletin 

A310–53–2134, dated January 15, 2010. 

(6) Airbus Mandatory Service Bulletin 

A300–53–6168, dated January 15, 2010. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on May 10, 

2012. 

Michael Kaszycki, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–12339 Filed 5–21–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0528; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–SW–068–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

Deutschland Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Model 

MBB–BK117 C–2 helicopters with 

certain Generator Control Units (GCU) 

installed. This proposed AD is 

prompted by reports of internal short 

circuits in certain GCUs. The proposed 

actions are intended to replace any 

affected GCUs to prevent a short circuit, 

which could result in a loss of electrical 

generating power, loss of systems 

required for continued safe flight and 

landing, and subsequent loss of control 

of the helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by July 23, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Docket: Go to 

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

online instructions for sending your 

comments electronically. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Send comments to the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to the 

‘‘Mail’’ address between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

Examining the AD Docket: You may 

examine the AD docket on the Internet 

at http://www.regulations.gov 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 proposed 

AD, the economic evaluation, any 

comments received, and other 

information. The street address for the 

Docket Operations Office (telephone 

800–647–5527) is in the ADDRESSES

section. Comments will be available in 

the AD docket shortly after receipt. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact American 

Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 N. Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052, 

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

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

www.eurocopter.com/techpub. You may 

review a copy of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

George Schwab, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Safety Management Group, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5114; email 

george.schwab@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to participate in this 

rulemaking by submitting written 

comments, data, or views. We also 

invite comments relating to the 

economic, environmental, energy, or 

federalism impacts that might result 

from adopting the proposals in this 

document. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the 

proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. To ensure the docket 

does not contain duplicate comments, 

commenters should send only one copy 

of written comments, or if comments are 

filed electronically, commenters should 

submit only one time. 

We will file in the docket all 

comments that we receive, as well as a 

report summarizing each substantive 

public contact with FAA personnel 

concerning this proposed rulemaking. 

Before acting on this proposal, we will 

consider all comments we receive on or 

before the closing date for comments. 

We will consider comments filed after 

the comment period has closed if it is 

possible to do so without incurring 

expense or delay. We may change this 

proposal in light of the comments we 

receive. 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued AD No.: 2011– 

0149R1, dated September 30, 2011 (AD 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 22, 2012 / Proposed Rules 30231 

2011–0149R1), to correct an unsafe 

condition for the Eurocopter 

Deutschland GmbH Model MBB–BK117 

C–2 helicopters. EASA advises that 

during an acceptance test procedure of 

a GCU, a short circuit caused by a 

manufacturing discrepancy occurred 

within the unit. According to EASA, all 

part number (P/N) 51530–021EI ‘‘no 

MOD,’’ ‘‘MOD A,’’ and ‘‘MOD B’’ GCUs 

are potentially affected by this 

discrepancy. To address this potential 

unsafe condition, EASA issued AD No.: 

2011–0149, dated August 19, 2011, to 

identify and replace each affected GCU 

with an airworthy GCU. Since issuing 

that AD, Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH 

demonstrated that helicopters modified 

in accordance with Eurocopter 

Deutschland GmbH Alert Service 

Bulletin (ASB) MBB BK117 C–2–24A– 

008, Revision 1, dated August 29, 2011, 

have a much lower risk of losing 

electrical generating power from a faulty 

generator control unit. EASA then 

revised AD No.: 2011–0149 and issued 

AD 2011–0149R1 to allow an extended 

compliance time for helicopters 

modified in accordance with the 

Eurocopter Deutschland ASB. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of Germany 

and are approved for operation in the 

United States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with Germany, EASA, its 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in its 

AD. We are proposing this AD because 

we evaluated all known relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Related Service Information 

Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH has 

issued ASB MBB–BK117 C–2–24A–010 

Revision 2, dated September 14, 2011, 

which specifies removing any GCU with 

P/N 51530–021EI with no modification 

(MOD), MOD A, or MOD B, and 

replacing it with a GCU P/N 51530– 

021EI MOD C or later MOD. EASA 

classified this ASB as mandatory and 

issued AD 2011–0149R1 to ensure the 

continued airworthiness of these 

helicopters. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require 

replacement of the GCU with an 

airworthy GCU. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the EASA AD 

The EASA AD allows a compliance 

time of 500 flight hours for helicopters 

previously modified by Eurocopter 

Deutschland GmbH ASB MBB BK117 

C–2–24A–008 Revision 1, while the 

proposed AD requires compliance 

within the next 300 hours time-inservice for all affected helicopters. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 104 helicopters of U.S. 

Registry. We estimate that operators 

may incur the following costs in order 

to comply with this AD. Replacing a 

GCU with an airworthy GCU will 

require about 2 work hours at an average 

labor rate of $85 per hour. Required 

parts will cost $7,130, for a total cost per 

helicopter of $7,300. 

Authority for This Rulemaking 

Title 49 of the United States Code 

specifies the FAA’s authority to issue 

rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, 

section 106, describes the authority of 

the FAA Administrator. ‘‘Subtitle VII: 

Aviation Programs,’’ describes in more 

detail the scope of the Agency’s 

authority. 

We are issuing this rulemaking under 

the authority described in ‘‘Subtitle VII, 

Part A, Subpart III, Section 44701: 

General requirements.’’ Under that 

section, Congress charges the FAA with 

promoting safe flight of civil aircraft in 

air commerce by prescribing regulations 

for practices, methods, and procedures 

the Administrator finds necessary for 

safety in air commerce. This regulation 

is within the scope of that authority 

because it addresses an unsafe condition 

that is likely to exist or develop on 

products identified in this rulemaking 

action. 

