This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains regulatory documents having general

applicability and legal effect, most of which

are keyed to and codified in the Code of

Federal Regulations, which is published under

50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by

the Superintendent of Documents. Prices of

new books are listed in the first FEDERAL

REGISTER issue of each week.

Rules and Regulations Federal Register

9777 

Vol. 78, No. 29 

Tuesday, February 12, 2013 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0075; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–104–AD; Amendment 

39–17336; AD 2013–03–02] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding an 

existing airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model 

EC 155B, EC155B1, SA–365N1, AS– 

365N2 and AS 365 N3 helicopters. That 

AD currently requires inspecting certain 

tail rotor hubs (TRH) for a crack and 

removing any cracked TRH. This AD 

requires the same actions but adds more 

part numbers to the list of affected 

TRHs. This AD is prompted by further 

analysis that indicates that additional 

part-numbered TRHs must be inspected 

for cracks. The actions specified by this 

AD are intended to detect a crack in the 

TRH and prevent the tail rotor from 

jamming, which could lead to reduced 

or loss of control of the helicopter. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

February 27, 2013. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain documents listed in this AD 

as of February 27, 2013. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by April 15, 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 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 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: 

Robert Grant, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Standards Staff, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, 

Texas 76137; telephone 817–222–5328; 

email robert.grant@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 

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 

On September 14, 2012, we issued AD 

2012–19–09, Amendment 39–17204 (77 

FR 58925, September 25, 2012), for 

Eurocopter Model EC 155B, EC155B1, 

SA–365N1, AS–365N2 and AS 365 N3 

helicopters with a 10-bladed TRH, part 

number (P/N) 365A33351100, 

365A33351101, or 365A33351102, 

installed. That AD requires visually 

inspecting the TRH for a crack and 

removing the TRH if a crack exists. The 

AD was prompted by reports of cracks 

on two TRHs. Those actions are 

intended to prevent the tail rotor from 

jamming, which could lead to reduced 

or loss of control of the helicopter. 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, issued EASA AD No. 2011–0144, 

dated July 26, 2011, to correct an unsafe 

condition for Eurocopter Model EC 

155B, EC155B1, SA–365N1, AS–365N2 

and AS 365 N3 helicopters, based on 

reports of 2 cases of cracked TRHs. 

Pending further investigation, EASA AD 

2011–0144 required repetitive 

inspections of 10-bladed TRHs every 55 

flight hours. EASA considered the 

actions in its AD to be interim measures 

and expected further AD actions. 

Actions Since Existing AD Was Issued 

Since we issued AD 2012–19–09, 

Amendment 39–17204 (77 FR 58925, 

September 25, 2012), Eurocopter 

determined that helicopters with 11- 

bladed TRHs must also be inspected for 

cracks. Based on this further analysis by 

Eurocopter, EASA determined that the 

inspections must also be applied to AS 

365 N2 helicopters with an 11-bladed 

TRH. Therefore, EASA issued 

superseding EASA AD 2012–0227, 

dated October 29, 2012, to extend the 

applicability to include the 11-bladed 

TRHs. 


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9778 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 29 / Tuesday, February 12, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 

FAA’s 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 France, 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 

Following the report of cracks found 

on the TRH of a Model AS–365 

helicopter, Eurocopter issued Alert 

Service Bulletin (ASB) No. EC 155– 

05A021, Revision 0, dated April 11, 

2011, for Model EC 155B and EC155B1 

helicopters and ASB No. AS365– 

05.00.60, Revision 0, dated April 11, 

2011, for Model SA–365N1, AS–365N2, 

AS 365 N3, and some military 

helicopters. After a second report of 

TRH cracks, the ASBs were revised, 

dated July 20, 2011, to mandate and 

reduce the repetitive inspection interval 

from 110 flight hours to 55 flight hours. 

On October 9, 2012, Eurocopter again 

revised ASB No. AS365–05.00.60 by 

issuing Revision 2 to extend the 

applicability to 11-bladed TRHs in 

Model AS 365 N3 helicopters. 

The ASBs call for visually inspecting 

the TRH for a crack and, if a crack is 

found, removing the TRH. EASA 

classified these ASBs as mandatory and 

issued superseding AD No. 2012–0227 

to ensure the continued airworthiness of 

these helicopters. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires visually inspecting 

the TRH for a crack within 55 hours 

time in service (TIS) and, if a crack 

exists, removing the TRH from service. 

This inspection must be repeated at 

intervals not to exceed 55 hours TIS. 

Interim Action 

We consider this AD to be an interim 

action because Eurocopter is still 

investigating the cause of TRH cracks. If 

a final action is later identified, we 

might consider additional rulemaking. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

44 helicopters of U.S. Registry and that 

labor costs will average $85 a workhour. We expect that it will take 1 workhour to visually inspect the TRH for a 

crack, and that helicopters will average 

5 inspections per year. Thus, we 

estimate a total annual cost of $425 per 

helicopter, and $18,700 for the U.S. 

operator fleet. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

Providing an opportunity for public 

comments prior to adopting these AD 

requirements would delay 

implementing the safety actions needed 

to correct this known unsafe condition. 

Therefore, we find that the risk to the 

flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to the adoption of 

this rule, because the required 

corrective actions must be accomplished 

within 55 hours TIS, a very short time 

period based on the average utilization 

rate of the highest usage helicopter 

model. 

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 impractical 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; 

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 

removing Amendment 39–17204 (77 FR 

58925, September 25, 2012) and adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

2013–03–02 Eurocopter France Helicopters: 

Amendment 39–17336; Docket No. 

FAA–2013–0075; Directorate Identifier 

2012–SW–104–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Eurocopter Model EC 

155B, EC155B1, SA–365N1, AS–365N2 and 

AS 365 N3 helicopters with a 10-bladed tail 

rotor hub (TRH), part number (P/N) 

365A33351100, 365A33351101, or 

365A33351102 installed; and Model AS 365 

N3 helicopters with an 11-bladed TRH, P/N 

365A33216001or 365A33216003, installed, 

certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

crack in the TRH that could lead to a tail 

rotor jam, and subsequent reduced or loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

(c) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 2012–19–09, 

Amendment 39–17204, Docket No. FAA– 

2012–1018, Directorate Identifier 2011–SW– 

052–AD (77 FR 58925, September 25, 2012). 

(d) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective February 27, 

2013. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 29 / Tuesday, February 12, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 9779 

(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) Within 55 hours time-in-service (TIS), 

and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 55 

hours TIS, using a light, visually inspect the 

TRH for a crack in the entire area shown as 

Area C of the TRH in Figure 1 of Eurocopter 

Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. EC155– 

05A021, Revision 1, dated July 20, 2011, or 

ASB No. AS365–05.00.60, Revision 2, dated 

October 9, 2012, as applicable to your 

helicopter model. The inspection area is on 

the tail gearbox (TGB) side of the TRH. The 

TGB is shown as (c) in figures 2 and 3 of the 

ASBs. You must pay particular attention to 

the area around the screws, shown as (e) in 

Figure 3 of the ASBs, and the TRH between 

the lower part of the TGB and its fairing, 

shown as (d) in figures 2 and 3 of the ASBs, 

using details D and E of Figure 3 in the ASBs. 

You must turn the tail rotor by hand to 

inspect the entire Area C. 

(2) If there is a crack on the TRH, remove 

the TRH from service. 

(g) Special flight permits 

No special flight permits will be permitted. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Robert Grant, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Standards Staff, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 Meacham 

Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; telephone 

817–222–5328; email robert.grant@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 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency AD No. 

2012–0227, dated October 29, 2012. 

(j) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6420, Tail Rotor Head. 

(k) 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) Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin No. 

EC155–05A021, Revision 1, dated July 20, 

2011. 

(ii) Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin No. 

AS365–05.00.60, Revision 2, dated October 9, 

2012. 

(3) For Eurocopter 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. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas 76137. 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 January 28, 

2013. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–02581 Filed 2–11–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–1111; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NM–114–AD; Amendment 

39–17342; AD 2013–03–07] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Hawker 

Beechcraft Corporation (Type 

Certificate Previously Held by 

Raytheon Aircraft Company; Beech 

Aircraft Corporation) Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (Type 

Certificate previously held by Raytheon 

Aircraft Company; Beech Aircraft 

Corporation) Model 400A airplanes. 

This AD was prompted by a report that 

the wiring for the 5-volt direct current 

(DC) system is undersized and does not 

have adequate circuit protection for the 

smaller gauge wire. This AD requires 

installing an in-line fuse in the 5-volt 

DC system for each of the five 

instrument lighting control power 

supplies. We are issuing this AD to 

prevent failure of the wiring, which 

could result in smoke in the cockpit, 

loss of cockpit lighting, and potential 

damage to surrounding wiring for other 

cockpit equipment such as the stick 

shaker function or angle-of-attack 

indicators. 

DATES: This AD is effective March 19, 

2013. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in the AD 

as of March 19, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Hawker 

Beechcraft Corporation, Department 62, 

P.O. Box 85, Wichita, KS 67201–0085; 

telephone 316–676–8238; fax 316–676– 

6706; email 

tmdc@hawkerbeechcraft.com; Internet 

https://www.hawkerbeechcraft.com/ 

service_support/pubs. You may review 

copies of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, Washington. For 

information on the availability of this 

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

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Management Facility between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (phone: 800–647–5527) is 

Document Management Facility, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Richard Rejniak, Aerospace Engineer, 

Electrical Systems and Avionics Branch, 

ACE–119W, FAA, Wichita Aircraft 

Certification Office, 1801 Airport Road, 

Room 100, Mid-Continent Airport, 

Wichita, Kansas 67209; phone: (316) 

946–4128; fax (316) 946–4107; email: 

richard.rejniak@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to the specified products. That 

NPRM published in the Federal 

Register on November 5, 2012 (77 FR 

66411). That NPRM proposed to require 

installing an in-line fuse in the 5-volt 

DC system for each of the five 

instrument lighting control power 

supplies. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 


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