Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Helicopters

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 16, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 42409-42411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14848]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2013-0018; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-060-AD; 
Amendment 39-17483; AD 2013-12-05]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Helicopters

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

[[Page 42410]]


ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for 
Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH (Eurocopter) Model MBB-BK 117 C-2 
helicopters. This AD requires determining if a certain serial-numbered 
bevel gear is installed in the tailrotor intermediate gear box (IGB). 
If such a bevel gear is installed in the IGB, this AD requires 
recording the bevel gear's reduced life limit in the Airworthiness 
Limitations section of the maintenance manual and on the component 
history card or equivalent IGB record. If the bevel gear's life limit 
has been reached or exceeded, this AD requires, before further flight, 
replacing the bevel gear with an airworthy bevel gear. This AD is 
prompted by the discovery that the tooth foot fillets in certain bevel 
gears fall below the minimum dimensions required in the design 
documents to ensure safe functioning of the bevel gear until it reaches 
its approved life limit. This AD's actions are intended to prevent 
failure of a bevel gear before it reaches its currently approved life 
limit, failure of the IGB, and subsequent loss of helicopter control.

DATES: This AD is effective August 20, 2013.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of a certain document listed in this AD as of August 20, 
2013.

ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this AD, contact 
American Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 N. Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 
75052; telephone (972) 641-0000 or (800) 232-0323; fax (972) 641-3775; 
or at http://www.eurocopter.com/techpub. You may review the referenced 
service information at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, 
Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, Fort Worth, Texas 
76137.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov 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, any incorporated-by-reference service information, 
the economic evaluation, any comments received, and other information. 
The street address for the Docket Operations Office (phone: 800-647-
5527) is U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations Office, 
M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue 
SE., Washington, DC 20590.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chinh Vuong, Aviation Safety Engineer, 
Safety Management Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 Meacham 
Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; telephone (817) 222-5110; email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

    EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the 
European Union, issued EASA AD No. 2010-0096 on May 25, 2010, to 
correct an unsafe condition for Eurocopter Model MBB-BK 117 C-2 
helicopters. EASA advised that during a recent review of the production 
documents for the bevel gears of the IGB, it was discovered that 
certain production batch numbers have tooth foot fillets below the 
required minimum values that would ensure the approved life limits for 
this part.
    On January 18, 2013, at 78 FR 4090, the Federal Register published 
our notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), which proposed to amend 14 
CFR part 39 to include an AD that would apply to Eurocopter Model MBB-
BK 117 C-2 helicopters. The NPRM proposed to require determining if a 
certain serial-numbered bevel gear was installed in the IGB. If such a 
bevel gear was installed in the IGB, the NPRM proposed to require 
recording the bevel gear's reduced life limit in the Airworthiness 
Limitations section of the maintenance manual and on the component 
history card or equivalent IGB record. If the bevel gear's life limit 
was reached or exceeded, the NPRM proposed to require, before further 
flight, replacing the bevel gear with an airworthy bevel gear. The 
proposed requirements were intended to prevent failure of a bevel gear 
before it reached its currently approved life limit, failure of the 
IGB, and subsequent loss of helicopter control.

Comments

    We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing 
this AD, but we received no comments on the NPRM (78 FR 4090, January 
18, 2013).

FAA's Determination

    These helicopters have been approved by the aviation authority of 
Germany and are approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant 
to our bilateral agreement with Germany, 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 and that air safety and the public interest require 
adopting the AD requirements as proposed.

Differences Between This AD and the EASA AD

    This AD does not require sending a copy of the form in Eurocopter's 
Alert Service Bulletin No. MBB BK117 C-2-04A-005, Revision 2, dated 
April 28, 2010 (ASB), to the manufacturer. This AD does not require 
sending the IGB to an overhaul facility. Also, this AD does not specify 
a single ferry flight not to exceed 20 hours time-in-service to a 
maintenance facility if the bevel gear has exceeded the reduced life 
limit.

Related Service Information

    Eurocopter's ASB specifies determining whether certain serial-
numbered bevel gears are installed in the IGB. The ASB specifies 
recording the reduced life limit for each affected bevel gear on the 
log card of the IGB and on the list of life-limited parts. If a bevel 
gear has one of the serial numbers listed in Table 1 of the ASB, the 
ASB specifies filling out a reply form and copying and sending it to 
Eurocopter. The ASB also specifies sending the IGB to a certified 
overhaul facility for replacing the bevel gear if it has reached or 
exceeded its life limit. EASA classified this ASB as mandatory and 
issued AD No. 2010-0096, dated May 25, 2010, to ensure the continued 
airworthiness of these helicopters.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD affects 107 helicopters of U.S. registry 
and that the labor rate averages $85 per work-hour. We also estimate 
that it takes about a half hour to determine whether the IGB is 
affected and to enter the reduced life limit on the component history 
card or the equivalent record and to revise the Airworthiness 
Limitations section of the maintenance manual. Based on these figures, 
we estimate that the cost per helicopter totals about $43, about $4,601 
for the U.S. fleet.

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

[[Page 42411]]

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 helicopters identified in this 
rulemaking action.

Regulatory Findings

    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);
    (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

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 the following new airworthiness 
directive (AD):

2013-12-05 Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Helicopters: Amendment 39-
17483; Docket No. FAA-2013-0018; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-060-
AD.

(a) Applicability

    This AD applies to Model MBB-BK 117 C-2 helicopters with a bevel 
gear, part number (P/N) 4639 310 065, installed in the tail rotor 
intermediate gear box (IGB), P/N 4639 002 007, certificated in any 
category.

(b) Unsafe Condition

    This AD defines the unsafe condition as failure of a bevel gear, 
failure of the tail rotor IGB, and subsequent loss of control of the 
helicopter.

(c) Effective Date

    This AD becomes effective August 20, 2013.

(d) 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.

(e) Required Actions

    Within 30 days, do the following:
    (1) Determine if a bevel gear with a serial number (S/N) listed 
in Table 1 of Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin MBB BK117 C-2-04A-
005, Revision 2, dated April 28, 2010 (ASB), is installed in the 
IGB.
    (i) If a bevel gear listed in Table 1 of the ASB is installed in 
the IGB, record the reduced life limit of the bevel gear onto the 
component history card or equivalent record of the IGB.
    (ii) If the bevel gear life limit has been reached or is 
exceeded, before further flight, replace the bevel gear with an 
airworthy bevel gear.
    (2) Revise the Airworthiness Limitations section of the 
maintenance manual by reducing the retirement life for each IGB 
bevel gear, P/N 4639 310 065, that has a S/N listed in Table 1 of 
the ASB to the life limit corresponding to that S/N.

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, Safety Management Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs 
for this AD. Send your proposal to: Chinh Vuong, Aviation Safety 
Engineer, Safety Management Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 
Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; telephone (817) 222-5110; 
email [email protected].
    (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.

(g) Additional Information

    The subject of this AD is addressed in European Aviation Safety 
Agency (EASA) AD No. 2010-0096, dated May 25, 2010. You may view the 
EASA AD at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating 
it in Docket No. FAA-2013-0018.

(h) Subject

    Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) Code: 6520, Tail Rotor 
Gearbox.

(i) Material Incorporated by Reference

    (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference (IBR) of the service information listed 
in this paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.
    (2) You must use this service information as applicable to do 
the actions required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
    (i) Eurocopter Alert Service Bulletin MBB BK117 C-2-04A-005, 
Revision 2, dated April 28, 2010.
    (ii) Reserved.
    (3) For Eurocopter service information identified in this AD, 
contact American Eurocopter Corporation, 2701 N. Forum Drive, Grand 
Prairie, TX 75052; telephone (972) 641-0000 or (800) 232-0323; fax 
(972) 641-3775; or at http://www.eurocopter.com/techpub.
    (4) You may view this service information at FAA, Office of the 
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, 
Fort Worth, Texas 76137. For information on the availability of this 
material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110.
    (5) You may view this service information that is incorporated 
by reference 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/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on June 13, 2013.
Kim Smith,
Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-14848 Filed 7-15-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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