10622 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 46 / Friday, March 9, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

(3) Reporting Requirements: For any 

reporting requirement in this AD, under the 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act 

(44 U.S.C. 3501 et.seq.), the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) has 

approved the information collection 

requirements and has assigned OMB Control 

Number 2120–0056. 

Related Information 

(h) Refer to MCAI Ente Nazionale per 

l’Aviazione Civile (ENAC), AD N. 2004–522, 

Rev. 0, dated December 20, 2004; and 

Vulcanair S.p.A. P68 Variants Mandatory 

Service Bulletin No. 128, dated October 12, 

2004, for related information. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 

2, 2007. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–4242 Filed 3–8–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2005–21242; Directorate 

Identifier 2005–NE–09–AD] 

RIN 21207–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Turbomeca 

Arriel 1B, 1D, 1D1, and 1S1 Turboshaft 

Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to 

supersede an existing airworthiness 

directive (AD) for certain Turbomeca 

Arriel 1B, 1D, 1D1, and 1S1 turboshaft 

engines. That AD currently requires 

initial and repetitive position checks of 

the gas generator 2nd stage turbine 

blades on all Turbomeca Arriel 1B, 1D, 

1D1, and 1S1 turboshaft engines. That 

AD also currently requires initial and 

repetitive replacements of 2nd stage 

turbines on 1B, 1D, and 1D1 engines 

only. This proposed AD would require 

adding a 3,000 hour life limit to Arriel 

1B 2nd Stage Turbine Blades. This 

proposed AD results from reports of 

failures of second stage blades. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent failures of 

the 2nd stage turbine blades, which 

could result in uncommanded in-flight 

engine shutdown, and subsequent 

forced autorotation landing or accident. 

DATES: We must receive any comments 

on this proposed AD by May 8, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to comment on this proposed 

AD. 

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically. 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–

0001. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Contact Turbomeca, 40220 Tarnos, 

France; telephone (33) 05 59 74 40 00, 

fax (33) 05 59 74 45 15, for the service 

information identified in this proposed 

AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Christopher Spinney, Aerospace 

Engineer, Engine Certification Office, 

FAA, Engine and Propeller Directorate, 

12 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA 01803; telephone (781) 

238–7175, fax (781) 238–7199. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments 

regarding this proposal. Send your 

comments to an address listed under 

ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA–

2005–21242; Directorate Identifier 

2005–NE–09–AD’’ in the subject line of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of the proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend the 

proposed AD in light of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact with FAA 

personnel concerning this proposed AD. 

Using the search function of the DMS 

Web site, anyone can find and read the 

comments in any of our dockets, 

including the name of the individual 

who sent the comment (or signed the 

comment on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review the DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78) or you may visit http:// 

dms.dot.gov. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the docket that 

contains the proposal, any comments 

received and any final disposition in 

person at the DMS Docket Office 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

The Docket Office (telephone (800) 647–

5227) is located on the plaza level of the 

Department of Transportation Nassif 

Building at the street address stated in 

ADDRESSES. Comments will be available 

in the AD docket shortly after the DMS 

receives them. 

Discussion 

On August 8, 2006, the FAA issued 

AD 2006–02–08R1, Amendment 39–

14721 (71 FR 46390, August 14, 2006). 

That AD requires initial and repetitive 

position checks of the gas generator 2nd 

stage turbine blades on all Turbomeca 

Arriel 1B, 1D, 1D1, and 1S1 turboshaft 

engines, and initial and repetitive 

replacements of 2nd stage turbines on 

1B, 1D, and 1D1 engines only. The 

Direction Generale de L’Aviation Civile 

(DGAC), which is the airworthiness 

authority for France, notified the FAA 

that an unsafe condition might exist on 

Turbomeca, Arriel 1B (modified per TU 

148), 1D, 1D1, and 1S1 turboshaft 

engines. The DGAC advises that sixteen 

cases of release of gas generator 2nd 

stage turbine blades occurred in service, 

with full containment of debris. These 

events resulted in uncommanded inflight engine shutdowns. Although 

terminating action is still unavailable, 

mandatory checks of the turbine blades 

and replacement of the turbine are being 

required in order to reduce the 

probability of an uncommanded inflight engine shutdown. That AD 

requires initial and repetitive position 

checks of the gas generator 2nd stage 

turbine blades on all Turbomeca Arriel 

1B, 1D, 1D1, and 1S1 turboshaft 

engines. That AD also requires initial 

and repetitive replacements of 2nd stage 

turbines on 1B, 1D, and 1D1 engines 

only. That condition, if not corrected, 

could result in uncommanded in-flight 

engine shutdown. 

Actions Since AD 2006–02–08R1 Was 

Issued 

Since we issued that AD, the 

European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) informed us that they have 

received reports of additional failures of 

the 2nd stage turbine blades. The debris 

from the failures was fully contained. 

