Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) Helicopters

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 24, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 44422-44424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17622]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2013-0638; Directorate Identifier 2013-SW-026-AD; 
Amendment 39-17519; AD 2013-15-03]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter France (Eurocopter) 
Helicopters

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Final rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for 
Eurocopter Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, 
AS350D, and AS350D1 helicopters with a single hydraulic system and a 
certain hydraulic pump drive installed. This AD requires inspecting the 
hydraulic pump drive pulley bearing (pulley bearing) for leaks, rust, 
overheating, and condition. This AD is prompted by six reports of 
hydraulic pump drive belt failure caused by seizure of the pulley 
bearing. These actions are intended to prevent hydraulic pump drive 
belt failure, loss of hydraulic servo assistance, and subsequent loss 
of control of the helicopter.

DATES: This AD becomes effective August 8, 2013.
    We must receive comments on this AD by September 23, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Docket: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
    <bullet> Fax: 202-493-2251.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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 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 foreign authority's 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 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.

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

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

    The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 
Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA 
Emergency AD No. 2013-0044-E, dated February 27,

[[Page 44423]]

2013, to correct an unsafe condition for Eurocopter Model AS350B, 
AS350BA, AS350BB, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, and AS350D helicopters. 
EASA advises that six events were reported of hydraulic pump drive belt 
failure caused by seizure of the pulley bearing, and that a preliminary 
investigation concluded the installation of a new hydraulic pump drive 
(installed in accordance with Eurocopter modification 079566) may have 
caused excessive degradation. EASA further states that this condition, 
for helicopters with a single hydraulic system, can lead to loss of 
hydraulic servo assistance and an increase in pilot work load that 
requires landing as soon as possible. For these reasons, the EASA AD 
requires repetitive inspections of the hydraulic pump drive belt and 
pulley bearing and if required, replacing the hydraulic pump drive 
assembly.

FAA's Determination

    These helicopters have been approved by the aviation authority of 
France and are approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant to 
our bilateral agreement with France, 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

    Eurocopter issued AS350 Emergency Alert Service Bulletin No. 
05.00.72, Revision 1, dated June 11, 2013 (EASB 05.00.72), for Model 
AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, ASAS350D, and for non-FAA 
type-certificated Models AS350L1 and AS350BB helicopters. EASB 05.00.72 
describes procedures for inspecting the pulley bearing for leaking 
grease, condition of the lip seals, rust on the lip seals, evidence of 
overheating revealed by brown discoloring of the bearing, and for the 
condition of the sealing flanges. EASB 05.00.72 also describes 
procedures for rotating the bearing manually to determine if there are 
any friction points, brinelling, or noises from the bearing. EASB 
05.00.72 requires these inspections within 10 hours time-in-service 
(TIS) for installed bearings with 165 or more hours TIS since 
installation. For bearings with less than 165 hours TIS since 
installation, EASB 05.00.72 requires inspecting the bearing upon 
reaching 165 hours TIS.

AD Requirements

    This AD requires, for hydraulic pump drives with 165 or more hours 
TIS since installation, within 10 hours TIS and thereafter at intervals 
not exceeding 25 hours TIS, decoupling the pulley and inspecting the 
pulley bearing for leaking grease, a crack or tear in the lip seals, a 
run of rust on the lip seals, indication of overheating shown by brown 
coloring on the inner ring of the bearing, any distortion, impact, 
wear, a tear, a crack, or loss of grease on the sealing flanges, or for 
a friction point, brinelling, or noise from the bearing. If any of 
these conditions exist, this AD requires replacing the hydraulic pump 
drive assembly before further flight. If the hydraulic pump drive 
assembly is replaced, the repetitive inspection requirements of this AD 
still apply.

Interim Action

    We consider this AD to be an interim action. Eurocopter is still 
investigating the cause of this condition. If a final action is later 
identified, we might consider additional rulemaking.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD will affect 36 helicopters of U.S. 
Registry. We estimate that operators may incur the following costs in 
order to comply with this AD.
    At an average labor rate of $85 per hour, inspecting the bearing 
pulley would require about 1.5 work-hours, for a cost per helicopter of 
$128, and a total cost to U.S. operators of $4,608, per inspection 
cycle.
    If required, replacing the hydraulic pump drive assembly would 
require about 1.5 work-hours, and required parts would cost about 
$8,543, for a total cost per helicopter of $8,671.
    According to Eurocopter'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 
Eurocopter. 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 accomplished within 10 hours TIS, a very short time 
period based on the average flight-hour utilization rate of these 
helicopters in the helicopter emergency medical service and air tour 
industries.
    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;
    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.

[[Page 44424]]

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):

2013-15-03 Eurocopter France (Eurocopter): Amendment 39-17519; 
Docket No. FAA-2013-0638; Directorate Identifier 2013-SW-026-AD.

(a) Applicability

    This AD applies to Eurocopter Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, 
AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D and AS350D1 helicopters with a 
single hydraulic system and with a hydraulic pump drive installed in 
accordance with modification 079566 that has 165 or more hours time-
in-service (TIS) since installation, certificated in any category.

(b) Unsafe Condition

    This AD defines the unsafe condition as seizure of the hydraulic 
pump drive pulley bearing. This condition could result in hydraulic 
pump drive belt failure, loss of hydraulic servo assistance, and 
subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

(c) Comments Due Date

    We must receive comments on this AD by September 23, 2013.

(d) Effective Date

    This AD becomes effective August 8, 2013.

(e) Compliance

    You are responsible for performing each action required by this 
AD within the specified compliance time.

(f) Required Actions

    Within 10 hours TIS, and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 
25 hours TIS:
    (1) Uncouple the pulley from the hydraulic pump.
    (2) Using a mirror and a light, inspect the hydraulic pump drive 
pulley bearing (pulley bearing) for leaking grease from each lip 
seal of the four greasing orifices (lip seal) due to wear, a crack 
or tear in a lip seal, a run of rust on a lip seal, indication of 
overheating shown by brown coloring on the inner ring of the 
bearing, and for any distortion, impact, wear, a tear, a crack, or 
loss of grease on each sealing flange.
    (3) Manually rotate the pulley bearing through several full 
turns and inspect for a friction point, brinelling, or a noise from 
the bearing.
    (4) If there is any leaking grease from a lip seal, a crack or 
tear in a lip seal, a run of rust on a lip seal, indication of 
overheating shown by brown coloring on the inner ring of the 
bearing, or distortion, impact, wear, a tear, a crack, or loss of 
grease on a sealing flange, or a friction point, brinelling, or 
noise from the bearing, before further flight, replace the hydraulic 
pump drive assembly.

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, Safety Management Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs 
for this AD. Send your proposal to: Matt Wilbanks, Aviation Safety 
Engineer, Regulations and Policy 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.

(h) Additional Information

    (1) Eurocopter AS350 Emergency Alert Service Bulletin No. 
05.00.72, Revision 1, dated June 11, 2013, which is not incorporated 
by reference, contains additional information about the subject of 
this AD. 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:[sol][sol]www.eurocopter.com/techpub. You may 
review a copy of the service information at the FAA, Office of the 
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Room 663, 
Fort Worth Texas 76137.
    (2) The subject of this AD is addressed in European Aviation 
Safety Agency (EASA) Emergency AD No. 2013-0044-E, dated February 
27, 2013. You may view the EASA AD in the AD docket on the Internet 
at http:[sol][sol]www.regulations.gov.

(i) Subject

    Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) Code: 2913: Hydraulic 
Pump, Main.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 11, 2013.
Kim Smith,
Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-17622 Filed 7-23-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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