64706 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 205 / Tuesday, October 23, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

feed of the fuel system, and all applicable 

corrective actions, in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 747–28A2331, dated April 2, 

2012. Do all applicable corrective actions 

before further flight. Repeat the operational 

test thereafter at intervals not to exceed 

30,000 flight hours. Thereafter, except as 

provided in paragraph (h) of this AD, no 

alternative procedure or repetitive test 

intervals will be allowed. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft 

Certification Office (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 the 

Related Information section of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-ANMSeattle-ACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov. 

(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 Sue Lucier, Aerospace Engineer, 

Propulsion Branch, ANM–140S, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057– 

3356; phone: 425–917–6438; fax: 425–917– 

6590; email: suzanne.lucier@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) Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 747– 

28A2331, dated April 2, 2012. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(3) For 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. 

(4) You may review copies of the 

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. 

(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 Renton, Washington, on October 

5, 2012. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–25674 Filed 10–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–1128; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–064–AD; Amendment 

39–17225; AD 2012–21–09] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model 

EC225 helicopters with certain epicyclic 

modules installed. This AD requires 

inspecting the epicyclic module for the 

presence of a through-hole upstream of 

the magnetic plug. This AD is prompted 

by a report of a missing through-hole 

between the integrated collector and the 

magnetic plug, which would prevent the 

flow of chips from the integrated 

collector to the magnetic plug. This 

could result in the chip-detector system 

failing to detect deterioration of the 

main rotor mast lift bearing (lift 

bearing). These actions are intended to 

detect a missing through-hole and 

prevent lift bearing failure and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

November 7, 2012. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by December 24, 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 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 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: Rao 

Edupuganti, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Regulations and Policy Group, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

rao.edupuganti@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

This AD is a final rule that involves 

requirements affecting flight safety, and 

we did not provide you with notice and 

an opportunity to provide your 

comments prior to it becoming effective. 

However, 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 resulted from 

adopting this AD. The most helpful 

comments reference a specific portion of 

the AD, 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 them 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 

rulemaking during the comment period. 

We will consider all the comments we 

receive and may conduct additional 

rulemaking based on those comments. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 205 / Tuesday, October 23, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 64707 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA Emergency AD 

No. 2012–0144–E, dated August 1, 2012 

(EAD 2012–0144–E), to correct an 

unsafe condition for Eurocopter Model 

EC225 LP helicopters, delivered before 

August 1, 2012, with an epicyclic 

module part number (P/N) 332A32– 

5021–00 or P/N 332A32–5021–01 

installed. EASA advises that the main 

rotor transmission incorporates a metal 

chip detection system to detect possible 

metal deterioration inside the assembly. 

EASA states the tapered housing of the 

epicyclic module is fitted with a 

magnetic plug, located downstream of 

the integrated collector, designed to 

detect possible deterioration of the lift 

bearing by attracting any metallic 

particles or chips suspended in the oil 

flow. According to EASA, it was 

reported that the hole joining the 

integrated collector and the magnetic 

plug was not a through hole, which 

prevented oil flow to the magnetic plug. 

This condition resulted in a functional 

loss of the magnetic plug to detect any 

particles or chips which may have been 

shed by the lift bearing. Because the root 

cause of the missing through-hole has 

not been identified, and is still under 

investigation, it cannot be determined if 

this unsafe condition is limited to one 

helicopter. This condition, if not 

corrected, could result in failure of the 

main rotor transmission and subsequent 

loss of control of the helicopter. To 

address this condition, EAD 2012– 

0144–E requires inspecting for the 

presence of a through hole between the 

integrated collector and the magnetic 

plug in the epicyclic module. If the 

through hole is missing, EAD 2012– 

0144–E requires repetitive inspections 

of the two rotor revolution (NR) sensors 

for the presence of any particles. 

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 

the same type design. 

Related Service Information 

Eurocopter has published Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin (EASB) No. 

63A011, Revision 0, dated August 1, 

2012, for Model EC225 helicopters. The 

EASB describes procedures to inspect 

the epicyclic module chip detection 

system for the presence of a throughhole in the tapered housing. The EASB 

also describes procedures for a 

repetitive inspection for any chips on 

the two NR sensors if the through-hole 

is not present. 

EASA classified this ASB as 

mandatory and issued EAD 2012–0144– 

E to ensure the continued airworthiness 

of these helicopters. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires, within 10 hours 

time-in-service (TIS), inspecting the 

epicyclic module for a through-hole 

above the magnetic plug. If the hole is 

not a through-hole, this AD requires 

replacing the epicyclic module before 

further flight. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

If there is not a through-hole in the 

epicyclic module, the EASA AD 

requires a repetitive inspection for any 

chips on the two NR sensors, while this 

AD requires replacing the epicyclic 

module. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 3 

helicopters of U.S. Registry. We estimate 

that operators may incur the following 

costs in order to comply with this AD. 

Inspecting the epicyclic module will 

require .5 work-hour, at an average labor 

rate of $85 per hour, for a cost of $43 

per helicopter, and a total cost to U.S. 

operators of $129. If required, replacing 

the epicyclic module will require 10 

work-hours, at an average labor rate of 

$85 per hour, and required parts will 

cost $554,204, for a total cost per 

helicopter of $555,054. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

Providing an opportunity for public 

comments prior to adopting these AD 

requirements would delay 

implementing the safety actions needed 

to correct this known unsafe condition. 

Therefore, we find that the risk to the 

flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to the adoption of 

this rule because the required corrective 

actions must be accomplished within 10 

hours TIS. 

Since an unsafe condition exists that 

requires the immediate adoption of this 

AD, we determined that notice and 

opportunity for public comment before 

issuing this AD are impracticable and 

that good cause exists for making this 

amendment effective in less than 30 

days. 

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 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, 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: 


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64708 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 205 / Tuesday, October 23, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

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): 

2012–21–09 Eurocopter France: 

Amendment 39–17225; Docket No. 

FAA–2012–1128; Directorate Identifier 

2012–SW–064–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Eurocopter France 

(Eurocopter) Model EC225 LP helicopters, 

with an epicyclic module, part number (P/N) 

332A32–5021–00 or 332A32–5021–01, 

installed, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

missing through-hole, joining the integrated 

collector to the magnetic plug. This condition 

could result in failure of the chip-detector 

system to detect deterioration of the main 

rotor mast lift bearing, failure of the lift 

bearing, and subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective November 7, 

2012. 

(d) 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. 

(e) Required Actions 

(1) Within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS), 

inspect the tapered housing of the epicyclic 

module to determine if there is a throughhole upstream of the magnetic plug. 

(i) Remove the magnetic plug and support 

from the housing. 

(ii) Determine if the hole above the 

magnetic plug is a through-hole as shown in 

figures 1 and 2 to paragraph (e)(1)(ii) of this 

AD. 

(2) If the hole above the magnetic plug is 

not a through-hole, before further flight, 

replace the epicyclic module with an 

airworthy epicyclic module. 

(3) Do not install an epicyclic module, P/ 

N 332A32–5021–00 or 332A32–5021–01, on 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 205 / Tuesday, October 23, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 64709 

any helicopter unless it has been inspected 

as required by this AD. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Rao Edupuganti, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Regulations and 

Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email rao.

edupuganti@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 

(1) Eurocopter Emergency Alert Service 

Bulletin No. 63A011, Revision 0, dated 

August 1, 2012, which is not incorporated by 

reference, contains additional information 

about the subject of this AD. 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. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency AD No. 

2012–0144–E, dated August 1, 2012. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6320: Main Rotor Gearbox. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 15, 

2012. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–25894 Filed 10–22–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0342; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–SW–028–AD; Amendment 

39–17216; AD 2012–21–01] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; MD 

Helicopters, Inc. 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) to 

supersede an existing airworthiness 

directive for MD Helicopters, Inc. 

(MDHI), Model MD900 helicopters. The 

existing AD requires a visual inspection, 

and if necessary, an eddy current 

inspection of the main rotor lower hub 

assembly (lower hub) for a crack. If a 

crack exists, the AD requires replacing 

the lower hub with an airworthy lower 

hub before further flight. Because that 

AD was immediately effective, we 

declined to require certain long-term 

actions prior to public comment. This 

superseding AD will require the same 

inspections as the existing AD but will 

also require long-term recurring 

inspections and replacing the lower hub 

with an airworthy lower hub. We are 

issuing this AD to detect a crack in the 

lower hub and prevent failure of the 

lower hub and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

DATES: This AD is effective November 

27, 2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain documents listed in this AD 

as of November 27, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact MD 

Helicopters Inc., Attn: Customer 

Support Division, 4555 E. McDowell 

Rd., Mail Stop M615, Mesa, AZ 85215– 

9734, telephone 1–800–388–3378, fax 

480–346–6813, or at http:// 

www.mdhelicopters.com. 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. 

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 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: Eric 

Schrieber, Aviation Safety Engineer, Los 

Angeles Aircraft Certification Office, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

3960 Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, CA 

90712; telephone (562) 627–5348; email 

eric.schrieber@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On March 29, 2012, at 77 FR 18963, 

the Federal Register published our 

notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), 

which proposed to amend 14 CFR part 

39 to include an AD that would apply 

to MDHI Model MD900 helicopters. 

That NPRM proposed to supersede an 

existing AD to require the same 

inspections as the existing AD but also 

require recurring inspections and 

replacing the lower hub with an 

airworthy lower hub. The proposed 

requirements were intended to detect a 

crack in the lower hub and prevent 

failure of the lower hub and subsequent 

loss of control of the helicopter. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD, but 

we received no comments on the NPRM. 

FAA’s Determination 

We have reviewed the relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other products of 

these same type designs and that air 

safety and the public interest require 

adopting the AD requirements as 

proposed. 

Related Service Information 

We reviewed MDHI Service Bulletin 

SB900–117, dated January 14, 2011 

(SB). The SB specifies an initial 100- 

hour and recurring 300-hour visual and 

eddy current inspections of the lower 

hub for a crack and, if a crack exists, 

replacement of the lower hub with an 

airworthy lower hub. The SB requires 

the inspections at the stated intervals or 

during the next annual inspection, 

whichever occurs first. The SB also 

specifies replacing the lower hub within 

three years. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

12 helicopters of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this AD: 

• Visually inspecting the hub. We 

estimate that will take one work-hour at 

$85 an hour, for a total cost per 

helicopter of $85 and a total cost of 

$1,020 for the fleet. 

• Eddy current inspecting the lower 

hub. We estimate that will take one 

work-hour at $85 an hour, for a total 

cost per helicopter of $85 and a total 

cost of $1,020 for the fleet. 

• Replacing the lower hub. We 

estimate that will take 11 work-hours at 

$85 an hour for a total labor cost of 

$935, and that parts will cost $12,480 

per hub, for a total cost of $13,415 per 


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