33916 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Proposed Rules 

Issued on June 18, 2021. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13482 Filed 6–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2021–0214; Project 

Identifier 2018–CE–064–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Viking 

Aircraft Limited Airplanes 

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 

Viking Air Limited Model DHC–3 

airplanes. This proposed AD was 

prompted by 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 identifies the unsafe 

condition as fatigue damage of the wing 

strut lug fitting components and the 

fuselage to wing strut attachment (tiebar). This proposed AD would require 

determining service life limits for the 

wing strut fitting on the main spar and 

for the tie-bar and following instructions 

for removal and replacement of affected 

parts. 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 August 12, 

2021. 

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 

https://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: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this NPRM, contact Viking Air Limited 

Technical Support, 1959 De Havilland 

Way, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, 

V8L 5V5; phone: (North America) (800) 

663–8444; fax: (250) 656–0673; email: 

technical.support@vikingair.com; 

website: https://www.vikingair.com/ 

support/service-bulletins. You may view 

this service information at the FAA, 

Airworthiness Products Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, 901 Locust, 

Kansas City, MO 64106. For information 

on the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call (816) 329–4148. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2021–0214; 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, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aziz 

Ahmed, Aviation Safety Engineer, New 

York ACO Branch, FAA, 1600 Stewart 

Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 

11590; phone: (516) 287–7329; fax: (516) 

794–5531; email: aziz.ahmed@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–2021–0214; Project Identifier 

2018–CE–064–AD’’ 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 https://

www.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 Aziz Ahmed, Aviation 

Safety Engineer, New York ACO Branch, 

FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, 

Westbury, NY 11590. Any commentary 

that the FAA receives which is not 

specifically designated as CBI will be 

placed in the public docket for this 

rulemaking. 

Background 

Transport Canada, which is the 

aviation authority for Canada, has 

issued AD Number CF–2017–29, dated 

August 24, 2017 (referred to after this as 

‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe 

condition for Viking Air Limited Model 

DHC–3 airplanes. The MCAI states: 

It has been determined that the current 

maintenance program does not adequately 

address potential fatigue damage of the wing 

strut lug fitting components or the fuselage 

to wing strut attachment (Tie Bar). Affected 

parts must be replaced before specified air 

time limits are reached to avoid fatigue 

cracking of the affected parts. Cracking which 

is not detected may compromise the 

structural integrity of the wing or the Tie-Bar. 

Fatigue damage occurs more rapidly on 

aeroplanes that are operated at higher gross 

weights. For that reason, the corrective 

actions of this [Transport Canada] AD must 

be accomplished sooner for aeroplanes that 

have been certified for operation at higher 

gross weights. 

Fatigue damage also occurs more rapidly 

on aeroplanes that are operated below 2000 

feet above ground level (AGL) over land due 

to higher and more frequent gust and 

maneuvering loads. Low level flights over 

water are not known to produce increased 

fatigue damage on the DHC–3. For that 

reason, the corrective actions of this 

[Transport Canada] AD must be 

accomplished sooner for aeroplanes that have 

been operated at low altitudes over land. 

This condition, if not addressed, 

could result in cracking and failure of 

the structural integrity of the wing or 

the tie-bar. 

You may examine the MCAI in the 

AD docket at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2020– 

0214. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Proposed Rules 33917 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed Viking Air 

Limited DHC–3 Otter Service Bulletin 

Number V3/0008, Revision NC, dated 

February 9, 2017. The service 

information specifies determining 

service life limits for the wing strut 

fitting on the main spar and for the tiebar, and contains instructions for 

removal and replacement. De Havilland 

Aircraft of Canada has issued DHC–3 

Otter Service Bulletin Number 3/37, 

Revision B, dated October 8, 1982. The 

service information specifies 

instructions for removal and 

replacement of the Fuselage to Wing 

Strut Attachment Tie-Bar. This service 

information is reasonably available 

because the interested parties have 

access to it through their normal course 

of business or by the means identified 

in ADDRESSES. 

FAA’s Determination 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country and is approved for operation in 

the United States. Pursuant to our 

bilateral agreement with this State of 

Design Authority, it has notified the 

FAA of the unsafe condition described 

in the MCAI and service information 

referenced above. The FAA is issuing 

this NPRM after determining the unsafe 

condition described previously is likely 

to exist or develop on other products of 

the same type design. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This AD requires accomplishing the 

actions specified in the service 

information already described. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the MCAI 

The MCAI requires calculating the 

compliance time by using a formula and 

estimating the altitudes at which an 

airplane has operated. The MCAI also 

instructs operators to assume operations 

below 2,000 feet AGL when the 

operating altitude of the airplane is 

unknown. Because the FAA has no 

regulatory requirement for owners or 

operators to record or maintain the 

operating altitude history of an aircraft, 

this proposed AD would require 

calculating the compliance time by 

assuming all operations occurred below 

2,000 feel AGL. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 41 

airplanes of U.S. registry. 

The FAA also estimates that it would 

take about 300 work-hours per airplane 

to replace both the wing strut fitting and 

the tie-bar. The average labor rate is $85 

per work-hour. Required parts would 

cost about $5,599 per airplane. 

Based on these figures, the FAA 

estimates the cost of the proposed AD 

on U.S. operators to be $1,275,059 or 

$31,099 per airplane. 

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. 

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: 

Viking Air Limited: Docket No. FAA–2021– 

0214; Project Identifier 2018–CE–064– 

AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by August 12, 

2021. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Viking Air Limited 

Model DHC–3 airplanes, all serial numbers, 

certificated in any category. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) 

Code 5700, Wings. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by 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 fatigue 

damage of the wing strut lug fitting 

components or the fuselage to wing strut 

attachment (tie-bar). The FAA is issuing this 

AD to identify and correct potential fatigue 

damage of the wing strut lug fitting 

components of the fuselage to wing strut 

attachment. The unsafe condition, if not 

addressed, could result in cracking and 

failure of the structural integrity of the wing 

or the tie-bar. 

(f) Actions and Compliance 

Unless already done, do the following 

actions in paragraphs (f)(1) through (3): 

(1) For all airplanes: Within 3 months after 

the effective date of this AD, determine and 

record the number of equivalent air time 

hours on each wing and tie-bar by doubling 

the total hours time-in-service (TIS) 

accumulated on each part. If the total hours 

TIS of a tie-bar is unknown or cannot be 

determined, use the total hours TIS of the 

wing strut lug fitting on the main spar. 

(2) For airplanes with a maximum 

certificated gross weight that has never 

exceeded 8,000 pounds: Remove from service 

each left and right hand wing strut fitting and 

tie-bar by following the Accomplishment 

Instructions in Viking Air Limited SB V3/ 

0008, Revision NC, dated February 9, 2017, 

and the Replacement section of the 

Accomplishment instructions in De 

Havilland Aircraft of Canada DHC–3 Otter 

Service Bulletin Number 3/37, Revision B, 

dated October 8, 1982, at whichever of the 

following compliance time that occurs later: 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
33918 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 121 / Monday, June 28, 2021 / Proposed Rules 

(i) Before the part accumulates 40,000 

equivalent air time hours, or 

(ii) Within 12 months after the effective 

date of this AD. 

(3) For airplanes with a maximum 

certificated gross weight that has ever 

exceeded 8,000 pounds: Remove from service 

each left and right hand wing strut fitting and 

tie-bar by following the Accomplishment 

Instructions in Viking Air Limited SB V3/ 

0008, Revision NC, dated February 9, 2017, 

and the Replacement section of the 

Accomplishment instructions in De 

Havilland Aircraft of Canada DHC–3 Otter 

Service Bulletin Number 3/37, Revision B, 

dated October 8, 1982, at whichever of the 

following compliance time that occurs later: 

(i) Before the part accumulates 32,200 

equivalent air time hours, or 

(ii) Within 12 months after the effective 

date of this AD. 

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, New York ACO 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 

ACO Branch, send it to the attention of the 

person identified in paragraph (h)(1) of this 

AD. 

(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. 

(h) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Aziz Ahmed, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, New York ACO Branch, FAA, 1600 

Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 

11590; phone: (516) 287–7329; fax: (516) 

794–5531; email: aziz.ahmed@faa.gov. 

(2) Refer to Transport Canada AD Number 

CF–2017–29, dated August 24, 2017, for more 

information. You may examine the Transport 

Canada AD in the AD docket at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for and 

locating it in Docket No. FAA–2021–0214. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Viking Air Limited 

Technical Support, 1959 De Havilland Way, 

Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, V8L 5V5; 

phone: (North America) (800) 663–8444; fax: 

(250) 656–0673; email: technical.support@

vikingair.com; website: https://

www.vikingair.com/support/service-bulletins. 

You may view this service information at the 

FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, 901 Locust, 

Kansas City, MO 64106. For information on 

the availability of this material at the FAA, 

call (816) 329–4148. 

Issued on June 21, 2021. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–13636 Filed 6–25–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2021–0513; Project 

Identifier 2018–SW–116–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Bell Textron 

Canada Limited (Type Certificate 

Previously Held by Bell Helicopter 

Textron Canada Limited) 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 

certain Bell Textron Canada Limited 

(Bell) Model 429 helicopters. This 

proposed AD was prompted by reports 

of tail rotor gearbox assemblies found 

loose on the gearbox support. This 

proposed AD would require repetitive 

torque checks of the tail rotor gearbox 

attachment hardware, and corrective 

action if necessary. 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 August 12, 

2021. 

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 

https://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: Deliver to Mail 

address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this NPRM, contact Bell Textron Canada 

Limited, 12,800 Rue de l’Avenir, 

Mirabel, Quebec J7J 1R4, Canada; 

telephone 1–450–437–2862 or 1–800– 

363–8023; fax 1–450–433–0272; email 

productsupport@bellflight.com; or at 

https://www.bellflight.com/support/ 

contact-support. You may view this 

service information 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. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2021–0513; 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 Transport Canada AD, any 

comments received, and other 

information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Darren Gassetto, Aerospace Engineer, 

COS Program Management Section, 

FAA, Operational Safety Branch, 

Compliance & Airworthiness Division, 

1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, 

Westbury, NY 11590; telephone (516) 

228–7323; email Darren.Gassetto@

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–2021–0513; Project Identifier 

2018–SW–116–AD’’ 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 https://

www.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 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS