35690 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Proposed Rules 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2021–0505; Project 

Identifier 2018–SW–004–AD] 

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 

certain Leonardo S.p.a. Model AB139 

and AW139 helicopters. This proposed 

AD was prompted by reports of spurious 

in-flight disconnections of the automatic 

flight control system (AFCS). This 

proposed AD would require updating 

certain ‘‘Primus Epic’’ system software, 

as specified in a European Aviation 

Safety Agency (now European Union 

Aviation Safety Agency) (EASA) AD, 

which is proposed for incorporation by 

reference (IBR). 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 23, 

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 EASA material that is proposed 

for IBR in this AD, contact EASA, 

Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 

Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 

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

internet www.easa.europa.eu. You may 

find this IBR material on the EASA 

website at https://ad.easa.europa.eu. 

You may view EASA 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 EASA material at the 

FAA, call (817) 222–5110. The EASA 

material is also available at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2021– 

0505. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2021–0505; 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 EASA AD, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for Docket Operations is 

listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Hal 

Jensen, Aerospace Engineer, Operational 

Safety Branch, Compliance & 

Airworthiness Division, FAA, 950 

L’Enfant Plaza N SW, Washington, DC 

20024; telephone (202) 267–9167; email 

hal.jensen@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–2021–0505; Project Identifier 

2018–SW–004–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 Hal Jensen, Aerospace 

Engineer, Operational Safety Branch, 

Compliance & Airworthiness Division, 

FAA, 950 L’Enfant Plaza N SW, 

Washington, DC 20024; telephone (202) 

267–9167; email hal.jensen@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 2018–0002, 

dated January 4, 2018 (EASA AD 2018– 

0002), to correct an unsafe condition for 

certain Leonardo S.p.a. Model AB139 

and AW139 helicopters. 

This proposed AD was prompted by 

reports of spurious in-flight 

disconnections of the AFCS. The 

investigation revealed that these AFCS 

disconnect events relate to uncommanded single channel autopilot 

disengagement for most of the cases, 

and to some instances of untimely dual 

channel autopilot disengagement. The 

disconnections occurred in random 

flight conditions and appeared to be 

temporary disruptions of the AFCS’ full 

availability because all functionalities 

could be restored by re-engaging the 

complete system through the AFCS 

control panel. The FAA is proposing 

this AD to address spurious degradation 

or unavailability of the full availability 

of the AFCS. The unsafe condition, if 

not addressed, could result in temporary 

impairment of the automated flight aid 

for control of the helicopter and 

increase the flightcrew’s workload. See 

EASA AD 2018–0002 for additional 

background information. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by EASA and are approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to the 

FAA’s bilateral agreement with the 

European Union, EASA has notified the 

FAA about the unsafe condition 

described in its AD. The FAA is 

proposing this AD after evaluating all 

known relevant information and 

determining that the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop on other helicopters of these 

same type designs. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Proposed Rules 35691 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

EASA AD 2018–0002 requires 

installation of certain ‘‘Primus Epic’’ 

system software, depending on the 

helicopter configuration. EASA AD 

2018–0002 allows installation of 

‘‘Primus Epic’’ system software on a 

helicopter after that helicopter has had 

the software upgrade installed. 

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. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

EASA AD 2018–0002, described 

previously, as incorporated by 

reference, except for any differences 

identified as exceptions in the 

regulatory text of this proposed AD. 

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 certain 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, EASA AD 2018–0002 

will be incorporated by reference in the 

FAA final rule. This proposed AD 

would, therefore, require compliance 

with EASA AD 2018–0002 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 2018– 

0002 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 

2018–0002. Service information 

specified in EASA AD 2018–0002 that is 

required for compliance with it will be 

available at https://www.regulations.gov 

by searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2021–0505 after the FAA final 

rule is published. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 128 

helicopters of U.S. registry. The FAA 

estimates the following costs to comply 

with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS FOR REQUIRED ACTIONS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Software upgrade ............................................ 24 work-hours × $85 per hour = $2,040 ........ $0 $2,040 $261,120 

The FAA has included all known 

costs in its cost estimate. According to 

the manufacturer, however, some or all 

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. 

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–2021– 

0505; Project Identifier 2018–SW–004– 

AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by August 23, 

2021. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

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

AB139 and AW139 helicopters, certificated 

in any category, identified in paragraphs 

(c)(1) and (2) of this AD, equipped with 

‘‘Primus Epic’’ system software release 7.4 

(Phase 7 V1), 7.7 (Phase 7 V3) or 7.10 (Phase 

7 V4). 

(1) Model AB139 and AW19 helicopters 

having serial number (S/N) 31005, 31006, 

and S/Ns 31008 through 31157 inclusive; and 

S/Ns 41001 through 41023 inclusive. 

(2) Model AW139 helicopters having S/N 

31201 and subsequent, and S/N 41201 and 

subsequent. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 2200, Auto Flight System. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by reports of 

spurious in-flight disconnections of the 

automatic flight control system (AFCS). The 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
35692 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 127 / Wednesday, July 7, 2021 / Proposed Rules 

FAA is issuing this AD to address spurious 

degradation or unavailability of the full 

AFCS. The unsafe condition, if not 

addressed, could result in temporary 

impairment of the automated flight aid for 

control of the helicopter and increase the 

flightcrew’s workload. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Requirements 

Except as specified in paragraph (h) of this 

AD: Comply with all required actions and 

compliance times specified in, and in 

accordance with, European Aviation Safety 

Agency (now European Union Aviation 

Safety Agency) (EASA) AD 2018–0002, dated 

January 4, 2018 (EASA AD 2018–0002). 

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2018–0002 

(1) Where EASA AD 2018–0002 refers to 

flight hours (FH), this AD requires using 

hours time-in-service. 

(2) Where EASA AD 2018–0002 refers to its 

effective date, this AD requires using the 

effective date of this AD. 

(3) The ‘‘Remarks’’ section of EASA AD 

2018–0002 does not apply to this AD. 

(4) Where the service information 

referenced in EASA AD 2018–0002 specifies 

to download an option file from a certain 

website, that method of installation is not 

required by this AD. 

(i) No Reporting Requirement 

Although the service information 

referenced in EASA AD 2018–0002 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)(2) of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9-AVS-AIR730-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) Related Information 

(1) For EASA AD 2018–0002, contact 

EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 

Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 

000; email ADs@easa.europa.eu; internet 

www.easa.europa.eu. 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. 

This material may be found in the AD docket 

at https://www.regulations.gov by searching 

for and locating Docket No. FAA–2021–0505. 

(2) For more information about this AD, 

contact Hal Jensen, Aerospace Engineer, 

Operational Safety Branch, Compliance & 

Airworthiness Division, FAA, 950 L’Enfant 

Plaza N SW, Washington, DC 20024; 

telephone (202) 267–9167; email hal.jensen@

faa.gov. 

Issued on June 15, 2021. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–14401 Filed 7–6–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2021–0497; Project 

Identifier 2019–SW–043–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Bell 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 

Model 429 helicopters. This proposed 

AD was prompted by three reports of 

unexpected forces or uncommanded 

inputs to the directional (yaw) control 

system. This proposed AD would 

require revising the existing Rotorcraft 

Flight Manual (RFM) for your 

helicopter. 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 23, 

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 J7J1R4, Canada; 

telephone (450) 437–2862 or (800) 363– 

8023; fax (450) 433–0272; or at https:// 

www.bellcustomer.com. 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–2021–0497; 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: 

Mitch Soth, Flight Test Engineer, 

Southwest Section, Flight Test Branch, 

Compliance & Airworthiness Division, 

FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort 

Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222– 

5110; email mitch.soth@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–2021–0497; Project Identifier 

2019–SW–043–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 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with PROPOSALS