Airworthiness Directives; Agusta S.p.A. Helicopters (Type Certificate Currently Held by AgustaWestland S.p.A) (AgustaWestland)

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 41 (Monday, March 3, 2014)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 11699-11701]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-04310]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2013-0643; Directorate Identifier 2012-SW-096-AD; 
Amendment 39-17773; AD 2014-04-14]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Agusta S.p.A. Helicopters (Type 
Certificate Currently Held by AgustaWestland S.p.A) (AgustaWestland)

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for 
AgustaWestland Model A109S, AW109SP, A119, and AW119 MKII helicopters 
to require removing certain rod end assemblies from service. This AD 
was prompted by reports of fractures on the rod end assemblies that 
could damage the main rotor assembly and lead to loss of control of the 
helicopter.

DATES: This AD is effective April 7, 2014.

ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this AD, contact 
AgustaWestland, Product Support Engineering, Via del Gregge, 100, 21015 
Lonate Pozzolo (VA) Italy, ATTN: Maurizio D'Angelo; telephone 39-0331-
664757; fax 39-0331-664680; or at http://www.agustawestland.com/technical-bulletins. 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's AD, 
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: Robert Grant, Aviation Safety 
Engineer, Safety Management Group, FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, 
Texas

[[Page 11700]]

76137; telephone (817) 222-5110; email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

    On July 23, 2013, at 78 FR 44042, the Federal Register published 
our notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), which proposed to amend 14 
CFR part 39 by adding an AD that would apply to AgustaWestland Model 
A109S, AW109SP, A119, and AW119 MKII helicopters with a main rotor lag 
damper assembly, part number (P/N) 109-0112-39-103, 109-0112-39-105, 
109-0112-05-105, or 109-0112-05-107, installed with a rod end assembly, 
P/N M004-01H007-041 or M004-01H007-045, with a serial number (S/N) 84 
through 132, or 4964 through 5011. The NPRM proposed to require 
removing certain rod end assemblies from service. The proposed 
requirements were intended to prevent damage to the main rotor assembly 
and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.
    The NPRM was prompted by AD No. 2012-0208, dated October 5, 2012, 
issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the 
Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union. AD No. 
2012-0208 requires correcting an unsafe condition for AgustaWestland 
Model A109LUH, A109S, AW109SP, A119, and AW119 MKII helicopters. EASA 
advises that cases of in-flight fractures of rod end assembly, P/N 
M004-01H007-045, installed on main rotor lag dampers have been reported 
on Model A109LUH and AW109SP helicopters. An investigation revealed 
that two batches of rod end assemblies, P/N M004-01H007-041 and M004-
01H007-045, could have cracks, according to EASA. EASA states that this 
condition, if not corrected, could lead to main rotor damage, possibly 
resulting in loss of control of the helicopter.

Comments

    We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing 
this AD, but we received no comments on the NPRM (78 FR 44042, July 23, 
2013).

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 and that air 
safety and the public interest require adopting the AD requirements as 
proposed.

Differences Between This AD and the EASA AD

    EASA requires compliance with the inspection and removal of any 
affected parts from service within 25 hours flight hours or three 
months. We require removing the affected parts from service within 25 
hours time-in-service. The EASA AD applies to AgustaWestland Model 
A109LUH, and this AD does not because that model has no U.S. type 
certificate.

Related Service Information

    AgustaWestland issued Bollettino Tecnico (BT) No. 109S-49 for Model 
A109S helicopters, BT No. 109SP-052 for Model AW109SP helicopters, and 
BT No. 119-50 for Model A119 and AW119 MKII helicopters. All of the BTs 
are dated October 3, 2012. The BTs specify a one-time inspection of 
each rod end assembly, P/Ns M004-01H007-041 and M004-01H007-045, to 
determine its serial number. The BTs then require removal from service 
of certain serial-numbered rod end assemblies because fractures had 
been reported on rod ends in these batches. According to the BTs, no 
one was injured in the helicopters, and no helicopters were damaged 
because of these fractures.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD affects 91 helicopters of U.S. Registry 
and that labor costs average $85 a work-hour. Based on these estimates, 
we expect the following costs:
    <bullet> Replacing a rod end assembly requires 1.5 work-hours for a 
labor cost of $128. Parts cost $3,918 for a total cost of $4,046 per 
helicopter, $368,186 for the U.S. fleet.
    According to the manufacturer's service information, costs of this 
AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost impact on 
affected individuals. We do not control warranty coverage by 
manufacturers. Accordingly, we have included all costs in our cost 
estimate.

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):

2014-04-14 Agusta S.p.A. Helicopters (Type Certificate Currently 
Held by

[[Page 11701]]

AgustaWestland S.p.A) (AgustaWestland): Amendment 39-17773; Docket 
No. FAA-2013-0643; Directorate Identifier 2012-SW-096-AD.

(a) Applicability

    This AD applies to AgustaWestland Model A109S, AW109SP, A119, 
and AW119 MKII helicopters with a main rotor lag damper assembly 
(lag damper), part number (P/N) 109-0112-39-103, 109-0112-39-105, 
109-0112-05-105, or 109-0112-05-107, installed with a rod end 
assembly, P/N M004-01H007-041 or M004-01H007-045, with a serial 
number (S/N) 84 through 132, or 4964 through 5011, certificated in 
any category.

(b) Unsafe Condition

    This AD defines the unsafe condition as a crack in a rod end 
assembly, which could result in fracture of the rod end assembly, 
damage to the main rotor, and subsequent loss of control of the 
helicopter.

(c) Effective Date

    This AD becomes effective April 7, 2014.

(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 25 hours time-in-service, remove the rod end assembly 
from service.
    (2) Do not install a rod end assembly, P/N M004-01H007-041 or 
M004-01H007-045, with a S/N 84 through 132 or 4964 through 5011, on 
any helicopter.

(f) Special Flight Permits

    Special flight permits are prohibited.

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, Safety Management Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs 
for this AD. Send your proposal to: Robert Grant, Aviation Safety 
Engineer, Safety Management Group, 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

    (1) AgustaWestland Bollettino Tecnico No. 109S-49, No. 109SP-
052, and No. 119-50, all dated October 3, 2012, which are not 
incorporated by reference, contain additional information about the 
subject of this AD. For service information identified in this AD, 
contact AgustaWestland, Product Support Engineering, Via del Gregge, 
100, 21015 Lonate Pozzolo (VA) Italy, ATTN: Maurizio D'Angelo; 
telephone 39-0331-664757; fax 39-0331-664680; or at http://www.agustawestland.com/technical-bulletins. 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.
    (2) The subject of this AD is addressed in European Aviation 
Safety Agency (EASA) AD No. 2012-0208, dated October 5, 2012. You 
may view the EASA AD on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov 
in Docket No. FAA-2013-0643.

(h) Subject

    Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) Code: 6200, Main Rotor 
System.

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on February 20, 2014.
Lance T. Gant,
Acting Directorate Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-04310 Filed 2-28-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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