The failures were caused by: 


erjones on PRODPC74 with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 46 / Friday, March 9, 2007 / Proposed Rules 10623 

• Deterioration of 2nd stage nozzle 

guide vanes (NGV2) modified to TU197, 

• Aerodynamic excitation from 

deteriorated NGV2, 

• Excessive temperature on the firtree roots, and 

• 2nd stage turbine blades modified 

to TU204. 

Relevant Service Information 

We have reviewed and approved the 

technical contents of Turbomeca Alert 

Service Bulletins (ASBs) A292 72 0807, 

Update 1, dated October 26, 2006, for 

Arriel 1B post-TU 148; ASB A292 72 

0809, dated October 4, 2005, for Arriel 

1D and 1D1; and ASB A292 72 0810, for 

Arriel 1S1, all dated March 24, 2004. 

These ASBs describe procedures for 

initial and repetitive position checks of 

the 2nd stage turbine blades, and 

replacement of 2nd stage turbines on 1B 

and 1D1 engines only. The EASA 

classified these ASBs as mandatory and 

issued airworthiness directive 2007–

0018, dated January 15, 2007, in order 

to ensure the airworthiness of these 

Turbomeca Arriel 1B, 1D, 1D1, and 1S1 

turboshaft engines in the European 

Union. 

Bilateral Agreement Information 

This engine model is manufactured in 

France and is type certificated for 

operation in the United States under the 

provisions of Section 21.29 of the 

Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR 

21.29) and the applicable bilateral 

airworthiness agreement. In keeping 

with this bilateral airworthiness 

agreement, the EASA, which is the 

airworthiness authority for the 

European Union, kept us informed of 

the situation described above. We have 

examined the findings of the EASA, 

reviewed all available information, and 

determined that AD action is necessary 

for products of this type design that are 

certificated for operation in the United 

States. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

We have evaluated all pertinent 

information and identified an unsafe 

condition that is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of this same 

type design. We are proposing this AD, 

which would require: 

• Initial and repetitive position 

checks of the 2nd stage turbine blades 

on Turbomeca Arriel 1B, 1D, 1D1, and 

1S1 turboshaft engines. 

• Replacement of 2nd stage turbines 

on 1B and 1D1 engines only. 

• Initially replacing 2nd stage 

turbines in Arriel 1B, 1D, and 1D1 

turboshaft engines. 

The proposed AD would require that 

you do these actions using the service 

information described previously. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

revision would affect 721 engines 

installed on helicopters of U.S. registry. 

We also estimate that it would take 

about 2 work-hours per engine to 

inspect all 721 engines and 40 workhours per engine to replace about 587 

2nd stage turbines on 1B and 1D1 

engines, and that the average labor rate 

is $80 per work-hour. Required parts 

would cost about $3,200 per engine. 

Based on these figures, we estimate the 

total cost of the proposed AD revision 

to U.S. operators to be $3,905,240. 

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 have 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 above, I 

certify that the proposed AD: 

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); and 

3. Would 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 a regulatory evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this proposed AD. See the ADDRESSES

section for a location to examine the 

regulatory evaluation. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Safety. 

The Proposed Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the Federal Aviation Administration 

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 Amendment 39–14721 (71 FR 

46390, August 14, 2006) and by adding 

a new airworthiness directive, to read as 

follows: 

Turbomeca: Docket No. FAA–2005–21242; 

Directorate Identifier 2005–NE–09–AD. 

Comments Due Date 

(a) The Federal Aviation Administration 

(FAA) must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) action by May 8, 

2007. 

Affected ADs 

(b) This AD supersedes AD 2006–02–08R1, 

Amendment 39–14721. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to Turbomeca Arriel 1B 

engines fitted with 2nd stage turbine 

modification TU 148, and Arriel 1D, 1D1, 

and 1S1 engines. Arriel 1B engines are 

installed on, but not limited to, Eurocopter 

France AS–350B and AS–350A ‘‘Ecureuil’’

helicopters. Arriel 1D engines are installed 

on, but not limited to, Eurocopter France AS–

350B1 ‘‘Ecureuil’’ helicopters. Arriel 1D1 

engines are installed on, but not limited to, 

Eurocopter France AS–350B2 ‘‘Ecureuil’’

helicopters. Arriel 1S1 engines are installed 

on, but not limited to, Sikorsky Aircraft S–

76A and S–76C helicopters. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from reports of failures 

of second stage blades. We are issuing this 

AD to prevent failures of the 2nd stage 

turbine blades, which could result in 

uncommanded in-flight engine shutdown, 

and subsequent forced autorotation landing 

or accident. 

Compliance 

(e) You are responsible for having the 

actions required by this AD performed within 

the compliance times specified unless the 

actions have already been done. 


erjones on PRODPC74 with PROPOSALS
10624 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 46 / Friday, March 9, 2007 / Proposed Rules 

Initial Relative Position Check of 2nd Stage 

Turbine Blades 

(f) Do an initial relative position check of 

the 2nd stage turbine blades using the 

Turbomeca mandatory alert service bulletins 

(ASBs) specified in the following Table 1. Do 

the check before reaching any of the intervals 

specified in Table 1 or within 50 hours timein-service after the effective date of this AD, 

whichever occurs later. 

TABLE 1.—INITIAL AND REPETITIVE RELATIVE POSITION CHECK INTERVALS OF 2ND STAGE TURBINE BLADE

Turbomeca engine model Initial relative position check 

interval Repetitive interval Mandatory alert service bulletin 

Arriel 1B (modified per TU 148) .... Within 1,200 hours time-sincenew (TSN) or time-since-overhaul (TSO) or 3,500 cyclessince-new (CSN) or cyclessince-overhaul (CSO), whichever occurs earlier.Within 200 hours time-in-servicesince-last-relative-positioncheck (TSLRPC).A292 72 0807, Update 1, dated 

October 26, 2006. 

Arriel 1D1 and Arriel 1D ................ Within 1,200 hours TSN or TSO 

or 3,500 hours CSN or CSO, 

whichever occurs earlier.

Within 150 hours TSLRPC ........... A292 72 0809, Update No. 1, 

dated October 4, 2005. 

Arriel 1S1 ....................................... Within 1,200 hours TSN or TSO 

or 3,500 hours CSN or CSO, 

whichever occurs earlier.

Within 150 hours TSLRPC ........... A292 72 0810, dated March 24, 

2004. 

Repetitive Relative Position Check of 2nd 

Stage Turbine Blades 

(g) Recheck the relative position of 2nd 

stage turbine blades at the TSLRPC intervals 

specified in Table 1 of this AD, using the 

mandatory ASBs indicated. 

Credit for Previous Relative Position Checks 

(h) Relative position checks of 2nd stage 

turbine blades done using Turbomeca Service 

Bulletin A292 72 0263, Update 1, 2, 3, or 4, 

or A292 72 0807, dated March 24, 2004, 

comply with the initial requirements of 

paragraph (f) of this AD. 

Initial Replacement of 2nd Stage Turbines 

on Arriel 1B, 1D, and 1D1 Engines 

(i) Initially replace the 2nd stage turbine 

with a new or overhauled 2nd stage turbine 

as follows: 

(1) Before accumulating 1,500 hours TSN 

or TSO on the module for Arriel 1D and 1D1 

engines. 

(2) Before accumulating 2,200 hours TSN 

or TSO on the module or 3,000 total hours 

TSN on the 2nd stage turbine blades, 

whichever occurs first, for Arriel 1B engines. 

Repetitive Replacements of 2nd Stage 

Turbines on Arriel 1B, 1D, and 1D1 Engines 

(j) Thereafter, replace the 2nd stage turbine 

with a new or overhauled 2nd stage turbine 

within every 1,500 hours TSN or TSO on the 

module for Arriel 1D and 1D1 engines, and 

within every 2,200 hours TSN or TSO on the 

module or 3,000 total hours TSN on the 2nd 

stage turbine blades, for Arriel 1B engines. 

Criteria for Overhauled 2nd Stage Turbines 

(k) Do the following to overhauled 2nd 

stage turbines, referenced in paragraphs (i) 

and (j) of this AD: 

(1) You must install new blades in the 2nd 

stage turbines of overhauled Arriel 1D and 

1D1 engines. 

(2) You may install either overhauled 

blades with fewer than 3,000 total hours TSN 

or new blades in the 2nd stage turbines of 

overhauled Arriel 1B engines. 

Relative Position Check Continuing 

Compliance Requirements 

(l) All 2nd stage turbines, including those 

that are new or overhauled, must continue to 

comply with relative position check 

requirements of paragraphs (f) and (j) of this 

AD. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(m) The Manager, Engine Certification 

Office, has the authority to approve 

alternative methods of compliance for this 

AD if requested using the procedures found 

in 14 CFR 39.19. 

Related Information 

(n) The EASA airworthiness directive 

2007–0018, dated January 15, 2007, also 

addresses the subject of this AD. 

(o) Contact Christopher Spinney, 

Aerospace Engineer, Engine Certification 

Office, FAA, Engine and Propeller 

Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA 01803; e-mail: 

Christopher.spinney@faa.gov; telephone 

(781) 238–7175; fax (781) 238–7199, for more 

information about this AD. 

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on 

March 5, 2007. 

Peter A. White, 

Acting Manager, Engine and Propeller 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E7–4244 Filed 3–8–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2007–27342; Directorate 

Identifier 2007–CE–014–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; APEX 

Aircraft Model CAP 10 B Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for the 

products listed above. This proposed 

AD results from mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) 

originated by an aviation authority of 

another country to identify and correct 

an unsafe condition on an aviation 

product. The MCAI describes the unsafe 

condition as: 

A CAP10B aircraft experienced a reduced 

elevator deflection by about 13° due to an 

incorrect routing of the Push To Talk (PTT) 

wire bundle and improperly secured 

connectors which impeded the complete and 

free movement of the control stick. 

The proposed AD would require actions 

that are intended to address the unsafe 

condition described in the MCAI. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by April 9, 2007. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• DOT Docket Web Site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically. 


erjones on PRODPC74 with PROPOSALS