18226 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 58 / Tuesday, March 26, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 3960 

Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, CA 90712– 

4137; telephone (562) 627–5337; email 

venessa.stiger@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 

Robinson R44 Service Bulletin SB–80, 

dated September 7, 2011, which is not 

incorporated by reference, contains 

additional information about the subject of 

this AD. For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Robinson Helicopter 

Company, 2901 Airport Drive, Torrance, CA 

90505; telephone (310) 539–0508; fax (310) 

539–5198; or at http://www.robinsonheli.

com/servelib.htm. You may review a copy of 

this service information at the FAA, Office of 

the Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort Worth, 

Texas 76137. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 3212, Emergency Flotation Section. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 6, 

2013. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–06297 Filed 3–25–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0890; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–SW–019–AD; Amendment 

39–17388; AD 2013–05–16] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Hughes 

Helicopters, Inc., and McDonnell 

Douglas Helicopter Systems (Type 

Certificate Is Currently Held by MD 

Helicopters, Inc.) Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for MD 

Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI) Model 369D, 

369E, 369F, and 369FF helicopters with 

certain serial-numbered tailboom 

assemblies. This AD requires measuring 

the distance between aft longeron rivets 

and the outboard edge of frame rings. If 

the distance is too short to ensure a safe 

flight, the AD requires installing a 

doubler. This AD was prompted by the 

discovery of short-edge margin 

conditions on two tailboom assemblies. 

The actions are intended to detect a 

short-edge margin condition, prevent 

failure of the tailboom and loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

DATES: This AD is effective April 30, 

2013. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain documents listed in this AD 

as of April 30, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact MD 

Helicopters Inc., Attn: Customer 

Support Division, 4555 E. McDowell 

Road, Mail Stop M615, Mesa, AZ 

85215–9734, telephone 1–800–388– 

3378, fax 480–346–6813, or at http:// 

www.mdhelicopters.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. 

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, any 

incorporated-by-reference service 

information, the economic evaluation, 

any comments received, and other 

information. The street address for the 

Docket Operations Office (phone: 800– 

647–5527) is U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations 

Office, M–30, West Building Ground 

Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Cecil, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Los 

Angeles Certification Office, Airframe 

Branch, 3960 Paramount Blvd., 

Lakewood, California 90712–4137, 

telephone (562) 627–5228, fax (562) 

627–5210, email john.cecil@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On August 29, 2012, at 77 FR 52264, 

the Federal Register published our 

notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), 

which proposed to amend 14 CFR part 

39 to include an AD that would apply 

to the specified MDHI helicopters with 

certain serial-numbered tailboom 

assemblies installed. Customers 

returned two tailboom assemblies to the 

manufacturer that contained an 

improperly installed frame ring at 

station 209.78. The frame rings were 

installed with too short a distance 

between an aft longeron rivet and the 

outboard edge of the frame ring. This is 

known as a short-edge margin 

condition. That NPRM proposed to 

require that within 6 months or 100 

hours time-in-service, whichever occurs 

first, measuring the distance from the aft 

face of the station 209.78 frame ring to 

the center of the rivet No. 1 and rivet 

No. 2 at the four locations where the 

frame ring attaches to the tailboom 

longeron. If either the No. 1 or No. 2 aft 

rivet at a frame-ring-to-tailboomlongeron location is more than 0.50 

inches (12.7 millimeters) from the aft 

face of the station 209.78 frame ring, 

before further flight, the AD proposed to 

modify that location by fabricating and 

installing a doubler over the location. 

The proposed requirements were 

intended to prevent failure of the 

tailboom and loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD, but 

we received no comments on the NPRM 

(77 FR 52264, August 29, 2012). 

FAA’s Determination 

We have reviewed the relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other products of 

these same type designs and that air 

safety and the public interest require 

adopting the AD requirements as 

proposed. 

Related Service Information 

MDHI has issued one Service Bulletin 

(SB), dated July 20, 2010, with three 

numbers: SB No. SB369D–207 for the 

Model 369D helicopters, SB No. 

SB369E–102 for the Model 369E 

helicopters, and SB No. SB369F–087 for 

the Model 369F and 369FF helicopters. 

The MDHI SB describes procedures for 

measuring the distance from the aft face 

of the station 209.78 canted frame ring 

to the center of the No. 1 and No. 2 aft 

rivet locations on each of the four 

longerons spaced 90 degrees apart 

around the frame ring. If the short-edge 

margin condition exists, the SB specifies 

modifying the tailboom by installing a 

repair doubler at each affected location. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

109 helicopters of U.S. Registry and that 

operators will spend $340 for 4 workhours at an average labor cost of $85 per 

work hour to access and measure for a 

short-edge margin condition for a cost of 

$37,060 for the U.S. fleet. 

The on-condition costs for installing 

the doubler are not included in our cost 


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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 58 / Tuesday, March 26, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 18227 

estimate because we have no way of 

determining the number of aircraft that 

might need a doubler. If they do, about 

8 work-hours in labor and $19 in parts 

are required for a total cost of $699. 

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 

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 above, 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): 

2013–05–16 Hughes Helicopters, Inc., and 

McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems 

(Type Certificate currently held by MD 

Helicopters, Inc., (MDHI): Amendment 

39–17388; Docket No. FAA–2012–0890; 

Directorate Identifier 2011–SW–019–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model 369D, E, F, and 

FF helicopters with tailboom assembly, part 

number 369D23500–505, –507, –511, or –513 

with a serial number prefix of ‘‘7604’’ and 

–0001 through –0003, –0006 through –0047, 

–0049 through –0082, or –0084 through 

–0113, installed, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

too short an edge distance from an aft 

longeron rivet to the edge of a tailboom frame 

ring, which could result in failure of the 

tailboom and subsequent loss of control of 

the helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective April 30, 2013. 

(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 6 months or 100 hours time-inservice, whichever occurs first, measure the 

distance from the aft face of the station 

209.78 frame ring to the center of rivet No. 

1 and rivet No. 2 at the four locations where 

the frame ring attaches to the tailboom 

longeron as depicted in Figure 2 of MD 

Helicopters Service Bulletin (SB) No. 

SB369D–207, SB369E–102, and SB369F–087, 

dated July 20, 2010. SB369D–207 applies to 

Model 369D helicopters; SB369E–102 applies 

to Model 369E helicopters; and SB369F–087 

applies to Model 369F and FF helicopters. 

(2) If either the No. 1 or No. 2 aft rivet at 

a frame-ring-to-tailboom-longeron location is 

more than 0.50 inches (12.7 millimeters) 

from the aft face of the station 209.78 frame 

ring, before further flight, modify that 

location by fabricating and installing a 

doubler over the location as depicted in 

Figures 3 and 4 and by following the 

Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 

2.C., of the SB for your model helicopter. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Los Angeles Aircraft 

Certification Office, FAA, may approve 

AMOCs for this AD. Send your proposal to: 

John Cecil, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Los 

Angeles Certification Office, Airframe 

Branch, 3960 Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, 

California 90712–4137, telephone (562) 627– 

5228, fax (562) 627–5210, email 

john.cecil@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) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code 5302: Rotorcraft Tailboom. 

(h) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

(IBR) 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 the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) MD Helicopters, Inc., Service Bulletin 

(SB) No. SB369D–207, dated July 20, 2010. 

(ii) MD Helicopters, Inc., SB No. SB369E– 

102, dated July 20, 2010. 

(iii) MD Helicopters, Inc., SB No. SB369F– 

087, dated July 20, 2010. 

Note 1 to paragraph (h)(2) of this AD: MD 

Helicopters, Inc., issued one service bulletin 

with three numbers, SB369D–207, SB369E– 

102, and SB369F–087, all dated July 20, 

2010. 

(3) You may view this service information 

at FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas 76137. For 

information on the availability of this 

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

(4) You may view this service information 

that is incorporated by reference at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For information on 

the availability of this material at NARA, call 

(202) 741–6030, or go to: http://www.

archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibrlocations.html. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 6, 

2013. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–06746 Filed 3–25–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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