This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

9069 

Vol. 90, No. 24 

Thursday, February 6, 2025 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2025–0019; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2023–01218–R] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo 

S.p.a. 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 

Leonardo S.p.a. Model A119 and 

AW119 MKII helicopters. This proposed 

AD was prompted by a report of an 

electrical failure of the starter-generator, 

due to a rupture of the drive shaft, 

which resulted in a partial loss of 

battery power. This proposed AD would 

require installing a battery discharge 

detector and revising the existing 

Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) for the 

helicopter, as specified in a European 

Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 

AD, which is proposed for incorporation 

by reference. 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 March 24, 2025. 

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 

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. 

AD Docket: You may examine the AD 

docket at regulations.gov under Docket 

No. FAA–2025–0019; 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 mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI) any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

Material Incorporated by Reference: 

• For EASA material identified in this 

proposed AD, contact EASA, KonradAdenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, 

Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 000; 

email: ADs@easa.europa.eu; website: 

easa.europa.eu. You may find the EASA 

material on the EASA website at 

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

• You may view this material at the 

FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood 

Parkway, Room 6N–321, Fort Worth, TX 

76177. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (817) 222–5110. It is also available 

at regulations.gov under Docket No. 

FAA–2025–0019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan 

McCully, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, 

Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (404) 474– 

5548; email: william.mccully@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–2025–0019; Project Identifier 

MCAI–2023–01218–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 

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 Dan McCully, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 

Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, 

NY 11590; phone: (404) 474–5548; 

email: william.mccully@faa.gov. Any 

commentary that the FAA receives that 

is not specifically designated as CBI will 

be placed in the public docket for this 

rulemaking. 

Background 

EASA, which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Union, has issued EASA AD 2023–0210, 

dated November 27, 2023 (EASA AD 

2023–0210) (also referred to as the 

MCAI), to correct an unsafe condition 

on Leonardo S.p.A. Model A119 and 

AW119MKII helicopters. The MCAI 

states an electrical failure of a startergenerator occurred, which was caused 

by a rupture of the drive shaft. The 

MCAI further states that this failure was 

not detected by the generator control 

unit, which resulted in a partial loss of 

battery power. This condition, if not 

addressed, could lead to complete loss 

of electrical power and subsequent loss 

control of the helicopter. 

The FAA is proposing this AD to 

address the unsafe condition on these 

products. You may examine the MCAI 

in the AD docket at regulations.gov 

under Docket No. FAA–2025–0019. 

Material Incorporated by Reference 

Under 1 CFR Part 51 

EASA AD 2023–0210 requires 

installing a battery discharge detector 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
9070 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 24 / Thursday, February 6, 2025 / Proposed Rules 

and amending the existing RFM for the 

helicopter by incorporating the RFM 

revision identified within, as applicable 

by helicopter model and serial number. 

The RFM revision includes revising the 

Emergency and Malfunction Procedures 

by updating ‘‘Failure of the generator 

and d.c. bus’’ information and adding 

‘‘Battery discharging’’ information. 

This material 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 

These products have been approved 

by the aviation authority of another 

country and are 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 referenced 

above. The FAA is issuing this NPRM 

after determining that the unsafe 

condition described previously is likely 

to exist or develop on other products of 

these same type designs. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

EASA AD 2023–0210, described 

previously, as incorporated by 

reference, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD and 

except as discussed under ‘‘Differences 

Between this Proposed AD and the 

MCAI.’’ 

This proposed AD would also require 

revising the existing RFM for the 

helicopter. Revising the existing RFM 

for the helicopter may be performed by 

the owner/operator (pilot) holding at 

least a private pilot certificate and must 

be entered into the aircraft records 

showing compliance with this action in 

accordance with 14 CFR 43.9(a) and 

91.417(a)(2)(v). The pilot may perform 

this action because it only involves 

revising the existing RFM by inserting 

pages, which is not considered a 

maintenance action. 

Explanation of Required Compliance 

Information 

In the FAA’s ongoing efforts to 

improve the efficiency of the AD 

process, the FAA developed a process to 

use some civil aviation authority (CAA) 

ADs as the primary source of 

information for compliance with 

requirements for corresponding FAA 

ADs. The FAA has been coordinating 

this process with manufacturers and 

CAAs. As a result, the FAA proposes to 

incorporate EASA AD 2023–0210 by 

reference in the FAA final rule. This 

proposed AD would, therefore, require 

compliance with EASA AD 2023–0210 

in its entirety through that 

incorporation, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD. 

Using common terms that are the same 

as the heading of a particular section in 

EASA AD 2023–0210 does not mean 

that operators need comply only with 

that section. For example, where the AD 

requirement refers to ‘‘all required 

actions and compliance times,’’ 

compliance with this AD requirement is 

not limited to the section titled 

‘‘Required Action(s) and Compliance 

Time(s)’’ in EASA AD 2023–0210. 

Material referenced in EASA AD 2023– 

0210 for compliance will be available at 

regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA– 

2025–0019 after the FAA final rule is 

published. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the MCAI 

For Model AW119 MKII helicopters 

modified by STC SR03280NY, the 

material referenced in EASA AD 2023– 

0210 specifies contacting the STC 

holder, whereas this proposed AD 

would require installing a battery 

discharge detector in accordance with a 

method approved by the FAA. 

The MCAI requires operators to 

‘‘inform all flight crew’’ of the revisions 

to the RFM, and thereafter to ‘‘operate 

the helicopter accordingly.’’ However, 

this proposed AD would not specifically 

require those actions as those actions 

are already required by FAA 

regulations. FAA regulations require 

operators furnish to pilots any changes 

to the RFM (for example, 14 CFR 

135.21), and to ensure the pilots are 

familiar with the RFM (for example, 14 

CFR 91.505). As with any other flight 

crew training requirement, training on 

the updated RFM content is tracked by 

the operators and recorded in each 

pilot’s training record, which is 

available for the FAA to review. FAA 

regulations also require pilots to follow 

the procedures in the existing RFM 

including all updates. Therefore, 

including a requirement in this AD to 

inform the flight crew and operate the 

helicopter according to the revised RFM 

would be redundant and unnecessary. 

Further, compliance with such 

requirements in an AD is impracticable 

to demonstrate or track on an ongoing 

basis; therefore, a requirement to 

operate the aircraft in such a manner is 

unenforceable. Nonetheless, the FAA 

recommends that flight crews of the 

helicopters listed in the applicability 

operate in accordance with the revised 

emergency procedures proposed by this 

AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 192 

helicopters of U.S. registry. Labor costs 

are estimated at $85 per work-hour. 

Based on these numbers, the FAA 

estimates the following costs to comply 

with this proposed AD. 

For Model AW119 MKII helicopters 

modified by STC SR03280NY, the FAA 

has no data to provides cost estimates 

for installing a battery discharge 

detector. For all other helicopters, 

installing a battery discharge detector 

would take up to 10 work-hours and 

parts would cost $1,772 for an estimated 

cost of $2,622 per helicopter and 

$503,424 for the U.S. fleet. Revising the 

existing RFM for the helicopter would 

take 1 work-hour for an estimated cost 

of $85 per helicopter and $16,320 for 

the U.S. fleet. 

The FAA has included all known 

costs in its cost estimate. According to 

the manufacturer, however, some of the 

costs of this proposed AD may be 

covered under warranty, thereby 

reducing the cost impact on affected 

operators. 

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. 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 24 / Thursday, February 6, 2025 / Proposed Rules 9071 

For the reasons discussed above, I 

certify this 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 adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive: 

Leonardo S.p.a.: Docket No. FAA–2025– 

0019; Project Identifier MCAI–2023– 

01218–R. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by March 24, 

2025. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Leonardo S.p.a. Model 

A119 and AW119 MKII helicopters, 

certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 2432, Battery/charger system. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a report of an 

electrical failure of the starter-generator, due 

to a rupture of the drive shaft, which resulted 

in a partial loss of battery power. The FAA 

is issuing this AD to prevent loss of battery 

power. The unsafe condition, if not 

addressed, could lead to complete loss of 

electrical power, and subsequent loss control 

of the helicopter. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Requirements 

(1) Except as specified in paragraphs (h) 

and (i) of this AD: Comply with all required 

actions and compliance times specified in, 

and in accordance with, European Union 

Aviation Safety Agency AD 2023–0210, dated 

November 27, 2023 (EASA AD 2023–0210). 

