Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 93 / Thursday, May 14, 2015 / Proposed Rules 27605 

(2) For Boeing service information 

identified in this AD, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data & 

Services Management, P.O. Box 3707, MC 

2H–65, Seattle, WA 98124–2207; telephone 

206–544–5000, extension 1; fax 206–766– 

5680; Internet https://

www.myboeingfleet.com. For GE Aviation 

service information identified in this 

proposed AD, contact GE Aviation Fleet 

Support, 1 Neumann Way, Cincinnati, OH 

45215; telephone 513–552–3272; Email: 

aviation.fleetsupport@ge.com; Internet http:// 

www.geaviation.com. You may view this 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, Washington. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on April 28, 

2015. 

Michael Kaszycki, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–10469 Filed 5–13–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–1480; Directorate 

Identifier 2014–SW–071–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Helicopters (Previously Eurocopter 

France) 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to supersede 

airworthiness directive (AD) 2002–13– 

11 for Eurocopter France (now Airbus 

Helicopters) Model EC120B helicopters. 

AD 2002–13–11 currently requires 

installing front and side covers on the 

cabin floor to protect the yaw control at 

both the pilot and co-pilot stations. 

Since we issued AD 2002–13–11, we 

have determined that the required 

actions should apply only to the cabin’s 

right-hand pilot station. This proposed 

AD would retain the requirements of AD 

2002–13–11 but for only the pilot 

station. These proposed actions are 

intended to prevent an object from 

sliding between the canopy and the 

cabin floor, loss of yaw control, and 

subsequent loss of helicopter control. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by July 13, 2015. 

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 

Direction Generale De L’Aviation Civile 

(DGAC) AD, the economic evaluation, 

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 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 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: 

Robert Grant, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Safety Management Group, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

robert.grant@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 June 25, 2002, we issued AD 

2002–13–11, Amendment 39–12799 (67 

FR 45295, July 9, 2002) for certain 

serial-numbered Eurocopter France 

(now Airbus Helicopters) Model 

EC120B helicopters. AD 2002–13–11 

requires installing front and side covers 

to protect the yaw control at the pilot 

and co-pilot flight control stations. AD 

2002–13–11 was prompted by a report 

of a mobile phone falling between the 

windshield canopy and the cabin floor, 

jamming the yaw control pedal. Those 

actions were intended to prevent an 

object from sliding between the canopy 

and the cabin floor, loss of yaw control, 

and subsequent loss of helicopter 

control. 

AD 2002–13–11 was prompted by AD 

No. 2001–386–007(A), dated September 

5, 2001, issued by the DGAC, the 

airworthiness authority for France, to 

correct an unsafe condition for the 

Model EC120B helicopter. The DGAC 

advises of a yaw-control jamming 

caused by an object that slid between 

the canopy and the cabin floor. 

The DGAC AD required that front and 

lateral protections be installed no later 

than December 31, 2001, in compliance 

with paragraph 2.B of Eurocopter Alert 

Service Bulletin No. 67A005, Revision 

0, dated July 30, 2001. DGAC revised its 

AD and issued AD 2001–386–007(A) R1, 

dated February 6, 2002 (AD 2001–386– 

007(A)R1), which extended the 

compliance deadline to February 28, 

2002. 

Actions Since AD 2002–13–11 Was 

Issued 

Since we issued AD 2002–13–11 (67 

FR 45295, July 9, 2002), we have 

determined that the front and side 

protections are required only at the pilot 

station. Therefore, we are proposing to 

remove the final sentence in paragraph 

(a) of the Compliance section of the AD, 

which requires that if the helicopter has 

flight controls at both the pilot and copilot stations, the protections must be 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
27606 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 93 / Thursday, May 14, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

installed at both stations. Also, since we 

issued AD 2002–13–11, the format in 

which we issue ADs has been revised, 

resulting in changes to the content and 

ordering of the AD paragraphs. 

Eurocopter France has also changed its 

name to Airbus Helicopters. This 

proposed AD reflects that change and 

updates the contact information to 

obtain service documentation. 

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, the DGAC, 

which was France’s technical 

representative when AD 2001–386– 

007(A)R1 was issued, 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 Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed Eurocopter Alert Service 

Bulletin No. 67A005, Revision 0, dated 

July 30, 2001 (ASB), which specifies 

installing a front and side protection on 

the cabin floor to protect the yaw 

control. The DGAC classified this ASB 

as mandatory and issued AD No. 2001– 

386–007(A), dated September 5, 2001, 

and AD 2001–386–007(A)R1, dated 

February 6, 2002, to ensure the 

continued airworthiness of these 

helicopters in France. 

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 of 

this NPRM. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require, 

within 90 days, installing front and side 

covers (protections) on the cabin floor at 

the pilot station to protect the yaw 

control. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 37 helicopters of U.S. 

Registry and that labor costs would 

average $85 a work-hour. Required parts 

would cost about $584 and it would 

take about 2 work-hours to accomplish 

the proposed actions. Based on these 

figures, we estimate that the total cost of 

this proposed AD would be $754 per 

helicopter and $27,898 for the U.S. fleet. 

