Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 137 / Tuesday, July 17, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 41889 

approval letter must specifically reference 

this AD. 

(2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement 

in this AD to obtain corrective actions from 

a manufacturer or other source, use these 

actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective 

actions are considered FAA-approved if they 

are approved by the State of Design Authority 

(or their delegated agent). You are required 

to assure the product is airworthy before it 

is returned to service. 

(m) Related Information 

Refer to MCAI European Aviation Safety 

Agency Airworthiness Directive 2011–0015, 

dated January 31, 2011, and the service 

information specified in paragraphs (m)(1) 

through (m)(5) of this AD, for related 

information. 

(1) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1118, 

Revision 03, including Appendix 1, dated 

May 12, 2009. 

(2) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1132, 

Revision 04, including Appendices 1 and 2, 

dated February 1, 2010. 

(3) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1145, 

Revision 01, including Appendix 01, dated 

April 27, 2007. 

(4) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1154, 

Revision 01, dated April 7, 2008. 

(5) Airbus Mandatory Service Bulletin 

A320–53–1227, Revision 05, dated March 27, 

2012. 

(n) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the Incorporation by Reference 

(IBR) of the following service information 

under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) You must use the following service 

information to do the actions required by this 

AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) Airbus Mandatory Service Bulletin 

A320–53–1227, Revision 05, dated March 27, 

2012. 

(ii) Reserved 

(3) If you accomplish the optional actions 

specified by this AD, you must use the 

following service information to perform 

those actions, unless the AD specifies 

otherwise. 

(i) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1118, 

Revision 03, including Appendix 1, dated 

May 12, 2009. 

(ii) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28–1132, 

Revision 04, including Appendices 1 and 2, 

dated February 1, 2010. 

(iii) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28– 

1145, Revision 01, including Appendix 01, 

dated April 27, 2007. 

(iv) Airbus Service Bulletin A320–28– 

1154, Revision 01, dated April 7, 2008. 

(4) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus, Airworthiness 

Office—EAS, 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. 

(5) You may review copies of the service 

information at the FAA, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 

Washington. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, call 

425–227–1221. 

(6) You may also review copies of the 

service information that is incorporated by 

reference at the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of this 

material at an NARA facility, call 202–741– 

6030, or go to http://www.archives.gov/ 

federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 29, 

2012. 

Kalene C. Yanamura, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–16885 Filed 7–16–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0715; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–039–AD; Amendment 

39–17122; AD 2012–14–08] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) 

Model S–92A helicopters. This AD 

requires inspecting the main gearbox 

(MGB) for a crack. This AD is prompted 

by a crack in the cored passage of the 

MGB housing, which may be indicated 

by oil on the housing. These actions are 

intended to detect a crack in the MGB 

housing, which could result in loss of 

oil, failure of the MGB, and subsequent 

loss of control of the helicopter. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

August 1, 2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain documents listed in this AD 

as of August 1, 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 Sikorsky Aircraft 

Corporation, Attn: Manager, 

Commercial Technical Support, 

mailstop s581a, 6900 Main Street, 

Stratford, CT 06614; telephone (800) 

562–4409; email address 

tsslibrary@sikorsky.com; or at http:// 

www.sikorsky.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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Schwetz, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, Boston Aircraft Certification 

Office, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 

FAA, 12 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA 01803; telephone (718) 

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 

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 


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41890 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 137 / Tuesday, July 17, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

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 

This AD is prompted by an incident 

in which a crack in the MGB housing, 

in the cored passage area adjacent to the 

scissor bracket mount, allowed a 

measurable amount of oil to leak from 

the MGB. This condition, if not 

corrected, could result in loss of oil, 

failure of the MGB and subsequent loss 

of control of the helicopter. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are issuing this AD because we 

evaluated all the relevant information 

and determined the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop in other helicopters of the same 

type design. 

Related Service Information 

Sikorsky has developed inspection 

procedures and issued Sikorsky S–92 

Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. ASB 

92–63–032 Basic Issue, dated December 

22, 2011 (ASB 92–63–032), to detect a 

crack in the MGB by inspecting the area 

of the MGB housing, as indicated in 

Figure 1 of ASB 92–63–032, for the 

presence of oil. We reviewed ASB 

92–63–032, which describes procedures 

to inspect the MGB for indications of oil 

leakage. If indications of oil leakage are 

found, ASB 92–63–032 specifies 

cleaning the inspection area, performing 

a ground run and confirming the source 

of the leakage by using a specified 

ultraviolet light and repeating the visual 

inspection using a 10X magnifying 

glass. If any oil leakage is found, the 

ASB 92–63–032 states that the MGB is 

not to be used for further flight until 

direction is provided by Sikorsky. ASB 

92–63–032 also requires a recurrent 

inspection for any oil leakage, and 

references Sikorsky Maintenance 

Manual Temporary Revision No. 63–50, 

(TR 63–50), and Temporary Revision 

No. 5–104 (TR 5–104), both dated 

December 22, 2011. TR 63–50 adds the 

MGB inspection procedures to the 

aircraft maintenance manual, and TR 

5–104 adds the MGB inspection 

requirement to the ‘‘Before First Flight 

of the Day Checklist.’’ TR 5–104 also 

specifies inspecting the MGB before the 

first flight of the day, not to exceed 10 

flight hours between inspections. 

Since issuing ASB 92–63–032, 

Sikorsky has issued S–92 ASB No. ASB 

92–63–034 Basic Issue, dated March 8, 

2012 (ASB 92–63–034), which describes 

procedures to detect cracks in the MGB 

main module assembly with a one-time 

eddy-current and fluorescent-penetrant 

inspection. ASB 92–63–034 also states 

that upon compliance with the eddycurrent inspection ‘‘the daily visual 

inspection implemented by ASB 92–63– 

032 is waived.’’ 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires repetitively 

inspecting the main gearbox with a 10X 

magnifying glass for a crack. If there is 

a crack, or if any oil leakage is detected, 

this AD requires replacing the MGB 

with an airworthy MGB. This AD also 

provides for a one-time eddy-current 

inspection of the main module assembly 

of the MGB as an optional terminating 

action. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

Service Information 

The ASB requires inspecting for any 

oil leakage, while this AD requires 

inspecting for a crack, which may be 

indicated by the presence of oil leakage. 

The ASB requires sending photographic 

documentation of any oil leakage to 

Sikorsky; this AD does not. The ASB 

also requires contacting Sikorsky for 

further direction if any oil leakage is 

confirmed; this AD requires replacing 

any affected MGB with an airworthy 

MGB. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

16 helicopters of U.S. Registry. We 

estimate that operators may incur the 

following costs, at an average labor rate 

of $85 per hour, in order to comply with 

this AD. Inspecting the MGB will 

require one work hour for a total cost to 

the operator of $85 and a cost to the 

entire U.S. fleet of $1,360 per inspection 

cycle. Performing the eddy-current 

inspection of the MGB will require 2 

work hours for a total cost to the 

operator of $170 and a cost to the entire 

U.S. fleet of $2,720. If cracked, we 

estimate replacing a MGB will require 

112 work hours and required parts will 

cost $260,000, for a total cost to the 

operator of $269,520. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

Providing an opportunity for public 

comments prior to adopting these AD 

requirements would delay 

implementing the safety actions needed 

to correct this known unsafe condition. 

Therefore, we find that the risk to the 

flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to the adoption of 

this rule because the required corrective 

actions must be accomplished within 10 

hours time-in-service, and repeated on a 

daily basis. These helicopters are 

primarily used in the offshore industry, 

and this is a very short compliance time 

for this industry. 

Since an unsafe condition exists that 

requires the immediate adoption of this 

AD, we determined that notice and 

opportunity for public comment before 

issuing this AD are impracticable and 

that good cause exists for making this 

amendment effective in less than 30 

days. 

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. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 137 / Tuesday, July 17, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 41891 

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): 

2012–14–08 Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation: 

Amendment 39–17122; Docket No. 

FAA–2012–0715; Directorate Identifier 

2012–SW–039–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model S–92A 

helicopters, serial numbers 920006 through 

920155, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

crack in the main gearbox (MGB) housing 

cored oil passage. This condition could result 

in loss of oil, failure of the MGB, and 

subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective August 1, 2012. 

(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 

Within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS) or 15 

days, whichever occurs earlier, and thereafter 

before the first flight of each day, not to 

exceed 10 hours TIS between inspections, 

accomplish the following: 

(1) Clean and inspect, using a 10x or higher 

power magnifying glass, the MGB housing for 

a crack in the inspection area shown in 

Figure 1 of Sikorsky S–92 Alert Service 

Bulletin No. ASB 92–63–032 Basic Issue, 

dated December 22, 2011. 

Note to paragraph (e)(1) of this AD: A crack 

may be indicated by the presence of oil in the 

inspection area of the MGB housing. 

(2) If there is a crack, before further flight, 

replace the MGB with an airworthy MGB. 

(3) Compliance with the one-time eddycurrent inspection of the main module 

assembly of the MGB in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 3.C, 

of Sikorsky S–92 ASB No. ASB 92–63–034 

Basic Issue, dated March 8, 2012, by a 

technician certified to non-destructive testing 

Level II or greater is an optional terminating 

action for the inspection requirements of this 

AD. 

(f) Special Flight Permits 

Special flight permits will not be issued. 

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Boston Aircraft 

Certification Office, FAA, may approve 

AMOCs for this AD. Send your proposal to: 

Michael Schwetz, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Boston Aircraft Certification Office, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, FAA, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

telephone (718) 238–7761; email 

michael.schwetz@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) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6320: Main Rotor Gearbox. 

(i) 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) Sikorsky S–92 Alert Service Bulletin No. 

ASB 92–63–032 Basic Issue, dated December 

22, 2011; 

(ii) Sikorsky S–92 Alert Service Bulletin 

No. ASB 92–63–034 Basic Issue, dated March 

8, 2012. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Sikorsky Aircraft 

Corporation, Attn: Manager, Commercial 

Technical Support, mailstop s581a, 6900 

Main Street, Stratford, CT 06614; telephone 

(800) 562–4409; email address 

tsslibrary@sikorsky.com; or at http:// 

www.sikorsky.com. 

(4) You may review copies of this service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort Worth, 

Texas 76137. 

(5) You may also review copies of 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/ 

code_of_federal_regulations/ 

ibr_locations.html. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 2, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–16944 Filed 7–16–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0677; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NM–105–AD; Amendment 

39–17114; AD 2012–13–12] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Gulfstream 

Aerospace Corporation Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation 

Model G–IV, GIV–X, GV, and GV–SP 

airplanes. This AD requires measuring 

to determine paint thickness on the 

flight control surfaces and corrective 

actions if necessary, and revising the 

Airplane Flight Manual (AFM). This AD 

was prompted by reports of failure to 

inspect or document the paint thickness 

on flight controls (ailerons, rudder, 

elevator), potentially having a negative 

impact on the flutter characteristics of 

the airplane. We are issuing this AD to 

detect and correct paint thickness on 

flight controls, which could result in 

loss of control of the airplane due to 

flutter. 

DATES: This AD is effective August 1, 

2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain publications listed in the AD 

as of August 1, 2012. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by August 31, 2012. 

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 

http://www.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: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 

between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Gulfstream Aerospace 

Corporation, Technical Publications 


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