Regulatory Findings 

We determined that this proposed AD 

would not have federalism implications 

under Executive Order 13132. This 

proposed AD would 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 

this proposed regulation: 

1. Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866; 

2. Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under the 

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 proposed 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. 

The Proposed Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA proposes to amend 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): 

Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Helicopters: 

Docket No. FAA–2012–0528; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–SW–068–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model MBB–BK117 C– 

2 helicopters with a generator control unit 

(GCU), part number (P/N) 51530–021EI with 

no modification (MOD), MOD A, or MOD B 

installed, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as an 

internal short circuit in certain GCUs. This 

condition could result in loss of electrical 

generating power, resulting in the loss of 

systems required for continued safe flight 

and landing, and subsequent loss of control 

of the helicopter. 

(c) 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. 

(d) Required Actions 

(1) Within the next 300 hours time-inservice or 6 months, whichever occurs first, 

replace all GCUs with no MOD, MOD A, or 

MOD B with an airworthy GCU. 

(2) Do not install a GCU P/N 51530–021– 

EI with no MOD, MOD A, or MOD B on any 

helicopter. 

(e) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOC) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: George Schwab, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Safety Management Group, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; 

telephone (817) 222–5114; email 

george.schwab@faa.gov. 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
30232 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 99 / Tuesday, May 22, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

(2) For operations conducted under 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. 

(f) Additional Information 

(1) Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Alert 

Service Bulletin MBB–BK117 C–2–24A–010 

Revision 2, dated September 14, 2011, which 

is not incorporated by reference, contains 

additional information about the subject of 

this AD. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact American Eurocopter 

Corporation, 2701 N. Forum Drive, Grand 

Prairie, TX 75052, telephone (972) 641–0000 

or (800) 232–0323, fax (972) 641–3775, or at 

http://www.eurocopter.com/techpub. You 

may review a copy of the service information 

at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas 76137. 

(3) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No.: 2011–0149R1, dated September 30, 

2011. 

(g) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 2436: DC Generator Control Unit. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 10, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–12349 Filed 5–21–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0530; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–SW–075–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Bell 

Helicopter Textron Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell 

Helicopter Textron (BHT) Model 412, 

412EP, and 412CF helicopters. This 

proposed AD is prompted by a reported 

failure of a collective lever. These 

proposed actions are intended to detect 

a crack in the collective lever, which 

could lead to failure of the collective 

lever and subsequent loss of control of 

the helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by July 23, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Docket: Go to 

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

online instructions for sending your 

comments electronically. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Send comments to the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to the 

‘‘Mail’’ address between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

Examining the AD Docket: You may 

examine the AD docket on the Internet 

at http://www.regulations.gov 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 proposed 

AD, the economic evaluation, any 

comments received, and other 

information. The street address for the 

Docket Operations Office (telephone 

800–647–5527) is in the ADDRESSES

section. Comments will be available in 

the AD docket shortly after receipt. 

For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Bell Helicopter 

Textron, Inc., P.O. Box 482, Fort Worth, 

TX 76101, telephone (817) 280–3391, 

fax (817) 280–6466, or at http:// 

www.bellcustomer.com/files/. You may 

review a copy of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Martin Crane, Aerospace Engineer, 

FAA, Rotorcraft Certification Office, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, 2601 Meacham 

Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137, 

telephone (817) 222–5170, email 

martin.r.crane@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to participate in this 

rulemaking by submitting written 

comments, data, or views. We also 

invite comments relating to the 

economic, environmental, energy, or 

federalism impacts that might result 

from adopting the proposals in this 

document. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the 

proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. To ensure the docket 

does not contain duplicate comments, 

commenters should send only one copy 

of written comments, or if comments are 

filed electronically, commenters should 

submit only one time. 

We will file in the docket all 

comments that we receive, as well as a 

report summarizing each substantive 

public contact with FAA personnel 

concerning this proposed rulemaking. 

Before acting on this proposal, we will 

consider all comments we receive on or 

before the closing date for comments. 

We will consider comments filed after 

the comment period has closed if it is 

possible to do so without incurring 

expense or delay. We may change this 

proposal in light of the comments we 

receive. 

Discussion 

BHT has received a report of a 

fractured collective lever part number 

(P/N) 412–010–408–101. Their 

investigation revealed that residual 

stresses induced during manufacturing 

may have contributed to the fatigue 

fracture of the collective lever. This 

condition, if not corrected, could lead to 

failure of the collective lever, and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all known relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Related Service Information 

We reviewed BHT ASB 412–11–148 

and ASB 412CF–11–47, which describe 

procedures for repetitively inspecting 

the collective control with a magnifying 

glass and a strong light source and, if 

necessary, a fluorescent penetrant 

inspection. If there is a crack, the ASBs 

require replacing the collective lever. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD requires, within 25 

hours time-in-service (TIS), cleaning the 

collective lever and inspecting it for 

cracks with a 10X or higher power 

magnifying glass. If there is a crack in 

the collective lever paint finish, this 

proposed AD requires removing the 

collective lever from the swashplate and 

performing a fluorescent penetrant 

inspection. If there is a crack in the 

collective lever, this proposed AD 

requires replacing the collective lever 

with an airworthy collective lever before 

further flight. Additionally, this AD 

requires repeating this inspection every 

100 hours time-in-service (TIS). 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS