1492 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 

Designation Authorization (ODA) that has 

been authorized by the Manager, Seattle 

ACO, to make those findings. To be 

approved, the repair method, modification 

deviation, or alteration deviation must meet 

the certification basis of the airplane and the 

approval must specifically refer to this AD. 

(4) AMOCs approved for AD 2005–01–09 

are approved as AMOCs for the 

corresponding provisions of paragraph (g)(1) 

of this AD. 

(k) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Nathan Weigand, Aerospace 

Engineer, Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, 

FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057– 

3356; phone: 425–917–6428; fax: 425–917– 

6590; email: nathan.p.weigand@faa.gov. 

(l) 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– 

53A2494, Revision 1, dated January 9, 2015. 

(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 view this service information 

at 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. 

(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 

December 28, 2015. 

Philip Forde, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–00011 Filed 1–12–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–8695; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–SW–042–AD; Amendment 

39–18365; AD 2016–01–06] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Agusta 

S.p.A. 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 Agusta 

S.p.A. (Agusta) Model AB139 and 

AW139 helicopters. This AD requires 

inspecting each full ice protection 

system tail rotor slip ring (slip ring) for 

chatter marks, witness marks, or 

scoring, and determining the depth of 

each mounting hole. Based on the 

findings from the inspection, this AD 

requires either re-identifying the slip 

ring or replacing the slip ring. This AD 

is prompted by two incidents of the slip 

ring body separating from the 

supporting flange due to improper 

torque. These actions are intended to 

prevent separation of the mounting 

flange from the slip ring body and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

January 28, 2016. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain document listed in this AD 

as of January 28, 2016. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by March 14, 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– 

8695; 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 AgustaWestland, 

Product Support Engineering, Via del 

Gregge, 100, 21015 Lonate Pozzolo (VA) 

Italy, ATTN: Maurizio D’Angelo; 

telephone 39–0331–664757; fax 39– 

0331–664680; or at http://

www.agustawestland.com/technicalbulletins; and Moog Inc., Components 

Group, Blacksburg Operations, 1213 

North Main St., Blacksburg, Virginia 

24606–3127, telephone (540) 552–3011, 

or at www.moog.com. 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Martin R. Crane, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Safety Management Group, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 10101 

Hillwood Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76177; 

telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

martin.r.crane@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 


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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 1493 

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 

We are adopting a new AD for Agusta 

Model AB139 and AW139 helicopters 

with certain slip rings installed. This 

AD requires inspecting each slip ring for 

chatter marks, witness marks, or 

scoring. Based on the findings from the 

inspection, the AD requires either reidentifying the slip ring by marking a 

letter ‘‘T’’ after the serial number or 

replacing the slip ring with a slip ring 

that is not affected by this AD. This AD 

is prompted by two reports of detached 

slip ring bodies from the supporting 

flange due to improperly low torque of 

the affected screws during installation. 

These actions are intended to prevent 

separation of the mounting flange from 

the slip ring body and subsequent loss 

of control of the helicopter. 

This AD was prompted by AD No. 

2015–0155, dated July 28, 2015, issued 

by EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, to correct an unsafe condition 

for the Agusta Model AB139 and 

AW139 helicopters. EASA advises of 

two incidents of the screws being found 

loose and broken on two Model AW139 

helicopter tail rotor slip rings. EASA 

states that subsequent technical 

investigation revealed that the torque of 

the screws was improperly low. The slip 

ring manufacturer established that this 

occurred on the production line by 

improper installation of the affected 

screws on a number of slip rings. EASA 

advises that this condition, if not 

detected and corrected, could lead to 

other events of detachment of the slip 

ring, possibly resulting in reduced 

control of the helicopter. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of Italy and are 

approved for operation in the United 

States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with Italy, 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. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed AgustaWestland 

Bollettino Technico No. 139–404, dated 

December 22, 2014 (BT), including 

Annex A Moog Service Bulletin SB 14– 

02, Revision D, undated (Moog SB). The 

BT specifies inspecting and replacing 

the slip ring mounting screws and 

reinstalling the lockwire by complying 

with the Moog SB. The Moog SB advises 

of insufficient torqueing of the screws 

and incorrect lock wiring used to affix 

the tail rotor mountain plate to the slip 

ring frame. If the slip ring does not pass 

the inspection, the BT specifies 

returning the slip ring to 

AgustaWestland, replacing it, and 

marking the letter ‘‘T’’ after the serial 

number of the unit. AgustaWestland 

states that slip rings already marked 

with a ‘‘T’’ after the serial number or 

‘‘MOD 1’’ marked in the manufacturing 

plate do not have to be inspected. 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 within 25 hours 

time-in-service: 

• Removing each slip ring, lockwire, 

fastener, and washer. 

• Inspecting the wall of the mounting 

plate hole for a chatter mark, witness 

mark, or scoring. If there is a chatter 

mark, witness mark, or scoring, 

replacing the slip ring with an airworthy 

slip ring. 

• Determining the depth of the 

mounting plate hole. If the depth 

exceeds the grip length of the screw, 

replacing the slip ring with an airworthy 

slip ring. 

• Re-identifying the slip ring by 

marking a letter ‘‘T’’ after the serial 

number with permanent black pen and 

applying acrylic lacquer (CO81 or 

equivalent). 

This AD also prohibits installing an 

affected slip ring on any helicopter 

unless the slip ring has passed the 

inspections in accordance with this AD. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

This AD requires compliance within 

25 hours time-in-service; the EASA AD 

requires compliance within 14 days. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

106 helicopters of U.S. Registry. We 

estimate that operators may incur the 

following costs in order to comply with 

this AD. Labor costs are estimated at $85 

per work hour. We estimate 3 work 

hours to inspect the slip ring for a cost 

of $255 per helicopter and $27,030 for 

the fleet. We estimate $56,806 in 

required parts and no additional labor 

costs to replace a slip ring. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

Providing an opportunity for public 

comments before adopting these AD 

requirements would delay 

implementing the safety actions needed 

to correct this known unsafe condition. 

Therefore, we found that the risk to the 

flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to the adoption of 

this rule because the previously 

described unsafe condition can 

adversely affect the controllability of the 

helicopter and the required corrective 

actions must be accomplished within 25 

hours TIS. These helicopters have a 

variety of uses including offshore and 

emergency medical flights and are 

expected to accumulate 25 hours TIS 

within a few weeks. 

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 

contrary to the public interest 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; 


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1494 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 8 / Wednesday, January 13, 2016 / Rules and Regulations 

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): 

2016–01–06 Agusta S.p.A.: Amendment 39– 

18365; Docket No. FAA–2015–8695; 

Directorate Identifier 2015–SW–042–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model AB139 and 

AW139 helicopters, certificated in any 

category, with a Full Icing Protection System 

tail rotor slip ring (slip ring) part number (P/ 

N) 4G6420V00151, P/N 4G6420V00152, or P/ 

N 4G6420V00153 installed, except a slip ring 

with a letter ‘‘T’’ after the serial number or 

marked with ‘‘MOD 1.’’ 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

loose or missing screw connecting the 

mounting flange and the slip ring body. This 

condition could result in separation of the 

mounting flange from the slip ring body and 

subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective January 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 

Within 25 hours time-in-service: 

(1) Remove each slip ring from the 

helicopter. Remove each lockwire, fastener, 

and washer by following the Compliance 

Instructions, paragraphs 3 through 5, of Moog 

Service Bulletin SB 14–02, Revision D, 

undated, included as Annex A to Agusta 

Westland Bollettino Tecnico (BT) No. 139– 

404, dated December 22, 2014, except you are 

not required to discard parts. 

(2) Inspect the wall of the mounting plate 

hole for a chatter mark, witness mark, or 

scoring. If there is a chatter mark, witness 

mark, or scoring, replace the slip ring with 

a slip ring that is not listed in paragraph (a) 

of this AD. 

(3) Determine the depth of the mounting 

plate hole. If the depth exceeds the grip 

length of the screw, replace the slip ring with 

a slip ring that is not listed in paragraph (a) 

of this AD. 

(4) Re-identify the slip ring by marking a 

letter ‘‘T’’ after the serial number with 

permanent black pen and applying acrylic 

lacquer (CO81 or equivalent). 

(5) Do not install an affected slip ring on 

any helicopter unless the slip ring has passed 

the inspections in accordance with 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: Martin R. Crane, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management 

Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 10101 

Hillwood Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76177; 

telephone (817) 222–5110; 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. 2015–0155, dated July 28, 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– 

8695. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 3060 Propeller/Rotor Anti-ice/De-Ice 

System. 

(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) AgustaWestland Bollettino Technico 

No. 139–404, dated December 22, 2014, 

including Annex A, Moog Service Bulletin 

SB 14–02, Revision D, undated. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Moog Inc., Components 

Group, Blacksburg Operations, 1213 North 

Main St., Blacksburg, Virginia 24606–3127, 

telephone 540/552–3011, or at 

www.moog.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 December 

28, 2015. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2016–00013 Filed 1–12–16; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–1990; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–NM–027–AD; Amendment 

39–18364; AD 2016–01–05] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

The Boeing Company Model 737–400 

series airplanes, as modified by a certain 

supplemental type certificate. This AD 

was prompted by the discovery of a 

design drawing error regarding placards 

that identified incorrect squibs and 

pressure switches for certain fire 

extinguisher bottles. This AD requires a 

detailed inspection of certain cargo 

placards to determine if they are the 

correct placards and in the correct 

location, a detailed inspection of the 

harnesses to verify that they are marked 

and installed correctly, and corrective 

action if necessary. We are issuing this 

AD to detect and correct incorrectly 

installed harnesses for the cargo fire 

suppression system bottles, which could 

result in an incorrect activation 

sequence of the bottles, the inability to 

suppress a cargo fire quickly, and a 

possible uncontrollable fire. 

DATES: This AD is effective February 17, 

2016. 


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