40072 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 128 / Wednesday, July 3, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

(3) AMOCs Approved Previously: AMOCs 

approved previously in accordance with AD 

2000–12–11, Amendment 39–11789 (65 FR 

37853, June 19, 2000), are approved as 

AMOCs for the corresponding provisions of 

this AD. 

(n) Related Information 

(1) Refer to Mandatory Continuing 

Airworthiness Information European 

Aviation Safety Agency Airworthiness 

Directive 2012–0138, dated July 26, 2012, 

and the service information specified in 

paragraphs (m)(1)(i) through (m)(1)(iii) of this 

AD; for related information. 

(i) Airbus Mandatory Service Bulletin 

A300–57–6037, Revision 04, dated February 

24, 2011. 

(ii) Airbus Service Bulletin A300–57–6037, 

dated August 1, 1994. 

(iii) Airbus Service Bulletin A300–57– 

6037, Revision 01, dated August 31, 1995. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Airbus SAS—EAW 

(Airworthiness Office), 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.airwortheas@airbus.com; Internet http:// 

www.airbus.com. You may review copies of 

the referenced service information at the 

FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 18, 

2013. 

John Piccola, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–15959 Filed 7–2–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0573; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–SW–042–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 certain 

serial-numbered Eurocopter France 

(Eurocopter) Model AS332C1 and 

AS332L1 helicopters. This proposed AD 

would require replacing the rivets on 

the left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) 

Y350 longitudinal beams (longitudinal 

beams Y350). This proposed AD is 

prompted by a report that nonconforming rivets had been installed on 

an AS332 helicopter during a 

production modification. The proposed 

actions are intended to prevent failure 

of the longitudinal beams Y350 and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by September 3, 2013. 

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 N. Forum 

Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052; 

telephone (972) 641–0000 or (800) 232– 

0323; fax (972) 641–3775; or at http:// 

www.eurocopter.com/techpub. 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 

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.: 2012–0046–E, dated March 21, 

2012 (EAD 2012–0046–E), to correct an 

unsafe condition for Eurocopter Model 

AS332 C1 and AS332 L1 helicopters. 

EASA advises that an AS332 helicopter 

was found on the production line with 

non-conforming rivets installed on the 

RH and LH longitudinal beams Y350 of 

the bottom structure of the fuselage, 

between sections X4780 and X5295. 

According to EASA, the investigation 

revealed that a limited number of 

helicopters were documented as 

receiving a production modification 

requiring the replacement of certain 3.2 

mm rivets with 4.8 mm rivets, but the 

actual replacement of the rivets had not 

been performed. EASA states that this 

condition leads to significant reduction 

in the safety margins during sling 

operations and may cause failure of the 

web/flange assembly connections of the 

longitudinal beams Y350, possibly 

resulting in loss of control of the 

helicopter. For these reasons, EASA 

issued EAD 2012–0046–E, which, 

pending inspection of the helicopter 

beams Y350 and replacement of the 

affected rivets, prohibits sling 

operations or limits the 3-ton sling to 

external loads of 2.28 tons or less. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of France and 

are approved for operation in the United 

States. Pursuant to our bilateral 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 128 / Wednesday, July 3, 2013 / Proposed Rules 40073 

agreement with France, EASA, its 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in its 

AD. We are proposing this AD because 

we evaluated all known relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Related Service Information 

We reviewed Eurocopter Emergency 

Alert Service Bulletin No. 01.00.81 

Revision 0, dated March 19, 2012 (EASB 

01.00.81) for Model AS332 helicopters. 

The EASB describes procedures for 

temporarily prohibiting sling operations 

or limiting the use of the 3-ton sling to 

2.28 tons until the 3.2 mm diameter 

rivets are replaced with 4.8 mm 

diameter rivets. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require, 

within 10 hours time in service (TIS), 

replacing the non-conforming 3.2 mm 

rivets, part-number (P/N) 212 15DC 

3200J, on the longitudinal beams Y350 

with airworthy 4.8 mm rivets, P/N 212 

15DC 4800J. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the EASA AD 

The EASA AD requires limiting the 

use of the 3-ton sling, inspecting the 

longitudinal beams Y350 for loose or 

missing rivets, black marks around the 

rivets, and cracks, and, depending on 

the accumulated sling operation cycles, 

replacing the rivets within a period of 

up to 24 months. This proposed AD 

does not require the inspections as it 

would require replacing the rivets 

within 10 hours TIS, regardless of 

accumulated sling operation cycles. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 1 helicopter of U.S. 

Registry. We estimate that operators 

may incur the following costs in order 

to comply with this AD. Modifying the 

longitudinal beams Y350 with 4.8 mm 

rivets would require about 24 workhours at an average labor rate of $85 per 

hour and required parts would cost 

about $110, for a total cost per 

helicopter of $2,150. Thus, the total cost 

to U.S. operators to comply with the 

proposed AD would be about $2,150. 

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 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: Docket No. FAA–2013– 

0573; Directorate Identifier 2012–SW– 

042–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Eurocopter France 

Model AS332C1 and AS332L1 helicopters 

with the following serial numbers, 

certificated in any category: 2494, 2497, 

2499, 2501, 2507, 2510, 2513, 2517, 2523, 

2524, 2526, 2528, 2531, 2533, 2538, 2544, 

2546, 2548, 2550, 2553, 2556, 2558, 2561, 

2563, 2566, 2568, 2569, 2571, 2635, 2641, 

2644, 2649, 2652, 2657, 2665, 2667, 2669, 

2671, 2682, 2683, 2686, 2689, 2694, 2696, 

2700, 2704, 2705, 2706, 2710, 2713, 2717, 

2720, 2726, 2733, 2737, 2738, 2748, 2751, 

2754, 2757, 2758, 2761, 2763, 2765, 2774, 

2780, 2787, 2800, 2807, 2816, 2820, 2833, 

9007, 9008, 9009 and 9010. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as 

non-conforming rivets installed on the lefthand (LH) and right-hand (RH) Y350 

longitudinal beams (longitudinal beams 

Y350) of the bottom structure. This condition 

could result in failure of the web/flange 

assembly connections of the longitudinal 

beams Y350 and subsequent loss of control 

of the helicopter. 

(c) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by September 

3, 2013. 

(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, replace 

the 3.2 mm rivets, part-number (P/N) 

21215DC3200J, of the RH and LH 

longitudinal beams Y350 of the bottom 

structure with 4.8 mm rivets, P/N 

21215DC4800J, as shown in Figures 2 and 3 

of Eurocopter Emergency Alert Service 

Bulletin No. 01.00.81, Revision 0, dated 

March 19, 2012. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(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. 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
40074 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 128 / Wednesday, July 3, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

(g) Additional Information 

The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 

Emergency AD No.: 2012–0046–E, dated 

March 21, 2012. You may view the EASA AD 

at www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FAA– 

2013–0573. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 5314: Fuselage Main, Keel. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 21, 

2013. 

Kim Smith, 

Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–15964 Filed 7–2–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0465; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NM–085–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus 

Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Model A318, A319, A320, and A321 

series airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by a determination that 

oxygen generators installed on a certain 

batch of passenger emergency oxygen 

container assemblies might become 

detached by extreme pulling of the mask 

tube at the end of oxygen supply 

causing a high temperature oxygen 

generator and mask to fall down. This 

proposed AD would require modifying 

the passenger emergency oxygen 

container assembly. We are proposing 

this AD to prevent a high temperature 

oxygen generator and mask from falling 

down and possibly resulting in an 

ignition source in the passenger 

compartment, injury to passengers, and 

reduced availability of supplemental 

oxygen. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by August 19, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments 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, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Airbus, 

Airworthiness Office—EIAS, 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. You 

may review copies of the referenced 

service information at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 425–227–1221. 

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 

regulatory 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 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Sanjay Ralhan, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA, 

1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, WA 

98057–3356; telephone (425) 227–1405; 

fax (425) 227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposed AD. Send your comments 

to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2013–0465; Directorate Identifier 

2012–NM–085–AD’’ at the beginning of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed AD based on those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA 

Airworthiness Directive 2012–0055, 

dated April 3, 2012 (referred to after this 

as ‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe 

condition for the specified products. 

The MCAI states: 

It has been determined that oxygen 

generators, installed on a specific batch of 

Type 1 (22 minute) passenger emergency 

oxygen container assemblies, may become 

detached by extreme pulling of the mask tube 

at the end of oxygen supply. Investigations 

revealed that such detachment can be caused 

by the increase in temperature towards the 

end of the generator operation, which may 

weaken the plastic housing in the attachment 

area of the bracket. 

This condition, if not corrected, could 

make the rivets slip through the plastic 

housing, causing a ‘hot’ oxygen generator and 

mask to fall down, possibly resulting in 

injury to passengers. 

For the reasons described above, this 

[EASA] AD requires modification of the 

affected oxygen container assemblies. This 

[EASA] AD also prohibits the installation of 

the affected (unmodified) containers on any 

aeroplane as replacement parts. 

The modification consists of adding a 

reinforcement plate at the rear outside 

of the container and adding two washers 

to the rivets at the inside of the 

container to prevent the generator from 

detaching. You may obtain further 

information by examining the MCAI in 

the AD docket. 

Relevant Service Information 

Airbus has issued the following 

service bulletins. 

• Service Bulletin A320–35–1049, 

dated June 15, 2011. 

• Service Bulletin A320–35–1053, 

dated June 15, 2011. 

• Service Bulletin A320–35–1054, 

dated June 15, 2011. 

• Service Bulletin A320–35–1055, 

dated June 15, 2011. 

• Service Bulletin A320–35–1056, 

dated June 15, 2011. 

• Service Bulletin A320–35–1057, 

dated June 15, 2011. 

• Service Bulletin A320–35–1058, 

dated June 15, 2011. 

The actions described in this service 

information are intended to correct the 

unsafe condition identified in the 

MCAI. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of This Proposed AD 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS