Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 211 / Thursday, October 31, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 65161 

reliability of the remaining system. As 

far as reasonably practicable, the flight 

crew must be made aware of these 

failures before flight. Certain elements 

of the control system, such as 

mechanical and hydraulic components, 

may use special periodic inspections, 

and electronic components may use 

daily checks, in lieu of detection and 

indication systems to achieve the 

objective of this requirement. These 

certification maintenance requirements 

must be limited to components that are 

not readily detectable by normal 

detection and indication systems and 

where service history shows that 

inspections will provide an adequate 

level of safety. 

(2) The existence of any failure 

condition, not extremely improbable, 

during flight that could significantly 

affect the structural capability of the 

airplane and for which the associated 

reduction in airworthiness can be 

minimized by suitable flight limitations, 

must be signaled to the flight crew. For 

example, failure conditions that result 

in a factor of safety between the airplane 

strength and the loads of subpart C 

below 1.25, or flutter margins below V′′, 

must be signaled to the crew during 

flight. 

d. Dispatch with known failure 

conditions. If the airplane is to be 

dispatched in a known system failure 

condition that affects structural 

performance, or affects the reliability of 

the remaining system to maintain 

structural performance, then the 

provisions of these special conditions 

must be met, including the provisions of 

paragraph 2a for the dispatched 

condition, and paragraph 2b for 

subsequent failures. Expected 

operational limitations may be taken 

into account in establishing Pj as the 

probability of failure occurrence for 

determining the safety margin in Figure 

1. Flight limitations and expected 

operational limitations may be taken 

into account in establishing Qj as the 

combined probability of being in the 

dispatched failure condition and the 

subsequent failure condition for the 

safety margins in Figures 2 and 3. These 

limitations must be such that the 

probability of being in this combined 

failure state and then subsequently 

encountering limit load conditions is 

extremely improbable. No reduction in 

these safety margins is allowed if the 

subsequent system failure rate is greater 

than 10¥3 per hour. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on 

September 12, 2013. 

Jeffrey E. Duven, 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–25448 Filed 10–30–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0518; Directorate 

Identifier 2009–SW–021–AD; Amendment 

39–17607; AD 2013–20–01] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Agusta 

S.p.A. (Type Certificate Currently Held 

by AgustaWestland S.p.A) (Agusta) 

Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for Agusta 

Model A109A, A109AII, and A109C 

helicopters with a certain third stage 

turbine wheel installed. This AD 

requires installing a placard on the 

instrument panel and revising the 

limitations section of the rotorcraft 

flight manual (RFM). This AD was 

prompted by several incidents of third 

stage engine turbine wheel failures, 

which were caused by excessive 

vibrations at certain engine speeds 

during steady-state operations. These 

actions are intended to alert pilots to 

avoid certain engine speeds during 

steady-state operations, prevent failure 

of the third stage engine turbine, engine 

power loss, and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

DATES: This AD is effective December 5, 

2013. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain document listed in this AD 

as of December 5, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Agusta 

Westland, Customer Support & Services, 

Via Per Tornavento 15, 21019 Somma 

Lombardo (VA) Italy, ATTN: Giovanni 

Cecchelli; telephone 39 0331 711133; 

fax 39 0331 711180; or at http://

www.agustawestland.com/technicalbullettins. 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. 

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 foreign 

authority’s AD, any incorporated-byreference service information, the 

economic evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

Office (phone: 800–647–5527) is U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations Office, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Chinh Vuong, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Safety Management Group, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., 

Fort Worth, Texas 76137; telephone 

(817) 222–5110; email chinh.vuong@

faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On June 20, 2013, at 78 FR 37162, the 

Federal Register published our notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM), which 

proposed to amend 14 CFR part 39 by 

adding an AD that would apply to 

Agusta Model A109A, A109AII, and 

A109C helicopters with a third stage 

turbine wheel, part number (P/N) 

23065833, installed. The NPRM 

proposed to require installing a placard 

on the instrument panel adjacent to the 

engine and rotor RPM power turbine 

(N2) indicator and revising the 

Operating Limitations sections of the 

Model A109A, A109AII, and A109C 

RFMs to limit steady-state operations 

between speeds of 95% and 97%. The 

proposed requirements were intended to 

alert pilots to avoid certain engine 

speeds during steady-state operations, 

prevent failure of the third stage engine 

turbine, engine power loss, and 

subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

The NPRM was prompted by AD No. 

2009–0037–E, dated February 19, 2009, 

issued by the European Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 

Agent for the Member States of the 

European Union. EASA issued AD No. 

2009–0037–E to correct an unsafe 

condition for Agusta Model A109A, 

A109AII, and A109C helicopters with a 

Rolls Royce Corporation (RRC) engine 

Model 250–C20B or 250–C20R/1 having 

a third stage turbine wheel P/N 

23065833 installed. EASA advises that 

following several third stage turbine 

wheel failures, the engine type 


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65162 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 211 / Thursday, October 31, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 

certificate holder, RRC, issued 

Commercial Engine Bulletin (CEB) A– 

1400 Revision 3, dated January 19, 2009 

(CEB A–1400), to introduce an 

operational limitation on the power 

turbine (N2) speed range (95% to 97%) 

for more than 60 seconds in single or 

cumulative events for engines with the 

third stage turbine wheel P/N 23065833, 

installed. 

The EASA AD requires amending the 

RFMs and installing a placard as 

described in Agusta Bollettino Tecnico 

No. 109–129, dated February 16, 2009 

(BT 109–129). The EASA AD also states 

to avoid steady-state operation in the 

95% to 97% N2 range for more than 60 

seconds, and requires the corrective 

actions of CEB A–1400 if that limitation 

is exceeded. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD, but 

we did not receive any comments on the 

NPRM (78 FR 37162, June 20, 2013). 

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 and that air 

safety and the public interest require 

adopting the AD requirements as 

proposed. 

Related Service Information 

Agusta has issued BT 109–129, which 

contains procedures for installing a 

placard on the instrument panel below 

or near the engine and rotor RPM power 

turbine (N2) indicator and for inserting 

the RFM changes into the flight manual. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

40 helicopters of U.S. Registry. Based on 

an average labor rate of $85 per hour, we 

estimate that operators will incur the 

following costs in order to comply with 

this AD. Amending the RFM will 

require about 0.25 work-hour, for a cost 

per helicopter of about $22 and a cost 

to U.S. operators of $880. Installing the 

decal will require about 0.2 work-hours, 

and required parts will cost about $5, 

for a cost per helicopter of $22 and a 

cost to U.S. operators of $880. Based on 

these estimates, the total cost of this AD 

will be $44 per helicopter and $1,760 

for the U.S. operator fleet. 

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 

helicopters identified in this rulemaking 

action. 

Regulatory Findings 

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 above, 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: 

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): 

2013–20–01 Agusta S.p.A. (Type Certificate 

Currently Held By Agustawestland 

S.p.A.) (Agusta): Amendment 39–17607; 

Docket No. FAA–2013–0518; Directorate 

Identifier 2009–SW–021–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Agusta Model A109A, 

A109AII, and A109C helicopters with a third 

stage turbine wheel, part number 23065833, 

installed, certificated in any category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

third stage turbine vibration, which could 

result in turbine failure, engine power loss, 

and subsequent loss of control of the 

helicopter. 

(c) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective December 5, 

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 30 days: 

(1) For Model A109A helicopters, revise 

the Power Plant Limitations section, page 1– 

7, of the Model A109A Rotorcraft Flight 

Manual (RFM) by inserting page 5 of Agusta 

Bollettino Tecnico No. 109–129, dated 

February 16, 2009 (BT 109–129). 

(2) For Model A109AII helicopters, revise 

the Power Plant Limitations section, page 1– 

6, of the Model A109AII RFM by inserting 

page 6 of BT 109–129. 

(3) For Model A109C helicopters, revise 

the Power Plant and Transmission 

Limitations section, page 1–8, of the Model 

A109C RFM by inserting page 7 of BT 109– 

129. 

(4) Install a placard on the instrument 

panel adjacent to the Engine and Rotor RPM 

Power Turbine (N2) Indicator that states: 

MIN. CONT. 97% N2—MIN. TRANS. 95% 

N2. 

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Chinh Vuong, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management 

Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; 

telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

chinh.vuong@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under a 14 

CFR part 119 operating certificate or under 


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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 211 / Thursday, October 31, 2013 / Rules and Regulations 65163 

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) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2009–0037–E, dated February 19, 2009. 

You may view the EASA AD on the internet 

in the AD Docket at http://

www.regulations.gov. 

(h) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 7250: Turbine Section. 

(i) 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. 

(i) Agusta Bollettino Tecnico No. 109–129, 

dated February 16, 2009. 

(ii) Reserved. 

(3) For Agusta service information 

identified in this AD, contact Agusta 

Westland, Customer Support & Services, Via 

Per Tornavento 15, 21019 Somma Lombardo 

(VA) Italy, ATTN: Giovanni Cecchelli; 

telephone 39–0331–711133; fax 39 0331 

711180; or at http://

www.agustawestland.com/technicalbullettins. 

(4) 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. 

(5) You may also 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 September 

20, 2013. 

Scott A. Horn, 

Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–24038 Filed 10–30–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0454; Directorate 

Identifier 2009–SW–81–AD; Amendment 39– 

17621; AD 2013–20–15] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky 

Aircraft Corporation-Manufactured 

(Sikorsky) Model Helicopters (Type 

Certificate Currently Held by Erickson 

Air-Crane Incorporated) 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 97–19–10 

for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporationmanufactured Model S–64E helicopters 

(type certificate currently held by 

Erickson Air-Crane Incorporated 

(Erickson)). AD 97–19–10 required 

inspecting and reworking the main 

gearbox (MGB) assembly second stage 

lower planetary plate (plate). This 

action establishes or reduces the life 

limits for certain flight-critical 

components, removes from service 

various parts, requires repetitive 

inspections and other corrective actions, 

and requires replacing any cracked part 

discovered during an inspection. This 

AD is prompted by further analysis 

performed by the current type certificate 

holder and the service history of certain 

parts. The actions specified in this AD 

are intended to prevent a crack in a 

flight critical component, failure of a 

critical part, and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

DATES: This AD is effective December 5, 

2013. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain document listed in this AD 

as of December 5, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact Erickson 

Air-Crane Incorporated, ATTN: Chris 

Erickson, Director of Regulatory 

Compliance, 3100 Willow Springs Rd, 

P.O. Box 3247, Central Point, OR 97502, 

telephone (541) 664–5544, fax (541) 

664–2312, email address cerickson@

ericksonaircrane.com. You may review 

a copy of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort 

Worth Texas 76137. 

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, any 

incorporated-by-reference service 

information, the economic evaluation, 

any comments received, and other 

information. The street address for the 

Docket Operations Office (phone: 800– 

647–5527) is U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations 

Office, M–30, West Building Ground 

Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Kohner, Aerospace Engineer, 

Rotorcraft Certification Office, 

Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 

Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, TX 76137; 

telephone (817) 222–5170; email 7-avsasw-170@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

On May 28, 2013, at 78 FR 31863, the 

Federal Register published our notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM), which 

proposed to amend 14 CFR part 39 by 

adding an AD that would apply to 

Sikorsky Model CH–54A helicopters, 

now under the Erickson Air-Crane 

Incorporated (Erickson) Model S–64E 

type certificate. The NPRM proposed to 

supersede AD 97–19–10 (62 FR 47933, 

September 12, 1997), which required 

inspecting and reworking the MGB 

assembly plate. Since AD 97–19–10 was 

issued, further analysis was performed 

by the current type certificate holder. As 

a result, the NPRM proposed to 

establish or revise the life limit for 

various parts, to remove various parts 

from service, to require various 

inspections and other maintenance 

actions, and to revise the component 

history card or equivalent record and 

the airworthiness limitations section of 

the maintenance manual accordingly. 

The proposed requirements were 

intended to prevent a crack in a flight 

critical component, failure of a critical 

part, and subsequent loss of control of 

the helicopter. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD, but 

we did not receive any comments on the 

NPRM (78 FR 31863, May 28, 2013). 

FAA’s Determination 

We have reviewed the relevant 

information and determined that an 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other products of 

these same type designs and that air 

safety and the public interest require 


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