23696 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 77 / Monday, April 22, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

0071, dated September 12, 2012, are not 

required by this AD. 

(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft 

Certification Office (ACO), FAA, has the 

authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if 

requested using the procedures found in 14 

CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14 CFR 39.19, 

send your request to your principal inspector 

or local Flight Standards District Office, as 

appropriate. If sending information directly 

to the manager of the ACO, send it to the 

attention of the person identified in the 

Related Information section of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-ANMSeattle-ACO-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov. 

(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. 

(j) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Nancy Marsh, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, Seattle 

Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057–3356; 

phone: (425) 917–6440; fax: (425) 917–6590; 

email: nancy.marsh@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 Ave. NW., Renton, 

WA. For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on April 12, 

2013. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09407 Filed 4–19–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0020; Directorate 

Identifier 2010–SW–107–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

Deutschland GmbH (ECD) Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for ECD 

Model MBB–BK 117 C–2 helicopters. 

This proposed AD would require 

inspecting the rigging of the powerboosted control system and, if there is 

a nonparallel gap between the rigging 

wedges and the inner sleeves, 

performing a rigging procedure. This 

proposed AD is prompted by the 

discovery, during rigging of the main 

rotor controls, of movement of the 

longitudinal main rotor actuator piston 

after shut-down of the external pump 

drive. Such movement could cause 

incorrect rigging results. The proposed 

actions are intended to prevent incorrect 

rigging results, which could impair 

freedom of movement of the upper 

controls and subsequent reduced 

control of the helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by June 21, 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 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 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: Jim 

Grigg, Manager, FAA, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Safety Management Group, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

jim.grigg@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. 2010–0248, 

dated November 26, 2010 (AD 2010– 

0248), to correct an unsafe condition for 

the ECD Model MBB–BK 117 C–2 

helicopters. EASA advises that during 

rigging of the main rotor controls, it was 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 77 / Monday, April 22, 2013 / Proposed Rules 23697 

discovered that the piston of the 

longitudinal main rotor actuator had 

moved after shut-down of the external 

pump drive. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of Germany 

and are approved for operation in the 

United States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with Germany, EASA, its 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in its 

AD. 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 helicopters of the same 

type design. 

Related Service Information 

ECD has issued Alert Service Bulletin 

ASB MBB BK117 C–2–67A–012, 

Revision 0, dated September 20, 2010 

(ASB). The ASB specifies a one-time 

verification of the correct adjustment of 

the rigging of the main rotor controls 

and provides the corresponding test 

procedure. The ASB further provides an 

improved rigging procedure as a 

temporary revision to the ECD BK117C2 

Aircraft Maintenance Manual. EASA 

classified this ASB as mandatory and 

issued AD 2010–0248 to ensure the 

continued airworthiness of these 

helicopters. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require 

inspecting the rigging of the powerboosted control system and performing 

a rigging procedure if there is a 

nonparallel gap between the rigging 

wedges and the inner sleeves. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the EASA AD 

We do not require inserting temporary 

changes into the performance section of 

the Rotorcraft Flight Manual. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 108 helicopters of U.S. 

registry. We estimate that operators may 

incur the following costs in order to 

comply with this proposed AD: 

• $680 for 8 work hours per 

helicopter to inspect the main rotor 

control rigging at an average labor rate 

of $85 per work hour; 

• No additional costs are associated 

with rigging adjustment, if necessary; 

and 

• $73,440 for the total cost of the 

proposed AD on U.S. operators. 

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 DEUTSCHLAND GmbH 

(ECD): Docket No. FAA–2013–0020; 

Directorate Identifier 2010–SW–107–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model MBB–BK 117 C– 

2 helicopters, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

movement of the longitudinal main rotor 

actuator piston after shut-down of the 

external pump drive, during rigging of the 

main rotor controls, causing an incorrect 

rigging result. This condition could impair 

freedom of movement of the upper controls 

and subsequently reduce control of the 

helicopter. 

(c) 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. 

(d) Required Actions 

Within 300 hours time-in-service: 

(1) Inspect the rigging of the power-boosted 

control system, referencing Figure 1 of 

Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin ASB MBB 

BK117 C–2–67A–012, Revision 0, dated 

September 20, 2010 (ASB). Ensure the piston 

of the longitudinal actuator (right-hand side) 

is held in the fully extended position and the 

piston of the lateral actuator (left-hand side) 

is held in the fully retracted position against 

the mechanical stop. Also, ensure the gauge 

block is clamped between the sliding sleeve 

and the support tube. 

(2) Insert the rigging wedges with the 25.4 

degree (item 8) and 19.5 degree (item 7) 

markings in the ‘‘A’’ side of the guide grooves 

of the rigging device (item 3). 

(3) If the gap between the rigging wedges 

(items 7 and 8) and the inner sleeves (item 

9) is closed, the rigging is correct. 

(4) If there is a nonparallel gap between the 

rigging wedges (items 7 and 8) and the inner 

sleeves (item 9), the rigging is not correct. 

Perform a rigging procedure. 

(e) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOC) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Jim Grigg, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76137, 

telephone (817) 222–5110, email 

Jim.Grigg@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under 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. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
23698 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 77 / Monday, April 22, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

(f) Additional Information 

(1) For service information identified in 

this 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 the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort Worth, 

Texas 76137. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency AD No. 

2010–0248, dated November 26, 2010. 

(g) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6710 Main Rotor Control. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 11, 

2013. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–09410 Filed 4–19–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0352; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–063–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 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model S–92A helicopters to require 

modifying the No. 1 engine forward 

firewall center fire extinguisher 

discharge tube (No. 1 engine tube). This 

proposed AD is prompted by the 

discovery that the No. 1 engine tube 

installed on the helicopters is too long 

to ensure that a fire could be effectively 

extinguished on a helicopter. The 

proposed actions are intended to ensure 

the No. 1 engine tube would allow for 

complete coverage of an extinguishing 

agent in the No. 1 engine compartment 

area, ensure that a fire would be 

extinguished and prevent the loss of 

helicopter control. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by June 21, 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 Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation, Attn: Manager, 

Commercial Technical Support, 

mailstop s581a, 6900 Main Street, 

Stratford, CT 06614; telephone (800) 

562–4409; email 

tsslibrary@sikorsky.com; or at http:// 

www.sikorsky.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: 

Michael Schwetz, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Boston Aircraft Certification 

Office, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 

FAA, 12 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, Massachusetts 01803; 

telephone (781) 238–7761; email 

michael.schwetz@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 propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model S–92A helicopters with serial 

numbers (S/N) 920006 through 920169. 

This proposed AD is prompted by a 

recent event where an extinguishing test 

at a Sikorsky plant showed that an 

incorrect No. 1 engine tube length had 

been put into production. Because of the 

incorrect tube length, if a fire erupts in 

the engine compartment, the fireextinguishing system may not discharge 

the agent completely throughout the 

compartment to extinguish the blaze. 

This proposed AD would require 

removing the No. 1 engine tube, cutting 

off two inches from the discharge end of 

the tube, and inspecting the outboard 

discharge tube and positioning both 

tubes to ensure that they would provide 

complete coverage of the extinguishing 

agent in the No. 1 engine compartment 

area to ensure that a fire can be 

extinguished. 

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 

these same type designs. 

Related Service Information 

Sikorsky has issued Alert Service 

Bulletin 92–26–004 (ASB), dated June 4, 

2012, to modify the No. 1 engine tube 

within 120 days. The ASB specifies 

procedures to cut two inches off the 

tube’s discharge end, as well as how to 

inspect and reposition, if necessary, the 

outboard discharge tube. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require 

removing the No. 1 engine tube, 

removing two inches from the discharge 

end of the tube, and then require 

inspecting the outboard discharge tube 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS