63050 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 198 / Thursday, October 14, 2010 / Rules and Regulations 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, Standards Office, 

FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs 

for this AD, if requested using the procedures 

found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information to 

ATTN: Karl Schletzbaum, Aerospace 

Engineer, FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 

901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 

64106; telephone: (816) 329–4146; fax: (816) 

329–4090. Before using any approved AMOC 

on any airplane to which the AMOC applies, 

notify your appropriate principal inspector 

(PI) in the FAA Flight Standards District 

Office (FSDO), or lacking a PI, your local 

FSDO. 

(2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement 

in this AD to obtain corrective actions from 

a manufacturer or other source, use these 

actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective 

actions are considered FAA-approved if they 

are approved by the State of Design Authority 

(or their delegated agent). You are required 

to assure the product is airworthy before it 

is returned to service. 

(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 Ageˆncia Nacional de 

Aviac ̧a ̃o Civil—Brazil (ANAC), AD No.: 

2010–07–01, dated August 9, 2010; and 

Empresa Brasileira de Aerona ́utica S.A. 

(EMBRAER) Service Bulletin 500–57–0001, 

dated April 28, 2010, for related information. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

(i) You must use Empresa Brasileira de 

Aerona ́utica S.A. (EMBRAER) Service 

Bulletin 500–57–0001, dated April 28, 2010, 

to do the actions required by this AD, unless 

the AD specifies otherwise. 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

this service information under 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact EMBRAER Empresa 

Brasileira de Aerona ́utica S.A., Phenom 

Maintenance Support, Av. Brig. Farina Lima, 

2170, Sao Jose dos Campos—SP, CEP: 12227– 

901—PO Box: 38/2, BRASIL, telephone: ++55 

12 3927–5383; fax: ++55 12 3927–2610; 

E-mail: reliability.executive@embraer.com.br; 

Internet: http://www.embraer.com.br. 

(3) You may review copies of the service 

information incorporated by reference for 

this AD at the FAA, Central Region, Office of 

the Regional Counsel, 901 Locust, Kansas 

City, Missouri 64106. For information on the 

availability of this material at the Central 

Region, call (816) 329–3768. 

(4) You may also review copies of the 

service information incorporated by reference 

for this AD 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/ 

code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on 

September 30, 2010. 

John R. Colomy, 

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–25283 Filed 10–13–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2010–0969; Directorate 

Identifier 2009–SW–62–AD; Amendment 39– 

16461; AD 2010–21–01] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France (Eurocopter) Model AS350B, 

BA, B1, B2, B3, D, AS355E, F, F1, F2, 

and N 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 the 

specified Eurocopter model helicopters. 

This AD results from a mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI) AD issued by the European 

Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which 

is the Technical Agent for the Member 

States of the European Community. The 

MCAI AD states that the AD is issued 

following a report of a crack discovered 

in the area of the center cross-member 

at station X 2325, at the attachment 

point of the yaw channel ball-type 

control sheath stop, of a Model AS355N 

helicopter fitted with the collective-toyaw control coupling. Investigations 

revealed that the helicopter did not have 

the structural doublers, which are 

combined with the collective-to-yaw 

control coupling installation. Repetitive 

loads on the non-modified crossmember may cause it to crack. A crack 

can reduce the yaw control travel. This 

AD requires actions that are intended to 

prevent reduced yaw control and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective on 

October 29, 2010. 

The incorporation by reference of 

certain publications is approved by the 

Director of the Federal Register as of 

October 29, 2010. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by December 13, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting your 

comments electronically. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Mail: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, 

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

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

You may get the service information 

identified in this AD from American 

Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, Texas 75053–4005, 

telephone (800) 232–0323, fax (972) 

641–3510. 

Examining the 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 AD, the 

economic evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

office (telephone (800) 647–5527) is 

stated in the ADDRESSES section of this 

AD. Comments will be available in the 

AD docket shortly after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary 

Roach, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, Regulations and 

Policy Group, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Fort Worth, Texas 76137, telephone 

(817) 222–5130, fax (817) 222–5961. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued Emergency AD 

No. 2007–0139–E, dated May 15, 2007 

(corrected May 23, 2007), to correct an 

unsafe condition for these Frenchcertificated helicopters. The MCAI AD 

states that the AD is issued following 

one report of a crack discovered in the 

area of the center cross-member at 

station X 2325, at the attachment point 

of the yaw channel ball-type control 

sheath stop, of an AS355N helicopter 

with the collective-to-yaw control 

coupling. Investigations revealed that 

the helicopter did not have the 

structural doublers, which are combined 

with the collective-to-yaw control 

coupling installation. Repetitive loads 

on the non-modified cross-member may 

cause it to crack. A crack can reduce the 

yaw control travel. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with RULES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 198 / Thursday, October 14, 2010 / Rules and Regulations 63051 

You may obtain further information 

by examining the MCAI AD and any 

related service information in the AD 

docket. 

Related Service Information 

Eurocopter has issued an Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin (EASB), dated 

April 11, 2007, that contains 3 different 

numbers (Nos. 53.00.37, 53.00.11, and 

53.00.23) for Eurocopter Model 350, 

355, 550, and 555 helicopters. EASB No. 

53.00.37 relates to 2 Model 350 (350 BB 

and 350 L1) helicopters that are not 

type-certificated in the United States. 

EASB No. 53.00.11 relates to 4 Model 

550 and 6 Model 555 military 

helicopters that are not type-certificated 

in the United States. The actions 

described in the MCAI AD are intended 

to correct the same unsafe condition as 

that identified in the service 

information. 

FAA’s Evaluation and Unsafe Condition 

Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of France and 

are approved for operation in the United 

States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with this State of Design, 

EASA, their Technical Agent, has 

notified us of the unsafe condition 

described in the MCAI AD and service 

information. 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. 

Comments Invited 

This AD is a final rule that involves 

requirements affecting flight safety, and 

we did not precede it by notice and 

opportunity for public comment. 

However, we invite you to send us any 

written data, views, or arguments 

concerning this AD. Send your 

comments to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section of this AD. Include 

‘‘Docket No. FAA–2010–0969; 

Directorate Identifier 2009–SW–62–AD’’ 

at the beginning of your comments. We 

specifically invite comments on the 

overall regulatory, economic, 

environmental, and energy aspects of 

this AD. We will consider all comments 

received by the closing date and may 

amend this AD because of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this AD. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

MCAI AD 

This AD differs from the MCAI AD as 

follows: 

• We use the word ‘‘inspect’’ to 

describe the actions required by an 

inspector versus the word ‘‘check,’’ 

which is how we describe the actions 

allowed by a pilot. 

• We refer to the compliance time as 

‘‘hours time-in-service (TIS)’’ rather than 

‘‘flying hours.’’ 

• We do not include the military 

model helicopters in the applicability. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

about 725 helicopters of U.S. registry. 

We also estimate that it will take about 

1 work-hour per helicopter to inspect 

for the presence of the center cross 

member and doublers under the cabin 

floor and determine whether there is a 

crack in the center cross member. The 

average labor rate is $85 per work-hour. 

Required parts will cost about $150 per 

helicopter. Based on these figures, we 

estimate the cost of the AD on U.S. 

operators is $189,135, assuming 7 

helicopters have cracks and require an 

additional 8 work-hours of repair labor 

and $2,000 in repair design and parts. 

FAA’s Determination of the Effective 

Date 

An unsafe condition exists that 

requires the immediate adoption of this 

AD. We find that the risk to the flying 

public justifies waiving notice and 

comment prior to adoption of this rule 

because of the short compliance time, 

within 10 hours TIS or 1 month, 

whichever occurs first, to inspect for the 

presence of the cross-member at station 

X 2165 and the doublers at X 2325 and 

Y 269 and installing them within 55 

hours TIS if they are missing. Therefore, 

we have determined that notice and 

opportunity for public comment before 

issuing this AD are impracticable and 

that good cause exists for making this 

amendment effective in fewer than 30 

days. 

Comments Invited 

This AD is a final rule that involves 

requirements affecting flight safety, and 

we did not precede it by notice and 

opportunity for public comment. 

However, we invite you to send us any 

written data, views, or arguments 

concerning this AD. Send your 

comments to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section of this AD. Include 

‘‘Docket No. FAA–2010–0969; 

Directorate Identifier 2009–SW–62–AD’’ 

at the beginning of your comments. We 

specifically invite comments on the 

overall regulatory, economic, 

environmental, and energy aspects of 

this AD. We will consider all comments 

received by the closing date and may 

amend this AD because of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this AD. 

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 

product(s) 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. 

Therefore, I certify this 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. 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. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with RULES
63052 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 198 / Thursday, October 14, 2010 / Rules and Regulations 

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 AD: 

2010–21–01 Eurocopter France: 

Amendment 39–16461. Docket No. 

FAA–2010–0969; Directorate Identifier 

2009–SW–62–AD. 

Effective Date 

(a) This airworthiness directive (AD) 

becomes effective on October 29, 2010. 

Other Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to Eurocopter France 

Model AS350B, BA, B1, B2, B3, D, AS355E, 

F, F1, F2, and N helicopters, certificated in 

any category. 

Reason 

(d) The mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) AD states 

that AD is issued following one report of a 

crack discovered in the area of the center 

cross-member at station X 2325, at the 

attachment point of the yaw channel balltype control sheath stop of an AS355N 

helicopter with the collective-to-yaw control 

coupling. Investigations revealed that the 

helicopter did not have the structural 

doublers installed, which are combined with 

the collective-to-yaw control coupling 

installation. Repetitive loads on the nonmodified cross-member may cause it to crack. 

A crack can reduce the yaw control travel. 

The AD requires actions that are intended to 

prevent reduced yaw control and subsequent 

loss of control of the helicopter. 

