This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

42230 

Vol. 83, No. 162 

Tuesday, August 21, 2018 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2018–0726; Product 

Identifier 2017–SW–097–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo 

S.p.A. Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Leonardo S.p.A. (Type Certificate 

Previously Held by Finmeccanica 

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

AW109SP helicopters. This proposed 

AD would require inspecting and 

altering the rescue hoist. This proposed 

AD is prompted by a report of a 

damaged hoist cable that detached after 

load application. The actions of this 

proposed AD are intended to address an 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by October 22, 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– 

0726; 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 proposed 

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 proposed 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: 

David Hatfield, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Safety Management Section, 

Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 

10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 

76177; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

david.hatfield@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 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued AD No. 2017–0025, 

dated February 14, 2017, to correct an 

unsafe condition for Leonardo S.p.A. 

(formerly Finmeccanica S.p.A, 

AgustaWestland S.p.A.) Model 

AW109SP helicopters. EASA advises 

that a hoist cable became snagged 

behind a hoist handle assembly nut and 

broke during a dummy load application. 

EASA further advises that this condition 

could result in detachment of an 

external load, and subsequent personal 

injury or injury to persons on the 

ground. To address this unsafe 

condition, the EASA AD requires 

inspecting the hoist cable, modifying 

the rescue hoist handle, and amending 

the rescue hoist pre-flight inspection 

described in the rotorcraft flight manual. 

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 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 Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed Leonardo Helicopters 

Bollettino Tecnico No. 109SP–110, 

dated February 13, 2017 (BT 109SP– 

110), which contains procedures for 

inspecting the hoist handle, the 

passenger-side cabin doorframe, and the 

hoist cable. This service information 

also specifies replacing the attaching 

hardware on the rescue hoist handle 

and adding a temporary pre-flight check 

of the hoist cable to the Rotorcraft Flight 

Manual. 

This service information is reasonably 

available because the interested parties 

have access to it through their normal 

course of business or by the means 

identified in the ADDRESSES section. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Proposed Rules 42231 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require, 

within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS) or 

before the next hoist operation, 

whichever occurs first, inspecting the 

hoist handle assembly and the upper 

section of the cabin doorframe for 

chafing caused by the hoist cable. If 

there is any chafing, this proposed AD 

would require, before further flight, 

repairing the damage and inspecting the 

first 6 meters (20 feet) of the hoist cable 

for cable diameter, broken wires, kinks, 

bird caging, flattened areas, abrasion, 

and necking. If the cable dimension is 

less than 4.70 mm (0.185 inch), or if 

there are any broken wires, kinks, bird 

caging, flattened areas, abrasion, or 

necking, this proposed AD would 

require, before the next hoist operation, 

replacing the hoist cable. 

This proposed AD would also require, 

within 25 hours TIS, replacing the 

rescue hoist handle attaching hardware. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the EASA AD 

The EASA AD requires amending the 

rotorcraft flight manual by adding a 

daily rescue hoist cable preflight 

inspection, this proposed AD does not 

since the actions in this proposed AD 

would correct the unsafe condition. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 30 helicopters of U.S. 

Registry. 

At an average labor rate of $85 per 

hour, we estimate that operators may 

incur the following costs in order to 

comply with this AD. Inspecting the 

hoist handle assembly, cabin doorframe, 

and hoist cable would require about 2 

hours, for a cost of $170 per helicopter 

and $5,100 for the U.S. fleet. Replacing 

the hardware on the hoist handle 

assembly would require about 1 hour 

and required parts cost would be 

minimal, for a cost of $85 per helicopter 

and $2,550 for the U.S. fleet. 

If required, replacing a hoist cable 

would require about 3 hours and 

required parts would cost $3,150, for a 

cost per helicopter of $3,405. 

According to Leonardo Helicopter’s 

service information some of the costs of 

this proposed AD may be covered under 

warranty, thereby reducing the cost 

impact on affected individuals. We do 

not control warranty coverage by 

Leonardo Helicopters. Accordingly, we 

have included all costs in our cost 

estimate. 

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): 

Leonardo S.p.A. (Type Certificate Previously 

Held by Finmeccanica S.p.A, 

AgustaWestland S.p.A): Docket No. 

FAA–2018–0726; Product Identifier 

2017–SW–097–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model AW109SP 

helicopters, certificated in any category, with 

a rescue hoist part number 109–B810–16–101 

or 109–B810–16–201 installed. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

chafing of a rescue hoist cable. This 

condition could result in detachment of an 

external load and subsequent injury to 

persons being lifted. 

