Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 128 / Wednesday, July 3, 2013 / Proposed Rules 40063 

(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. 

(3) An AMOC that provides an acceptable 

level of safety may be used for any repair 

required by this AD if it is approved by the 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes Organization 

Designation Authorization (ODA) that has 

been authorized by the Manager, Seattle ACO 

to make those findings. For a repair method 

to be approved, the repair must meet the 

certification basis of the airplane and the 

approval must specifically refer to this AD. 

(4) AMOCs approved previously in 

accordance with AD 2006–26–06, 

Amendment 39–14864 (71 FR 77586, 

December 27, 2006), are not approved as 

AMOCs for this AD. 

(n) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Melanie Violette, Aerospace 

Engineer, Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, 

FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057– 

3356; phone: 425–917–6422; fax: 425–917– 

6590; email: melanie.violette@faa.gov. 

(2) 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. You 

may review copies of the 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. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 14, 

2013. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–15955 Filed 7–2–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0556; Directorate 

Identifier 2007–SW–30–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Erickson AirCrane Incorporated Helicopters (Type 

Certificate previously Held by Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation) 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to supersede an 

existing airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model S–64E helicopters. The existing 

AD requires checks of the main rotor 

blades for a crack. This proposed AD 

would retain the actions of the existing 

AD, would reflect that the type 

certificate (TC) for this model helicopter 

has been transferred to Erickson AirCrane Incorporated (Erickson), and 

expand the applicability to include the 

similar Erickson Model S–64F 

helicopters. This proposed AD is 

prompted by a need to expand the 

applicability to include Model S–64F 

helicopters and clarify the applicable 

main rotor blades by part number. The 

proposed actions are intended to detect 

a crack in the main rotor blade and 

prevent blade separation and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by September 3, 2013. 

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 Erickson AirCrane Incorporated, ATTN: Chris 

Erickson/Compliance Officer, 3100 

Willow Springs Rd., PO Box 3247, 

Central Point, OR 97502; telephone 

(541) 664–5544; fax (541) 664–2312; 

email cerickson@ericksonaircrane.com. 

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: JC 

Lin, Aviation Safety Engineer, Rotorcraft 

Certification Office, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Fort Worth, Texas 76137; telephone 

(817) 222–5170; email 7-AVS-ASW170@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 December 6, 1990, we issued AD 

90–26–12, Amendment 39–6841 (55 FR 

51406, December 14, 1990) for Sikorsky 

Model S–64E helicopters. The AD 

requires repetitive checks of the Blade 

Inspection Method (BIM) indicator of 

each main rotor blade to determine 

whether the blade pressure has been 

compromised by a blade crack. These 

checks, which may be performed by the 

pilot, must be accomplished and 

recorded before the first flight of each 

day and thereafter at intervals not to 

exceed three hours time-in-service (TIS) 

for helicopters engaged in seven or more 

external lifts per hour or five hours TIS 

for operations with less than seven 

external lifts per hour or operations 

without an external load, with each 

check-interval measured from the last 

check. Those actions are intended to 

detect fatigue cracks in the blade, which 

could result in separation of the blade 

and loss of control of the helicopter. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
40064 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 128 / Wednesday, July 3, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

Actions Since Existing AD Was Issued 

Since we issued AD 90–26–12 (55 FR 

51406, December 14, 1990) for Model S– 

64E helicopters, cracks have been 

discovered on the main rotor blades of 

Model S–64F helicopters. The main 

rotor blades used on the Model S–64F 

helicopter are similar to the main rotor 

blades used on the Model S–64E 

helicopter; however, Model S–64F was 

not included in AD 90–26–12. Also, on 

February 13, 1992, Sikorsky transferred 

TC H6EA for Model S–64E and S–64F 

helicopters to Erickson. Erickson later 

issued Service Bulletin (SB) No. 64F15– 

2, Revision A, dated July 14, 1999, for 

the Model S–64F and SB No. 64B15–4D, 

Revision D, dated January 26, 2001, for 

the Model S–64E. Erickson released SB 

No. 64F15–2 to provide the operation 

and check procedures for BIM blades 

installed on the Model S–64F 

helicopters. Several blade spars with a 

crack emanating from corrosion pits and 

other damage have been found because 

of BIM pressure indications, similar to 

the Model S–64E helicopters. The 

checks in SB No. 64F15–2 for the Model 

S–64F are the same as those required by 

AD 90–26–12 for the Model S–64E 

helicopters. We also determined that the 

primary temperatures listed in the 

Required Actions section of this AD 

should be converted from degrees 

Celsius to degrees Fahrenheit and part 

numbers for the applicable main rotor 

blades should be specified for increased 

clarity. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all the relevant information 

and determined the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop in other products of these same 

type designs. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would supersede 

AD 90–26–12 (55 FR 51406, December 

14, 1990), to retain the same checks and 

procedures, but in a revised format to 

meet current publication requirements 

and to expand the applicability to 

include both the Erickson S–64E and S– 

64F helicopters. This proposed AD 

would require recurring checks of the 

BIM indicator on each blade to 

determine whether the BIM indicator is 

displaying a black or red color, which 

is an indication that the blade pressure 

may have been compromised by a blade 

crack. If there is a black or red color BIM 

indication, the proposed AD would 

require checking the BIM indicator to 

determine whether it is functioning 

properly. If the BIM indicator is 

malfunctioning, correcting it before 

further flight would be required. If the 

BIM indicator is functioning properly, 

and the blade BIM indication remains 

red or black, replacing the blade before 

further flight would be required. The 

proposed AD would require that the 

checks be accomplished and recorded 

before the first flight of each day and 

thereafter at intervals not to exceed 

three hours TIS for helicopters engaged 

in seven or more external lifts per hour 

or five hours TIS for operations with 

less than seven external lifts per hour or 

operations without an external load, 

with each check-interval measured from 

the last check. These checks may be 

performed by an owner/operator (pilot) 

and must be entered into the helicopter 

maintenance records in accordance with 

14 CFR 43.9(a)(1)–(4) and 

91.417(a)(2)(v). A pilot may perform 

these checks because they involve only 

a check of the BIM pressure indicators 

and can be performed equally well by a 

pilot or a mechanic. This authorization 

is an exception to our standard 

maintenance regulations. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 27 helicopters of U.S. 

Registry. We estimate that operators 

may incur the following costs in order 

to comply with this AD. Each visual 

BIM pressure indicator color check 

would take about 0.1 work-hour at an 

average labor rate of $85 per work-hour. 

Based on these figures, each visual BIM 

pressure indicator color check would 

cost about $9 per helicopter or $230 for 

the fleet. Each BIM pressure indicator 

function check would take about 0.25 

work-hour, and would cost about $21, 

or $574 for the fleet. 

If a main rotor blade must be 

replaced, it would take about 2 workhours and required parts would cost 

about $125,000. Based on these figures, 

it would cost about $125,170 per 

helicopter to replace a main rotor blade. 

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) 

90–26–12 (55 FR 51406, December 14, 

1990), and adding the following new 

AD: 

Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated (Type 

Certificate Previously Held By Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation): Docket No. FAA– 

2013–0556; Directorate Identifier 2007– 

SW–30–AD. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 128 / Wednesday, July 3, 2013 / Proposed Rules 40065 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Erickson Air-Crane 

Incorporated (Erickson) Model S–64E and S– 

64F helicopters, with rotary wing blade 

assembly (main rotor blade), part number (P/ 

N) 6415–20201–043, –045, –047, –048, –049, 

–050, or –051; or 6415–20601–041, –042, 

–043, –044, –045, –046, –047, –048, –049, 

–050, –051, or –052, installed, certificated in 

any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

crack in the main rotor blade (blade), which 

could result in blade separation and 

subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. 

(c) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 90–26–12, Docket 

No. 90–ASW–27, Amendment 39–6841 (55 

FR 51406, December 14, 1990). 

(d) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by September 

3, 2013. 

(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 

(1) Before further flight, visually check the 

Blade Inspection Method (BIM) pressure 

indicators of the main rotor blades for a black 

or red color indication. 

(2) Before further flight, replace any blade 

with a black or red color indication in a BIM 

pressure indicator with an airworthy part of 

the same part number unless the black or red 

color indication is determined to be the 

result of BIM system malfunction. 

Note 1 to paragraph (f)(2) of this AD: 

Paragraphs (f)(4)(i–iv) of this AD specify how 

to determine if a BIM system is functioning 

correctly. 

(3) Repeat the visual BIM pressure 

indicator check required by paragraph (f)(1) 

of this AD prior to the first flight of each day 

and thereafter at intervals not to exceed: 

(i) Three hours time-in-service (TIS) from 

the last check for helicopters engaged in 

seven or more external lifts per hour; or 

(ii) Five hours TIS from the last check for 

helicopters engaged in either less than seven 

external lifts per hour or operation without 

external cargo. 

