Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 139 / Thursday, July 19, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 42421 

send your request to your principal inspector 

or local Flight Standards District Office, as 

appropriate. If sending information directly 

to the manager of the ACO, send it to the 

attention of the person identified in the 

Related Information section of this AD. 

(2) Before using any approved AMOC, 

notify your appropriate principal inspector, 

or lacking a principal inspector, the manager 

of the local flight standards district office/ 

certificate holding district office. 

(k) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact: 

(1) Non-Pilatus aircraft-related: Albert Ma, 

Aerospace Engineer, Wichita Aircraft 

Certification Office, FAA, 1801 S. Airport 

Road, Room 100, Wichita, Kansas 67209; 

phone: (316) 946–4151; fax: (316) 946–4107; 

email: albert.ma@faa.gov; or 

(2) Pilatus aircraft-related: Doug Rudolph, 

Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Small Airplane 

Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas 

City, Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329– 

4059; fax: (816) 329–4090; email: doug.

rudolph@faa.gov. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

None. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 13, 

2012. 

Earl Lawrence, 

Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–17592 Filed 7–18–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0716; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–011–AD; Amendment 

39–17121; AD 2012–14–07] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Bell 

Helicopter Textron Canada Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting an 

airworthiness directive (AD) 

superseding an existing airworthiness 

directive for Bell Helicopter Textron 

Canada (Bell) Model 407 and 427 

helicopters. The existing AD requires 

inspecting certain hydraulic servo 

actuators (servo) to determine whether 

the shaft turns independently of the nut 

or the clevis assembly, and additional 

actions based upon the inspection’s 

outcome. The AD also requires 

reidentifying the servo. Since we issued 

that AD, Bell has learned that additional 

servos may need repair or removal. This 

AD expands the scope of the current AD 

to include inspections for all servos, and 

requires that servos meeting inspection 

requirements be marked with the letter 

‘‘V’’ after the part number on the data 

plate. The actions are intended to detect 

any loose or misaligned parts in the 

servo that could lead to failure of the 

servo and subsequent loss of helicopter 

control. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

August 3, 2012. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by September 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 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 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, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt 

Wilbanks, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Regulations and Policy Group, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

matt.wilbanks@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 19, 2011, we issued AD 

2011–15–51, Amendment 39–16817 (76 

FR 66609, October 27, 2011) for Bell 

Model 407 helicopters with a servo, part 

number (P/N) 206–076–062–105 or 206– 

076–062–107, and Bell Model 427 

helicopters, with a servo, P/N 206–076– 

062–109 or 206–076–062–111, installed. 

This AD requires inspecting certain 

servos to determine whether the shaft 

turns independently of the nut or the 

clevis assembly. If the shaft turns 

independently, this AD requires 

replacing the servo with an airworthy 

servo. If the shaft does not turn 

independently, the AD requires 

inspecting to determine the condition of 

the lock washers. Based on the 

condition of the lock washers, the AD 

requires either replacing the servo with 

an airworthy servo or bending the tab of 

the lock washer flush against a flat 

surface of the nut or clevis assembly. 

The AD also requires reidentifying the 

servo by metal-impression stamping or 

vibro-etching ‘‘67–01’’ onto the 

modification plate. The AD was 

prompted by a report that a supplier had 

a ‘‘quality escape’’ resulting in servos 

with a loose nut, shaft, and clevis 

assembly because of improper lockwasher installation. An investigation 

after an accident revealed the clevis nut 

on the servo was loose. Transport 

Canada, which is the aviation authority 

for Canada, notified the FAA of this 


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unsafe condition and issued AD No. 

CF–2011–17, dated June 30, 2011. The 

actions specified by AD 2011–15–51 are 

intended to prevent a malfunction of a 

servo in the flight control system and 

subsequent loss of helicopter control. 

Actions Since Existing AD Was Issued 

Since we issued AD 2011–15–51 (76 

FR 66609, October 27, 2011), Transport 

Canada issued AD No. CF–2011–17R1, 

dated December 19, 2011 (AD CF–2011– 

17R1), which supersedes AD CF–2011– 

17, to correct an unsafe condition for the 

Bell Model 407, serial numbers 53000 

through 53900, 53911 through 53999, 

and 54000 through 54081, equipped 

with servos, P/N 206–076–062–105 or 

P/N 206–076–062–107; and Model 427 

helicopters, serial numbers 56001 

through 56077, 58001 and 58002, 

equipped with servos, P/N 206–076– 

062–109 or P/N 206–076–062–111. 

Transport Canada advises that 

additional servos may have a loose nut, 

shaft, and clevis assembly after the 

supplier’s ‘‘quality escape.’’ Therefore, 

Transport Canada revised its original 

AD to include all installed servos, and 

to require that servos already inspected 

according to its original AD be 

reidentified with the letter ‘‘V’’ at the 

end of the part number on the data 

plate. 

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 

Canada, its technical representative, has 

notified us of the unsafe condition 

described in its AD. We are issuing this 

AD because we evaluated all 

information provided by Transport 

Canada 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 Bell Alert Service 

Bulletin (ASB) 407–11–96, Revision B, 

for the Model 407 helicopter, and Bell 

ASB 427–11–35, Revision B, for the 

Model 427 helicopter. Both ASBs are 

dated August 29, 2011 and describe 

procedures for performing a one-time 

inspection of the servos before further 

flight, and reidentifying servos that meet 

all of the inspection requirements. 

Transport Canada classified this service 

information as mandatory and issued 

AD No. CF–2011–17R1 to ensure the 

continued airworthiness of these 

helicopters. 

AD Requirements 

This AD retains the inspection 

requirements of AD 2011–15–51 (76 FR 

66609, October 27, 2011), and adds a 

requirement to mark the letter ‘‘V’’ at 

the end of the part number on the data 

plate if the servo meets all of the 

inspection’s requirements. This AD also 

expands the applicability to all servos. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

582 helicopters of U.S. Registry and that 

labor costs will average $85 a work 

hour. Based on these estimates, we 

expect the following costs: 

• The required inspection will take 

about a 1⁄2 hour for a labor cost of about 

$43 per helicopter. The cost for the total 

U.S. fleet would be $25,026. 

• Replacing the servo, if needed, will 

require 2 work hours for a labor cost of 

$170. Parts will cost $33,000 for a total 

cost of $33,170 per helicopter. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

Providing an opportunity for public 

comments before adopting these AD 

requirements would delay 

implementing the safety actions needed 

to detect any loose or misaligned parts 

in the servo, the failure of which could 

adversely affect control of the 

helicopter. Therefore, we find that the 

risk to the flying public justifies waiving 

notice and comment prior to adoption of 

this rule because the required corrective 

actions must be accomplished before 

further flight. 

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 39–16817 (76 FR 

66609, October 27, 2011), and adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

2012–14–07 Bell Helicopter Textron 

Canada Helicopters: Amendment 39– 

17121; Docket No. FAA–2012–0716; 

Directorate Identifier 2012–SW–011–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to the following 

helicopters, certificated in any category: 

(1) Model 407 helicopters, serial numbers 

(S/Ns) 53000 through 53900, 53911 through 

53999, and 54000 through 54081, with a 

hydraulic servo actuator assembly (servo) 

part number (P/N) 206–076–062–105 or P/N 

206–076–062–107; and 

(2) Model 427 helicopters, S/Ns 56001 

through 56077, 58001, and 58002, with a 

servo, P/N 206–076–062–109 or P/N 206– 

076–062–111. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

loose or misaligned part in the servo that 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 139 / Thursday, July 19, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 42423 

could lead to failure of the servo and 

subsequent loss of helicopter control. 

(c) Other Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 2011–15–51, 

Amendment 39–16817 (76 FR 66609, October 

27, 2011). 

(d) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective August 3, 2012. 

(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) Before further flight, conduct a one-time 

visual inspection of the servo by doing the 

following: 

(i) Retract the boot depicted as 230 in 

Figure 1 to Paragraph (f) of this AD. 

(ii) Applying only hand pressure, 

determine whether the nut, the shaft, or the 

clevis assembly, depicted as items 225, 215 

and 205, respectively, in Figure 1 to 

Paragraph (f) of this AD, turn independently. 

If the shaft turns independently of the nut or 

clevis assembly, before further flight, replace 

the servo with an airworthy servo. 

(iii) If the shaft does not turn 

independently, inspect to determine if at 

least one tab of the lock washer is bent flush 

against a flat surface of the nut and if at least 

one tab of the lock washer is bent flush 

against a flat surface of the clevis assembly. 


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(iv) If at least one lock washer tab is not 

aligned and bent flush with a nut flat surface 

and at least one lock washer tab is not 

aligned and bent flush with a flat surface of 

the clevis assembly, before further flight, 

replace the servo with an airworthy servo. 

(v) If any tab of the lock washer is not bent 

flush against either a flat surface of the nut 

or clevis assembly, bend the tab flush against 

a flat surface. 

(2) After accomplishing paragraphs (f)(1)(i) 

through (f)(1)(v), vibro-etch the letter ‘‘V’’ at 

the end of the part number on the data plate. 

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Matt Wilbanks, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Regulations and 

Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

matt.wilbanks@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 

(1) Bell Helicopter Alert Service Bulletins 

407–11–96 and 427–11–35, both Revision B 

and both dated August 29, 2011, which are 

not incorporated by reference, contain 

additional information about the subject of 

this AD. For service information identified in 

this AD, 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 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. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

Transport Canada AD CF–2011–17R1, dated 

December 19, 2011. 

(i) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6730, Rotorcraft Servo System. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 2, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–17561 Filed 7–18–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2010–1095; Directorate 

Identifier 2009–NE–40–AD; Amendment 39– 

17104; AD 2012–13–02] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Pratt & 

Whitney Turbofan Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding an 

existing airworthiness directive (AD) for 

all Pratt & Whitney Division PW4074 

and PW4077 turbofan engines. That AD 

currently requires removing the 15th 

stage high-pressure compressor (HPC) 

disk within 12,000 cycles since new 

(CSN) or using a drawdown removal 

plan for disks that exceed 12,000 CSN. 

This new AD requires the same actions 

and clarifies that 15th stage HPC disks 

that have accumulated more than 9,865 

CSN require a borescope inspection 

(BSI) or eddy current inspection (ECI) of 

the disk outer rim front rail for cracks 

prior to accumulating 12,000 CSN. This 

AD was prompted by a request from an 

operator that we clarify our inspection 

schedule for 15th stage HPC disks that 

have accumulated more than 9,865, but 

less than 12,000 CSN, on the effective 

date of the AD. We are issuing this AD 

to prevent cracks from propagating into 

the disk bolt holes, which could result 

in a failure of the 15th stage HPC disk, 

uncontained engine failure, and damage 

to the airplane. 

DATES: This AD is effective August 23, 

2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain other publication listed in 

this AD as of September 8, 2011 (76 FR 

47056, August 4, 2011). 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Pratt & 

Whitney, 400 Main St., East Hartford, 

CT 06108; phone: 860–565–7700; fax: 

860–565–1605. You may review copies 

of the referenced service information at 

the FAA, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 

16 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call 781–238–7125. 

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: Ian 

Dargin, Aerospace Engineer, Engine 

Certification Office, FAA, 12 New 

England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 

01803; phone: 781–238–7178; fax: 781– 

238–7199; email: ian.dargin@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to supersede AD 2011–14–07, 

Amendment 39–16742 (76 FR 47056, 

August 4, 2011). That AD applies to the 

specified products. The NPRM 

published in the Federal Register on 

February 24, 2012 (77 FR 11017). That 

NPRM proposed to continue to require 

removing the 15th stage HPC disk 

within 12,000 CSN or using a 

drawdown removal plan for disks that 

exceed 12,000 CSN. That NPRM also 

proposed to clarify our inspection 

schedule for 15th stage HPC disks that 

have accumulated more than 9,865, but 

less than 12,000 CSN, on the effective 

date of the AD. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. We 

have considered the comments received. 

United Airlines and The Boeing 

Company support the NPRM. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comments received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting the AD 

as proposed. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

44 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. 

registry. Prorated parts life will cost 

about $66,000 per 15th stage HPC disk. 

Based on these figures, we estimate the 

total cost of the AD to U.S. operators to 

be $2,904,000. The new requirements of 

this AD add no additional economic 

burden. 

Authority for This Rulemaking 

Title 49 of the United States Code 

specifies the FAA’s authority to issue 

rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, 


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