(2) The owner/operator (pilot) holding at 

least a private pilot certificate may revise the 

existing Rotorcraft Flight Manual for the 

helicopter and must enter compliance with 

this requirement into the helicopter 

maintenance records in accordance with 14 

CFR 43.9(a) and 14 CFR 91.417(a)(2)(v). The 

record must be maintained as required by 14 

CFR 91.417, 121.380, or 135.439. 

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2023–0210 

(1) Where EASA AD 2023–0210 refers to its 

effective date, this AD requires using the 

effective date of this AD. 

(2) Where the material referenced in EASA 

AD 2023–0210 specifies contacting the STC 

holder for Model AW119 MKII helicopters 

modified by STC SR03280NY, this AD 

requires installing a battery discharge 

detector in accordance with a method 

approved by the Manager, International 

Validation Branch, FAA. 

(3) Where the material referenced in EASA 

AD 2023–0210 specifies, by means of existing 

hardware, this AD requires airworthy 

hardware. 

(4) Where the material referenced in EASA 

AD 2023–0210 specifies to ‘‘retain 

hardware,’’ this AD requires replacing that 

text with, ‘‘retain only airworthy hardware.’’ 

(5) Where paragraph (2) of EASA AD 2023– 

0210 specifies to ‘‘inform all flight crews and, 

thereafter, operate the helicopter 

accordingly,’’ this AD does not require those 

actions. 

(6) Where paragraph (3) of EASA AD 2023– 

0210 states ‘‘which includes the same 

content as,’’ this AD requires replacing that 

text with ‘‘with information identical to that 

in the ‘‘Battery discharging’’ (BATT DISCH) 

and ‘‘Failure of the generator and d.c. bus’’ 

(DC GEN) procedures of the Emergency 

Procedures section of.’’ 

(7) This AD does not adopt the ‘‘Remarks’’ 

section of EASA AD 2023–0210. 

(i) No Reporting Requirement 

Although the material referenced in EASA 

AD 2023–0210 specifies to submit certain 

information to the manufacturer, this AD 

does not include that requirement. 

(j) 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 (k) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 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. 

(k) Additional Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Dan McCully, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 

410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (404) 474– 

5548; email: william.mccully@faa.gov. 

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference of 

the material listed in this paragraph under 5 

U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. 

(2) You must use this material as 

applicable to do the actions required by this 

AD, unless this AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA) AD 2023–0210, dated November 27, 

2023. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For EASA material identified in this 

AD, contact EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 

50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 

8999 000; email: ADs@easa.europa.eu; 

website: easa.europa.eu. You may find the 

EASA material on the EASA website at 

ad.easa.europa.eu. 

(4) 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. 

(5) You may view this material at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For information on 

the availability of this material at NARA, 

visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ 

ibr-locations or email fr.inspection@nara.gov. 

Issued on January 30, 2025. 

Victor Wicklund, 

Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2025–02250 Filed 2–5–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71 

[Docket No. FAA–2025–0174; Airspace 

Docket No. 25–ASW–1] 

RIN 2120–AA66 

Amendment of Jet Route J–96 in the 

Vicinity of Cimarron, NM 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: This action proposes to 

remove a segment of Jet Route J–96 

between the Cimarron, NM (CIM), Very 

High Frequency Omnidirectional Range 

(VOR)/Tactical Air Navigation 

(VORTAC) and the Garden City, KS 

(GCK), VORTAC navigational aids 

(NAVAID). The FAA is proposing this 

action due to the Cimarron VORTAC 


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