44050 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 141 / Tuesday, July 23, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

(i) If there is a crack on any bifilar 

assembly arm lug, before further flight, 

replace the bifilar arm assembly with an 

airworthy bifilar arm assembly. 

(ii) If no crack is found at the initial 

inspection, perform a one-time torque test. 

Perform the torque test and the additional 

torque procedures as stated in the 

Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 

3.B.(1) through 3.B.(3), of ASB 76–65–62. The 

torque test is not required at the recurring 

inspection intervals of the lower bifilar arm 

assembly. 

(iii) Within 600 hours TIS, replace the 

MRH pilot, P/N 76103–08003–101, with an 

MRH pilot, P/N 76103–08003–102. 

(2) For MRH pilots with less than 900 

hours TIS, prior to accumulating 1,500 hours 

TIS, replace the MRH pilot, P/N 76103– 

08003–101, with a MRH pilot, P/N 76103– 

08003–102. 

(3) After the effective date of this AD, do 

not install an MRH pilot, P/N 76103–08003– 

101, on any helicopter. 

(g) Special Flight Permit 

Special flight permits will not be issued. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Boston Aircraft 

Certification Office, FAA, may approve 

AMOCs for this AD. Send your proposal to: 

Nicholas Faust, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Boston Aircraft Certification Office, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, Massachusetts 

01803; telephone (781) 238–7763; email 

nicholas.faust@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. 

(i) Additional Information 

For service information identified in this 

AD, contact Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, 

Attn: Manager, Commercial Technical 

Support, mailstop s581a, 6900 Main Street, 

Stratford, CT 06614; telephone (800) 562– 

4409; email tsslibrary@sikorsky.com; or at 

http://www.sikorsky.com. You may review 

the service information at the FAA, Office of 

the Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort Worth, 

Texas 76137. 

(j) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6220: Main Rotor Head. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 11, 

2013. 

Kim Smith, 

Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–17631 Filed 7–22–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0634; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–023–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

Deutschland GmbH Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH 

(Eurocopter) Model EC135P2+ and 

EC135T2+ helicopters. This proposed 

AD would require inspecting the 

mechanical air conditioning system 

compressor bearing block upper bearing 

(upper bearing) for corrosion, leaking 

grease, condensation, or water. This 

proposed AD is prompted by metallic 

debris from an upper bearing found in 

the air inlet areas of both engines in a 

Model EC135P2+ helicopter. The 

proposed actions are intended to 

prevent metallic debris from damaging 

the engine, causing loss of engine 

power, and subsequent loss of 

helicopter control. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by September 23, 

2013. 

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 

foreign authority’s 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 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: Matt 

Wilbanks, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Regulations and Policy Group, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

matt.wilbanks@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 EASA AD No. 2011– 

0111R1, dated September 22, 2011, 

which revises EASA AD No. 2011–0111, 

dated June 10, 2011, to correct an unsafe 

condition for certain Model EC135P2+ 

and EC135T2+ helicopters. EASA 


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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 141 / Tuesday, July 23, 2013 / Proposed Rules 44051 

advises that metallic debris was found 

within the air inlet area of both engines 

during a pre-flight check of an EC135 

P2+ helicopter. A subsequent 

investigation showed that the debris 

came from the bearing cage of a ball 

bearing in the air conditioning 

compressor bearing block, and it 

damaged the compressor stage of one of 

the engines to such an extent that the 

engine had to be overhauled, according 

to EASA. 

EASA notes that as this mechanical 

air conditioning system was introduced 

recently on the production line, only a 

limited number of helicopters are 

affected. But if not detected and 

corrected, this unsafe condition ‘‘could 

lead to further cases of bearing case 

failure, possibly resulting in loss of 

engine power and reduced control of the 

helicopter,’’ EASA reports. EASA AD 

No. 2011–0111R1 requires repetitive 

inspections of the affected ball bearing 

for indications that the upper bearing is 

failing and, depending on the findings, 

deactivating the air conditioning 

system. 

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 issued Emergency Alert 

Service Bulletin (EASB) EC 135–21A– 

013, Revision 0, dated June 6, 2011, to 

provide instructions for inspections 

after debris from the bearing cage of a 

ball bearing was found in the air inlet 

area of both engines of an EC135P2+ 

helicopter. Eurocopter followed the 

EASB with Service Bulletin (SB) EC 

135–21–015, Revision 0, dated July 12, 

2011, to introduce the replacement of 

the affected compressor bearing block 

with a ‘‘new, improved’’ compressor 

bearing block. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require, 

within 25 hours time-in-service (TIS), 

visually inspecting the upper bearing for 

corrosion, leaking grease, condensation 

or water—indications that the upper 

bearing is failing. If only condensation 

exists, the proposed AD would require 

repeating the inspection at intervals not 

to exceed 25 hours TIS. If none of those 

conditions exists, the proposed AD 

would require repeating the inspection 

at intervals not to exceed 100 hours TIS. 

If there is water, corrosion, or leaking 

grease, this proposed AD would require 

deactivating the air conditioning 

system. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 1 helicopter of U.S. 

Registry and that labor costs would 

average $85 per work-hour. Based on 

these estimates, we expect the following 

costs: 

• Inspecting the upper bearing for 

corrosion, leaking grease, condensation 

or water would require 4 work-hours for 

a labor cost of $340. No parts would be 

needed. 

• Deactivating the air conditioning 

system would require 6 work-hours for 

a labor cost of $510. No parts would be 

needed. 

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 proposed 

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–2013–0634; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–023–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model EC135P2+ and 

EC135T2+ helicopters, serial numbers 870, 

872, 873, 879, 883, 884, 888, 893, 900, 905, 

911, 914, 916, 917, 923, and 926, with a 

mechanical air conditioning system 

compressor bearing block upper bearing 

(upper bearing) part number L210M1872105 

installed, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

metallic debris in the engine inlet areas. This 

condition could result in failure of an engine, 

loss of engine power, and subsequent loss of 

helicopter control. 

(c) Comments Due Date. 

We must receive comments by September 

23, 2013. 

(d) Compliance 

You are responsible for performing each 

action required by this AD within the 

specified compliance time unless 

accomplished previously. 

(e) Required Actions 

Within 25 hours time-in-service (TIS): 

(1) Visually inspect the upper bearing for 

corrosion, leaking grease, condensation, or 

water. 

(2) If there is condensation but no 

corrosion, leaking grease, or water, repeat 


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44052 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 141 / Tuesday, July 23, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

this inspection at intervals not to exceed 25 

hours TIS. 

(3) If there is no corrosion, leaking grease, 

condensation, or water, repeat this inspection 

at intervals not to exceed 100 hours TIS. 

(4) If there is corrosion, leaking grease, or 

water, deactivate the air conditioning system 

in accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instructions, Section 3.B.3, Paragraphs (a) 

through (ai) of Eurocopter Emergency Alert 

Service Bulletin No. EC 135–21A–013, dated 

June 6, 2011. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Matt Wilbanks, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Regulations and 

Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

matt.wilbanks@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. 

(g) Additional Information 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2011–0111R1, dated September 22, 2011. 

You may view a copy of the EASA AD in the 

AD Docket on the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 2100, air conditioning system. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 11, 

2013. 

Kim Smith, 

Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–17632 Filed 7–22–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0945; Directorate 

Identifier 2010–SW–110–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) Model 

Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking (SNPRM); 

reopening of the comment period. 

SUMMARY: We are revising an earlier 

proposed airworthiness directive (AD) 

for the Sikorsky Model S–70, S–70A, S– 

70C, S–70C (M), and S–70C (M1) 

helicopters with General Electric (GE) 

T700–GE–401C or T700–GE–701C 

engines installed, which proposed 

establishing new fatigue life limits for 

certain GE engine gas generator turbine 

(GGT) rotor parts. The proposed AD was 

prompted by a reevaluation of the 

method for determining the life limit for 

certain GE engine gas generator turbine 

(GGT) rotor parts and the determination 

that these life limits need to be based on 

low cycle fatigue (LCF) events instead of 

hours time-in-service. This action 

would retain the previously proposed 

requirements but correct the life limit 

formula for a certain GGT rotor part. 

The proposed actions are intended to 

prevent fatigue failure of a GGT rotor 

part, engine failure, and subsequent loss 

of control of the helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by September 23, 

2013. 

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 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Davison, Flight Test Engineer, 

New England Regional Office, FAA, 12 

New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA 01803; phone: (781) 

238–7156; fax: (781) 238–7170; email: 

michael.davison@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 

On August 30, 2012, we issued a 

notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) 

(77 FR 55166, September 7, 2012) for 

Sikorsky Model S–70, S–70A, S–70C, S– 

70C (M), and S–70C (M1) helicopters 

with GE T700–GE–401C or T700–GE– 

701C engines installed. The NPRM 

proposed to require establishing a new 

life limit for certain GGT rotor parts 

based upon the accumulated LCF events 

of the GGT rotor parts. The NPRM was 

prompted by the determination that the 

affected engines could fail due to fatigue 

unless the life limits of certain GE 

engine rotor parts are changed from 

hours time-in-service to LCF events. The 

GE T700–GE–701C engine is used in the 

military’s UH–60 fleet. Analysis and 

experience with this engine have caused 

the military to reduce the life limit of 

certain GGT rotor parts and to revise 

their maintenance documentation to 

reflect these revised life limits. The 

Sikorsky Model S–70 helicopters are 

similar to the military’s UH–60 fleet, 

some of which have been certificated by 

the FAA in the restricted category. The 

GE T700–GE–701C engine has not been 

type-certificated by the FAA for civil 

use, except to the extent that it is a part 

of a restricted category Model S–70 

helicopter. 


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