This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains regulatory documents having general

applicability and legal effect, most of which

are keyed to and codified in the Code of

Federal Regulations, which is published under

50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.

The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by

the Superintendent of Documents.

Rules and Regulations Federal Register

42441 

Vol. 82, No. 173 

Friday, September 8, 2017 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2017–0308; Product 

Identifier 2016–SW–083–AD; Amendment 

39–19022; AD 2017–18–13] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Agusta 

S.p.A. Helicopters 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2015–22– 

51 for Agusta S.p.A. (Agusta) Model 

A109A and A109A II helicopters. AD 

2015–22–51 required pre-flight checking 

and inspecting each main rotor blade 

(blade) for a crack and replacing any 

cracked blade. This new AD removes 

the check and requires inspecting each 

blade more frequently. This AD is 

prompted by a crack that was not 

detected during any of the pre-flight 

checks. The actions of this AD are 

intended to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD becomes effective 

September 25, 2017. 

We must receive comments on this 

AD by November 7, 2017. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Docket: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for sending your 

comments electronically. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

• Mail: Send comments to the U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to the 

‘‘Mail’’ address between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2017– 

0308; or in person at the Docket 

Operations Office between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this AD, the European Aviation 

Safety Agency (EASA) AD, the 

economic evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

Office (telephone 800–647–5527) is in 

the ADDRESSES section. Comments will 

be available in the AD docket shortly 

after receipt. 

For service information identified in 

this final rule, contact Leonardo S.p.A. 

Helicopters, Matteo Ragazzi, Head of 

Airworthiness, Viale G.Agusta 520, 

21017 C.Costa di Samarate (Va) Italy; 

telephone +39–0331–711756; fax +39– 

0331–229046; or at http://www.leonardo

company.com/-/bulletins. You may 

review the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Office of the 

Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 

10101 Hillwood Pkwy, Room 6N–321, 

Fort Worth, TX 76177. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt 

Fuller, Senior Aviation Safety Engineer, 

Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft 

Standards Branch, FAA, 10101 

Hillwood Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76177; 

telephone (817) 222–5110; email 

matthew.fuller@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

This AD is a final rule that involves 

requirements affecting flight safety, and 

we did not provide you with notice and 

an opportunity to provide your 

comments prior to it becoming effective. 

However, we invite you to participate in 

this rulemaking by submitting written 

comments, data, or views. We also 

invite comments relating to the 

economic, environmental, energy, or 

federalism impacts that resulted from 

adopting this AD. The most helpful 

comments reference a specific portion of 

the AD, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. To ensure the docket 

does not contain duplicate comments, 

commenters should send only one copy 

of written comments, or if comments are 

filed electronically, commenters should 

submit them only one time. We will file 

in the docket all comments that we 

receive, as well as a report summarizing 

each substantive public contact with 

FAA personnel concerning this 

rulemaking during the comment period. 

We will consider all the comments we 

receive and may conduct additional 

rulemaking based on those comments. 

Discussion 

We issued Emergency AD 2015–22– 

51, which was published in the Federal 

Register as a Final rule; request for 

comments on February 1, 2016, at 81 FR 

5037. AD 2015–22–51 applied to Agusta 

Model A109A and A109AII helicopters 

with a blade part number (P/N) 109– 

0103–01–7, P/N 109–0103–01–9, or P/N 

109–0103–01–115 that had 500 or more 

hours time-in-service (TIS). AD 2015– 

22–51 required, before further flight and 

every 24 clock-hours, inspecting the top 

and bottom surface of each blade for a 

crack. AD 2015–22–51 also required, 

before each flight, checking the top and 

bottom surface of each blade for a crack. 

AD 2015–22–51 allowed this check to 

be performed by a pilot and required 

further inspection of the blade if there 

was a crack. 

AD 2015–22–51 was prompted by AD 

No. 2015–0190–E, dated September 18, 

2015, issued by EASA, which is the 

Technical Agent for the Member States 

of the European Union, to correct an 

unsafe condition for Agusta Model 

A109A and A109A II helicopters. EASA 

advised that abnormal vibrations were 

reported during a flight on a Model 

A109A II helicopter. During a post-flight 

inspection, a crack was found on a 

P/N 109–0103–01–9 blade. EASA AD 

No. 2015–0190–E required pre-flight 

inspections and repetitive inspections of 

each blade. EASA advised that due to 

similarity of design, the inspections also 

applied to P/N 109–0103–01–7 and P/N 

109–0103–01–115 blades. EASA further 

advised that a cracked blade, if not 

detected and corrected, could affect the 

structural integrity of the blade, possibly 

resulting in blade failure and loss of 

control of the helicopter. EASA revised 

its AD and issued AD No. 2015–0190R1, 

dated October 23, 2015, to extend the 

interval of the repetitive inspections to 

10 flight hours. 


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42442 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 

Actions Since AD 2015–22–51 Was 

Issued 

Since we issued AD 2015–22–51, 

Leonardo Helicopters (previously 

Agusta) issued Alert Bollettino Tecnico 

(BT) No. 109–150, Revision B, dated 

October 21, 2016, and EASA superseded 

AD 2015–0190R1 by issuing AD No. 

2016–0213, dated October 26, 2016. 

EASA AD No. 2016–0213 was prompted 

by a crack in a blade P/N 109–0103–01– 

9 on a Model A109A II helicopter that 

was not detected during any of the preflight inspections. Upon a subsequent 

review of data, it was determined that 

the pre-flight inspections were 

ineffective to address the unsafe 

condition and that a shorter interval of 

the repetitive inspection is necessary. 

For these reasons, EASA AD 2016–0213 

requires inspecting the blades for a 

crack at intervals not exceeding five 

flight hours. 

Additionally, the FAA is in the 

process of updating Agusta’s name 

change to Leonardo Helicopters on its 

FAA type certificate. Because this name 

change is not yet effective, this AD 

specifies Agusta. 

Comments on AD 2015–22–51 

After our Final rule; request for 

comments was published, we received 

comments from one commenter. 

Request 

The commenter stated the AD’s cost 

estimate for a new blade is erroneous, 

and while the AD identifies the cost of 

a single inspection, it does not account 

for the cumulative cost of the daily 

inspection over time. 

We agree. We have revised the cost of 

the blade in this final rule. As far as a 

cumulative cost of the repetitive 

inspections, this new AD changes the 

compliance interval to every 5 hours 

TIS. Since the cumulative cost would be 

different for every operator, we have 

made no change to the estimated costs 

in this regard. 

The commenter also requested the 

FAA require Agusta to design and 

provide a new blade to operators at no 

charge. The commenter stated the actual 

cost of the AD is financially devastating 

to operators and renders the helicopter 

worthless. 

We do not have the authority to direct 

manufacturers to provide parts or 

repairs to operators at no charge. We can 

only require repair or replacement of 

defective components that are installed 

on the helicopter. In light of this, we 

have made no change to the AD in this 

regard. 

FAA’s Determination 

These helicopters have been approved 

by the aviation authority of Italy and are 

approved for operation in the United 

States. Pursuant to our bilateral 

agreement with Italy, EASA, its 

technical representative, has notified us 

of the unsafe condition described in the 

EASA AD. We are issuing this AD 

because we evaluated all information 

provided by EASA and determined the 

unsafe condition exists and is likely to 

exist or develop on other helicopters of 

these same type designs. 

Related Service Information 

We reviewed Leonardo Helicopters 

Alert BT No. 109–150, Revision B, dated 

October 21, 2016. This service 

information specifies inspecting the top 

and bottom surfaces of each blade for a 

crack in the area between station 1550 

(the station at the end of the doublers) 

and station 3100 (the station at the 

beginning of the abrasion strip) for a 

crack every 5 flight hours and replacing 

a cracked blade. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires, before further flight, 

unless done within the last 5 hours TIS, 

and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 

5 hours TIS, visually inspecting the top 

and bottom surface of each blade for a 

crack in the area between stations 1550 

and 3100 using a 3X or higher power 

magnifying glass. If there is a crack, this 

AD requires replacing the blade. 

Differences Between This AD and the 

EASA AD 

The EASA AD requires a type II dye 

penetrant inspection if in doubt about 

whether there is a crack, while this AD 

does not. The EASA AD also includes 

warning the pilot regarding cracked 

blades resulting in possible vibration, 

while this AD does not. 

Interim Action 

We consider this AD interim action. If 

final action is later identified, we might 

consider further rulemaking then. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD affects 33 

helicopters of U.S. Registry. We estimate 

that operators may incur the following 

costs in order to comply with this AD. 

Labor costs are estimated at $85 per 

work-hour. We estimate 8 work-hours to 

inspect a set of four blades at a cost of 

$680 per helicopter and $22,440 for the 

fleet per inspection cycle. We estimate 

4 work-hours to replace a blade and the 

required parts will cost $124,000, for a 

replacement cost of $124,340 per blade. 

According to Leonardo Helicopter’s 

service information, some of the costs of 

this AD may be covered under warranty, 

thereby reducing the cost impact on 

affected individuals. We do not control 

warranty coverage by Leonardo 

Helicopter. Accordingly, we have 

included all costs in our cost estimate. 

FAA’s Justification and Determination 

of the Effective Date 

Providing an opportunity for public 

comments prior to adopting these AD 

requirements would delay 

implementing the safety actions needed 

to correct this known unsafe condition. 

Therefore, we find that the risk to the 

flying public justifies waiving notice 

and comment prior to the adoption of 

this rule because the required corrective 

actions must be completed before 

further flight or within 5 hours TIS after 

the effective date of this AD. 

Since an unsafe condition exists that 

requires the immediate adoption of this 

AD, we determined that notice and 

opportunity for public comment before 

issuing this AD are impracticable and 

that good cause exists for making this 

amendment effective in less than 30 

days. 

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 determined that this AD will not 

have federalism implications under 

Executive Order 13132. This AD will 

not have a substantial direct effect on 

the States, on the relationship between 

the national Government and the States, 

or on the distribution of power and 

responsibilities among the various 

levels of government. 

For the reasons discussed, I certify 

that this AD: 

1. Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866; 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2017 / Rules and Regulations 42443 

2. Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under 

DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures 

(44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); 

3. Will not affect intrastate aviation in 

Alaska to the extent that it justifies 

making a regulatory distinction; and 

4. Will not have a significant 

economic impact, positive or negative, 

on a substantial number of small entities 

under the criteria of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act. 

We prepared an economic evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this AD and placed it in the AD docket. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

Adoption of the Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA amends 14 CFR part 39 as 

follows: 

PART 39—AIRWORTHINESS 

DIRECTIVES 

■ 1. The authority citation for part 39 

continues to read as follows: 

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701. 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

■ 2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by 

removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

2015–22–51, Amendment 39–18386 (81 

FR 5037, February 1, 2016), and adding 

the following new AD: 

2017–18–13 Agusta S.p.A.: Amendment 39– 

19022; Docket No. FAA–2017–0308; 

Product Identifier 2016–SW–083–AD. 

(a) Applicability 

This AD applies to Model A109A and 

A109A II helicopters with a main rotor blade 

(blade) part number (P/N) 109–0103–01–7, 

P/N 109–0103–01–9, or P/N 109–0103–01– 

115 that has 500 or more hours time-inservice (TIS) installed, certificated in any 

category. 

(b) Unsafe Condition 

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a 

crack in a blade. This condition could result 

in failure of a blade and subsequent loss of 

control of the helicopter. 

(c) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 2015–22–51, 

Amendment 39–18386 (81 FR 5037, February 

1, 2016). 

(d) Effective Date 

This AD becomes effective September 25, 

2017. 

(e) Compliance 

You are responsible for performing each 

action required by this AD within the 

specified compliance time unless it has 

already been accomplished prior to that time. 

(f) Required Actions 

Before further flight, unless already done 

within the last 5 hours TIS, and thereafter at 

intervals not to exceed 5 hours TIS: 

(1) Using a 3X or higher power magnifying 

glass, visually inspect the top and bottom 

surface of each blade for a crack in the area 

between the station at the end of the doublers 

(station 1550) and the station at the 

beginning of the abrasion strip (station 3100). 

(2) If there is a crack, replace the blade 

before further flight. Replacing the blade with 

blade P/N 109–0103–01–7, P/N 109–0103– 

01–9, or P/N 109–0103–01–115 does not 

constitute terminating action for the 

repetitive inspections required by this AD. 

(g) Special Flight Permits 

Special flight permits are prohibited. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Safety Management 

Section, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this 

AD. Send your proposal to: Matt Fuller, 

Senior Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety 

Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards 

Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, Fort 

Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222–5110; 

email 9-ASW-FTW-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov. 

(2) For operations conducted under a 14 

CFR part 119 operating certificate or under 

14 CFR part 91, subpart K, we suggest that 

you notify your principal inspector, or 

lacking a principal inspector, the manager of 

the local flight standards district office or 

certificate holding district office, before 

operating any aircraft complying with this 

AD through an AMOC. 

(i) Additional Information 

(1) Leonardo Helicopters Alert Bollettino 

Tecnico No. 109–150, Revision B, dated 

October 21, 2016, which is not incorporated 

by reference, contains additional information 

about the subject of this AD. For service 

information identified in this AD, contact 

Leonardo S.p.A. Helicopters, Matteo Ragazzi, 

Head of Airworthiness, Viale G.Agusta 520, 

21017 C.Costa di Samarate (Va) Italy; 

telephone +39–0331–711756; fax +39–0331– 

229046; or at http://www.leonardo

company.com/-/bulletins. You may review a 

copy of the service information at the FAA, 

Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest 

Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, Room 6N– 

321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. 

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in 

European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 

No. 2016–0213, dated October 26, 2016. You 

may view the EASA AD on the Internet at 

http://www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating it in Docket No. FAA–2017– 

0308. 

(j) Subject 

Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) 

Code: 6210, Main Rotor Blade. 

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 30, 

2017. 

Lance T. Gant, 

Director, Compliance & Airworthiness 

Division, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–18972 Filed 9–7–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–0961; Product 

Identifier 2011–NE–22–AD; Amendment 39– 

19023; AD 2017–18–14] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce 

Corporation Turboshaft Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are superseding 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2015–02– 

22 for certain Rolls-Royce Corporation 

(RRC) model 250 turboprop and 

turboshaft engines. AD 2015–02–22 

required repetitive visual inspections 

and fluorescent-penetrant inspection 

(FPIs) on certain 3rd-stage and 4th-stage 

turbine wheels for cracks in the turbine 

wheel blades. This AD requires 

repetitive visual inspections and FPIs of 

3rd-stage turbine wheels while 

removing from service 4th-stage turbine 

wheels. We are also revising the 

applicability to remove all RRC 

turboprop engines and add additional 

turboshaft engines. This AD was 

prompted by our finding that it is 

necessary to remove the 4th-stage 

wheels at the next inspection. We are 

issuing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective October 13, 

2017. 

ADDRESSES: See the FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT section. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2011– 

0961; or in person at the Docket 

Management Facility between 9 a.m. 

and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except Federal holidays. The AD docket 

contains this final rule, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (phone: 800–647–5527) is 

Document Management Facility, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John 

Tallarovic, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, 

Chicago ACO Branch, Compliance and 

Airworthiness Division, 2300 E. Devon 

Ave., Des Plaines, IL 60018; phone: 


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