12804 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 

049, dated April 30, 2014, are co-published 

as one document. 

(3) For MD Helicopters service information 

identified in this final rule, 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. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, 

Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (817) 222–5110. 

(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 Fort Worth, Texas, on March 1, 

2016. 

Scott A. Horn, 

Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–04982 Filed 3–10–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–4381; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–SW–009–AD;Amendment 

39–18428; AD 2016–05–10] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

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 Airbus 

Helicopters Model AS 365 N3, EC 155B, 

and EC155B1 helicopters with certain 

external life rafts. This AD requires 

installing a sheath kit on the left-hand 

and right-hand raft deployment control 

systems. This AD is prompted by a 

report that the life raft deployment 

control could not be adjusted due to 

problems with the life raft deployment 

linkage. This unsafe condition, if not 

corrected, could result in failure of the 

external life raft to deploy and prevent 

evacuation of passengers during an 

emergency. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

March 28, 2016. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain documents listed in this AD 

as of March 28, 2016. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by May 10, 2016. 

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 by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2015– 

4381; 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, any 

incorporated by reference service 

information, 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 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 the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

10101 Hillwood Pkwy, Room 6N–321, 

Fort Worth, TX 76177. It is also on the 

Internet at http://www.regulations.gov 

by searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2015–4381. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David Hatfield, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Safety Management Group, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 10101 

Hillwood Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76177; 

telephone (817) 222–5116; email 

david.hatfield@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. 

Discussion 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA AD No. 2015– 

0048, dated March 17, 2015, to correct 

an unsafe condition for Airbus 

Helicopters Model AS 365 N3, EC 155B, 

and EC155B1 helicopters. EASA advises 

that after installation of a new life raft 

on a helicopter, the travel of the life raft 

deployment control could not be 

properly adjusted, putting at risk proper 

life raft inflation. According to a 

technical analysis, the varying positions 

of the life raft inflation cylinder inside 

the bag containing the life raft, as well 

as the varying positions of the bag 

within the life raft container, may cause 

the life raft deployment control cable to 

loosen and travel insufficiently. 

This condition could result in failure 

of the external life raft to deploy after a 

ditching, impeding or preventing the 

safe evacuation of helicopter occupants, 

EASA states. EASA consequently 

requires alteration of the life raft 

deployment control by installing a 

sheath kit, which Airbus Helicopters 

identifies as Modification 

365A084711.00 and 365A084711.01. 

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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 12805 

provided by EASA and determined the 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other helicopters of 

these same type designs. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed Airbus Helicopters Alert 

Service Bulletin (ASB) No. AS365– 

25.01.45 and ASB No. EC155–25A128, 

both Revision 1, and both dated 

February 2, 2015. The service 

information reports that the position of 

the life raft inflation cylinder may 

slacken the deployment control cable 

for new life rafts installed on Model AS 

365 N3, EC 155B, and EC155B1 

helicopters. In one instance, travel of 

the life raft deployment control could 

not be adjusted as stated in the 

maintenance manual. This anomaly is 

due to the varying positions of the 

inflation cylinder inside the bag that 

contains the life raft, and the varying 

positions of the bag inside the container, 

related to the installation and removal 

of optional equipment, calendar 

overhauls, life raft storage, shock 

impacts, and in-flight vibrations. Airbus 

Helicopters consequently developed 

modification 365A084711.00 and 

365A084711.01, which ensure sufficient 

travel of the life raft deployment control 

cable in all positions of the inflation 

cylinder by installing an improved 

sheath kit on the left hand and right 

hand deployment controls. 

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. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires, before the next 

flight over water, installing a sheath kit 

on the left-hand and right-hand raft 

deployment controls. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

The EASA AD requires installing a 

sheath kit on the left-hand and righthand raft deployment controls within 

110 hours time-in-service or before 

further flight for helicopters required to 

have life rafts, whichever occurs later. 

This AD requires installing a sheath kit 

on the left-hand and right-hand raft 

deployment controls before the next 

flight over water. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 23 helicopters of U.S. Registry 

and that labor costs average $85 per 

work-hour. Based on these estimates, we 

expect that installing the sheath kits 

requires 4 work-hours and a parts cost 

of $50 for a total cost of $390 per 

helicopter and $8,970 for the U.S. fleet. 

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 many of the affected 

helicopters are located along major 

waterways, and the required corrective 

actions must be accomplished before the 

next flight over water. 

Since an unsafe condition exists that 

requires the immediate adoption of this 

AD, we determined that notice and 

opportunity for prior public comment 

before issuing this AD are impracticable 

and contrary to the public interest and 

that good cause exists to make this AD 

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: 

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): 

2016–05–10 Airbus Helicopters: 

Amendment 39–18428; Docket No. 

FAA–2015–4381; Directorate Identifier 

2015–SW–009–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Airbus Helicopters 

Model AS 365 N3, EC 155B, and EC155B1 

helicopters with an external life raft part 

number 245431–0, 245431–1, 245434–0, or 

245434–1 installed, certificated in any 

category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as an 

external life raft’s failure to deploy. This 

condition could prevent the safe evacuation 

of helicopter occupants during an emergency 

landing in water. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective March 28, 2016. 

(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 

Before the next flight over water, install a 

sheath kit on each left-hand and right-hand 

life raft deployment control in accordance 

with the Accomplishment Instructions, 

paragraph 3.B.2, of Airbus Helicopters Alert 

Service Bulletin (ASB) No. AS365–25.01.45, 

Revision 1, dated February 2, 2015, or ASB 

No. EC155–25A128, Revision 1, dated 

February 2, 2015, whichever is applicable to 

your helicopter. 


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12806 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 48 / Friday, March 11, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: David Hatfield, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management 

Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 10101 

Hillwood Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76177; 

telephone (817) 222–5116; email 9-ASWFTW-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 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2015–0048, dated March 17, 2015. You 

may view the EASA AD on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating it in Docket No. FAA–2015– 

4381. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: Life Raft, 2564. 

(i) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 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) Airbus Helicopters Alert Service 

Bulletin No. AS365–25.01.45, Revision 1, 

dated February 2, 2015. 

(ii) Airbus Helicopters Alert Service 

Bulletin No. EC155–25A128, Revision 1, 

dated February 2, 2015. 

(3) For Airbus Helicopters 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. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, 

Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (817) 222–5110. 

(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 Fort Worth, Texas, on February 

29, 2016. 

Scott A. Horn, 

Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–04981 Filed 3–10–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–0248; Directorate 

Identifier 2014–NM–143–AD; Amendment 

39–18410; AD 2016–04–16] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2013–08– 

23 for all The Boeing Company Model 

DC–10–10, DC–10–10F, DC–10–15, DC– 

10–30, DC–10–30F (KC–10A and KDC– 

10), DC–10–40, DC–10–40F, MD–10– 

10F, MD–10–30F, MD–11, and MD–11F 

airplanes. AD 2013–08–23 required 

adding design features to detect 

electrical faults and to detect a pump 

running in an empty fuel tank. This new 

AD would clarify certain requirements 

and remove a terminating action. This 

new AD would also provide an optional 

method of compliance for the proposed 

actions. This AD was prompted by a 

determination that it is necessary to 

clarify the requirements for the design 

features and to remove a terminating 

action for certain inspections. We are 

issuing this AD to reduce the potential 

of ignition sources inside fuel tanks, 

which, in combination with flammable 

fuel vapors, could result in fuel tank 

explosions and consequent loss of the 

airplane. 

DATES: This AD is effective April 15, 

2016. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in this AD 

as of April 15, 2016. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes, 

Attention: Data & Services Management, 

3855 Lakewood Boulevard, MC D800– 

0019, Long Beach, CA 90846–0001; 

telephone 206–544–5000, extension 2; 

fax 206–766–5683; Internet https://

www.myboeingfleet.com. You may view 

this referenced 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. It is also available 

on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2015– 

0248. 

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– 

0248; or in person at the Docket 

Management Facility between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (phone: 800–647–5527) is 

Docket Management Facility, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Serj 

Harutunian, Aerospace Engineer, 

Propulsion Branch, ANM–140L, FAA, 

Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Office 

(ACO), 3960 Paramount Boulevard, 

Lakewood, CA 90712–4137; phone: 

562–627–5254; fax: 562–627–5210; 

email: serj.harutunian@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to supersede AD 2013–08–23, 

Amendment 39–17441 (78 FR 24037, 

April 24, 2013). AD 2013–08–23 applied 

to all The Boeing Company Model DC– 

10–10, DC–10–10F, DC–10–15, DC–10– 

30, DC–10–30F (KC–10A and KDC–10), 

DC–10–40, DC–10–40F, MD–10–10F, 

MD–10–30F, MD–11, and MD–11F 

airplanes. The NPRM published in the 

Federal Register on March 27, 2015 (80 

FR 16321). The NPRM was prompted by 

a determination that it is necessary to 

clarify the requirements for the design 

features and to remove a terminating 

action for certain inspections. The 

NPRM proposed to clarify certain 

requirements and remove a terminating 

action. The NPRM also proposed to 

provide an optional method of 

compliance for the proposed actions. 

We are issuing this AD to reduce the 

potential of ignition sources inside fuel 

tanks, which, in combination with 

flammable fuel vapors, could result in 

fuel tank explosions and consequent 

loss of the airplane. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. The 

following presents the comments 

received on the NPRM (80 FR 16321, 

March 27, 2015) and the FAA’s response 

to each comment. 


asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES