Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Helicopters

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 154 (Friday, August 9, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 48599-48601]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19158]



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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 154 / Friday, August 9, 2013 / Rules 
and Regulations

[[Page 48599]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2011-1285; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-073-AD; 
Amendment 39-17544; AD 2013-16-06]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Helicopters

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for 
Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH (Eurocopter) Model BO-105A, BO-105C, BO-
105LS A-1, BO-105LS A-3, and BO-105S helicopters. This AD requires 
inspecting for debonding of the erosion protective shell (abrasion 
strip) on the leading edge of each main rotor blade. This AD was 
prompted by the discovery of abrasion strip debonding during an 
inspection on one Model BO-105 helicopter and also by an incident on a 
second Model BO-105 helicopter that lost its abrasion strip in-flight. 
The actions of this AD are intended to detect debonding of the main 
rotor blade abrasion strip, which could lead to an unbalanced main 
rotor, high vibrations, damage to the tail boom or tail rotor, and loss 
of control of the helicopter.

DATES: This AD is effective September 13, 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 foreign authority 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: Matt Fuller, Senior 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

    On December 6, 2011, at 76 FR 76068, 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 BO-
105A, BO-105C, BO-105LS A-1, BO-105LS A-3, and BO-105S helicopters. The 
NPRM proposed to require, within 50 hours time-in-service (TIS), 
inspecting for debonding of the abrasion strip along the leading edge 
of certain part-numbered main rotor blades with a main rotor blade 
abrasion strip that was replaced between September 2006 and March 2010. 
If there is debonding in any area of the abrasion strip, the NPRM 
proposed to require, before further flight, replacing the main rotor 
blade.
    On December 19, 2012, at 77 FR 75073, the Federal Register 
published our supplemental NPRM (SNPRM), which proposed to revise some 
of the actions of the NPRM. The SNPRM proposed clarifying that the 
inspection method would be a tap inspection and proposed clarifying the 
replacement date range of the applicable abrasion strips to be 
inclusive of September 1, 2006 through March 31, 2010.
    The NPRM and SNPRM were prompted by Emergency AD No. 2010-0216-E, 
dated October 21, 2010 (and corrected October 29, 2010), issued by the 
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent 
for the Member States of the European Union. EASA advises that during 
an inspection on a BO105 helicopter, debonding was found on the erosion 
protective shell of a main rotor blade, and investigation showed the 
debonding was caused by incorrect installation of the erosion 
protective shell. In addition, EASA states that an incident occurred 
where a second BO105 helicopter lost its erosion protective shell 
during hover flight. EASA advises that this condition, if not 
corrected, could result in loss of the main rotor blade erosion 
protective shell during flight, leading to an unbalanced main rotor and 
high vibrations, which could damage the tail boom or tail rotor or 
result in loss of tail rotor control and loss of control of the 
helicopter.

Comments

    We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing 
this AD, but we did not receive any comments on the NPRM (76 FR 76068, 
December 6, 2011) or the SNPRM (77 FR 75073, December 19, 2012).

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

    The differences between this AD and the EASA AD are:
    <bullet> The EASA AD allows compliance within ``10 flight hours, or 
4 flight cycles, or 4 weeks, whichever occurs first,'' and this AD 
requires compliance within 50 hours TIS.

[[Page 48600]]

    <bullet> The EASA AD allows you to replace the main rotor blade 
erosion protective shell if debonding is detected, and this AD requires 
you to replace the main rotor blade with an airworthy main rotor blade 
if debonding is detected.
    <bullet> The EASA AD is applicable to the Model BO105 D helicopter; 
however, this AD does not include this model because it does not have a 
type certificate in the U.S.

Related Service Information

    Eurocopter has issued Emergency Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. 
ASB BO105-10-124, dated July 14, 2010, for the Model BO105 helicopter, 
with a main rotor blade, part number (P/N) 105-15103, 105-15141, 105-
15141V001, 105-15143, 105-15150, 105-15150V001, 105-15152, 105-81013, 
105-87214, 1120-15101, or 1120-15103, where the main rotor blade 
erosion protective shell was replaced between September 2006 and March 
2010. Eurocopter also issued Emergency ASB No. ASB-BO105LS-10-12, dated 
July 14, 2010, for the Model BO105LS A-3 helicopter, with a main rotor 
blade, P/N 105-15141, where the main rotor blade erosion protective 
shell was replaced between September 2006 and March 2010. Both 
Emergency ASBs exclude helicopters from this inspection if each main 
rotor blade was inspected at the last 600 flight hour inspection and no 
debonding was detected during the inspection. Both Emergency ASBs 
specified a one-time inspection of the main rotor blades within the 
next 50 flight hours to determine if debonding of the main rotor blade 
erosion protective shell has occurred.
    Eurocopter subsequently issued Emergency ASB No. ASB BO105-10-124, 
Revision 1, dated October 18, 2010, and Emergency ASB No. ASB-BO105LS-
10-12, Revision 1, dated October 20, 2010. These service bulletins 
specify the same inspection requirements as the original service 
bulletins, but revise the inspection compliance time from 50 flight 
hours to 10 flight hours. EASA classified these service bulletins as 
mandatory and issued EASA Emergency AD No. 2010-0216-E, dated October 
21, 2010 (corrected October 29, 2010), to ensure the continued 
airworthiness of these helicopters.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD will affect 97 helicopters of U.S. 
Registry. We estimate that operators may incur the following costs in 
order to comply with this AD. It will take about 1.0 work-hour per 
helicopter to perform the inspection at an average labor rate of $85 
per work-hour. Based on these figures, we estimate the cost of the 
inspection on U.S. operators will be $8,245 or $85 per helicopter. If 
there is debonding, we estimate that it will take about 2 work-hours to 
replace a main rotor blade and required parts will cost $114,182, for a 
total cost of $114,352 per blade. We have no way of determining how 
many operators will incur replacement costs.

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 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):

2013-16-06 Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH: Amendment 39-17544; Docket 
No. FAA-2011-1285; Directorate Identifier 2010-SW-073-AD.

(a) Applicability

    This AD applies to Model BO-105A, BO-105C, BO-105LS A-1, BO-
105LS A-3, and BO-105S helicopters, with a main rotor blade, part 
number 105-15103, 105-15141, 105-15141V001, 105-15143, 105-15150, 
105-15150V001, 105-15152, 105-81013, 105-87214, 1120-15101, or 1120-
15103; where the main rotor blade erosion protective shell (abrasion 
strip) was replaced between September 1, 2006 and March 31, 2010, 
inclusive; certificated in any category.

(b) Unsafe Condition

    This AD defines the unsafe condition as debonding of a main 
rotor blade erosion protective shell (abrasion strip). This 
condition could result in loss of the abrasion strip and an 
unbalanced main rotor, high vibration, damage to the tail boom or 
tail rotor, and loss of control of the helicopter.

(c) Effective Date

    This AD becomes effective September 13, 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

    (1) Within 50 hours time-in-service, inspect the main rotor 
blade for debonding of the erosion protective shell by tap testing 
the abrasion strip of the leading edge of each main rotor blade.
    (2) If the abrasion strip is debonding in any area, before 
further flight, replace the main rotor blade.

(f) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

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

[[Page 48601]]

    (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

    (1) Eurocopter Emergency Alert Service Bulletin No. ASB BO105-
10-124, Revision 1, dated October 18, 2010, and No. ASB-BO105LS-10-
12, Revision 1, dated October 20, 2010, which are not incorporated 
by reference, contain 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://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. 2010-0216-E, dated October 21, 
2010 (corrected October 29, 2010). You may view the EASA AD on the 
Internet at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FAA-2011-1285.

(h) Subject

    Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) Code: 6210, Main Rotor 
Blades.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 31, 2013.
Lance T. Gant,
Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-19158 Filed 8-8-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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