85856 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 236 / Monday, December 11, 2023 / Proposed Rules 

unusable. For example, in Federal 

contracting, how would a contracting 

officer set the size standard on a 

contracting opportunity? Would it 

depend on the contracting officer’s 

location, on the location of the Agency’s 

headquarters, or on the place of delivery 

of the product or service? What about 

multiple delivery locations? On the 

location of the prospective contractor? 

On the location of the prospective 

contractor’s headquarters? What about 

subcontractors, since size standards 

apply to subcontracts as well? The same 

questions could be asked about them, 

which would affect a prime contractor’s 

ability to bid. Would this encourage 

firms to relocate based upon perceived 

favorable size standards? That would 

defeat the purpose behind geographic 

distinctions. The undue complexity and 

resulting confusion would render 

geographically based size standards 

unusable, for all practical purposes. 

• Are there alternative approaches 

that SBA should consider for 

determining small business size 

standards? 

• How have SBA’s latest size 

standards revisions impacted 

competition in general and within a 

specific industry? 

• Are there alternative or additional 

factors or data sources that SBA should 

consider when establishing, reviewing, 

or revising size standards? 

• Does SBA’s current approach to 

establishing or modifying small 

business size standards make sense in 

the current economic environment? 

SBA encourages the public to review 

and comment on the Revised 

Methodology, which is available at 

www.sba.gov/size as well as at 

www.regulations.gov. SBA will 

thoroughly evaluate and consider all 

comments and suggestions when 

finalizing the 2023 Revised 

Methodology, which the Agency will 

apply in the forthcoming, third five-year 

review of size standards as required by 

the Jobs Act. 

Isabella Casillas Guzman, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2023–27053 Filed 12–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8026–09–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2023–2238; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2023–00698–R] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo 

S.p.a. Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Leonardo S.p.a. Model A109C, A109E, 

A109K2, A109S, and AW109SP 

helicopters. This proposed AD was 

prompted by reports of loose tail rotor 

duplex bearing locking nuts, possibly 

caused by improper installation. This 

proposed AD would require 

disassembling certain tail rotor duplex 

bearings and reassembling them in 

accordance with updated service 

information. This proposed AD would 

also prohibit installing certain tail rotor 

duplex bearings. These actions are 

specified in a European Union Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which is 

proposed for incorporation by reference. 

The FAA is proposing this AD to 

address the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this proposed AD by January 25, 

2024. 

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 

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. 

AD Docket: You may examine the AD 

docket at regulations.gov under Docket 

No. FAA–2023–2238; 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 NPRM, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for Docket Operations is 

listed above. 

Material Incorporated by Reference: 

• For EASA material identified in this 

NPRM, contact EASA, KonradAdenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, 

Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 000; 

email ADs@easa.europa.eu; website 

easa.europa.eu. You may find the EASA 

material on the EASA website 

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

• You may view this material at the 

FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood 

Parkway, Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 

76177. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (817) 222–5110. The EASA material 

is also available at regulations.gov under 

Docket No. FAA–2023–2238. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sungmo Cho, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des 

Moines, WA 98198; phone: (781) 238– 

7241; email: sungmo.d.cho@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites you to send any 

written relevant data, views, or 

arguments about this proposal. Send 

your comments to an address listed 

under ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2023–2238; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2023–00698–R’’ at the beginning 

of your comments. The most helpful 

comments reference a specific portion of 

the proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. The FAA will consider 

all comments received by the closing 

date and may amend this proposal 

because of those comments. 

Except for Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) as described in the 

following paragraph, and other 

information as described in 14 CFR 

11.35, the FAA will post all comments 

received, without change, to 

regulations.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. The agency 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact received 

about this NPRM. 

Confidential Business Information 

CBI is commercial or financial 

information that is both customarily and 

actually treated as private by its owner. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt 

from public disclosure. If your 

comments responsive to this NPRM 

contain commercial or financial 

information that is customarily treated 

as private, that you actually treat as 

private, and that is relevant or 

responsive to this NPRM, it is important 

that you clearly designate the submitted 

comments as CBI. Please mark each 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 236 / Monday, December 11, 2023 / Proposed Rules 85857 

page of your submission containing CBI 

as ‘‘PROPIN.’’ The FAA will treat such 

marked submissions as confidential 

under the FOIA, and they will not be 

placed in the public docket of this 

NPRM. Submissions containing CBI 

should be sent to Sungmo Cho, Aviation 

Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th 

Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: 

(781) 238–7241; email: sungmo.d.cho@

faa.gov. Any commentary that the FAA 

receives that is not specifically 

designated as CBI will be placed in the 

public docket for this rulemaking. 

Background 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA AD 2023–0105, 

dated May 23, 2023 (EASA AD 2023– 

0105), to correct an unsafe condition on 

Leonardo S.p.A. Model A109C, A109E, 

A109K2, A109LUH, A109S, and 

AW109SP helicopters. EASA advises of 

reports of loosening of the tail rotor 

duplex bearing locking nut. Subsequent 

investigations identified incorrect 

accomplishment of the assembly and 

continued maintenance instructions of 

the tail rotor duplex bearing housing 

and slider group as the most likely root 

cause of that loosening. The FAA is 

proposing this AD to detect and address 

the incorrect assembly of the tail rotor 

duplex bearing. 

This unsafe condition, if not 

addressed, could lead to failure of the 

tail rotor function, possibly resulting in 

loss of control of the helicopter. See 

EASA AD 2023–0105 for additional 

background information. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

EASA AD 2023–0105 requires 

replacing certain parts through the 

disassembly and reassembly of the tail 

rotor duplex bearing and the pitch 

change slider assembly. EASA AD 

2023–0105 also prohibits installing 

certain parts on any helicopter. 

This material 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. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by EASA and are approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to the 

FAA’s bilateral agreement with the 

European Union, EASA has notified the 

FAA about the unsafe condition 

described in its AD. The FAA is 

proposing this AD after evaluating all 

known relevant information and 

determining that the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop on other helicopters of these 

same type designs. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

EASA AD 2023–0105, described 

previously, as incorporated by 

reference, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD and 

except as discussed under ‘‘Differences 

Between this Proposed AD and EASA 

AD 2023–0105.’’ 

Explanation of Required Compliance 

Information 

In the FAA’s ongoing efforts to 

improve the efficiency of the AD 

process, the FAA developed a process to 

use some civil aviation authority (CAA) 

ADs as the primary source of 

information for compliance with 

requirements for corresponding FAA 

ADs. The FAA has been coordinating 

this process with manufacturers and 

CAAs. As a result, the FAA proposes to 

incorporate EASA AD 2023–0105 by 

reference in the FAA final rule. This 

proposed AD would, therefore, require 

compliance with EASA AD 2023–0105 

in its entirety through that 

incorporation, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD. 

Using common terms that are the same 

as the heading of a particular section in 

EASA AD 2023–0105 does not mean 

that operators need comply only with 

that section. For example, where the AD 

requirement refers to ‘‘all required 

actions and compliance times,’’ 

compliance with this AD requirement is 

not limited to the section titled 

‘‘Required Action(s) and Compliance 

Time(s)’’ in EASA AD 2023–0105. 

Service information referenced in EASA 

AD 2023–0105 for compliance will be 

available at regulations.gov by searching 

for and locating Docket No. FAA–2023– 

2238 after the FAA final rule is 

published. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and EASA AD 2023–0105 

EASA AD 2023–0105 applies to 

Model A109LUH helicopters, however, 

this proposed AD would not because 

that model is not FAA type-certificated. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 160 

helicopters of U.S. Registry. Labor rates 

are estimated at $85 per work-hour. The 

FAA estimates the following costs to 

comply with the proposed AD. 

Disassembly and reassembly of the 

tail rotor housing and slider assembly 

would take approximately 8 work-hours 

for an estimated cost of $680 per 

helicopter and $108,800 for the U.S. 

fleet. 

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. 

The FAA is 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 

The FAA 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 above, I 

certify this proposed regulation: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866, 

(2) Would not affect intrastate 

aviation in Alaska, and 

(3) Would not have a significant 

economic impact, positive or negative, 

on a substantial number of small entities 

under the criteria of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

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: 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
85858 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 236 / Monday, December 11, 2023 / Proposed Rules 

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: 

Leonardo S.p.a.: Docket No. FAA–2023– 

2238; Project Identifier MCAI–2023– 

00698–R. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by January 25, 

2024. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all Leonardo S.p.a. 

Model A109C, A109E, A109K2, A109S, and 

AW109SP helicopters, certificated in any 

category. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6400, Tail Rotor System. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by reports of loose 

tail rotor duplex bearing locking nuts, 

possibly caused by improper installation. 

The FAA is issuing this AD to detect and 

address the incorrect assembly of the tail 

rotor duplex bearing. The unsafe condition, 

if not addressed, could lead to failure of the 

tail rotor function, possibly resulting in loss 

of control of the helicopter. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Requirements 

Except as specified in paragraphs (h) and 

(i) of this AD: Comply with all required 

actions and compliance times specified in, 

and in accordance with, European Union 

Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 2023– 

0105, dated May 23, 2023 (EASA AD 2023– 

0105). 

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2023–0105 

(1) Where EASA AD 2023–0105 requires 

compliance in terms of flight hours, this AD 

requires using hours time-in-service. 

(2) Where EASA AD 2023–0105 refers to its 

effective date, this AD requires using the 

effective date of this AD. 

(3) Where the service information 

referenced in EASA AD 2023–0105 specifies 

to ‘‘discard’’ parts; for this AD, replace that 

text with ‘‘remove from service.’’ 

(4) This AD does not adopt the ‘‘Remarks’’ 

section of EASA AD 2023–0105. 

(i) No Reporting Requirement 

Although the service information 

referenced in EASA AD 2023–0105 specifies 

to submit certain information to the 

manufacturer, this AD does not include that 

requirement. 

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, International Validation 

Branch, FAA, has the authority to approve 

AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the 

procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. In 

accordance with 14 CFR 39.19, send your 

request to your principal inspector or local 

Flight Standards District Office, as 

appropriate. If sending information directly 

to the manager of the International Validation 

Branch, send it to the attention of the person 

identified in paragraph (k) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-AVS-AIR730-AMOC@faa.gov. 

(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 Sungmo Cho, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des 

Moines, WA 98198; phone: (781) 238–7241; 

email: sungmo.d.cho@faa.gov. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 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 this AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) AD 2023–0105, dated May 23, 2023. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For EASA material identified in this 

AD, contact EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 

50668 Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 

8999 000; email ADs@easa.europa.eu; 

website easa.europa.eu. You may find the 

EASA material on the EASA website 

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, 

Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (817) 222–5110. 

(5) You may view this material at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For information on 

the availability of this material at NARA, 

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

ibr-locationsoremailfr.inspection@nara.gov. 

Issued on December 4, 2023. 

Victor Wicklund, 

Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–26934 Filed 12–8–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71 

[Docket No. FAA–2023–2184; Airspace 

Docket No. 23–ASO–49] 

RIN 2120–AA66 

Amendment of Class D and Class E 

Airspace; St. Petersburg, FL 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: This action proposes to 

amend Class D and Class E surface 

airspace for St. Petersburg-Clearwater 

International Airport, St. Petersburg, FL. 

This action would increase the radius 

and amend the verbiage in the Class D 

and Class E descriptions. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before January 25, 2024. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified 

by FAA Docket No. [FAA–2023–2184] 

and Airspace Docket No. [23–ASO–49] 

using any of the following methods: 

* Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

www.regulations.gov and follow the 

online instructions to send your 

comments electronically. 

* Mail: Send comments to Docket 

Operations, M–30; U.S. Department of 

Transportation, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Room W12–140, West 

Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 

20590–0001. 

* Hand Delivery or Courier: Take 

comments to Docket Operations in 

Room W12–140 of the West Building 

Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 

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

Friday, except for Federal holidays. 

* Fax: Fax comments to Docket 

Operations at (202) 493–2251. 

Docket: Background documents or 

comments received may be read at 

www.regulations.gov anytime. Follow 

the online instructions for accessing the 

docket or go to the Docket Operations in 

Room W12–140 of the West Building 

Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 

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

Friday, except for Federal holidays. 

FAA Order JO 7400.11H Airspace 

Designations and Reporting Points and 

subsequent amendments can be viewed 

online at www.faa.gov/air_traffic/ 

publications/. You may also contact the 

Rules and Regulations Group, Office of 

Policy, Federal Aviation 

Administration, 800 Independence 

Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; 

telephone: (202) 267–8783 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1