Actions and Compliance 

(e) Within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS) or 

within 1 month, whichever occurs first, 

unless already done, determine whether the 

cross-member (numbered ‘‘1’’) at station X 

2165 and the two doublers (numbered ‘‘2’’ 

and ‘‘3’’) at stations X 2325 and Y 269 are 

installed as shown in Figure 1 of Eurocoper 

Emergency Alert Service Bulletin (EASB) No. 

53.00.37, dated April 11, 2007 (EASB 

53.00.37), for the Model AS350 helicopters 

and EASB No. 53.00.23, dated April 11, 2007 

(EASB 53.00.23), for the Model AS355 

helicopters. 

Note: The one Eurocopter EASB contains 3 

different numbers (Nos. 53.00.37, 53.00.11, 

and 53.00.23) for 4 different Eurocopter 

model helicopters. EASB 53.00.37 relates to 

2 Model 350 (350 BB and 350 L1) helicopters 

that are not type-certificated in the United 

States; and EASB No. 53.00.11 relates to 4 

Model 550 and 6 Model 555 military 

helicopters that are not type-certificated in 

the United States. 

(f) If the cross-member (numbered ‘‘1’’) and 

doublers (numbered ‘‘2’’ and ‘‘3’’) are not 

installed, before further flight, inspect for a 

crack in the center cross-member (numbered 

‘‘4’’) in the area around the attachment point 

of the tail rotor directional ball-type control 

as shown in Figure 1 of EASB 53.00.37 for 

the Model AS350 helicopters or EASB 

53.00.23 for the Model AS355 helicopters. 

(1) If you find a crack, before further flight, 

replace the unairworthy center cross-member 

(Numbered ‘‘4’’) with an airworthy center 

cross-member and comply with paragraph (g) 

of this AD. 

(2) If you do not find a crack, before further 

flight, inspect the tail rotor control rigging. 

(g) Within 55 hours TIS, install the crossmember (Numbered ‘‘1’’) at station X 2165 

and the 2 doublers (Numbered ‘‘2’’ and ‘‘3’’) 

at stations X 2325 and Y 269 by following the 

Appendix and the referenced Figures 2 and 

3 of EASB 53.00.37 for the Model AS350 

helicopters and EASB 53.00.23 for the Model 

AS355 helicopters. 

Differences Between the FAA AD and the 

MCAI AD 

(h) This AD differs from the MCAI AD as 

follows: 

(1) We use the word ‘‘inspect’’ to describe 

the actions required by an inspector versus 

the word ‘‘check,’’ which is how we describe 

the actions allowed by a pilot. 

(2) We refer to the compliance time as 

hours TIS rather than flying hours. 

(3) We do not include the military model 

helicopters. 

Other Information 

(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, ATTN: 

Gary Roach, Aviation Safety Engineer, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137, 

telephone (817) 222–5130, fax (817) 222– 

5961, has the authority to approve AMOCs 

for this AD, if requested, using the 

procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

Related Information 

(j) EASA Emergency AD No. 2007–0139–E, 

dated May 15, 2007 (corrected May 23, 2007), 

contains related information. 

Joint Aircraft System/Component (JASC) 

Code 

(k) The JASC Code is 5320—Fuselage Misc. 

Structure. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

(l) You must use the specified portions of 

Eurocoper Emergency Alert Service Bulletin 

No. 53.00.37 for the AS350 model helicopters 

and No. 53.00.23 for the AS355 model 

helicopters, both dated April 11, 2007, to do 

the actions required. 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

this service information under 5 U.S.C. 

552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact American Eurocopter 

Corporation, 2701 Forum Drive, Grand 

Prairie, Texas 75053–4005, telephone (800) 

232–0323, fax (972) 641–3510. 

(3) You may review copies at the FAA, 

Office of the Regional Counsel, DOT/FAA 

Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort 

Worth, TX 76137; or 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/ibr-locations.html. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 

23, 2010. 

Mark R. Schilling, 

Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–25273 Filed 10–13–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2010–0779; Directorate 

Identifier 2009–SW–84–AD; Amendment 39– 

16467; AD 2010–21–07] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France (ECF) Model AS350B3 and 

EC130 B4 Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This amendment adopts a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for the 

Eurocopter France Model AS350B3 and 

EC130 B4 helicopters. This amendment 

is prompted by a mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) AD 

issued by the European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 

Agent for the Member States of the 

European Community. The MCAI AD 

states that a dormant failure of one of 

the two contactors 53Ka or 53Kb can 

occur following certain modifications. 

Failure of a contactor can prevent 

switching from ‘‘IDLE’’ mode to 

‘‘FLIGHT’’ mode during autorotation 

training making it impossible to execute 

a power recovery and compelling the 

pilot to continue the autorotation to the 

ground. This condition, if not corrected, 

can lead to an unintended touchdown to 

the ground during a practice 

autorotation at a flight-idle power 

setting, damage to the helicopter, and 

injury to the occupants. 

DATES: Effective November 18, 2010. 

The incorporation by reference of 

certain publications listed in the 

regulations is approved by the Director 

of the Federal Register as of November 

18, 2010. 


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