Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 61 / Thursday, March 29, 2012 / Proposed Rules 18967 

(P/N) 341A31.4116.21 installed, certificated 

in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

reduced service life of the rotating star. This 

condition could result in failure of the 

rotating star and subsequent loss of control 

of the helicopter. 

(c) Compliance 

You are responsible for performing each 

action required by this AD within the 

specified compliance time unless 

accomplished previously. 

(d) Required Actions 

(1) Before further flight, remove any 

rotating star, part number 341A31.4116.21, 

with 12,000 or more hours time-in-service 

(TIS), and replace it with an airworthy 

rotating star with less than 12,000 hours TIS. 

(2) This AD revises the Airworthiness 

Limitations section of the Instructions for 

Continued Airworthiness by reducing the 

service life of the main rotor rotating star 

from unlimited hours TIS to 12,000 hours 

TIS. 

(e) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOC) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Gary Roach, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Regulations and 

Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76137; 

telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

gary.b.roach@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under a Part 

119 operating certificate or under 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. 

(f) Additional Information 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

Direction Generale de l’Aviation Civile 

(France) AD No. F–2004–070, dated May 26, 

2004. 

(g) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6220: Main Rotor Head. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 20, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7538 Filed 3–28–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0339; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–SW–051–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model 

SA.315B Alouette III, SE.3160 Alouette 

III, SA.316B Alouette III, SA.316C 

Alouette III, SA.319B Alouette III, SA 

3180–Alouette Astazou, SA 318B– 

Alouette Astazou, and SA 318C– 

Alouette Astazou helicopters. This 

proposed AD was prompted by incorrect 

positioning of the roller drive pocket 

recesses on the tail rotor drive shaft freewheel cage, which caused a pilot to 

experience a heavy jerk in the yaw 

control during in-flight autorotation 

training. This condition, if not 

corrected, could lead to a temporary loss 

of tail rotor drive and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by May 29, 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 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 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 copies of 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, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, Regulations and 

Policy Group, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Fort Worth, Texas 76137, telephone 

(817) 222–5110, email 

rao.edupuganti@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 AD No. 2011–0143, 

dated July 26, 2011 (AD 2011–0143), to 

correct an unsafe condition for the 

Eurocopter model SA.315B Alouette III, 

SE.3160 Alouette III, SA.316B Alouette 

III, SA.316C Alouette III, SA.319B 

Alouette III, SA 3180-Alouette Astazou, 

SA 318B-Alouette Astazou, and SA 318 

C-Alouette Astazou helicopters. EASA 

advises that during in-flight autorotation 

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18968 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 61 / Thursday, March 29, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

training, a pilot experienced a heavy 

jerk in the yaw control at the time of 

resynchronization. The free-wheel 

assembly of the helicopter had been 

replaced shortly before this flight. 

Internal inspection of the free-wheel 

assembly revealed incorrect positioning 

of the roller drive pocket recesses on the 

free-wheel cage. The subsequent offsetting restricts the travel of the roller 

on its ramp and can cause, under high 

torque conditions, free-wheel slippage. 

This condition, if not corrected, could 

result in a temporary loss of rotor drive, 

jeopardizing flight safety, especially in 

phases of flight close to the ground. 

FAA’s Determination 

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 these same 

type designs. 

Related Service Information 

Eurocopter has issued Alert Service 

Bulletin (ASB) No. Alouette-65.149, 

Revision 0, dated March 23, 2011 (ASB 

65.149), for model 3130, 313B, 3180, 

318B, 318C, 3160, 316B, 316C, and 319B 

helicopters; and ASB No. SA315–65.48, 

Revision 0, dated March 23, 2011 (ASB 

65.48), for model 315B helicopters, 

which specify removing and 

disassembling the free-wheel assembly 

in order to check the free-wheel cage for 

correct positioning. EASA classified 

these ASBs as mandatory and issued AD 

2011–0143 to ensure the continued 

airworthiness of these helicopters. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require, 

within 110 hours time-in-service (TIS), 

inspecting the cage of the free-wheel 

assembly for incorrect design and, if a 

free-wheel cage of incorrect design is 

installed, before further flight, replacing 

the affected free-wheel cage with an 

airworthy free-wheel cage. This 

proposed AD would also prohibit 

installation of an affected free-wheel 

cage on any helicopter. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the EASA AD 

The EASA AD requires compliance 

within 110 flight hours or 5 months, 

whichever occurs first. This proposed 

AD does not impose a calendar time 

requirement. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 63 helicopters of U.S. 

Registry. We estimate that operators 

may incur the following costs in order 

to comply with this AD. 

• Inspecting the free-wheel cage 

assembly will require 8 work-hours at 

an average labor rate of $85 per hour, 

and required parts will cost $13, for a 

total cost per helicopter of $693, and a 

total cost to the U.S. operator fleet of 

$43,659. 

• Modifying any affected free-wheel 

cage assembly will require 8 work hours 

and required parts will cost $1,986, for 

a total cost per helicopter of $2,666. 

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 adding 

the following new Airworthiness 

Directive (AD): 

Eurocopter France: Docket No. FAA–2012– 

0339; Directorate Identifier 2011–SW– 

051–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model SA.315B 

Alouette III, SE.3160 Alouette III, SA.316B 

Alouette III, SA.316C Alouette III, SA.319B 

Alouette III, SA 3180-Alouette Astazou, SA 

318B-Alouette Astazou, and SA 318 CAlouette Astazou helicopters with a freewheel cage, part number (P/N) 3130S60–10– 

003 installed, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

incorrect positioning of the roller drive 

pocket recesses on the cage of the tail-rotor 

driveshaft free-wheel assembly. This 

condition could result in loss of tail rotor 

drive and subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

(c) Compliance 

You are responsible for performing each 

action required by this AD within the 

specified compliance time unless 

accomplished previously. 

(d) Required Actions 

Within 110 hours time-in-service (TIS): 

(1) Remove the free-wheel assembly and 

pull out the free-wheel driven head. 

(2) Inspect the free-wheel cage for correct 

alignment of the roller drive pocket recesses 

in accordance with Figure 2 of Eurocopter 

Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. SA315– 

65.48, Revision 0 or Eurocopter ASB No. 

Alouette–65–149, Revision 0, both dated 

March 23, 2011, as appropriate for your 

model helicopter. 

(3) If the right edge of the tab is in line with 

the right edge of the pocket recess, before 

further flight, replace the free-wheel cage 

with an airworthy free-wheel cage. 

(4) Do not install an affected free-wheel 

assembly on any helicopter, unless the cage 

has passed inspection in accordance with 

paragraph (d)(2) through (d)(3) of this AD. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 61 / Thursday, March 29, 2012 / Proposed Rules 18969 

(e) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOC) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Rao Edupuganti, 

Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Regulations and Policy Group, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137, telephone (817) 222–5110, email 

rao.edupuganti@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under a Part 

119 operating certificate or under 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. 

(f) Additional Information 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2011–0143, dated July 26, 2011. 

(g) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6700: Tail Rotor Drive System. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 20, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7540 Filed 3–28–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0340; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–SW–073–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation 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 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model S–76C helicopters. This 

proposed AD is prompted by a birdstrike to the windshield that resulted in 

unintended movement of the engine 

control levers from the forward position 

and towards the flight-idle position, 

which reduced power on both engines. 

These actions are intended to prevent 

unintended movement of the ECLs, 

resulting in main rotor speed decay and 

subsequent loss of control of the aircraft. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by May 29, 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 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 service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation, Attn: Manager, 

Commercial Technical Support, 

mailstop s581a, 6900 Main Street, 

Stratford, CT, telephone (203) 383–4866, 

email address tsslibrary@sikorsky.com, 

or at http://www.sikorsky.com. 

You may review copies of 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: Kirk 

Gustafson, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 

Boston Aircraft Certification Office, 

Engine and Propeller Directorate, 12 

New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA 01803; telephone (781) 

238–7190; email kirk.gustafson@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 

We are proposing this AD as the result 

of an accident investigation which 

concluded that a bird-strike to the upper 

portion of the windshield caused 

significant forces to be transferred into 

the overhead engine control quadrant 

assembly. This caused both ECLs to 

move aft from the normal ‘‘FLY’’ 

position toward the ‘‘IDLE’’ position. 

Unintended in-flight movement of the 

ECLs from the ‘‘FLY’’ position 

significantly reduced engine power, and 

resulted in an unrecoverable loss of 

main rotor speed and loss of control of 

the aircraft. A subsequent National 

Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 

investigation resulted in a 

recommendation to modify the design of 

the engine control quadrant to protect 

against unintended movement of the 

ECLs from external force to the 

windshield or canopy. Sikorsky then 

issued Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. 

76–76–6A, Revision A, dated May 18, 

2011 (ASB 76–76–6A) which describes 

procedures to modify the engine control 

quadrant assembly with an improved 

throttle stop and a wider trigger 

assembly. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all known relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other products of the 

same type design. 

Related Service Information 

We reviewed ASB 76–76–6A, which 

describes procedures for partially 

disassembling the engine control 

quadrant assembly, removing the 

existing throttle stop, and installing a 

new airworthy throttle stop. The ASB 

also describes procedures to remove the 

existing trigger assembly from each ECL 

and install a new airworthy wide trigger 

assembly. 

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