Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 229 / Friday, November 28, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 70785 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–0971; Directorate 

Identifier 2014–SW–055–AD; Amendment 

39–18035; AD 2014–24–02] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Agusta 

S.p.A. Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2014–07– 

51 for AgustaWestland S.p.A. Model 

AB139 and AW139 helicopters with 

certain main rotor (M/R) rotating 

scissors installed. AD 2014–07–51 

required repetitively inspecting the 

M/R rotating scissors for play of the 

lower half scissor spherical bearing 

(bearing) and removing the bearing if 

there was play beyond allowable limits. 

AD 2014–07–51 also required removing 

all affected bearings. AD 2014–07–51 

was prompted by reports of certain 

bearings dislodging from certain M/R 

rotating scissors. This new AD retains 

the requirements of AD 2014–07–51, 

expands the applicability, and requires 

installing a special nut. These actions 

are intended to detect excessive play of 

the bearing and prevent failure of the M/ 

R rotating scissors and subsequent loss 

of control of the helicopter. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

December 15, 2014. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of December 15, 2014. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of certain other publications listed in 

this AD as of August 20, 2014 (79 FR 

45329, August 5, 2014). 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by January 27, 2015. 

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 European 

Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, any 

incorporated by reference service 

information, 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 AgustaWestland, 

Product Support Engineering, Via del 

Gregge, 100, 21015 Lonate Pozzolo (VA) 

Italy, ATTN: Maurizio D’Angelo; 

telephone 39–0331–664757; fax 39 

0331–664680; or at http://

www.agustawestland.com/technicalbulletins. You may review 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: 

Robert Grant, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Safety Management Group, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

robert.grant@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 

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 

On March 27, 2014, we issued 

Emergency AD (AD) 2014–07–51. AD 

2014–07–51 was published in the 

Federal Register as a Final rule; request 

for comments on August 5, 2014, at 79 

FR 45329. AD 2014–07–51 applied to 

Agusta Model AB139 and AW139 

helicopters with certain serialnumbered M/R rotating scissors or with 

a M/R rotating scissors with certain 

serial-numbered bearings. AD 2014–07– 

51 required repetitively inspecting the 

M/R rotating scissors for play of the 

bearing every 5 hours time-in-service 

(TIS) and, if there was play beyond 

allowable limits, removing the affected 

bearing. AD 2014–07–51 also required 

removing all affected bearings within 50 

hours TIS. AD 2014–07–51 was 

prompted by reports of certain bearings 

dislodging from certain M/R rotating 

scissors, as advised by EASA in its 

Emergency AD No. 2014–0073–E, dated 

March 20, 2014. 

Actions Since AD 2014–07–51 Was 

Issued 

After we issued AD 2014–07–51, 

AgustaWestland issued Bollettino 

Tecnico No. 139–392, dated September 

23, 2014 (BT 139–392), for Model 

AB139 and AW139 helicopters. BT 139– 

392 specifies installing a ‘‘special’’ nut 

to prevent the bearing from dislodging 

and performing an interim inspection to 

monitor the bearing in service. 

EASA subsequently issued Emergency 

AD No. 2014–0215–E, dated September 

24, 2014, which supersedes EASA 

Emergency AD No. 2014–0073–E, to 

correct an unsafe condition for 

AgustaWestland S.p.A and 

AgustaWestland Philadelphia 

Corporation Model AB139 and AW139 

helicopters. EASA advises of additional 

reports of early excessive play in the 

bearings and a report of a chipped 

bearing liner. These additional reports 

involve bearings that were not part of 

the specific bearings referenced in 

EASA AD No. 2014–0073–E. As a result, 

EASA AD No. 2014–0215–E expands 

the applicability to all M/R rotating 

scissors with the applicable part 

number, requires repetitive inspections, 

and requires installation of a ‘‘special’’ 

nut in accordance with BT 139–392. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of Italy and are 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with RULES
70786 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 229 / Friday, November 28, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

approved for operation in the United 

States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with Italy, EASA, its 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

EASA AD. We are issuing this AD 

because we evaluated all information 

provided by EASA and determined the 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other helicopters of 

these same type designs. 

Related Service Information 

AgustaWestland issued AW139 

Document Code 39–C–62–31–00–00A– 

286C–A, issue 001, dated August 6, 

2012, for Model AB139 and AW139 

helicopters to specify a detailed 

inspection of the fixed swashplate and 

rotating scissors. 

AgustaWestland also issued Bollettino 

Tecnico No. 139–368, dated March 19, 

2014 (BT 139–368), for Model AB139 

and AW139 helicopters with M/R 

rotating scissors, part number (P/N) 

3G6230A00733 either with certain serial 

numbers or which have been repaired 

with the installation of certain serialnumbered bearings, P/N 3G6230V00654. 

BT 139–368 also applies to affected 

parts kept in stock. BT 139–368 was 

issued to identify and replace 

potentially defective bearings caused by 

a supplier quality issue. 

AgustaWestland later issued BT 139– 

392 for Model AB139 and AW139 

helicopters with M/R rotating scissors 

P/N 3G6230A00733 installed. BT 139– 

392 specifies inspections to monitor the 

bearings and provides procedures for 

the installation of special nut, P/N 

3G6230A06851, to reinforce the 

installation of each bearing. 

AD Requirements 

This AD retains and clarifies the 

inspections of the M/R rotating scissors 

for damage and play of the bearing, but 

changes the inspection interval. This 

AD requires replacing the nut with a 

special nut, which lengthens the time 

for repetitively inspecting the M/R 

rotating scissors for damage and play of 

the bearing. This AD also retains the 

requirement to remove certain serialnumbered rotating scissors and certain 

serial-numbered bearings from service. 

Lastly, this AD states the design holder’s 

name as Agusta S.p.A. instead of 

AgustaWestland S.p.A. as specified by 

the current FAA type certificate. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

The EASA AD does not retain all of 

the requirements of its superseded AD, 

while this AD does retain the prior AD 

requirements. The EASA AD specifies 

some compliance terms within calendar 

time, while this AD does not. The EASA 

AD requires contacting AW139 Product 

Support Engineering, and this AD does 

not. 

Interim Action 

We consider this AD to be an interim 

action. If final action is later identified, 

we might consider further rulemaking. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 102 

helicopters of U.S. Registry. We estimate 

that operators may incur the following 

costs in order to comply with this AD. 

Labor costs are estimated at $85 per 

work-hour. Visually inspecting the M/R 

rotating scissors for damage and play 

requires a minimal amount of time, for 

a nominal cost per inspection. 

Performing the detailed inspection for 

bearing play requires about 1 work-hour 

for a cost of $85 per inspection. 

Removing a bearing requires about 2 

work-hours and $808 in parts, for a total 

replacement cost of $978 per bearing. 

Installing the special nuts requires about 

1 work-hour and $920 in parts, for a 

total modification cost of $1,005 per 

helicopter or $102,510 for the U.S. fleet. 

According to AgustaWestland’s 

service information, some of the costs of 

this AD may be covered under warranty, 

thereby reducing the cost impact on 

affected individuals. We do not control 

warranty coverage by AgustaWestland. 

Accordingly, we have included all costs 

in our cost estimate. 

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 unsafe condition 

can adversely affect the controllability 

of the helicopter and some of the 

required corrective actions must be 

accomplished within 5 hours TIS and 

thereafter every 24 hours for certain 

helicopters. Other required corrective 

actions in this AD must be 

accomplished within 25, 50, and 100 

hours TIS; however, these helicopters 

are generally high-usage aircraft and 

could reach these compliance times 

within a very short calendar time. 

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 

contrary to the public interest 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. 

Adoption of the Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA amends 14 CFR part 39 as 

follows: 


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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 229 / Friday, November 28, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 70787 

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 

removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

2014–07–51, Amendment 39–17902 (79 

FR 45329, August 5, 2014), and adding 

the following new AD: 

2014–24–02 Agusta S.p.A. (Agusta): 

Amendment 39–18035; Docket No. FAA– 

2014–0971; Directorate Identifier 2014–SW– 

055–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Agusta Model AB139 

and AW139 helicopters with main rotor (M/ 

R) rotating scissors part number (P/N) 

3G6230A00733, with a lower half scissors 

spherical bearing (bearing) P/N 

3G6230V00654 installed, certificated in any 

category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

excessive play of the bearing in the M/R 

rotating scissors. This condition could result 

in failure of the M/R rotating scissors and 

subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. 

(c) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 2014–07–51, 

Amendment 39–17902 (79 FR 45329, August 

5, 2014). 

(d) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective December 15, 

2014. 

(e) 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. 

(f) Required Actions 

(1) For helicopters with the M/R rotating 

controls installed without special nut P/N 

3G6230A06851, within 5 hours time-inservice (TIS), and thereafter before the first 

flight of each day or at intervals not 

exceeding 24 hours, whichever occurs later; 

and for helicopters with the M/R rotating 

controls installed with special nut P/N 

3G6230A06851, within 25 hours TIS, and 

thereafter at intervals not exceeding 25 hours 

TIS: 

(i) Visually inspect the M/R rotating 

scissors for damage using a light source and 

a magnifying glass, paying particular 

attention to the bearings. Some examples of 

damage are shown in Figures 4 through 8 of 

AgustaWestland Bollettino Tecnico No. 139– 

392, dated September 23, 2014 (BT 139–392). 

If there is damage, before further flight, 

remove the bearing. 

(ii) Inspect the M/R rotating scissors for 

play of each bearing, paying particular 

attention to the bearing staking condition, by 

manually moving the lower half scissor along 

the axis of the spherical bearing. Refer to 

Figure 1 of BT 139–392. If there is play, 

before further flight, accomplish a detailed 

inspection of the M/R rotating scissors in 

accordance with steps 9.1 through 12.9 of 

AgustaWestland AW139 Document Code 39– 

C–62–31–00–00A–286C–A, Rotating control 

installation—Fixed swashplate and rotating 

scissors—Detailed inspection, issue 001, 

dated August 6, 2012. Any play beyond 

allowable limits requires removing the 

bearing before further flight. 

(2) Within 50 hours TIS from August 20, 

2014, remove any bearing from a M/R 

rotating scissors with serial numbers (S/N) 

listed in Table 1 of AgustaWestland Bolletino 

Tecnico No. 139–368, dated March 19, 2014 

(BT 139–368), on which the bearing has 

never been replaced; or from a M/R rotating 

scissors on which the bearing was replaced 

with a bearing with a S/N listed in Table 2 

of BT 139–368. 

(3) Within 100 hours TIS, install special 

nut P/N 3G6230A06851 in accordance with 

steps 5.1. through 6., Part II, of the 

Compliance Instructions, of BT 139–392. 

(4) Prior to installing a M/R rotating 

scissors with a S/N listed in Table 1 of BT 

139–368, replace the bearing and re-identify 

the M/R rotating scissors in accordance with 

paragraphs 4.2 through 4.4., Part II, of the 

Compliance Instructions of BT 139–368. 

(5) Do not install a bearing with a S/N 

listed in Table 2 of BT 139–368 into any M/ 

R rotating scissors. 

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Robert Grant, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort 

Worth, Texas 76137; telephone (817) 222– 

5110; email robert.grant@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) Additional Information 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 

Emergency AD 2014–0215–E, dated 

September 24, 2014. You may view the EASA 

AD on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for and 

locating it in Docket No. FAA–2014–0971. 

(i) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6200, M/R System. 

(j) 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. 

(3) The following service information was 

approved for IBR on December 15, 2014. 

(i) AgustaWestland Bollettino Tecnico No. 

139–392, dated September 23, 2014. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(4) The following service information was 

approved for IBR on August 20, 2014 (79 FR 

45329, August 5, 2014). 

(i) AgustaWestland Bollettino Tecnico No. 

139–368, dated March 19, 2014. 

(ii) AgustaWestland AW139 Document 

Code 39–C–62–31–00–00A–286C–A, Rotating 

control installation—Fixed swashplate and 

rotating scissors—Detailed inspection, issue 

001, dated August 6, 2012. 

(5) For AgustaWestland, Product Support 

Engineering, Via del Gregge, 100, 21015 

Lonate Pozzolo (VA) Italy, ATTN: Maurizio 

D’Angelo; telephone 39 0331–664757; fax 39 

0331–664680; or at http://

www.agustawestland.com/technicalbulletins. 

(6) 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. 

(7) 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 November 

17, 2014. 

Kim Smith, 

Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–27995 Filed 11–26–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–0235; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–NM–249–AD; Amendment 

39–18015; AD 2014–22–10] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

The Boeing Company Model DC–8–55, 

DC–8F–54, and DC–8F–55 airplanes, 

Model DC–8–60 series airplanes, Model 

DC–8–60F series airplanes, Model DC– 

8–70 series airplanes, and Model DC–8– 

70F series airplanes. This AD was 

prompted by multiple reports of 

cracking of the upper aft skin panel of 


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