(4) Prior to the first flight of each day, 

check the BIM pressure indicator for proper 

function as follows: 

(i) Press in and hold the manual test lever 

(grenade-type handle) on the raised area of 

the handle over the pin-type actuation 

plunger. Do not handle the indicator glass 

bulb since the heat of the hand may change 

the internal reference pressure and result in 

an erroneous indicator reading. 

(ii) Depress the actuation plunger fully to 

shut off the pressure completely from the 

blade into the indicator. If necessary, press 

with the thumbs of both hands to overcome 

the plunger spring force. 

Note 2 to paragraph (f)(4)(ii) of this AD: If 

pressure is applied to the end of the lever on 

the flat area, the actuation plunger will not 

fully depress. 

(iii) Verify proper operation of the 

indicator by observing that a full-black or 

full-red (unsafe) indication appears in not 

less than 10 or more than 30 seconds after 

depressing the plunger for a temperature of 

20 degrees F (¥6.7 degrees C) or above. At 

lower temperatures, extend the upper limit to 

the corresponding time as follows: 

(A) 19 to 0 degrees F (¥7.2 to ¥17.8 

degrees C); upper limit of 35 seconds. 

(B) ¥1 to ¥20 degrees F (¥18.3 to ¥28.9 

degrees C); upper limit of 40 seconds. 

(C) ¥21 to ¥40 degrees F (¥29.4 to ¥40.0 

degrees C); upper limit of 50 seconds. 

(D) ¥41 to ¥60 degrees F (¥40.5 to ¥51.1 

degrees C); upper limit of 60 seconds. 

(iv) Release the lever and observe that the 

black or red indication snaps back 

immediately, leaving an all-white or allyellow (safe) indication. 

(v) If the indicator does not meet the 

specified requirements, then either identify 

and correct the BIM indicator malfunction or 

replace the suspect main rotor blade with an 

airworthy blade of the same part number 

prior to further flight. 

(5) The checks required by paragraphs 

(f)(1) and (f)(4)(i–iv) of this AD may be 

performed by the owner/operator (pilot) 

holding at least a private pilot certificate, and 

must be entered into the aircraft records 

showing compliance with this AD in 

accordance with 14 CFR 43.9 (a)(1)–(4) and 

14 CFR 91.417(a)(2)(v). The record must be 

maintained as required by 14 CFR 91.417, 

121.380, or 135.439. 

(g) Special Flight Permit 

Special flight permits will not be issued. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Rotorcraft Certification 

Office, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: JC Lin, Aviation 

Safety Engineer, Rotorcraft Certification 

Office, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; 

telephone (817) 222–5170; email 7-AVSASW-170@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. 

(i) Additional Information 

Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated Service 

Bulletins No. 64B15–4D, Revision D, dated 

January 26, 2001 for the Model S–64E and 

No. 64F15–2, Revision A, dated July 14, 1999 

for the Model S–64F, which are not 

incorporated by reference, contain additional 

information about the subject of this AD. For 

service information, contact Erickson AirCrane Incorporated, ATTN: Chris Erickson/ 

Compliance Officer, 3100 Willow Springs Rd, 

PO Box 3247, Central Point, OR 97502; 

telephone (541) 664–5544; fax (541) 664– 

2312; email cerickson@ericksonaircrane.com. 

You may review a copy of this information 

at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas 76137. 

(j) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6210, Main Rotor Blades. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 18, 

2013. 

Kim Smith, 

Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–15954 Filed 7–2–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0464; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NM–010–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Dassault 

Aviation Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to supersede an 

existing airworthiness directive (AD) 

that applies to all Dassault Aviation 

Model FALCON 7X airplanes. The 

existing AD currently requires adding 

an automatic reversion logic and a 

means for the pilot to override pitch 

trim control normal modes, and 

installing placards in the cockpit; 

replacing the frame of the emergency 

switch box; replacing certain horizontal 

stabilizer electronic control units 

(HSECU); operating the airplane 

according to the limitations and 

procedures in the airplane flight manual 

(AFM); revising the Limitations section 

of the AFM; and revising the 

maintenance program to incorporate a 

certain maintenance planning document 

(MPD) task. Since we issued that AD, 

Dassault Aviation has developed a 

modification of the fly-by-wire (FBW) 

standard; changed the AFM to 

incorporate changes resulting from the 

FBW modification; and revised the 

airplane maintenance manual (AMM) to 

incorporate repetitive operational tests 

of the electric motors reversion relays 

and trim emergency command of the 

horizontal stabilizer trim system 

(HSTS). Once incorporated, these 

actions allow restoration of the 

originally certified minimum equipment 

list items. This proposed AD would 

retain certain requirements of the 

previous AD; would require modifying 

the FBW standard; operating the 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS