Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 118 / Thursday, June 19, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 35035 

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/technicalbullettins. You may review a copy of the 

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 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 

Emergency AD No. 2013–0282–E, dated 

November 27, 2013. You may view the EASA 

AD on the internet at http://

www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FAA– 

2014–0379. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6320: Main Rotor Gearbox. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 6, 

2014. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–13836 Filed 6–18–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–0378; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–SW–050–AD; Amendment 

39–17868; AD 2014–12–07] 

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 adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Agusta 

S.p.A. (Agusta) Model AB412 and 

AB412EP helicopters with a certain 

rotor brake pinion installed. This AD 

requires inspecting the rotor brake 

pinion for a crack, and replacing it if 

there is a crack. This AD is prompted by 

a report of a rotor brake pinion failure. 

These actions are intended to detect a 

crack on the rotor brake pinion and 

prevent failure of the rotor brake pinion, 

which could lead to detachment of parts 

inside the transmission and subsequent 

loss of control of the helicopter. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective July 

7, 2014. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by August 18, 2014. 

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 

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: Matt 

Wilbanks, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Regulations and Policy Group, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

matt.wilbanks@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 

This AD is prompted by AD No. 

2013–0187, dated August 16, 2013 (AD 

2013–0187), issued by EASA, which is 

the Technical Agent for the Member 

States of the European Union, to correct 

an unsafe condition for Agusta Model 

AB412 and AB412EP helicopters. EASA 

advises of a report of a cracked pinion, 

part number (P/N) 412–040–301–101, 

installed in the rotor brake quill, P/N 

412–040–123–103, on an AB412 

helicopter. EASA states that the crack 

was discovered by a magnetic particle 

inspection during a scheduled overhaul 

of the rotor brake quill. EASA further 

states that an investigation revealed the 

crack was due to residual stress 

generated during the manufacturing 

process, and that this condition, if not 

detected and corrected, could lead to 

failure of the pinion with detachment of 

parts inside the transmission that could 

cause its malfunction or jamming, 

finally resulting in loss of control of the 

helicopter. To address this unsafe 

condition, EASA AD 2013–0187 

requires magnetic particle inspecting 

the rotor brake pinion, and if there is a 

crack, replacing the rotor brake pinion. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of Italy and are 

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 

Agusta has issued Bollettino Tecnico 

No. 412–135, Revision A, dated July 29, 

2013, which describes procedures for a 

one-time magnetic particle inspection of 

the rotor brake pinion, P/N 412–040– 

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35036 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 118 / Thursday, June 19, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 

301–101, installed on Model AB412 and 

AB412EP helicopters. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires, within 100 hours 

time-in-service, magnetic particle 

inspecting the rotor brake pinion, P/N 

412–040–301–101, for a crack. If there is 

a crack, this AD requires replacing the 

pinion before further flight. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

The EASA AD does not apply to 

pinions installed in a rotor brake quill 

assembly that has been overhauled, 

while this AD does. 

Costs of Compliance 

There are no costs of compliance with 

this AD because there are no helicopters 

with this type certificate on the U.S. 

Registry. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

There are no helicopters with this 

type certificate on the U.S. Registry. 

Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that 

we will receive any adverse comments 

or useful information about this AD 

from U.S. operators. 

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 unnecessary because 

there are none of these products on the 

U.S. Registry 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. 

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: 

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): 

2014–12–07 Agusta S.p.A.: Amendment 39– 

17868; Docket No. FAA–2014–0378; 

Directorate Identifier 2013–SW–050–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Agusta S.p.A. (Agusta) 

Model AB412 and AB412EP helicopters with 

a rotor brake pinion, part number 412–040– 

301–101, installed, certificated in any 

category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

crack in a rotor brake pinion. This condition 

could result in failure of a rotor brake pinion, 

detachment of parts inside the transmission 

causing a malfunction or jamming, and 

subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective July 7, 2014. 

(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 100 hours time-in-service, magnetic 

particle inspect each rotor brake pinion for a 

crack. If there is a crack, before further flight, 

replace the rotor brake pinion. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Matt Wilbanks, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Regulations and 

Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 

76137; telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

matt.wilbanks@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. 

(g) Additional Information 

(1) AgustaWestland Bollettino Tecnico No. 

412–135, Revision A, dated July 29, 2013, 

which is not incorporated by reference, 

contains additional information about the 

subject of this AD. 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 a copy of the 

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 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2013–0187, dated August 16, 2013. You 

may view the EASA AD on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. 

FAA–2014–0378. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6321: Main Rotor Brake. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 6, 

2014. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–13838 Filed 6–18–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with RULES