Airworthiness Directives; Hartzell Propeller Inc. Model HC-B3TN-5( )/T10282( ) Propellers

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 22, 2005)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 8507-8509]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3046]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 2003-NE-50-AD; Amendment 39-13980; AD 2005-04-08]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Hartzell Propeller Inc. Model HC-B3TN-
5( )/T10282( ) Propellers

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding an existing Priority Letter 
Airworthiness Directive (AD) for Hartzell Propeller Inc. model HC-B3TN-
5( )/T10282( ) propellers. That AD currently requires initial and 
repetitive inspections of the blade pilot tube bore area. This ad 
requires the same inspections. This AD results from a review of all 
currently effective ADs. That review determined that Priority Letter AD 
88-24-15 was not published in the Federal Register to make it effective 
to all operators, as opposed to just the operators who received actual 
notice of the original Priority Letter AD. This AD also results from 
the discovery that the original AD omitted an airplane model with a 
certain Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the applicability. We 
are issuing this AD to prevent possible blade failure near the hub 
which can result in blade separation, engine separation, damage to the 
airplane, and possible loss of the airplane.

DATES: This AD becomes effective March 29, 2005. The Director of the 
Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain 
publications listed in the regulations as of March 29, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Contact Hartzell Propeller Inc. Technical Publications 
Department, One Propeller Place, Piqua, OH 45356; telephone (937) 778-
4200; fax (937) 778-4391, for the service information identified in 
this AD.
    You may examine the AD docket at the FAA, New England Region, 
Office of the Regional Counsel, 12 New England Executive Park, 
Burlington, MA. You may examine the service information, at the FAA, 
New England Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, 12 New England 
Executive Park, Burlington, MA; or at the National Archives and Records 
Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this 
material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/
federal--register/

[[Page 8508]]

code--of--federal--regulations/ibr--locations.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa T. Bradley, Aerospace 
Engineer, Chicago Aircraft Certification Office, FAA, Small Airplane 
Directorate, 2300 East Devon Avenue, Des Plaines, IL 60018; telephone 
(847) 294-8110; fax (847) 294-7834.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA proposed to amend 14 CFR Part 39 
with a proposed airworthiness directive (AD). The proposed AD applies 
to Hartzell Propeller Inc. model HC-B3TN-5( )/T10282( ) propellers. We 
published the proposed AD in the Federal Register on July 22, 2004 (69 
FR 43775). That action proposed to require initial and repetitive 
inspections of the blade pilot tube bore area.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD Docket (including any comments and service 
information), by appointment, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. See ADDRESSES for the 
location.

Comments

    We provided the public the opportunity to participate in the 
development of this AD. We have considered the one comment received.

Request To Change the Compliance Time

    One commenter, Hartzell Propeller Inc., requests that we change the 
compliance time to a much more aggressive compliance requirement, to 
the point of grounding those operators who did not follow the Priority 
Letter AD, regardless of whether they were legally obligated to do so 
or not. The commenter states that the NPRM we published, which is 16 
years beyond the Priority Letter AD effective date, extends compliance 
to 500 hours after the effective date of the yet-to-be published final 
rule AD. The Priority Letter AD either identified, or was the result 
of, cracks found on two blades installed in the same propeller, and two 
occurrences of blade separation on two other propellers. All events 
were from fractures initiating at the same general location in the 
blade bore. Hartzell issued Service Bulletin No. 161, dated May 18, 
1989, as a counterpart to the Priority Letter AD. Hartzell further 
states that since many operators of this type of aircraft overhaul 
their propellers, compliance to the Priority Letter AD was likely 
accomplished, intentionally or otherwise, as part of the overhaul 
process. However, if an operator did not receive or acknowledge the 
Priority Letter AD, and if they did not overhaul their propellers, they 
are flying at increased risk of failure. Hartzell further states that 
the published NPRM provides inappropriate relaxation and should be 
revised.
    We do not agree. To justify the suggested change in compliance 
time, we would need supporting data. However, service history has shown 
that there has been no occurrence of this failure mode subsequent to 
the issuance of the Priority Letter AD.

Conclusion

    We have carefully reviewed the available data, including the 
comment received, and determined that air safety and the public 
interest require adopting the AD as proposed.

Costs of Compliance

    By adding STC SA345GL to the applicability, there are about 50 
additional Hartzell Propeller Inc. model HC-B3TN-5( )/T10282( ) 
propellers of the affected design in the worldwide fleet. Including the 
additional applicability, we estimate a total of 500 propellers have 
been installed on airplanes of U.S. registry and would be affected by 
this AD. We also estimate that it would take about 2.5 work hours per 
propeller blade to perform the actions, and that the average labor rate 
is $65 per work hour. Based on these figures, we estimate the total 
cost of the AD to U.S. operators is $243,750.

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 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 above, I certify that this AD:
    (1) Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive 
Order 12866;
    (2) Is not a ``significant rule'' under 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 summary of the costs to comply with this AD and 
placed it in the AD Docket. You may get a copy of this summary by 
sending a request to us at the address listed under ADDRESSES. Include 
``AD Docket No. 2003-NE-50-AD'' in your request.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

    Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by 
reference, Safety.

Adoption of the Amendment

0
Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, 
the Federal Aviation Administration amends 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

0
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

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


Sec.  39.13  [Amended]

0
2. The FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding a new airworthiness directive, 
Amendment 39-13980, to read as follows:

2005-04-08 Hartzell Propeller Inc.: Amendment 39-13980. Docket No. 
2003-NE-50-AD.

Effective Date

    (a) This AD becomes effective March 29, 2005.

Affected ADs

    (b) This AD supersedes Priority Letter AD 88-24-15.

Applicability

    (c) This AD applies to Hartzell Propeller Inc. model HC-B3TN-5( 
)/T10282( ) propellers installed on the airplane and engine 
combinations shown in the following Table 1 (excluding propellers 
with blades part number (P/N) T10282N( ), T10282NB( ), T10282NK( ), 
or T10282NE( ) installed).

[[Page 8509]]



                         Table 1.--Applicability
------------------------------------------------------------------------
         Airplane model             Propeller model      Engine model
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fairchild SA226-TC..............
Fairchild SA226-AT..............  HC-B3TN-5( )/       Garrett TPE331-
                                   T10282( ).          10UA-511G
Fairchild SA226-T...............
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (d) For reference, airplanes incorporating Supplemental Type 
Certificates (STCs) SA344GL-D, SA4872SW, and SA345GL-D have these 
engine, propeller, and airplane combinations.
    (e) The parentheses appearing in the propeller model number 
indicates the presence or absence of an additional letter(s) that 
varies the basic propeller model. This AD still applies regardless 
of whether these letters are present or absent in the propeller 
model designation.

Unsafe Condition

    (f) This AD results from a review of all currently effective 
ADs. That review determined that Priority Letter AD 88-24-15 was not 
published in the Federal Register to make it effective to all 
operators, as opposed to just the operators who received actual 
notice of the original Priority Letter AD. This AD also results from 
the discovery that the original AD omitted an airplane model with a 
certain STC from the applicability. We are issuing this AD to 
prevent possible blade failure near the hub which can result in 
blade separation, engine separation, damage to the airplane, and 
possible loss of the airplane.

Compliance

    (g) You are responsible for having the actions required by this 
AD performed within the compliance times specified unless the 
actions have already been done.

Required Actions

    (h) Within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS) after the effective 
date of this AD, perform a document search to determine if the 
following actions have been done:
    (1) The propeller blades meet the initial and repetitive 
compliance requirements of Priority Letter AD 88-24-15.
    (2) The P/N T10282( ) propeller blades have been replaced with 
P/N T10282N( ), T10282NB( ), T10282NK( ), or T10282NE( ) propeller 
blades.
    (i) If the actions in paragraph (h)(1) or (h)(2) of this AD have 
not been done, then do one of the following:
    (1) Inspect the blades using Paragraph 3 of the Accomplishment 
Instructions of Hartzell Service Bulletin (SB) No. 136, Revision 
Letter ``I,'' dated April 25, 2003, within 500 hours time-since-new 
(TSN) or time-since-last-overhaul (TSLO) and not to exceed two years 
after the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs first; and 
thereafter within 500 service-hour intervals; or
    (2) Replace with P/N T10282N( ), T10282NB( ), T10282NK( ), or 
T10282NE( ) propeller blades as applicable, within 500 hours TSN or 
TSLO and not to exceed two years after the effective date of this 
AD, whichever occurs first.
    (j) If the actions in paragraph (h)(1) of this AD have been 
done, but not the actions in paragraph (h)(2) of this AD, then do 
the following:
    (1) Inspect the blades within 500 hours since the last Hartzell 
SB No. 136E, or later Revision, inspection, and thereafter within 
500 service hour intervals, using Paragraph 3 of the Accomplishment 
Instructions of Hartzell SB No. 136, Revision Letter ``I,'' dated 
April 25, 2003.
    (2) Replace before further flight all blades showing evidence of 
cracks or other unairworthy conditions, as noted in Hartzell SB No. 
136, Revision Letter ``I,'' dated April 25, 2003, with airworthy 
blades.

Hartzell SB No. 136

    (k) Since Hartzell SB No. 136E was issued, the SB has been 
revised to 136F, 136G, 136H, and 136I. Any of these revisions are 
suitable for determining past compliance, as they are all approved 
as alternative methods of compliance (AMOC). After the effective 
date of this AD, compliance is restricted to SB No. 136, Revision 
Letter ``I,'' or later versions when approved by an AMOC.

Optional Terminating Action

    (l) Installation of propeller blades, P/N T10282N( ), T10282NB( 
), T10282NK( ), or T10282NE( ) as applicable, onto a Hartzell 
Propeller Inc. model HC-B3TN-5( ) propeller constitutes terminating 
action to the inspections, repairs, and replacements specified in 
paragraphs (i) through (j)(2) of this AD.

Alternative Methods of Compliance

    (m) The Manager, Chicago Aircraft Certification Office, has the 
authority to approve alternate methods of compliance for this AD if 
requested using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19.

Material Incorporated by Reference

    (n) You must use Hartzell SB No. 136 (HC-SB-61-136), Revison 
Letter ``I,'' dated April 25, 2003, to perform the inspections 
required by this AD. The Director of the Federal Register approved 
the incorporation by reference of this service bulletin in 
accordance with 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51. You can get a 
copy from Hartzell Propeller Inc. Technical Publications Department, 
One Propeller Place, Piqua, OH 45356; telephone (937) 778-4200; fax 
(937) 778-4391. You can review copies at the FAA, New England 
Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, 12 New England Executive 
Park, Burlington, MA, or at the National Archives and Records 
Administration (NARA). For information on the availability of this 
material at NARA, call 202-741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal_register/code_of_federal_regulations/ibr_locations.html.

Related Information

    (o) None.

    Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on February 11, 2005.
Jay J. Pardee,
Manager, Engine and Propeller Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 05-3046 Filed 2-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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