Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 66 / Friday, April 7, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 16895 

prior opportunities for comment 

described above. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25 

Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting 

and recordkeeping requirements. 

■ The authority citation for these 

special conditions is as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701, 

44702, 44704. 

The Special Conditions 

■ Accordingly, pursuant to the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the following special conditions are 

issued as part of the type certification 

basis for Boeing Model 777–200 

airplanes modified by VT DRB Aviation 

Consultants. 

1. For seats with an airbag system in 

the shoulder belts, show that the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt will deploy 

and provide protection under crash 

conditions where it is necessary to 

prevent serious injury. The means of 

protection must take into consideration 

a range of stature from a 2-year-old child 

to a 95th percentile male. The airbag 

system in the shoulder belt must 

provide a consistent approach to energy 

absorption throughout that range of 

occupants. When the seat system 

includes an airbag system, that system 

must be included in each of the 

certification tests as it would be 

installed in the airplane. In addition, the 

following situations must be considered: 

a. The seat occupant is holding an 

infant. 

b. The seat occupant is a pregnant 

woman. 

2. The airbag system in the shoulder 

belt must provide adequate protection 

for each occupant regardless of the 

number of occupants of the seat 

assembly, considering that unoccupied 

seats may have an active airbag system 

in the shoulder belt. 

3. The design must prevent the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt from being 

either incorrectly buckled or incorrectly 

installed, such that the airbag system in 

the shoulder belt would not properly 

deploy. Alternatively, it must be shown 

that such deployment is not hazardous 

to the occupant, and will provide the 

required injury protection. 

4. It must be shown that the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt is not 

susceptible to inadvertent deployment 

as a result of wear and tear, or inertial 

loads resulting from in-flight or ground 

maneuvers (including gusts and hard 

landings), and other operating and 

environmental conditions (vibrations, 

moisture, etc.) likely to occur in service. 

5. Deployment of the airbag system in 

the shoulder belt must not injure the 

seated occupant, including injuries that 

could impede rapid egress. This 

assessment should include an occupant 

whose belt is loosely fastened. 

6. It must be shown that inadvertent 

deployment of the airbag system in the 

shoulder belt, during the most critical 

part of the flight, will either meet the 

requirement of § 25.1309(b) or not cause 

a hazard to the airplane or its occupants. 

7. It must be shown that the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt will not 

impede rapid egress of occupants 10 

seconds after airbag deployment. 

8. The airbag system must be 

protected from lightning and highintensity radiated fields (HIRF). The 

threats to the airplane specified in 

existing regulations regarding lighting, 

§ 25.1316, and HIRF, § 25.1317, are 

incorporated by reference for the 

purpose of measuring lightning and 

HIRF protection. 

9. The airbag system in the shoulder 

belt must function properly after loss of 

normal aircraft electrical power, and 

after a transverse separation of the 

fuselage at the most critical location. A 

separation at the location of the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt does not 

have to be considered. 

10. It must be shown that the airbag 

system in the shoulder belt will not 

release hazardous quantities of gas or 

particulate matter into the cabin. 

11. The airbag system in the shoulderbelt installation must be protected from 

the effects of in-flight fire such that no 

hazard to occupants will result. 

12. A means must be available for a 

crewmember to verify the integrity of 

the airbag system in the shoulder-belt 

activation system prior to each flight, or 

it must be demonstrated to reliably 

operate between inspection intervals. 

The FAA considers that the loss of the 

airbag-system deployment function 

alone (i.e., independent of the 

conditional event that requires the 

airbag-system deployment) is a majorfailure condition. 

13. The inflatable material may not 

have an average burn rate of greater than 

2.5 inches/minute when tested using the 

horizontal flammability test defined in 

part 25, appendix F, part I, paragraph 

(b)(5). 

14. The airbag system in the shoulder 

belt, once deployed, must not adversely 

affect the emergency-lighting system 

(i.e., block floor proximity lights to the 

extent that the lights no longer meet 

their intended function). 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on March 

31, 2017. 

Michael Kaszycki, 

Assistant Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–06930 Filed 4–6–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2016–3257; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–SW–072–AD; Amendment 

39–18846; AD 2017–07–08] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Helicopters Deutschland GmbH 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Airbus 

Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (Airbus 

Helicopters) Model MBB–BK 117 D–2 

helicopters. This AD requires 

repetitively inspecting the engine mount 

bushings. This AD was prompted by 

reports of delaminated and worn 

bushings. The actions of this AD are 

intended to prevent an unsafe condition 

on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective May 12, 

2017. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Airbus Helicopters, 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 a copy of the 

referenced service information at the 

FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood 

Pkwy, Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 

76177. 

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–2016– 

3257; 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 European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) AD, the 

economic evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

Office (phone: 800–647–5527) is U.S. 


nlaroche on DSK30NT082PROD with RULES
16896 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 66 / Friday, April 7, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

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: Matt 

Fuller, Senior Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Safety Management Group, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, FAA, 10101 Hillwood 

Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone 

(817) 222–5110; email matthew.fuller@

faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On November 21, 2016, at 81 FR 

83182, the Federal Register published 

our notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM), which proposed to amend 14 

CFR part 39 by adding an AD that 

would apply to Airbus Helicopters 

Model MBB–BK 117 D–2 helicopters 

with a bushing part number 105–60386 

installed. The NPRM proposed to 

require repetitively inspecting the 

bushings of the inner and outer forward 

trusses of both engines and repairing or 

replacing the bushings, depending on 

the outcome of the inspections. The 

proposed requirements were intended to 

detect delaminated engine mount 

bushings, which can lead to excessive 

vibration, cracking, failure of the engine 

mount front support pins, and loss of 

helicopter control. 

The NPRM was prompted by AD No. 

2015–0198, dated September 30, 2015, 

issued by EASA, which is the Technical 

Agent for the Member States of the 

European Union. EASA advises of 

delaminated engine mount bushings. 

According to EASA, this condition 

could lead to cracks and eventually 

failure of the engine mount front 

support pins, possibly resulting in loss 

of helicopter control. 

The EASA AD consequently requires 

repetitive inspections of the engine 

mount bushings and depending of the 

findings, repairing or replacing the 

bushings. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

received one comment. However, the 

comment addressed neither the 

proposed actions nor the determination 

of the cost to the public. Therefore, we 

have made no changes to this AD. 

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 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 

these same type designs and that air 

safety and the public interest require 

adopting the AD requirements as 

proposed. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

The EASA AD allows for a 10 hour 

time-in-service, non-cumulative 

tolerance for its required compliance 

times. This AD does not. 

Related Service Information 

We reviewed Airbus Helicopters Alert 

Service Bulletin (ASB) MBB–BK117 D– 

2–71A–002, Revision 0, dated 

September 28, 2015, for Model MBB–BK 

117 D–2 helicopters. The ASB 

introduces repetitive visual inspections 

of the engine mount bushings for 

defects, deformation, separation of the 

rubber, and missing rubber after reports 

of delaminated engine mount bushings 

and bushings with damage to the metal 

inner sleeve. If there is any deformation 

or separation of the rubber, the ASB 

specifies performing a detailed 

inspection of the bushing in accordance 

with the aircraft maintenance manual. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 5 

helicopters of U.S. Registry and that 

labor costs average $85 per work hour. 

Based on these estimates, we expect the 

following costs: 

• Inspecting the bushings requires 1 

work hour. No parts are needed, for a 

total cost of $85 per helicopter and $425 

for the U.S. fleet. 

• Replacing a bushing requires 1 

work hour and $373 for parts, for a total 

cost of $458 per bushing. 

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 

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 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: 

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): 

2017–07–08 Airbus Helicopters 

Deutschland GmbH: Amendment 39– 

18846; Docket No. FAA–2016–3257; 

Directorate Identifier 2015–SW–072–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Airbus Helicopters 

Deutschland GmbH Model MBB–BK 117 D– 

2 helicopters with a bushing part number 

105–60386 installed, certificated in any 

category. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 66 / Friday, April 7, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 16897 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

delaminated engine mount bushing. This 

condition could result in excessive vibration, 

which could lead to cracking and failure of 

the engine mount front support pins, and loss 

of helicopter control. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective May 12, 2017. 

(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 

Within 50 hours time-in-service (TIS) and 

thereafter at intervals not to exceed 50 hours 

TIS: 

(1) Visually inspect each engine mount 

bushing (bushing) for separation of the 

rubber from the metal or missing rubber. 

(2) If any rubber has separated from the 

metal or if there is missing rubber, inspect 

the bushing for deformation, corrosion, and 

mechanical damage. 

(i) Replace the bushing with an airworthy 

bushing if there is any deformation, 

separation of the rubber from the metal, 

corrosion, or mechanical damage, or repair 

the bushing if the deformation, separation of 

the rubber, corrosion, or mechanical damage 

is within the maximum repair damage 

limitations. 

(ii) If the inner and outer parts of the 

bushing are separated with missing rubber, 

replace the bushing with an airworthy 

bushing. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Matt Fuller, 

Senior Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety 

Management Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 

76177; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 9- 

ASW-FTW-AMOC-Requests@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) Airbus Helicopters Alert Service 

Bulletin ASB MBB–BK117 D–2–71A–002, 

Revision 0, dated September 28, 2015, which 

is not incorporated by reference, contains 

additional information about the subject of 

this AD. For service information identified in 

AD, contact Airbus Helicopters, 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 the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 

Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, 

TX 76177. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2015–0198, dated September 30, 2015. 

You may view the EASA AD on the Internet 

at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. 

FAA–2016–3257. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 7200, Engine (Turbine, Turboprop). 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 29, 

2017. 

Scott A. Horn, 

Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–06706 Filed 4–6–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–7095; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–SW–085–AD; Amendment 

39–18848; AD 2017–07–09] 

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 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model S–92A helicopters. This AD 

requires removing from service the tail 

gearbox center housing (housing) when 

it has 12,200 or more hours time-inservice (TIS). This AD was prompted by 

fatigue analysis conducted by Sikorsky 

that determined the housing required a 

retirement life. The actions are intended 

to prevent an unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: This AD is effective May 12, 

2017. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, Customer 

Service Engineering, 124 Quarry Road, 

Trumbull, CT 06611; telephone 1–800- 

Winged-S or 203–416–4299; email: wcs_

cust_service_eng.gr-sik@lmco.com. You 

may review a copy of the referenced 

service information at the FAA, Office 

of the Regional Counsel, Southwest 

Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 

6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. 

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– 

7095; 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 (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: 

Kristopher Greer, Aerospace Engineer, 

Boston Aircraft Certification Office, 

Engine & Propeller Directorate, FAA, 

1200 District Avenue, Burlington, 

Massachusetts 01803; telephone 781– 

238–7799; email Kristopher.Greer@

faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On August 30, 2016, at 81 FR 59526, 

the Federal Register published our 

notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), 

which proposed to amend 14 CFR part 

39 by adding an AD that would apply 

to Sikorsky Model S–92A helicopters 

with a housing part number (P/N) 

92358–06107–043 installed. The NPRM 

proposed to require removing from 

service any housing with 12,200 or more 

hours TIS. The NPRM was prompted by 

fatigue analysis conducted by Sikorsky 

that determined the housing required a 

retirement life. The proposed actions 

were intended to prevent a crack in the 

housing, which could lead to loss of tail 

rotor drive and loss of helicopter 

control. 

Comments 

After our NPRM was published, we 

received a comment from Sikorsky. 

Request 

Sikorsky requested a minimum 45- 

day extension of the comment period. In 

support of this request, Sikorsky stated 

it is re-evaluating the housing’s 12,200- 

hour life limit due to an error in the 

measured flight test loads used in the 

structural fatigue substantiation. When 

asked for additional information, 

Sikorsky advised that it had completed 

its re-evaluation and determined that 

the 12,200-hour life limit was, in fact, 

correct. 

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 


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