Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 146 / Monday, July 30, 2012 / Proposed Rules 44509 

PART 741—REQUIREMENTS FOR 

INSURANCE 

1. The authority citation for part 741 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 12 U.S.C. 1757, 1766(a), 1781– 

1790, and 1790d; 31 U.S.C. 3717. 

2. Amend part 741 by adding a new 

§ 741.12 to read as follows: 

* * * * * 

§ 741.12 Access to Emergency Liquidity. 

(a) Any credit union insured pursuant 

to Title II of the Act which has assets 

of less than $10 million must maintain 

a basic written policy that provides a 

credit union board-approved framework 

for managing liquidity and a list of 

contingent liquidity sources that can be 

employed under adverse circumstances. 

(b) Any credit union which is insured 

pursuant to Title II of the Act which has 

assets of $10 million or more must 

establish and document a contingency 

funding plan (CFP) that meets the 

requirements of paragraph (d). 

(c) In addition to the requirement 

specified in paragraph (b) to establish 

and maintain a CFP, any credit union 

which is insured pursuant to Title II of 

the Act and which has assets of $100 

million or more must establish and 

document access to at least one 

contingent federal liquidity source for 

use in times of financial emergency and 

distressed economic circumstances. 

Credit unions must conduct advance 

planning and periodic testing to ensure 

that contingent funding sources are 

readily available when needed. A credit 

union may demonstrate access to a 

contingent federal liquidity source by: 

(1) Maintaining Regular membership 

in the Central Liquidity Facility 

(Facility), as described in part 725 of 

this chapter; 

(2) Maintaining membership in the 

Facility through an Agent, as described 

in part 725 of this chapter; or 

(3) Establishing borrowing access at 

the Federal Reserve Discount Window. 

(d) CFP. A credit union must have a 

written CFP commensurate with its 

complexity, risk profile, and scope of 

operations that sets out strategies for 

addressing liquidity shortfalls in 

emergency situations. The CFP may be 

a separate policy or may be incorporated 

into an existing policy such as an asset/ 

liability policy, a funds management 

policy, or a business continuity policy. 

The CFP must address, at a minimum, 

the following: 

(1) The sufficiency of the institution’s 

liquidity sources to meet normal 

operating requirements as well as 

contingent events; 

(2) The identification of contingent 

liquidity sources; 

(3) Policies to manage a range of stress 

environments, identification of some 

possible stress events, and identification 

of likely liquidity responses to such 

events; 

(4) Lines of responsibility within the 

institution to respond to liquidity 

events; 

(5) Management processes that 

include clear implementation and 

escalation procedures for liquidity 

events; and 

(6) The frequency that the institution 

will test and update the plan. 

(e) A FICU is subject to the 

requirements of paragraphs (b) or (c) of 

this section when two consecutive Call 

Reports show its assets to be at least $10 

million or $100 million, respectively. A 

FICU then has 120 days from the 

effective date of that second Call Report 

to meet the new requirements. 

[FR Doc. 2012–18565 Filed 7–27–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7535–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0795; Directorate 

Identifier 2008–SW–53–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Model 

AS332C, L, and L1 helicopters to 

require a one-time inspection of the 

main rotor head (MRH) swash-plate 

upper bearing (bearing) for a nonsmooth point (friction point). This 

proposed AD is prompted by a report of 

the premature deterioration of the MRH 

bearing of the rotating star installed on 

a Model AS332L1 helicopter. The 

proposed actions are intended to detect 

deterioration of the MRH bearing and to 

prevent overloading the scissor links 

which drive the main rotor system, 

failure of the scissors links, and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by September 28, 

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 proposed 

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 proposed AD, contact American 

Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, Texas 75053–4005; 

telephone (800) 232–0323; or at http:// 

www.eurocopter.com. 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: Gary 

Roach, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Regulations and Policy Group, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

gary.b.roach@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

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 might result 

from adopting the proposals in this 

document. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the 

proposal, 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 only one time. 

We will file in the docket all 

comments that we receive, as well as a 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
44510 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 146 / Monday, July 30, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

report summarizing each substantive 

public contact with FAA personnel 

concerning this proposed rulemaking. 

Before acting on this proposal, we will 

consider all comments we receive on or 

before the closing date for comments. 

We will consider comments filed after 

the comment period has closed if it is 

possible to do so without incurring 

expense or delay. We may change this 

proposal in light of the comments we 

receive. 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA Emergency AD 

No. 2008–0172–E, dated September 9, 

2008 (EAD No. 2008–0172–E), for the 

Eurocopter Model AS 332 C, C1, L, and 

L1 helicopters, with an MRH, part 

number (P/N) 332A31–0001–05 or P/N 

332A31–0001–06, having a serial 

number (S/N) of M172, M216, M261, 

M308, M547, M677, M811, or M936, 

and having ‘‘logged less than 275 flight 

hours since the last overhaul or repair.’’ 

EASA states that Eurocopter received a 

report of deterioration of an MRH 

bearing on an MRH that was installed 

on an AS 332 L1 helicopter. The AS 332 

L1 helicopter had logged 72 flight hours 

since the last overhaul. The EASA states 

that there was an onset of vibrations in 

flight and these vibrations were due to 

premature deterioration of the upper 

bearing of the MRH swash-plate. They 

state that this condition, if not 

corrected, ‘‘could lead to failure of the 

scissors links and consequently to the 

control loss of the helicopter.’’ 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of the France 

and are approved for operation in the 

United States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with France, EASA, its 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

EASA AD. We are proposing this AD 

because we evaluated all information 

provided by EASA and determined that 

an unsafe condition exists and is likely 

to exist or develop on other products of 

these same type designs. 

Related Service Information 

Eurocopter has issued one Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin (EASB) with two 

different numbers, both Revision 0, and 

both dated September 8, 2008: EASB 

No. 62.00.73 for Model AS332C, L, and 

L1 helicopters and non-FAA type 

certificated Model C1 helicopters; and 

EASB No. 62.00.30 for non-FAA type 

certificated Model 532 UC, AC, UL, AL, 

SC, and UE military helicopters. EASB 

No. 62.00.73 specifies checking for the 

absence of a friction point in the MRH 

bearing. If there is no friction point, 

EASB No. 62.00.73 specifies checking 

the condition of the grease in the swashplate assembly by lubricating the swashplate, rotating it by hand, and 

determining if the expelled grease 

contains traces of metal particles. If the 

expelled grease does not contain traces 

of metal particles, EASB No. 62.00.73 

specifies checking the swash-plate 

‘‘rotation torque’’ using a spring scale. If 

the rotation torque is less than 5.5 kg, 

EASB No. 62.00.73 specifies checking 

the bearing for vertical play. If there is 

a friction point, the expelled grease 

contains traces of metal particles, the 

rotation torque is equal to or greater 

than 5.5 kg, or there is vertical play in 

the bearing, EASB No. 62.00.73 specifies 

removing the MRH and sending it to an 

approved repair station. EASA classified 

this EASB as mandatory and issued 

EAD No. 2008–0172–E to ensure the 

continued airworthiness of these 

helicopters. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require, 

within 5 hours time-in-service (TIS), for 

the specified model helicopters having 

less than 275 hours TIS since the last 

MRH overhaul, the following: 

• Inspect the MRH bearing for a nonsmooth point (friction point) by rotating 

the MRH swash-plate and: 

Æ If there is a friction point in the 

bearing, before further flight, replace the 

MRH with an airworthy MRH. 

Æ If there is not a friction point in the 

bearing, lubricate the MRH swash-plate 

and rotate it until grease is expelled; 

inspect the expelled grease for metal 

particles. 

• If there is a metal particle in the 

grease, before further flight, replace the 

MRH with an airworthy MRH. 

• If there is not a metal particle in the 

grease, measure the force required to 

rotate the MRH swash-plate using a 

spring scale attached to the pitch change 

rod attachment yokes. 

Æ If the force to rotate the MRH 

swash-plate is equal to or greater than 

5.5 kg, before further flight, replace the 

MRH with an airworthy MRH. 

Æ If the force to rotate the MRH 

swash-plate is less than 5.5 kg, inspect 

the MRH swash-plate assembly for 

vertical play in the bearing. If there is 

vertical play in the bearing, before 

further flight, replace the MRH with an 

airworthy MRH. 

• Before installing an MRH, P/N 

332A31–0001–05 or P/N 332A31–001– 

06, with S/N M172, M216, M261, M308, 

M547, M561, M677, M811, M859, 

M935, M936, M938, or M942 on any 

helicopter, inspect the MRH in 

accordance with the requirements of 

this AD. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the EASA AD 

The EASA Emergency AD includes 

Model AS332C1 helicopters. This 

proposed AD does not include this 

model helicopter since it is not type 

certificated in the U.S. The EASA AD 

does not include S/Ns M561, M859, 

M935, M938, and M942, whereas this 

proposed AD does include those S/Ns. 

