Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 189 / Monday, September 30, 2024 / Proposed Rules 79483 

(i) THOMMEN AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT 

Service Bulletin SB AC32/07, Revision 1.0, 

dated August 31, 2023. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For THOMMEN AIRCRAFT 

EQUIPMENT material in this AD, contact 

THOMMEN AIRCRAFT EQUIPMENT AG, 

Hofackerstrasse 48, 4132 Muttenz, 

Switzerland; phone: +41 (0) 61 965 22 22; 

email: sales@thommen.aero; website: 

thommen.aero. 

(4) You may view this material at the FAA, 

Airworthiness Products Section, Operational 

Safety Branch, 901 Locust, Kansas City, MO 

64106. 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-locations or email fr.inspection@nara.gov. 

Issued on September 24, 2024. 

Steven W. Thompson, 

Acting Deputy Director, Compliance & 

Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22251 Filed 9–27–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2024–2147; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2022–01515–R] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

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 

Airbus Helicopters Model EC 155B, 

EC155B1, SA–365N, SA–365N1, AS– 

365N2, and AS 365 N3 helicopters. This 

proposed AD was prompted by an 

engine compartment fire where the 

upper stiffener of the central firewall in 

the engine compartment was found 

damaged. This proposed AD would 

require replacing the aluminum central 

firewall stiffener with a titanium central 

firewall stiffener and prohibit installing 

an aluminum central firewall stiffener. 

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 NPRM by November 14, 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–2024–2147; 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, the EASA AD, 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 

proposed AD, contact EASA, KonradAdenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, 

Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 000; 

email: ADs@easa.europa.eu; website: 

easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

material on the EASA website at 

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

• You may view this material at the 

FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood 

Pkwy., 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–2024–2147. 

Other Related Material: For Airbus 

Helicopters material identified in this 

proposed AD, contact Airbus 

Helicopters, 2701 North Forum Drive, 

Grand Prairie, TX 75052; phone (972) 

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

641–3775; or at airbus.com/en/ 

products-services/helicopters/hcareservices/airbusworld. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hye 

Yoon Jang, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, 

Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (206) 231– 

3758; email: Hye.Yoon.Jang@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–2024–2147; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2022–01515–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 

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 Hye Yoon Jang, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 

Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, 

NY 11590; phone: (206) 231–3758; 

email: Hye.Yoon.Jang@faa.gov. Any 

commentary that the FAA receives 

which 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 European Union 

Aviation Safety Agency AD 2022–0231, 

dated November 28, 2022 (EASA AD 

2022–0231), to correct an unsafe 

condition on Airbus Helicopters Model 

EC 155B, EC155B1, SA–365N, SA– 

365N1, AS–365N2, and AS 365 N3 

helicopters. 

This proposed AD was prompted by 

an engine fire where the upper stiffener 

of the central firewall, made of 

aluminum, in the engine compartment 

was found damaged. The FAA is 

proposing this AD to address failure of 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
79484 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 189 / Monday, September 30, 2024 / Proposed Rules 

a central firewall stiffener made of 

aluminum, possibly due to its inability 

to withstand high temperatures of an 

engine fire and subsequently not seal 

the engine compartment properly. In the 

event of an engine fire, the unsafe 

condition, if not addressed, could result 

in fire propagating from one engine 

compartment to the other and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. See EASA AD 2022–0231 for 

additional background information. 

You may examine EASA AD 2022– 

0231 in the AD docket at regulations.gov 

under Docket No. FAA–2024–2147. 

Related Material Under 1 CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed EASA AD 2022– 

0231 which requires replacing 

aluminum central firewall stiffeners 

with titanium central firewall stiffeners 

and prohibits installing an aluminum 

central firewall stiffener 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. 

Other Related Material 

The FAA reviewed Airbus Helicopters 

Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. 

AS365–71.00.28 and ASB No. EC155– 

71A015, each Revision 0 and dated 

October 25, 2022. This material 

specifies procedures for replacing the 

aluminum stiffener on the center 

firewall with a titanium stiffener. 

FAA’s Determination 

These products have been approved 

by the aviation authority of another 

country and are approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to the 

FAA’s bilateral agreement with this 

State of Design Authority, it has notified 

the FAA of the unsafe condition 

described in the EASA AD referenced 

above. The FAA is issuing this NPRM 

after determining that the unsafe 

condition described previously is likely 

to exist or develop on other products of 

these same type designs. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

EASA AD 2022–0231, described 

previously, as incorporated by 

reference, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD. 

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 2022–0231 by 

reference in the FAA final rule. This 

proposed AD would, therefore, require 

compliance with EASA AD 2022–0231 

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 2022–0231 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 2022–0231. 

Material referenced in EASA AD 2022– 

0231 for compliance will be available at 

regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA– 

2024–2147 after the FAA final rule is 

published. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 35 

helicopters of U.S. Registry. Labor rates 

are estimated at $85 per work-hour. 

Based on these numbers, the FAA 

estimates that operators may incur the 

following costs in order to comply with 

this proposed AD. 

Replacing the aluminum central 

firewall stiffener with a titanium central 

firewall stiffener would take 7 workhours and parts would cost $1,737 to 

$2,801 depending on part number for an 

estimated cost of $2,332 to $3,396 per 

helicopter and up to $81,620 to 

$118,860 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: 

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: 

Airbus Helicopters: Docket No. FAA–2024– 

2147; Project Identifier MCAI–2022– 

01515–R. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by November 

14, 2024. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Airbus Helicopters 

Model EC 155B, EC155B1, SA–365N, SA– 

365N1, AS–365N2, and AS 365 N3 

helicopters, certificated in any category. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 189 / Monday, September 30, 2024 / Proposed Rules 79485 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) 

Code 5412, Nacelle/Pylon, Bulkhead/ 

Firewall. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by an engine 

compartment fire where the upper stiffener of 

the central firewall, made of aluminum, in 

the engine compartment was found damaged. 

The FAA is issuing this AD to address failure 

of a central firewall stiffener made of 

aluminum, possibly due to its inability to 

withstand high temperatures of an engine fire 

and subsequently not seal the engine 

compartment properly. In the event of an 

engine fire, the unsafe condition, if not 

addressed, could result in fire propagating 

from one engine compartment to the other 

and subsequent 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 2022– 

0231, dated November 28, 2022 (EASA AD 

2022–0231). 

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2022–0231 

(1) Where EASA AD 2022–0231 refers to its 

effective date, this AD requires using the 

effective date of this AD. 

(2) Where EASA AD 2022–0231 refers to 

flight hours, this AD requires using hours 

time-in-service. 

(3) Where the material referenced in EASA 

AD 2022–0231 specifies discarding certain 

parts, this AD requires removing those parts 

from service. 

(4) Where the material referenced in EASA 

AD 2022–0231 states ‘‘If the bracket (f) is in 

unsatisfactory condition (DETAIL D);’’ for 

this AD, replace that text with ‘‘Inspect the 

bracket (f) (DETAIL D) for airworthy 

condition; for the purpose of this AD, an 

unairworthy condition may be indicated by 

corrosion, a crack, or wear. If the bracket (f) 

is in an unairworthy condition.’’ 

(5) Where the material referenced in EASA 

AD 2022–0231 states to ‘‘Do a check of the 

cover strip (g) and the fireproof seal (h) to 

replace if necessary (SECTION B–B);’’ for this 

AD, replace that text with ‘‘Inspect the cover 

strip (g) and the fireproof seal (h) for 

airworthy condition. If the cover strip (g) or 

the fireproof seal (h) is in an unairworthy 

condition, remove each unairworthy part 

from service and replace it with a new (zero 

total hours time-in-service) part (SECTION 

B–B).’’ 

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

section of EASA AD 2022–0231. 

(i) No Reporting Requirement 

Although the material referenced in EASA 

AD 2022–0231 specifies to submit certain 

information to the manufacturer, this AD 

does not require that action. 

(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: 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 Hye Yoon Jang, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 

410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (206) 231– 

3758; email: Hye.Yoon.Jang@faa.gov. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

the material listed in this paragraph under 5 

U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) You must use this material as 

applicable to do the actions required by this 

AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) AD 2022–0231, dated November 28, 

2022. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For EASA material identified in this 

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

50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 

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

website: easa.europa.eu. You may find the 

EASA material on the EASA website at 

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

(4) You may view this material at the FAA, 

Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest 

Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., 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-locations or email fr.inspection@nara.gov. 

Issued on September 17, 2024. 

Victor Wicklund, 

Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2024–22169 Filed 9–27–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2024–2321; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2024–00126–A] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; DAHER 

AEROSPACE (Type Certificate 

Previously Held by SOCATA) Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

certain DAHER AEROSPACE (DAHER) 

(type certificate previously held by 

SOCATA) Model TBM 700 airplanes. 

This proposed AD was prompted by 

reports of wear of the inner flap actuator 

drive nut. This proposed AD would 

require cleaning and lubricating the 

internal actuator rods, measuring the 

play between the drive nuts and the 

internal actuator rods, and if any play is 

found, replacing the drive nuts. This 

proposed AD would also allow 

replacing the drive nuts with certain 

other design drive nut as terminating 

action for the proposed requirements. 

The FAA is proposing this AD to 

address the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this NPRM by November 14, 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–2024–2321; 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, the mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI), any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1