(c) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by October 22, 

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 10 hours time-in-service (TIS) or 

before the next hoist operation, whichever 

occurs first, inspect the rescue hoist handle 

assembly and the upper part of the cabin 

doorframe for chafing. The inspection area of 

the cabin doorframe is depicted in Figure 3 

of Leonardo Helicopters Bollettino Tecnico 

No. 109SP–110, dated February 13, 2017 (BT 

109SP–110). Examples of chafing are shown 

in Figures 10 and 11 of BT 109SP–110. If 

there is any chafing, before further flight, 

repair the chafed areas and inspect the first 

6 meters (20 feet) of the hoist cable as 

follows: 

(i) Measure the diameter of the hoist cable 

as described in the Compliance Instructions, 

Part I, paragraphs 3.4.1 through 3.4.2 of BT 

109SP–110. 

(ii) Average the two measurements at each 

location. If at any location the diameter of the 

hoist cable is less than 4.7 mm (0.185 inch), 

before the next hoist operation, remove the 

hoist cable from service. 

(iii) Inspect the hoist cable for broken 

wires, kinks, bird caging, flattened areas, 

abrasion, and necking, referencing the 

examples shown and depicted in Figures 5 

through 9 of BT 109SP–110. If there are any 

broken wires, kinks, bird caging, flattened 

areas, abrasion, or necking, before the next 

hoist operation, remove the hoist cable from 

service. 

(2) Within 25 hours TIS, replace the rescue 

hoist handle attaching hardware as described 

in the Compliance Instructions, Part II, 

paragraphs 3 through 6, of BT 109SP–110. 

(f) Special Flight Permits 

A one-time special flight permit may be 

granted provided that the hoist is not used. 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS
42232 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 162 / Tuesday, August 21, 2018 / Proposed Rules 

(g) 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: David Hatfield, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Safety Management 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. 

(h) Additional Information 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2017–0025, dated February 14, 2017. You 

may view the EASA AD on the internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov in the AD Docket. 

(i) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: Cabin/Equipment Furnishings. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 6, 

2018. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–17903 Filed 8–20–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2018–0740; Product 

Identifier 2016–SW–045–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Bell 

Helicopter Textron Canada Limited 

Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell 

Helicopter Textron Canada Limited 

(Bell) Model 206A, 206B, 206L, 206L–1, 

206L–3, 206L–4, and 407 helicopters. 

This proposed AD would require 

inspecting and cleaning the oil supply 

restrictor (restrictor) to the freewheel 

assembly. This proposed AD is 

prompted by reports of a blocked oil 

line restrictor in the freewheel 

lubrication system. The proposed 

actions are intended to address an 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by October 22, 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– 

0740; 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 proposed 

AD, the Transport Canada 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 proposed rule, contact Bell 

Helicopter Textron Canada Limited, 

12,800 Rue de l’Avenir, Mirabel, Quebec 

J7J1R4; telephone (450) 437–2862 or 

(800) 363–8023; fax (450) 433–0272; or 

at http://www.bellcustomer.com/files/. 

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: 

David Hatfield, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Safety Management Section, 

Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 

10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 

76177; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

david.hatfield@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 

Transport Canada, which is the 

aviation authority for Canada, has 

issued Canadian AD No. CF–2016–13, 

dated May 16, 2016 (AD No. CF–2016– 

13), to correct an unsafe condition for 

Bell Model 206A, 206B, 206L, 206L–1, 

206L–3, 206L–4, and 407 helicopters. 

Transport Canada advises that they have 

received two reports of torsional 

overload failure of the main rotor mast 

caused by a blocked oil line restrictor in 

the freewheel lubrication system. 

Transport Canada states the restrictor 

may become contaminated during 

maintenance, causing blockage. 

Transport Canada further states that a 

blocked restrictor could cause the 

freewheel assembly to malfunction and 

result in failure of the main rotor mast 

and loss of control of the helicopter. 

Additionally, the Canadian AD 

advises that although certain later 

versions of these helicopters are 

equipped with a filter in the freewheel 

lubrication system that is designed to 

trap contaminants and prevent blockage 

of the restrictor, installation of the filter 

does not guarantee the restrictor will 

remain free of contaminants. According 

to Transport Canada, one occurrence of 

restrictor blockage resulted from 

contaminants being introduced 

downstream from the filter, which 

subsequently caused failure of the 

freewheel assembly. For these reasons, 

AD No. CF–2016–13 requires inspecting 

and cleaning the restrictors and filters to 

reduce the risk of freewheel failure. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of Canada and 

are approved for operation in the United 

States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with Canada, Transport 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with PROPOSALS