The EASA Emergency AD requires 

operators to comply with the 

requirements no later than the ‘‘next last 

flight of the day.’’ Our proposed AD 

would require the actions to be 

accomplished within 5 hours TIS. Also, 

the EASA Emergency AD is applicable 

to the specified helicopters having 

logged less than 275 flight hours since 

the last overhaul or repair, whereas our 

proposed AD would only be applicable 

to the specified helicopters having less 

than 275 hours TIS since the last 

overhaul of the MRH. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 6 helicopters of U.S. 

registry. We estimate that operators may 

incur the following costs in order to 

comply with this AD. It would take 

approximately 1 work-hour per 

helicopter to accomplish the inspection 

of the MRH bearing for a friction point, 

inspection of the swash-plate grease for 

any metal particles, measurement of the 

swash-plate force to rotate, and 

inspection of the bearing for vertical 

play. It would take approximately 60 

work-hours to replace the MRH. These 

proposed actions would be 

accomplished at an average labor rate of 

$85 per work-hour. We estimate the 

parts cost of replacing an MRH would 

be approximately $20,000. Based on 

these figures, we estimate the total cost 

of the proposed AD on U.S. operators to 

be $25,610, assuming that all affected 

helicopters are inspected and that one 

MRH in the fleet would need to be 

replaced. 

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 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 146 / Monday, July 30, 2012 / Proposed Rules 44511 

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 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, I certify 

this proposed regulation: 

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 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 proposed 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. 

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 (AD): 

Eurocopter France (Eurocopter): Docket No. 

FAA–2012–0795; Directorate Identifier 

2008–SW–53–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Eurocopter Model 

AS332C, L, and L1 helicopters with a main 

rotor head (MRH), part number (P/N) 

332A31–0001–05 or P/N 332A31–0001–06, 

with a serial number (S/N) M172, M216, 

M261, M308, M547, M561, M677, M811, 

M859, M935, M936, M938, or M942 

installed; having less than 275 hours time-inservice (TIS) since the last overhaul of the 

MRH; certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

deterioration of the MRH swash-plate upper 

bearing (bearing), which could result in 

overloading the scissor links which drive the 

main rotor system, failure of the scissors 

links, and subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

(c) 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. 

(d) Required Actions 

Within 5 hours TIS: 

(1) Inspect the MRH bearing for a nonsmooth point (friction point) by rotating the 

MRH swash-plate and: 

(i) If there is a friction point in the bearing, 

before further flight, replace the MRH with 

an airworthy MRH. 

(ii) If there is not a friction point in the 

bearing, lubricate the MRH swash-plate and 

rotate it until grease is expelled; inspect the 

expelled grease for metal particles. 

(A) If there is a metal particle in the grease, 

before further flight, replace the MRH with 

an airworthy MRH. 

(B) If there is not a metal particle in the 

grease, measure the force required to rotate 

the MRH swash-plate using a spring scale 

attached to the pitch change rod attachment 

yokes. 

(1) If the force to rotate the MRH swashplate is equal to or greater than 5.5 kg, before 

further flight, replace the MRH with an 

airworthy MRH. 

(2) If the force to rotate the MRH swashplate is less than 5.5 kg, inspect the MRH 

swash-plate assembly for vertical play in the 

bearing. If there is vertical play in the 

bearing, before further flight, replace the 

MRH with an airworthy MRH. 

(2) Before installing an MRH, P/N 332A31– 

0001–05 or P/N 332A31–001–06, with S/N 

M172, M216, M261, M308, M547, M561, 

M677, M811, M859, M935, M936, M938, or 

M942 on any helicopter, inspect the MRH in 

accordance with paragraph (d)(1) of this AD. 

(e) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOC) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Gary Roach, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Regulations and 

Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

gary.b.roach@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. 

(f) Additional Information 

(1) Eurocopter Emergency Alert Service 

Bulletin, No. 62.00.73, Revision 0, dated 

September 8, 2008, which is not incorporated 

by reference, contains additional information 

about the subject of this AD. For this service 

information, contact American Eurocopter 

Corporation, 2701 Forum Drive, Grand 

Prairie, Texas 75053–4005; telephone (800) 

232–0323; or at http://www.eurocopter.com. 

You may review this service information at 

the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas 76137. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

the European Aviation Safety Agency 

(France) Emergency AD No. 2008–0172–E, 

dated September 9, 2008. 

(g) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6400,Tail Rotor System. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 20, 

2012. 

Kim Smith, 

Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 

Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–18454 Filed 7–27–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0798; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–CE–023–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Alpha 

Aviation Concept Limited Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Alpha 

Aviation Concept Limited Model R2160 

Airplanes. This proposed AD results 

from 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 possible installation of 

non-conforming air filter elements that 

are not fitted with metallic mesh and 

could internally collapse resulting in 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS