38014 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 150 / Friday, August 3, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

(10) The Instructions for Continued 

Airworthiness (ICA) required by 

§ 23.1529 must contain maintenance 

requirements to ensure that the battery 

has been sufficiently charged at 

appropriate intervals specified by the 

battery manufacturer and the equipment 

manufacturer that contain the 

rechargeable lithium battery or 

rechargeable lithium battery system. 

The lithium rechargeable batteries and 

lithium rechargeable battery systems 

must not degrade below specified 

ampere-hour levels sufficient to power 

the aircraft system. The ICA must also 

contain procedures for the maintenance 

of replacement batteries to prevent the 

installation of batteries that have 

degraded charge retention ability or 

other damage due to prolonged storage 

at a low state of charge. Replacement 

batteries must be of the same 

manufacturer and part number as 

approved by the FAA. 

Note 2 to paragraph (10): Maintenance 

requirements include procedures that check 

battery capacity, charge degradation at 

manufacturers recommended inspection 

intervals, and replace batteries at 

manufacturer’s recommended replacement 

schedule/time to prevent age-related 

degradation. 

Note 3 to paragraph (10): The term 

‘‘sufficiently charged’’ means that the battery 

must retain enough charge, expressed in 

ampere-hours, to ensure that the battery cells 

will not be damaged. A battery cell may be 

damaged by low charge (i.e., below a certain 

level), resulting in a reduction in the ability 

to charge and retain a full charge. This 

reduction would be greater than the 

reduction that may result from normal 

operational degradation. 

Note 4 to paragraph (10): Replacement 

battery in spares storage may be subject to 

prolonged storage at a low state of charge. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 25, 

2018. 

Pat Mullen, 

Manager, Small Airplane Standards Branch, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16609 Filed 8–2–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2018–0720; Product 

Identifier 2017–SW–012–AD; Amendment 

39–19348; AD 2018–16–08] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo 

S.p.A. Helicopters (Type Certificate 

Previously Held By Finmeccanica 

S.p.A., AgustaWestland S.p.A) 

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 

Leonardo S.p.A. (Leonardo) Model 

A109E, A109S, and AW109SP 

helicopters with an oil cooler fan 

assembly (fan assembly) installed. This 

AD requires inspecting each oil cooler 

system pulley assembly (pulley 

assembly) bearing and replacing each 

fan assembly. This AD is prompted by 

reports of degraded pulley assembly 

bearings. The actions of this AD are 

intended to correct an unsafe condition 

on these products. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

August 20, 2018. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by October 2, 2018. 

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–2018– 

0720; or in person at Docket Operations 

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, the economic evaluation, 

any comments received, and other 

information. The street address for 

Docket Operations (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 Leonardo S.p.A. 

Helicopters, Matteo Ragazzi, Head of 

Airworthiness, Viale G.Agusta 520, 

21017 C.Costa di Samarate (Va) Italy; 

telephone +39–0331–711756; fax +39– 

0331–229046; or at http://

www.leonardocompany.com/-/bulletins. 

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: Eric 

Haight, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Regulations and Policy Section, 

Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 

10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 

76177; telephone (817) 222 5110; email 

eric.haight@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 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA Emergency AD 

No. 2017–0046–E, dated March 10, 

2017, to correct an unsafe condition for 

Leonardo (previously Finmeccanica 

S.p.A, AgustaWestland S.p.A.) Model 

A109E, A109LUH, A109S, and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 150 / Friday, August 3, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 38015 

AW109SP helicopters. EASA advises 

that during inspections of two 

AW109SP helicopters, degraded 

bearings, part number (P/N) 

109G6320L01–101, were discovered on 

the engine and transmission oil cooling 

system pulley assembly, P/N 

109G6320A26–101. EASA further states 

that because of this condition, both fan 

assemblies could cease to function, 

resulting in engine power loss, 

transmission failure, and loss of control 

of the helicopter. To correct this unsafe 

condition, the EASA AD requires a onetime inspection of each pulley assembly 

bearing and replacing each fan 

assembly. 

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 

We reviewed Leonardo Helicopters 

Emergency Alert Service Bulletin 

(EASB) No. 109–EP–153 for Model 

A109E helicopters, EASB No. 109S–075 

for Model A109S helicopters, and EASB 

No. 109SP–112 for Model AW109SP 

helicopters, all dated March 8, 2017. 

This service information contains 

procedures for inspecting each pulley 

assembly bearing P/N 109G6320L01– 

101 for grease shield damage or leaking 

grease and axial and radial play, and 

freedom of rotation of the bearing. This 

service information also provides 

procedures for replacing each fan 

assembly P/N 109–0455–01–103 with a 

fan assembly P/N 109–0455–01–101. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires, within 5 hours 

time-in-service (TIS), inspecting with a 

borescope each bearing P/N 

109G6320L01–101 grease shield for a 

crack, position of the grease shield, and 

leaking grease. If there is a crack or 

leaking grease or if the grease shield is 

out of position, this AD requires 

replacing each fan assembly with fan 

assembly P/N 109–0455–01–101 before 

further flight. 

This AD also requires inspecting each 

bearing for axial and radial play and 

freedom of rotation. If there is any axial 

or radial play, rotation resistance, or 

binding, this AD requires replacing each 

fan assembly with fan assembly P/N 

109–0455–01–101 before further flight. 

If there is no play, no rotation 

resistance, and no binding, this AD 

requires replacing each fan assembly 

with fan assembly P/N 109–0455–01– 

101 within 20 hours TIS. 

Finally, this AD prohibits installing 

fan assembly P/N 109–0455–01–103 on 

any helicopter. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

The EASA AD applies to Model 

A109LUH helicopters; this AD does not 

as this model is a military model and 

does not have an FAA type certificate. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 127 

helicopters of U.S. Registry. We estimate 

that operators may incur the following 

costs in order to comply with this AD. 

At an average labor rate of $85 per 

work-hour, inspecting the bearings will 

require 1 hour, for a cost per helicopter 

of $85. Replacing both fan assemblies 

will require 8 hours and $44,800 for 

parts. Based on these figures, we 

estimate a total cost of $45,565 per 

helicopter and $5,786,755 for the U.S. 

fleet to comply with this AD. 

According to the Leonardo service 

information, some of the costs of this 

AD may be covered under warranty, 

thereby reducing the cost impact on 

affected individuals. We do not control 

warranty coverage by Leonardo. 

Accordingly, we have included all costs 

in our cost estimate. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

An unsafe condition exists that 

requires the immediate adoption of this 

AD without providing an opportunity 

for public comments prior to adoption. 

The FAA has found that the risk to the 

flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to adoption of this 

rule because the previously described 

unsafe condition can adversely affect 

the controllability of the helicopter and 

the initial required corrective action 

must be accomplished within 5 hours 

TIS. Therefore, we find good cause that 

notice and opportunity for prior public 

comment are impracticable. 

In addition, for the reason stated 

above, we find 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 adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 


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38016 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 150 / Friday, August 3, 2018 / Rules and Regulations 

2018–16–08 Leonardo S.p.A. (Type 

Certificate Previously Held By 

Finmeccanica S.p.A., AgustaWestland 

S.p.A): Amendment 39–19348; Docket 

No. FAA–2018–0720; Product Identifier 

2017–SW–012–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Leonardo S.p.A. (Type 

Certificate previously held by Finmeccanica 

S.p.A., AgustaWestland S.p.A) Model A109E, 

A109S, and AW109SP helicopters with an oil 

cooler fan assembly (fan assembly) part 

number (P/N) 109–0455–01–103 installed, 

certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

failure of an oil cooler system pulley 

assembly (pulley assembly) bearing. This 

condition could lead to failure of a fan 

assembly, resulting in engine power loss, 

transmission failure, and loss of control of 

the helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective August 20, 

2018. 

(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 

(1) Within 5 hours time-in-service (TIS), 

remove the fan belt from each pulley 

assembly and, using a borescope inspect the 

grease shield of each bearing P/N 

109G6320L01–101 for a crack, leaking grease, 

and position of the grease shield. 

(i) If there is a crack, any leaking grease, 

or if the grease shield is out of position, 

before further flight, replace each fan 

assembly P/N 109–0455–01–103 on both 

sides of the helicopter with a fan assembly 

P/N 109–0455–01–101. 

(ii) If there are no cracks, no leaking grease, 

and the grease shield is correctly positioned, 

inspect each bearing P/N 109G6320L01–101 

for axial and radial play and freedom of 

rotation. 

(A) If there is any axial or radial play, 

rotation resistance, or binding, before further 

flight, replace each fan assembly P/N 109– 

0455–01–103 on both sides of the helicopter 

with a fan assembly P/N 109–0455–01–101. 

(B) If there is no play, no rotation 

resistance, and no binding, within 20 hours 

TIS, replace each fan assembly P/N 109– 

0455–01–103 on both sides of the helicopter 

with a fan assembly P/N 109–0455–01–101. 

(2) After the effective date of this AD, do 

not install a fan assembly P/N 109–0455–01– 

103 on any helicopter. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 

may approve AMOCs for this AD. Send your 

proposal to: Eric Haight, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Regulations and Policy Section, 

Rotorcraft Standards Branch, 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 

(1) Leonardo Helicopters Emergency Alert 

Service Bulletin (EASB) No. 109EP–153, 

EASB No. 109S–075, and EASB No 109SP– 

112, all dated March 8, 2017, and which are 

not incorporated by reference, contain 

additional information about the subject of 

this AD. For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Leonardo S.p.A. Helicopters, 

Matteo Ragazzi, Head of Airworthiness, Viale 

G.Agusta 520, 21017 C.Costa di Samarate 

(Va) Italy; telephone +39–0331–711756; fax 

+39–0331–229046; or at http://

www.leonardocompany.com/-/bulletins. You 

may review a copy of the service information 

at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, 

Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 

Emergency AD No. 2017–0046–E, dated 

March 10, 2017. You may view the EASA AD 

on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov 

by searching for and locating it in Docket No. 

FAA–2018–0720. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6322 Rotorcraft Cooling Fan System. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 26, 

2018. 

Scott A. Horn, 

Deputy Director for Regulatory Operations, 

Compliance & Airworthiness Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16496 Filed 8–2–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71 

[Docket No. FAA–2016–9377; Airspace 

Docket No. 16–AEA–8] 

RIN–2120–AA66 

Amendment of Class D and Class E 

Airspace for the Following 

Pennsylvania Towns; Lancaster, PA; 

Reading, PA; and Williamsport, PA 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: This action amends Class E 

airspace designated as an extension to 

Class D airspace by removing the Notice 

to Airmen (NOTAM) part-time status at 

Lancaster Airport, Lancaster, PA; 

Reading Regional Airport/Carl A. Spaatz 

Field, Reading, PA; and Williamsport 

Regional Airport, Williamsport, PA. 

This action also updates the geographic 

coordinates of these airports and the 

Picture Rocks navigation aid listed in 

the associated Class D and E airspace. 

This action enhances the safety and 

airspace management of instrument 

flight rules (IFR) operations at the 

airport. Also, this action replaces the 

outdated term Airport/Facility Directory 

with the term Chart Supplement in the 

associated Class D and E legal 

descriptions. 

DATES: Effective 0901 UTC, November 8, 

2018. The Director of the Federal 

Register approves this incorporation by 

reference action under title 1, Code of 

Federal Regulations, part 51, subject to 

the annual revision of FAA Order 

7400.11 and publication of conforming 

amendments. 

ADDRESSES: FAA Order 7400.11B, 

Airspace Designations and Reporting 

Points, and subsequent amendments can 

be viewed online at http://www.faa.gov/ 

air_traffic/publications/. For further 

information, you can contact the 

Airspace Policy Group, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 800 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; 

telephone: (202) 267–8783. The Order is 

also available for inspection at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of FAA 

Order 7400.11B at NARA, call (202) 

741–6030, or go to https://

www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ 

ibr-locations.html. 

FAA Order 7400.11, Airspace 

Designations and Reporting Points, is 

published yearly and effective on 

September 15. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Fornito, Operations Support Group, 

Eastern Service Center, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 1701 Columbia Avenue, 

College Park, GA 30337; telephone 

(404) 305–6364. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Authority for This Rulemaking 

The FAA’s authority to issue rules 

regarding aviation safety is found in 

Title 49 of the United States Code. 

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. This rulemaking is 

promulgated under the authority 

described in Subtitle VII, Part A, 

Subpart I, Section 40103. Under that 

section, the FAA is charged with 

prescribing regulations to assign the use 

of airspace necessary to ensure the 


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