72406 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 232 / Monday, December 5, 2005 / Proposed Rules 

aircraft records for law enforcement 

personnel address Congress’ concern 

with the practice of allowing temporary 

operating authority prior to issuance of 

a certificate of aircraft registration. 

Section 44713(d) Inspection and 

Maintenance 

(A) The Lack of a Special Identification 

Feature To Allow the Forms To Be 

Distinguished Easily From Other Major 

Repair and Alteration Forms 

The FAA issued an Action Notice 

(FAA Notice A8600.1) requiring each 

FAA Flight Standards District Office to 

review any Major Repair and Alteration 

Form (form no. 337) received and to 

send any form 337 involving a fuel tank 

system alteration or modification to a 

special section in the Registry by first 

class mail within 24 hours of receipt. 

This section has its own post office box 

number. This procedure highlights 

forms related to major repairs or 

alterations to fuel tanks and fuel 

systems from all other form 337s sent to 

the FAA. 

(B) The Excessive Period of Time 

Required To Receive the Forms at the 

Airmen and Aircraft Registry of the 

Administration 

As discussed above, FAA Notice 

A8600.1 requires each FAA Flight 

Standards District Office to review any 

Major Repair and Alteration Form (form 

no. 337) received and to send any form 

that involved a fuel tank system 

alteration or modification to a special 

section in the Registry by first class mail 

within 24 hours of receipt. 

(C) The Backlog of Forms Waiting for 

Processing at the Registry 

The Registry has eliminated the 

backlog for processing forms for major 

repairs or alterations to fuel tanks and 

fuel systems. All completed forms have 

been associated with the appropriate 

aircraft record. 

(D) The Lack of Ready Access by Law 

Enforcement Officials to Information 

Contained on the Forms 

The Registry enters these forms in the 

FAA aircraft database immediately upon 

receipt. The information is accessible to 

law enforcement through that database. 

In addition, once the form is associated 

with the appropriate aircraft record, the 

actual Major Repair and Alteration Form 

(form no. 337) is available electronically 

within minutes through the FAA’s Law 

Enforcement Assistance Program. 

Conclusion 

Based on the actions described above 

that we have taken to address the 

deficiencies and abuses identified in the 

FAA Drug Enforcement Assistance Act, 

the FAA has determined that, with 

certain exceptions, we have satisfied the 

statutory requirements. The exceptions 

will be addressed by the NPRM we plan 

to publish in the Federal Register in the 

near future. Therefore, the FAA 

withdraws Notice No. 90–9, published 

at 55 FR 9270 on March 12, 1990. 

Withdrawal of the NPRM does not 

preclude the FAA from issuing another 

notice on the subject matter in the 

future or committing the agency to any 

future course of action. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on November 

25, 2005. 

John M. Allen, 

Deputy Director, Flight Standards Service. 

[FR Doc. E5–6791 Filed 12–2–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2005–23173; Directorate 

Identifier 2005–NM–190–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Short 

Brothers Model SD3 Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for all 

Short Brothers Model SD3 airplanes. 

This proposed AD would require 

installing additional fuel tank bonding 

jumpers, performing an in-place 

resistance check of the float switches, 

inspecting certain internal components 

of the fuel tanks, and performing related 

corrective actions if necessary. This 

proposed AD would also require 

revisions to the airworthiness 

limitations section of the Instructions 

for Continued Airworthiness, and to the 

airplane flight manual procedures for 

operation during icing conditions and 

fuel system failures. This proposed AD 

results from fuel system reviews 

conducted by the manufacturer. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent ignition 

sources inside the fuel tanks, which 

could lead to fire or explosion. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by January 4, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to submit comments on this 

proposed AD. 

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically. 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 

room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Contact Short Brothers, Airworthiness 

& Engineering Quality, P.O. Box 241, 

Airport Road, Belfast BT3 9DZ, 

Northern Ireland, for service 

information identified in this proposed 

AD. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan 

Rodina, Aerospace Engineer, 

International Branch, ANM–116, FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 

Lind Avenue, SW., Renton, Washington 

98055–4056; telephone (425) 227–2125; 

fax (425) 227–1149. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to submit any relevant 

written data, views, or arguments 

regarding this proposed AD. Send your 

comments to an address listed in the 

ADDRESSES section. Include the docket 

number ‘‘FAA–2005–23173; Directorate 

Identifier 2005–NM–190–AD’’ at the 

beginning of your comments. We 

specifically invite comments on the 

overall regulatory, economic, 

environmental, and energy aspects of 

the proposed AD. We will consider all 

comments received by the closing date 

and may amend the proposed AD in 

light of those comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact with FAA 

personnel concerning this proposed AD. 

Using the search function of that Web 

site, anyone can find and read the 

comments in any of our dockets, 

including the name of the individual 

who sent the comment (or signed the 

comment on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review the DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register 

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78), or you may visit http:// 

dms.dot.gov. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 232 / Monday, December 5, 2005 / Proposed Rules 72407 

Examining the Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov, or in 

person at the Docket Management 

Facility office between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The Docket 

Management Facility office (telephone 

(800) 647–5227) is located on the plaza 

level of the Nassif Building at the DOT 

street address stated in the ADDRESSES

section. Comments will be available in 

the AD docket shortly after the Docket 

Management System receives them. 

Discussion 

The FAA has examined the 

underlying safety issues involved in 

recent fuel tank explosions on several 

large transport airplanes, including the 

adequacy of existing regulations, the 

service history of airplanes subject to 

those regulations, and existing 

maintenance practices for fuel tank 

systems. As a result of those findings, 

we issued a regulation titled ‘‘Transport 

Airplane Fuel Tank System Design 

Review, Flammability Reduction and 

Maintenance and Inspection 

Requirements’’ (67 FR 23086, May 7, 

2001). In addition to new airworthiness 

standards for transport airplanes and 

new maintenance requirements, this 

rule included Special Federal Aviation 

Regulation No. 88 (‘‘SFAR 88,’’

Amendment 21–78, and subsequent 

Amendments 21–82 and 21–83). 

Among other actions, SFAR 88 

requires certain type design (i.e., type 

certificate (TC) and supplemental type 

certificate (STC)) holders to substantiate 

that their fuel tank systems can prevent 

ignition sources in the fuel tanks. This 

requirement applies to type design 

holders for large turbine-powered 

transport airplanes and for subsequent 

modifications to those airplanes. It 

requires them to perform design reviews 

and to develop design changes and 

maintenance procedures if their designs 

do not meet the new fuel tank safety 

standards. As explained in the preamble 

to the rule, we intended to adopt 

airworthiness directives to mandate any 

changes found necessary to address 

unsafe conditions identified as a result 

of these reviews. 

In evaluating these design reviews, we 

have established four criteria intended 

to define the unsafe conditions 

associated with fuel tank systems that 

require corrective actions. The 

percentage of operating time during 

which fuel tanks are exposed to 

flammable conditions is one of these 

criteria. The other three criteria address 

the failure types under evaluation: 

single failures, single failures in 

combination with another latent 

condition(s), and in-service failure 

experience. For all four criteria, the 

evaluations included consideration of 

previous actions taken that may mitigate 

the need for further action. 

The Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) 

has issued a regulation that is similar to 

SFAR 88. (The JAA is an associated 

body of the European Civil Aviation 

Conference (ECAC) representing the 

civil aviation regulatory authorities of a 

number of European States who have 

agreed to co-operate in developing and 

implementing common safety regulatory 

standards and procedures.) Under this 

regulation, the JAA stated that all 

members of the ECAC that hold type 

certificates for transport category 

airplanes are required to conduct a 

design review against explosion risks. 

We have determined that the actions 

identified in this AD are necessary to 

reduce the potential of ignition sources 

inside fuel tanks, which, in combination 

with flammable fuel vapors, could result 

in fuel tank explosions and consequent 

loss of the airplane. 

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), 

which is the airworthiness authority for 

the United Kingdom, notified us that an 

unsafe condition may exist on all Short 

Brothers Model SD3 airplanes. The CAA 

advises that ignition sources may 

develop inside fuel tanks due to 

insufficient grounding. This condition, 

if not corrected, could result in ignition 

sources occurring inside the fuel tanks, 

which could lead to fire or explosion. 

Relevant Service Information 

Short Brothers has issued Service 

Bulletins SD3 SHERPA–28–2, SD360 

SHERPA–28–3, SD330–28–37, and 

SD360–28–23; all dated June 2004. The 

service bulletins describe procedures for 

installing additional bonding jumpers 

between the vent pipes of both fuel 

tanks and the airplane structure; for 

performing an in-place resistance check 

of the fuel tank float switches; for 

inspecting the condition of certain 

sensor cables and cable supports inside 

the fuel tanks; for inspecting the 

integrity of the existing bonding of 

certain vent pipes inside the forward 

fuel tank; and for performing applicable 

corrective actions. Corrective actions 

include replacing defective float 

switches with new, reconditioned, or 

serviceable float switches, and repairing 

damaged sensor cables, cable supports, 

and existing vent pipe bonding. 

Short Brothers has issued Advance 

Amendment Bulletin 1/2004, dated July 

13, 2004, applicable to Shorts airplane 

flight manuals having Doc. Nos. SB.4.3, 

SB.4.6, SB.4.8, SB.5.2, SB.6.2, SBH.3.2, 

SBH.3.3, SBH.3.6, SBH.3.7, SBH.3.8, 

and SBH.3.9. The advance amendment 

bulletin describes revisions needed to 

meet the requirements of FAA SFAR 88 

and/or CAA Airworthiness Notice 

AN55; the revisions affect sections of 

the flight manuals applicable to 

operation during icing conditions and 

fuel system failures. 

Short Brothers has issued temporary 

revisions (TR) to the airworthiness 

limitations section of the aircraft 

maintenance manuals (AMM) of the 

affected airplanes, as shown in the 

following table. The TRs address 

airworthiness limitations to certain 

components of the fuel tank system 

installations. 

AMM TEMPORARY REVISIONS

Airplane model Temporary revision Dated To AMM 

SD3–30 ........................................................... TR330–AMM–14 ............................................ June 21, 2004 ....... SD3–30 AMM. 

SD3–60 ........................................................... TR360–AMM–33 ............................................ July 27, 2004 ........ SD3–60 AMM. 

SD3–60 SHERPA ........................................... TRSD360S–AMM–14 ..................................... July 29, 2004 ........ SD3–60 SHERPA AMM. 

SD3–SHERPA ................................................ TRSD3S–AMM–15 ......................................... July 28, 2004 ........ SD3–SHERPA AMM. 

Accomplishing the actions specified 

in the service information is intended to 

adequately address the unsafe 

condition. The CAA mandated the 

service information and issued British 

airworthiness directive G–2004–0021, 

dated August 25, 2004, to ensure the 

continued airworthiness of these 

airplanes in the United Kingdom. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

This airplane model is manufactured 

in the United Kingdom and are type 

certificated for operation in the United 

States under the provisions of section 

72408 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 232 / Monday, December 5, 2005 / Proposed Rules 

21.29 of the Federal Aviation 

Regulations (14 CFR 21.29) and the 

applicable bilateral airworthiness 

agreement. Pursuant to this bilateral 

airworthiness agreement, the FCAA has 

kept the FAA informed of the situation 

described above. We have examined the 

CAA’s findings, evaluated all pertinent 

information, and determined that we 

need to issue an AD for airplanes of this 

type design that are certificated for 

operation in the United States. 

Therefore, we are proposing this AD, 

which would require accomplishing the 

actions specified in the service 

information described previously, 

except as discussed under ‘‘Difference 

Between the Proposed AD and Service 

Information.’’

Difference Between Proposed AD and 

Service Information 

The service bulletins specify to 

contact the manufacturer for 

instructions on how to repair certain 

conditions, but this proposed AD would 

require repairing those conditions using 

a method that we or the CAA (or its 

delegated agent) approve. In light of the 

type of repair that would be required to 

address the unsafe condition, and 

consistent with existing bilateral 

airworthiness agreements, we have 

determined that, for this proposed AD, 

a repair we or the CAA approve would 

be acceptable for compliance with this 

proposed AD. 

Clarification of Inspection Terminology 

In this proposed AD, the ‘‘visual 

inspection’’ specified in the Shorts 

service bulletins is referred to as a 

‘‘general visual inspection.’’ We have 

included the definition for a general 

visual inspection in a note in the 

proposed AD. 

Costs of Compliance 

This proposed AD would affect about 

54 airplanes of U.S. registry. The 

average labor rate is estimated to be $65 

per work hour. 

The proposed revisions to the AFM 

and AMM would take about 1 work 

hour per airplane. Based on these 

figures, the estimated cost of the 

proposed revisions for U.S. operators is 

$3,510, or $65 per airplane. 

The proposed resistance check, 

inspections, and jumper installations, 

would take about 40 work hours per 

airplane. Required parts would cost 

about $10 per airplane. Based on these 

figures, the estimated cost of these 

proposed actions for U.S. operators is 

$140,940, or $2,610 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. 

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 have 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 that the 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); and 

3. 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 a regulatory evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this proposed AD and placed it in the 

AD docket. See the ADDRESSES section 

for a location to examine the regulatory 

evaluation. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, 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 Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) amends § 39.13 

by adding the following new 

airworthiness directive (AD): 

Short Brothers PLC: FAA–2005–23173; 

Directorate Identifier 2005–NM–190–AD. 

Comments Due Date 

(a) The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD action by January 4, 2006. 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability 

(c) This AD applies to all Shorts Model 

SD3–60 SHERPA, SD3–SHERPA, SD3–30, 

and SD3–60 airplanes, certificated in any 

category. 

Note 1: This AD requires revisions to 

certain operator maintenance documents to 

include new inspections. Compliance with 

these inspections is required by 14 CFR 

91.403(c). For airplanes that have been 

previously modified, altered, or repaired in 

the areas addressed by these inspections, the 

operator may not be able to accomplish the 

inspections described in the revisions. In this 

situation, to comply with 14 CFR 91.403(c), 

the operator must request approval for an 

alternative method of compliance according 

to paragraph (i) of this AD. The request 

should include a description of changes to 

the required inspections that will ensure the 

continued damage tolerance of the affected 

structure. The FAA has provided guidance 

for this determination in Advisory Circular 

(AC) 25–1529. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from fuel system 

reviews conducted by the manufacturer. We 

are issuing this AD to prevent ignition 

sources inside the fuel tanks, which could 

lead to fire or explosion. 

Compliance 

(e) You are responsible for having the 

actions required by this AD performed within 

the compliance times specified, unless the 

actions have already been done. 

Revision of Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) 

(f) Within 30 days after the effective date 

of this AD, revise the Limitations and Normal 

Procedures sections of the AFMs as specified 

in Table 1 of this AD to include the 

information in Shorts Advance Amendment 

Bulletin 1/2004, ‘‘Introduction of Changes to 

Meet the Requirements of FAA SFAR 88 and/ 

or UK CAA Airworthiness Notice AN55,’’

dated July 13, 2004, as specified in the 

advance amendment bulletin. This advance 

amendment bulletin addresses operation 

during icing conditions and fuel system 

failures. Operate the airplane according to 

the limitations and procedures in the 

advance amendment bulletin. 

Note 2: The requirements of paragraph (f) 

of this AD may be done by inserting a copy 

of the advance amendment bulletin into the 

AFM. When this advance amendment 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 232 / Monday, December 5, 2005 / Proposed Rules 72409 

bulletin has been included in general 

revisions of the AFM, the general revisions 

may be inserted into the AFM and the 

advance amendment bulletin may be 

removed, provided the relevant information 

in the general revision is identical to that in 

the advance amendment bulletin. 

TABLE 1.—AFM REVISIONS

Airplane model AFM documents to be 

revised 

SD3–30 .............. SBH.3.2, SBH.3.3, 

SBH.3.6, SBH.3.7, 

SBH.3.8, and SBH.3.9. 

SD3–60 .............. SB.4.3, SB.4.6, and 

SB.4.8. 

TABLE 1.—AFM REVISIONS—

Continued 

Airplane model AFM documents to be 

revised 

SD3–60 SHERPA.SB.5.2. 

SD3–SHERPA ... SB.6.2. 

Revision of Airworthiness Limitation (AWL) 

Section 

(g) Within 180 days after the effective date 

of this AD: Revise the AWL section of the 

Instructions for Continued Airworthiness by 

incorporating airplane maintenance manual 

sections 5–20–01 and 5–20–02 as introduced 

by the Shorts temporary revisions (TR) 

specified in Table 1 of this AD into the AWL 

section of the AMMs for the airplane models 

specified in Table 1. Thereafter, except as 

provided by paragraph (i) of this AD, no 

alternative structural inspection intervals 

may be approved for the longitudinal skin 

joints in the fuselage pressure shell. 

Note 3: The requirements of paragraph (g) 

of this AD may be done by inserting a copy 

of the applicable TR into the applicable 

AMM. When the TR has been included in 

general revisions of the AMM, the general 

revisions may be inserted in the AMM and 

the TR may be removed, provided the 

relevant information in the general revision 

is identical to that in the TR. 

TABLE 2.—AMM TEMPORARY REVISIONS

Airplane model Temporary revision Dated To AMM 

SD3–30 .......................................................... TR330–AMM–14 ............................................ June 21, 2004 ........ SD3–30 AMM. 

SD3–60 .......................................................... TR360–AMM–33 ............................................ July 27, 2004 ......... SD3–60 AMM. 

SD3–60 SHERPA .......................................... TRSD360S–AMM–14 .................................... July 29, 2004 ......... SD3–60 SHERPA AMM. 

SD3–SHERPA ............................................... TRSD3S–AMM–15 ........................................ July 28, 2004 ......... SD3–SHERPA AMM. 

Resistance Check, Inspection, and Jumper 

Installation 

(h) Within 180 days after the effective date 

of this AD: Perform the insulation resistance 

check, general visual inspections, and 

bonding jumper wire installations; in 

accordance with Shorts Service Bulletin 

SD330–28–37, SD360–28–23, SD360 

SHERPA–28–3, or SD3 SHERPA–28–2; all 

dated June 2004; as applicable. If any defects 

or damage are discovered during any 

inspection or check required by this AD, 

before further flight, repair the defects or 

damage using a method approved by either 

the Manager, International Branch, ANM–

116, Transport Airplane Directorate, FAA; or 

the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) (or its 

delegated agent). 

Note 4: For the purposes of this AD, a 

general visual inspection is: ‘‘A visual 

examination of an interior or exterior area, 

installation, or assembly to detect obvious 

damage, failure, or irregularity. This level of 

inspection is made from within touching 

distance unless otherwise specified. A mirror 

may be necessary to ensure visual access to 

all surfaces in the inspection area. This level 

of inspection is made under normally 

available lighting conditions such as 

daylight, hangar lighting, flashlight, or 

droplight and may require removal or 

opening of access panels or doors. Stands, 

ladders, or platforms may be required to gain 

proximity to the area being checked.’’

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(i)(1) The Manager, International Branch, 

ANM–116, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs 

for this AD, if requested in accordance with 

the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

(2) Before using any AMOC approved in 

accordance with § 39.19 on any airplane to 

which the AMOC applies, notify the 

appropriate principal inspector in the FAA 

Flight Standards Certificate Holding District 

Office. 

Related Information 

(j) British airworthiness directive G–2004–

0021, dated August 25, 2004, also addresses 

the subject of this AD. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on 

November 25, 2005. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 05–23600 Filed 12–2–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2005–23159; Directorate 

Identifier 2005–SW–10–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter 

France Model SA–365N, SA–365N1, 

AS–365N2, and SA–366G1 Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration, DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: This document proposes 

superseding an existing airworthiness 

directive (AD) that currently applies to 

Eurocopter France (ECF) Model SA 

365N, N1, and AS 365N2 helicopters. 

That AD currently requires inspecting 

the main gearbox (MGB) suspension 

diagonal cross-member (diagonal crossmember) for cracks and replacing it with 

an airworthy part if any crack is found. 

This action proposes to require more 

frequent inspections of the diagonal 

cross-member and adding the Model 

SA–366G1 helicopters to the 

applicability. This proposal is prompted 

by several reports of cracks in the 

diagonal cross-member. The actions 

specified by the proposed AD are 

intended to prevent failure of the 

diagonal cross-member, pivoting of the 

MGB, severe vibrations, and a 

subsequent forced landing. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before February 3, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to submit comments on this 

proposed AD: 

• DOT Docket Web site: Go to 

http://dms.dot.gov and follow the 

instructions for sending your comments 

electronically; 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically; 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590; 

• Fax: 202–493–2251; or 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

You may get the service information 

identified in this proposed AD from 

American Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 

Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, Texas