15118 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 57 / Monday, March 27, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

(5) 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 Renton, Washington, on March 

14, 2017. 

Dionne Palermo, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–05524 Filed 3–24–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2016–9051; Directorate 

Identifier 2016–NM–035–AD; Amendment 

39–18828; AD 2017–06–04] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Airbus Model A300 B4–603, B4–620, 

and B4–622 airplanes; Model A300 B4– 

605R and A300 B4–622R airplanes; and 

Model A300 C4–605R Variant F 

airplanes. This AD was prompted by an 

in-service detection of cracks in the 

fuselage skin lap joints. This AD 

requires an ultrasonic inspection of 

certain skin lap joints, and repair if 

necessary. We are issuing this AD to 

address the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: This AD is effective May 1, 2017. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of May 1, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this final rule, contact 

Airbus SAS, Airworthiness Office— 

EAW, 1 Rond Point Maurice Bellonte, 

31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; telephone 

+33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 93 44 

51; email account.airworth-eas@

airbus.com; Internet http://

www.airbus.com. You may view this 

referenced service information at the 

FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. 

For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 425–227– 

1221. It is also available on the Internet 

at http://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2016–9051. 

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–2016– 

9051; 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 street address for 

the Docket Office (telephone 800–647– 

5527) is Docket 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: Dan 

Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; telephone 425–227–2125; 

fax 425–227–1149; email dan.rodina@

faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 by adding an AD that would 

apply to all Airbus Model A300 B4–603, 

B4–620, and B4–622 airplanes; Model 

A300 B4–605R and A300 B4–622R 

airplanes; and Model A300 C4–605R 

Variant F airplanes. The NPRM 

published in the Federal Register on 

August 30, 2016 (81 FR 59530) (‘‘the 

NPRM’’). 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA Airworthiness 

Directive 2016–0057, dated March 18, 

2016 (referred to after this as the 

Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness 

Information, or ‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct 

an unsafe condition for all Airbus 

Model A300 B4–603, B4–620, and B4– 

622 airplanes; Model A300 B4–605R 

and A300 B4–622R airplanes; and 

Model A300 C4–605R Variant F 

airplanes. The MCAI states: 

Prompted by in-service detection on 

Airbus A300–600 aeroplanes of cracks in 

certain fuselage skin lap joints, several 

studies were launched to understand the 

phenomenon and provide the corrective 

actions. More recently, new analyses were 

performed and the results identified that a 

new area has to be inspected at the skin lap 

joint below Stringer (STR) 28 at Frame (FR) 

72 to FR 76. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could result in reduced structure 

integrity of the aeroplane. 

To address this unsafe condition, Airbus 

published Service Bulletin (SB) A300–53– 

6184 [dated November 12, 2015] to introduce 

[ultrasonic] inspections and applicable 

corrective actions for the affected areas. 

For the reason described above, this 

[EASA] AD requires repetitive Special Detail 

Inspections (SDI) of the affected skin lap joint 

and, depending on findings, accomplishment 

of applicable corrective action(s) [repairs]. 

You may examine the MCAI in the AD 

docket on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2016– 

9051. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. The 

following presents the comments 

received on the NPRM and the FAA’s 

response to each comment. 

Request To Make the Reporting 

Requirement Optional 

FedEx requested that the reporting 

requirements in Airbus Service Bulletin 

A300–53–6184, dated November 12, 

2015, be specified in the AD as optional. 

FedEx stated that Airbus has received 

these reports regularly in the past and 

they have not provided industry 

statistics or benefits to the operators. 

We agree that reporting is not 

necessary in this AD. The report in 

Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53–6184, 

dated November 12, 2015, is designed to 

report crack findings. Crack findings are 

addressed by paragraph (h) of this AD. 

Because reporting is specified within 

the procedures of Airbus Service 

Bulletin A300–53–6184, dated 

November 12, 2015, we have revised 

this AD by adding paragraph (i) to 

specify no reporting is required. We 

have redesignated subsequent 

paragraphs accordingly. 

Request To Include Inspection as an 

Airworthiness Limitation 

FedEx stated the inspection is best 

fitted for a maintenance program and 

should be included in an airworthiness 

limitation document. 

We do not agree with the commenter. 

Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53–6184, 

dated November 12, 2015, has been 

issued to address in-service findings, 

which can lead to an unsafe condition. 

For this case, no airworthiness 

limitation instructions were introduced 

by Airbus. To delay this action until 

airworthiness limitations were 


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developed would be inappropriate, 

since we have determined that an 

unsafe condition exists and that 

inspections must be conducted to 

ensure continued safety. We have not 

changed this AD in this regard. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comments received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting this AD 

with the changes described previously 

and minor editorial changes. We have 

determined that these minor changes: 

• Are consistent with the intent that 

was proposed in the NPRM for 

correcting the unsafe condition; and 

• Do not add any additional burden 

upon the public than was already 

proposed in the NPRM. 

We also determined that these 

changes will not increase the economic 

burden on any operator or increase the 

scope of this AD. 

Related Service Information Under 

1 CFR Part 51 

We reviewed Airbus Service Bulletin 

A300–53–6184, dated November 12, 

2015. The service information describes 

procedures for an ultrasonic inspection 

of the skin lap joint below STR 28 at FR 

72 to FR 76, and repair if necessary. 

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. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 29 

airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Cost per product Cost on U.S. operators 

Ultrasonic inspection ........... 6 work-hours × $85 per hour = $510 per inspection 

cycle.

$510 per inspection cycle $14,790 per inspection 

cycle. 

We have no way to determine the 

costs to do any necessary repairs that 

will be required based on the results of 

the inspection. We have no way of 

determining the number of airplanes 

that might need these repairs. 

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 above, I 

certify that this AD: 

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; 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. 

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): 

2017–06–04 Airbus: Amendment 39–18828; 

Docket No. FAA–2016–9051; Directorate 

Identifier 2016–NM–035–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD is effective May 1, 2017. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all Airbus Model A300 

B4–603, B4–620, and B4–622 airplanes; 

Model A300 B4–605R and A300 B4–622R 

airplanes; and Model A300 C4–605R Variant 

F airplanes, certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of 

America Code 53, Fuselage. 

(e) Reason 

This AD was prompted by an in-service 

detection of cracks in the fuselage skin lap 

joints. We are issuing this AD to detect and 

correct cracks in the skin lap joint below 

stringer (STR) 28 at frame (FR) 72 to FR 76. 

Such cracking could result in reduced 

structural integrity of the airplane. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Repetitive Inspections 

Before 29,500 flight cycles since the first 

flight of the airplane, or within 2,000 flight 

cycles after the effective date of this AD, 

whichever occurs later, do an ultrasonic 

inspection for cracks of the skin lap joint 

below STR 28 at FR 72 to FR 76 and do all 

applicable repairs before further flight, in 

accordance with the Accomplishment 

Instruction of Airbus Service Bulletin A300– 

53–6184, dated November 12, 2015, except as 

required by paragraph (h) of this AD. Repeat 

the ultrasonic inspection thereafter at 

intervals not to exceed 5,400 flight cycles. 

(h) Exceptions to Service Information 

Specified in Paragraph (g) of This AD 

Where Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53– 

6184, dated November 12, 2015, specifies to 

contact Airbus for repair instructions, and 

specifies that action as ‘‘RC’’ (Required for 

Compliance), this AD requires repair before 

further flight using a method approved in 

accordance with the procedures specified in 

paragraph (j) of this AD. 


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15120 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 57 / Monday, March 27, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

(i) No Reporting Requirement 

Although Airbus Service Bulletin A300– 

53–6184, dated November 12, 2015, specifies 

to submit certain information to the 

manufacturer, and specifies that action as RC, 

this AD does not include that requirement. 

(j) Other FAA AD Provisions 

The following provisions also apply to this 

AD: 

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs): The Manager, International 

Branch, ANM–116, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, 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 International Branch, send it to ATTN: 

Dan Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, FAA, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, WA 98057–3356; 

telephone 425–227–2125; fax 425–227–1149; 

email dan.rodina@faa.gov. Information may 

be emailed to: 9-ANM-116-AMOCREQUESTS@faa.gov. 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. 

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer: For any 

requirement in this AD to obtain corrective 

actions from a manufacturer, the action must 

be accomplished using a method approved 

by the Manager, International Branch, ANM– 

116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; or 

the European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA); or Airbus’s EASA Design 

Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by 

the DOA, the approval must include the 

DOA-authorized signature. 

(3) Required for Compliance (RC): Except 

as required by paragraphs (h) and (i) of this 

AD: If any service information contains 

procedures or tests that are identified as RC, 

those procedures and tests must be done to 

comply with this AD; any procedures or tests 

that are not identified as RC are 

recommended. Those procedures and tests 

that are not identified as RC may be deviated 

from using accepted methods in accordance 

with the operator’s maintenance or 

inspection program without obtaining 

approval of an AMOC, provided the 

procedures and tests identified as RC can be 

done and the airplane can be put back in an 

airworthy condition. Any substitutions or 

changes to procedures or tests identified as 

RC require approval of an AMOC. 

(k) Related Information 

Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information (MCAI) EASA AD 

2016–0057, dated March 18, 2016, for related 

information. This MCAI may be found in the 

AD docket on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for and 

locating Docket No. FAA–2016–9051. 

(l) 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 this AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) Airbus Service Bulletin A300–53–6184, 

dated November 12, 2015. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus SAS, Airworthiness 

Office—EAW, 1 Rond Point Maurice 

Bellonte, 31707 Blagnac Cedex, France; 

telephone +33 5 61 93 36 96; fax +33 5 61 

93 44 51; email account.airworth-eas@

airbus.com; Internet http://www.airbus.com. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

(5) 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 Renton, Washington, on March 8, 

2017. 

Michael Kaszycki, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–05231 Filed 3–24–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2016–9291; Directorate 

Identifier 2016–SW–004–AD; Amendment 

39–18840; AD 2017–07–02] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model 269D and Model 269D 

Configuration A helicopters. This AD 

requires reducing the life limit of and 

inspecting certain drive shafts. This AD 

is prompted by four incidents involving 

failure of a drive shaft. The actions 

specified by this AD are intended to 

prevent the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective April 

11, 2017. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by May 26, 2017. 

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–2016– 

9291; 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 final rule, contact Sikorsky Aircraft 

Corporation, Customer Service 

Engineering, 124 Quarry Road, 

Trumbull, CT 06611; telephone 1–800– 

Winged–S or 203–416–4299; email: 

wcs_cust_service_eng.gr-sik@lmco.com. 

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: 

Michael Schwetz, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Boston Aircraft Certification 

Office, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 

FAA, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington, 

Massachusetts 01803; telephone (781) 

238–7761; email michael.schwetz@

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 


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