36220 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 117 / Monday, June 18, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

(f) Additional Information 

(1) Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) 

No. AS350–05.00.63, Revision 1, dated April 

18, 2011, and ASB No. AS355–05.00.58, 

Revision 1, dated April 18, 2011, which are 

not incorporated by reference, contain 

additional information about the subject of 

this AD. For this service information, contact 

American Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 N. 

Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, Texas 75052; 

telephone (972) 641–0000 or (800) 232–0323; 

fax (972) 641–3775; or at http:// 

www.eurocopter.com/techpub. You may 

review this 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 (EASA) AD 

No. 2011–0072, dated April 20, 2011. 

(g) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 2560, Emergency Equipment. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 8, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–14807 Filed 6–15–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0632; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–SW–044–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model 

SA–365N, SA–365N1, AS–365N2, AS 

365 N3, EC 155B, EC155B1, SA–365C, 

SA–365C1, SA–365C2, and SA–366G1 

helicopters. This proposed AD is 

prompted by reports of corrosion on the 

main gearbox (MGB) casing lower area 

between the two servo-control 

anchoring fitting attachment ribs. An 

investigation determined that the 

corrosion was associated with sealing 

compound on the lower part of the 

fitting/casing attachment. The proposed 

actions are intended to detect corrosion 

on the MGB casing, which could lead to 

a crack, failure of the MGB, and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by August 17, 2012. 

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 Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75053–4005, 

telephone (800) 232–0323, fax (972) 

641–3710, or at http:// 

www.eurocopter.com. You may review a 

copy of 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: Rao 

Edupuganti, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Regulations and Policy Group, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–4389; email: 

rao.edupaganti@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.: 2011–0127, 

dated July 1, 2011 (AD No. 2011–0127), 

which supersedes Directorate General 

for Civil Aviation (DGAC France) AD F– 

2008–04, dated June 4, 2008, for the 

Eurocopter Model EC 155 B, EC 155 B1, 

SA 365 N, SA 365 N1, AS 365 N2, AS 

365 N3, SA 366 G1, SA 365 C, SA 365 

C1, SA 365 C2, and SA 365 C3 

helicopters with a MGB, all part 

numbers, that was delivered before 

December 5, 2007, installed on 

helicopters delivered before December 

5, 2007, or overhauled or repaired 

before September 30, 2008. EASA states 

that in 2008, it received two reports of 

atmospheric corrosion on the MGB 

casing lower area of two helicopters 

between the two servo-control 

anchoring fitting attachment ribs. The 

investigation showed that the corrosion 

occurred in this area due to the presence 

of ‘‘PR sealing compound’’ on the lower 

part of the fitting/casing attachment. 

The ‘‘PR sealing compound’’ may have 

been applied incorrectly on some 

helicopters due to a misinterpretation of 

the Eurocopter documentation during 

installation. EASA states that this 

condition, if not corrected, could lead to 

‘‘crack initiation and crack growth in 

the affected area of the casing,’’ which 

could cause this area to fail and result 

in loss of control of the helicopter. 

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 its 

AD. We are proposing this AD because 

we evaluated all known relevant 

information and determined that an 


TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 117 / Monday, June 18, 2012 / Proposed Rules 36221 

unsafe condition is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of these same 

type designs. 

Related Service Information 

Eurocopter has issued one Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin (EASB), Revision 

0, dated May 7, 2008, with five different 

numbers. EASB No. 63.00.17 is for the 

Model AS 365-series helicopters; EASB 

No. 63.00.12 is for the military Model 

AS 565-series helicopters, which are not 

FAA type certificated; EASB No. 

63A011 is for the Model EC 155-series 

helicopters; EASB No. 65.03 is for the 

Model SA 366-series helicopters; and 

EASB No. 65.47 is for the Model SA 

365-series helicopters and the non-FAA 

type certificated Model SA 360-series 

helicopters. The EASB specifies 

inspecting for ‘‘PR sealing compound’’ 

on the lower parts of the MGB 

anchoring fittings, removing any ‘‘PR 

sealing compound,’’ and repairing any 

corrosion. EASA classified this EASB as 

mandatory and issued AD No. 2011– 

0127 to ensure the continued 

airworthiness of these helicopters. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require the 

following actions: 

• Within 30 hours time-in-service 

(TIS), inspecting the lower parts of the 

anchoring fittings for sealing compound. 

• If there is sealing compound on the 

lower parts of the anchoring fittings, 

removing the sealing compound and 

inspecting the anchoring fittings for 

corrosion. 

• If there is corrosion, repairing the 

affected area. If there is no corrosion, 

applying touch up protective treatment 

and renewing any damaged sealing 

compound bead in the lower part of the 

anchoring fitting. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the EASA AD 

The EASA AD requires inspecting the 

anchoring fittings for ‘‘PR sealing 

compound’’ within 15 flight hours, 

while this proposed AD would require 

inspecting within 30 hours TIS. The 

EASA AD applies to the Model SA– 

365C3, and this proposed AD does not 

include this model because it does not 

have an FAA-issued type certificate. 

This AD would not allow the 

compliance times provided in Appendix 

1 of the EASA AD, since it is desirable 

to accomplish any required repairs 

before further flight. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 31 helicopters of U.S. 

Registry. We estimate that operators 

may incur the following costs in order 

to comply with this AD. Inspecting the 

anchor fittings for sealing compound 

and corrosion will require about .5 work 

hour at an average labor rate of $85 per 

hour, for a cost per helicopter of about 

$43 and a cost to the entire U.S. fleet of 

$1,318. To remove any sealing 

compound and repair any corrosion 

damage will require about 8 work hours 

at an average labor rate of $85 per hour, 

for a cost per helicopter of $680. 

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 France Helicopters: Docket No. 

FAA–2012–0632; Directorate Identifier 

2011–SW–044–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Eurocopter Model SA– 

365N, SA–365N1, AS–365N2, AS 365 N3, EC 

155B, EC155B1, SA–366G1, SA–365C, SA– 

365C1, and SA–365C2 helicopters, with a 

main gearbox (MGB) installed, certificated in 

any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

corrosion on the MGB casing lower area 

between the servo-control anchoring ribs, 

caused by sealing compound on the lower 

part of the fitting/casing attachment. This 

condition could result in a crack, failure of 

the MGB, and subsequent loss of 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 

(1) Within 30 hours time-in-service, 

inspect the lower parts of the MGB servocontrol anchoring fittings (anchor fittings) for 

sealing compound, referring to Figure 1 of 

Eurocopter Emergency Alert Service Bulletin 

No. 63.00.17 (for Models SA–365N, SA– 

365N1, AS–365N2 and AS 365 N3); No. 

63A011 (for Models EC 155B and EC155B1); 

No. 65.03 (for Model SA–366G1); and No. 

65.47 (for Models SA–365C, SA–365C1, and 

SA–365C2), Revision 0, dated May 7, 2008 

(EASB). 

Note to (d)(1): The Eurocopter EASB is one 

document with multiple EASB numbers, 

each applicable to different base model 

Eurocopter helicopters. 

(2) If there is sealing compound on the 

lower part of an MGB anchor fitting, remove 

the sealing compound and inspect for 

corrosion in the lower area of the MGB 

casing. 

(i) If there is corrosion, before further 

flight, repair the corrosion area. 


TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
36222 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 117 / Monday, June 18, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

(ii) If there is no corrosion, apply touch up 

protective treatment, if required, and renew 

the bead of any damaged sealing compound 

in the upper part of the anchor fitting. 

(e) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOC) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Rao Edupuganti, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Regulations and 

Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–4389; email: 

rao.edupaganti@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. 

(f) Additional Information 

(1) Eurocopter Repair Sheet 365–63–36–08, 

dated April 4, 2008 and Standard Practices 

Manual (MTC) Work Cards 20.04.04, 

20.04.05, and 20.05.01, which are not 

incorporated by reference, contain additional 

information regarding the subject of this 

proposed AD and in particular regarding the 

procedures for corrosion repair, protective 

treatment touch-up, and renewing the 

damaged sealing bead. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact American Eurocopter 

Corporation, 2701 Forum Drive, Grand 

Prairie, TX 75053–4005, telephone (800) 

232–0323, fax (972) 641–3710, or at http:// 

www.eurocopter.com. You may review a 

copy of the service information at the FAA, 

Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest 

Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137. 

(3) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency AD No. 

2011–0127, dated July 1, 2011. 

(g) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6320: Main Rotor Gearbox. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 7, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–14805 Filed 6–15–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0637; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NM–006–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

The Boeing Company Model 737–600, 

–700, –700C, –800, –900, and –900ER 

series airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by a report of an inboard 

main landing gear (MLG) door assembly 

departure due to premature fatigue 

cracking in the inboard MLG door hinge 

fittings. This proposed AD would 

require repetitive inspections for 

cracking of the inboard MLG door hinge 

fittings; and modification of cracked 

fittings, which would terminate the 

repetitive inspections. We are proposing 

this AD to detect and correct fatigue 

cracking in the inboard MLG door hinge 

fittings which could result in loss of the 

MLG door assembly from the airplane; 

loss of the MLG door assembly could 

impact the flight control surfaces and 

result in reduced controllability of the 

airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by August 2, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, 

using the procedures found in 14 CFR 

11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

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

instructions for submitting comments. 

• 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: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data 

& Services Management, P.O. Box 3707, 

MC 2H–65, Seattle, Washington 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 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 proposed AD, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Office 

(phone: 800–647–5527) is in the 

ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 

available in the AD docket shortly after 

receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Nancy Marsh, Aerospace Engineer, 

Airframe Branch, ANM–120S, FAA, 

Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; phone: 425– 

917–6440; fax: 425–917–6590; email: 

nancy.marsh@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposal. Send your comments to 

an address listed under the ADDRESSES

section. Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA– 

2012–0637; Directorate Identifier 2012– 

NM–006–AD’’ at the beginning of your 

comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed 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 proposed AD. 

Discussion 

We received a report of an inboard 

MLG door assembly departure due to 

premature fatigue cracking in the 

inboard MLG door hinge fittings. 

Fatigue cracking in the inboard MLG 

door hinge fittings could result in loss 

of the MLG door assembly from the 

airplane; such loss could impact the 

flight control surfaces and result in 

reduced controllability of the airplane. 


TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS