17204 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 59 / Monday, March 28, 2022 / Proposed Rules 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2022–0293; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2021–01125–G] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Alexander 

Schleicher GmbH & Co. 

Segelflugzeugbau Gliders 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to 

supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

75–23–03, which applies to all 

Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. 

Segelflugzeugbau (Alexander 

Schleicher) Model Ka2B, Ka 6, Ka 6 B, 

Ka 6 BR, Ka 6 C, Ka 6 CR, K 7, K 8, and 

AS–K 13 gliders. AD 75–23–03 requires 

visually inspecting the glue joint 

between the elevator nose rib number 1 

and the nose plywood skin and 

replacing the glue joint if insufficient 

glue adhesion is found. Since the FAA 

issued AD 75–23–03, the European 

Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 

superseded prior EASA ADs for the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

This proposed AD would add the Model 

K 8 B gliders to the applicability and 

would require repetitively inspecting 

the glue joint at elevator rib number 1 

and repairing any damage found. The 

FAA is proposing this AD to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this proposed AD by May 12, 2022. 

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 

https://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: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this NPRM, contact Alexander 

Schleicher GmbH & Co. 

Segelflugzeugbau, AlexanderSchleicher-Str. 1, Poppenhausen, 

Germany D–36163; phone: +49 (0) 

06658 89–0; email: info@alexanderschleicher.de; website: https://

www.alexander-schleicher.de. You may 

view this service information 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. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2022–0293; 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 MCAI, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for Docket Operations is 

listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Rutherford, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

General Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, FAA, 

901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, MO 

64106; phone: (816) 329–4165; email: 

jim.rutherford@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–2022–0293; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2021–01125–G’’ 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 the 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 https://

www.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 Jim Rutherford, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, General 

Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, 901 

Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, MO 

64106. Any commentary that the FAA 

receives which is not specifically 

designated as CBI will be placed in the 

public docket for this rulemaking. 

Background 

The FAA issued AD 75–23–03, 

Amendment 39–2414 (40 FR 50706, 

October 31, 1975) (AD 75–23–03) for all 

Alexander Schleicher Model Ka2B, Ka 

6, Ka 6 B, Ka 6 BR, Ka 6 C, Ka 6 CR, 

K 7, K 8, and AS–K 13 gliders. AD 75– 

23–03 was prompted by mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI) originated by LuftfahrtBundesamt (LBA), which, at the time, 

was the airworthiness authority for 

Germany. AD 75–23–03 requires a onetime inspection of the glue joint at 

elevator rib number 1 for glue adhesion 

and repair if necessary. 

Actions Since AD 75–23–03 Was Issued 

Since the FAA issued AD 75–23–03, 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent for 

the Member States of the European 

Union, superseded LBA’s prior AD on 

this unsafe condition and issued EASA 

AD 2021–0230, dated October 14, 2021, 

(referred to after this as ‘‘the MCAI’’), for 

Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. 

Segelflugzeugbau Model AS–K 13, ASK 

16, ASK 16B, ASK 18, ASK 18 B, K 8, 

K 8 B, K 8 C, K 7, Ka 6, Ka 6 B, Ka 6 

BR, Ka 6 C, Ka 6 CR, and Ka 6⁄0

sailplanes (gliders). The MCAI states: 

An occurrence was reported of structural 

failure of an elevator during winch launching 

of a K 7 sailplane. Subsequent investigation 

results determined that the occurrence was 

due to damaged glue of the elevator’s rib No. 

1. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could affect the structural integrity 

of an elevator, possibly resulting in reduced 

control of the aeroplane. 

To address this potential unsafe condition, 

Schleicher issued the glued joint inspection 

TN [Technical Note], as defined in this 

[EASA] AD, to provide inspection 

instructions and LBA Germany issued AD 

72–7 (later revised) to require those actions. 

Since that [LBA Germany] AD was issued, 

additional similar occurrences were reported 

of structural elevator failure, also on 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 59 / Monday, March 28, 2022 / Proposed Rules 17205 

(powered) sailplanes originally not affected 

by LBA 72–7/3. Prompted by this 

development, Schleicher issued the 

applicable TN, providing inspections 

instructions for all (powered) sailplanes 

having an elevator of a similar design and 

making the inspections dependent also on 

the number of take-offs. 

For the reason described above, this 

[EASA] AD supersedes LBA Germany AD 

72–7/3 [dated December 13, 1989] and 

requires repetitive inspections of the elevator 

and, depending on findings, accomplishment 

of applicable corrective action(s). 

You may examine the MCAI in the 

AD docket at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2022– 

0293. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed Alexander 

Schleicher GmbH & Co. 

Segelflugzeugbau Appendix 01–2021, 

Flight and Operating Manual, dated 

March 1, 2021. This service information 

specifies procedures for protecting the 

glider from moisture and repetitively 

inspecting the glue joint between 

elevator rib number 1 and the plywood 

skin. 

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. 

FAA’s Determination 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country, and is 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 MCAI and service 

information referenced above. The FAA 

is issuing this NPRM after determining 

the unsafe condition described 

previously is likely to exist or develop 

on other products of the same type 

design. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would supersede 

AD 75–23–03 without retaining any of 

its actions. This proposed AD would 

require repetitively inspecting the glue 

joint between elevator rib number 1 and 

the plywood skin and repairing if 

necessary. This proposed AD would 

also add Model K 8 B gliders to the 

applicability. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the MCAI 

The MCAI applies to Model ASK 16, 

ASK 16B, ASK 18, ASK 18 B, K 8 C, and 

Ka 6⁄0 gliders and this proposed AD 

would not because they do not have an 

FAA type certificate. 

This proposed AD would include the 

Model Ka2B glider whereas the MCAI 

does not. 

Although the technical notes required 

by the MCAI specify to report findings 

of damage to the manufacturer, this 

proposed AD would not require that 

action. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 83 

gliders of U.S. registry. The FAA also 

estimates that it would take 4 workhours per glider to inspect the glue joint 

at elevator rib number 1 and would 

require parts costing $50. The average 

labor rate is $85 per work-hour. 

Based on these figures, the FAA 

estimates the cost on U.S. operators to 

be $32,370 or $390 per glider, per 

inspection cycle. 

The FAA estimates that replacing the 

glue joint, if necessary, would take 8 

work-hours and would require parts 

costing $250 for an estimated cost of 

$930 per glider. The FAA has no way 

of determining the number of gliders 

that may need this action. 

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 that the 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: 

■ a. Removing Airworthiness Directive 

75–23–03, Amendment 39–2414 (40 FR 

50706, October 31, 1975), and 

■ b. Adding the following new 

airworthiness directive: 

Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. 

Segelflugzeugbau: Docket No. FAA– 

2022–0293; Project Identifier MCAI– 

2021–01125–G. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by May 12, 

2022. 

(b) Affected ADs 

This AD replaces AD 75–23–03, 

Amendment 39–2414 (40 FR 50706, October 

31, 1975). 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Alexander Schleicher 

GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau Model Ka2B, 

Ka 6, Ka 6 B, Ka 6 BR, Ka 6 C, Ka 6 CR, K 

7, K 8, K 8 B, and AS–K 13 gliders, all serial 

numbers, certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) 

Code 5521, Elevator, Spar/Rib Structure. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) 

originated by an aviation authority of another 

country to identify and correct an unsafe 

condition on an aviation product. The MCAI 

describes the unsafe condition as structural 

failure of an elevator during winch 

launching. The FAA is issuing this AD to 


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17206 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 59 / Monday, March 28, 2022 / Proposed Rules 

prevent structural failure of an elevator, 

which could lead to loss of glider control. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Actions 

Within 30 days after the effective date of 

this AD and thereafter at intervals not to 

exceed 12 months or 500 flight cycles, 

whichever occurs first, inspect the glue joint 

between elevator rib number 1 and the 

plywood skin for damage by following 

section 3 of Alexander Schleicher GmbH & 

Co. Segelflugzeugbau Appendix 01–2021, 

Flight and Operating Manual, dated March 1, 

2021. For purposes of this AD, a flight cycle 

would be counted anytime the glider 

launches and then lands. If there is any 

damage on the glue joint, repair before 

further flight. 

(h) 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 (i)(1) of this AD and 

email to: 9-AVS-AIR-730-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. 

(i) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Jim Rutherford, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft 

Section, International Validation Branch, 

FAA, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, 

MO 64106; phone: (816) 329–4165; email: 

jim.rutherford@faa.gov. 

(2) Refer to European Union Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) AD 2021–0230, dated 

October 14, 2021, for related information. 

You may examine the EASA AD in the AD 

docket at https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. FAA– 

2022–0293. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Alexander Schleicher GmbH 

& Co. Segelflugzeugbau, AlexanderSchleicher-Str. 1, Poppenhausen, Germany 

D–36163; phone: +49 (0) 06658 89–0; email: 

info@alexander-schleicher.de; website: 

https://www.alexander-schleicher.de. You 

may view this service information 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. 

Issued on March 22, 2022. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06390 Filed 3–25–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2022–0297; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2021–01099–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 AS350B, 

AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, 

AS350B3, AS350D, EC130B4, and 

EC130T2 helicopters. This proposed AD 

was prompted by the identification of 

certain parts needing maintenance 

actions, including life limits and 

maintenance tasks. This proposed AD 

would require incorporating into 

maintenance records requirements 

(airworthiness limitations), as specified 

in a European Union Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA) AD, which is proposed 

for incorporation by reference (IBR). The 

FAA is proposing this AD to address the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this proposed AD by May 12, 2022. 

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 

https://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: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For material that is proposed for IBR 

in this AD, contact EASA, KonradAdenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, 

Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 000; 

email ADs@easa.europa.eu; internet 

www.easa.europa.eu. You may find this 

material on the EASA website at https:// 

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. This material 

is also available at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2022– 

0297. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2022–0297; 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. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Andrea Jimenez, Aerospace Engineer, 

COS Program Management Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, Compliance 

& Airworthiness Division, FAA, 1600 

Stewart Ave., Suite 410, Westbury, NY 

11590; telephone (516) 228–7330; email 

andrea.jimenez@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–2022–0297; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2021–01099–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 https://

www.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 


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