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 

removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

2002–13–11, Amendment 39–12799 (67 

FR 45295, July 9, 2002), and adding the 

following new AD: 

Airbus Helicopters (Previously Eurocopter 

France): Docket No. FAA–2015–1480; 

Directorate Identifier 2014–SW–071–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model EC120B 

helicopters, serial numbers 1001 through 

1278, inclusive, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as an 

object sliding between the canopy and the 

cabin floor. This condition could result in 

loss of yaw control and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

(c) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 2002–13–11, 

Amendment 39–12799 (67 FR 45295, July 9, 

2002). 

(d) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by July 13, 

2015. 

(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 

Within 90 days, install front and side 

covers (protections) to protect the yaw 

control in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 

2.B., of Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin No. 

67A005, Revision 0, dated July 30, 2001 

(ASB), except the correct reference to the 

Aircraft Maintenance Manual in 

subparagraph 2.B.2 of the ASB is 20–10–00, 

3–8. 

(g) 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, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137; telephone (817) 222– 

5110; email robert.grant@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. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 93 / Thursday, May 14, 2015 / Proposed Rules 27607 

(h) Additional Information 

The subject of this AD is addressed in the 

Direction General De L’Aviation Civile 

(DGAC) AD No. 67A005, Revision 1, dated 

February 6, 2002. You may view the DGAC 

AD on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FAA– 

2015–1480. 

(i) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 2500, Cabin Equipment/Furnishings. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 1, 

2015. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–11522 Filed 5–13–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–1417; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–NM–159–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to supersede 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2004–20– 

14, for all Airbus Model A300 B4–2C, 

B4–103, and B4–203 airplanes; and all 

Model A300 B4–600, B4–600R, and F4– 

600R series airplanes. AD 2004–20–14 

requires repetitive inspections to detect 

cracking of the splice fitting at fuselage 

frame (FR) 47 between stringers 24 and 

26 (left- and right-hand sides), and 

corrective actions if necessary. Since we 

issued AD 2004–20–14, we have 

determined that the inspection 

compliance time and repetitive 

inspection interval must be reduced to 

allow timely detection of cracks in the 

splice fitting at fuselage FR 47. This 

proposed AD would reduce the 

inspection compliance time and 

repetitive inspection intervals, and add 

Model A300 C4–605R Variant F 

airplanes to the applicability. We are 

proposing this AD to detect and correct 

cracking of the splice fitting at fuselage 

FR 47, which could result in reduced 

structural integrity of the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by June 29, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments 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, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Airbus SAS, 

Airworthiness Office—EAW, 1 Rond 

Point Maurice Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac 

Cedex, France; telephone +33 5 61 93 36 

96; fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; email 

account.airworth-eas@airbus.com; 

Internet http://www.airbus.com. You 

may view this service information at the 

FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 425–227– 

1221. 

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 

regulatory 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: Dan 

Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; telephone 425–227–2125; 

fax 425–227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposed AD. Send your comments 

to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2015–1417; Directorate Identifier 

2013–NM–159–AD’’ at the beginning of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed AD based on 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 proposed AD. 

Discussion 

On September 30, 2004, we issued AD 

2004–20–14, Amendment 39–13819 (69 

FR 60809, October 13, 2004), which 

superseded AD 2001–03–14, 

Amendment 39–12118 (66 FR 10957, 

February 21, 2001). AD 2004–20–14 

requires actions intended to address an 

unsafe condition on all Airbus Model 

A300 B4–2C, B4–103, and B4–203 

airplanes; and all Model A300 B4–600, 

B4–600R, and F4–600R series airplanes. 

Since we issued AD 2004–20–14, 

Amendment 39–13819 (69 FR 60809, 

October 13, 2004), we have determined 

that the inspection compliance time and 

repetitive inspection interval must be 

reduced to allow timely detection of 

cracks in the splice fitting at fuselage FR 

47, and that Model A300 C4–605R 

Variant F airplanes must be added to the 

applicability. 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA Airworthiness 

Directive 2013–0184R1, dated August 

22, 2013 (referred to after this as the 

Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness 

Information, or ‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct 

an unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

In order to prevent crack development in 

the fastener holes at Frame (FR) 47 splicing 

joint on A300 aeroplanes, Airbus developed 

modification (Mod) 5890 for aeroplanes in 

production and issued corresponding Service 

Bulletin (SB) A300–53–0199 for aeroplanes 

in service. 

Subsequently, cracks were found on FR47 

splice fitting between stringers (STRG) 24 

and 26 on A300 aeroplanes previously 

modified by SB A300–53–0199. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could reduce the structural 

integrity of the aeroplane. 

To address this potential unsafe condition, 

DGAC [Direction Ge ́ne ́rale de l’Aviation 

Civile] France issued AD 2002–184 http://

ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/2002184tb_

superseded.pdf/AD_F-2002-184_2 [which 

corresponds to FAA AD 2004–20–14, 

Amendment 39–13819 (69 FR 60809, October 

13, 2004)], superseding [DGAC France] AD 

85–152–069 and [DGAC France] AD 1999– 

515–298 [which corresponds to FAA AD 

2001–03–14, Amendment 39–12118 (66 FR 

10957, February 21, 2001)], to require 

repetitive High Frequency Eddy Current 

(HFEC) rotating probe inspections of the 

splice fitting between STRG 24 and 26 and, 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS