Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters

[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 11 (Friday, January 16, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 2072-2075]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-00818]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2026-0011; Project Identifier MCAI-2025-01758-R; 
Amendment 39-23236; AD 2026-01-08]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2025-23-
52, which applied to all Airbus Helicopters Model EC130B4 and EC130T2 
helicopters. AD 2025-23-52, required replacing the center shaft 
assembly with a serviceable center shaft assembly (either a shaft with 
another part number (P/N) or the same P/N with lower hours time-in-
service (TIS)) and prohibited installing a center shaft assembly that 
is not a serviceable center shaft assembly on any helicopter. Since the 
FAA issued AD 2025-23-52, it was determined that for certain center 
shaft assemblies a repetitive inspection is adequate instead of 
replacement. This AD requires repetitively inspecting the center shaft 
assembly for cracks and replacing the center shaft assembly if it fails 
the inspection or exceeds a certain TIS. This AD also prohibits 
installing a center shaft assembly that is not a serviceable center 
shaft assembly on any helicopter. The FAA is issuing this AD to address 
the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: This AD is effective February 2, 2026.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of a certain publication listed in this AD as of February 2, 
2026.
    The FAA must receive comments on this AD by March 2, 2026.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    <bullet> Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket 
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
    <bullet> Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FAA-2026-0011; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 
docket contains this final rule, the mandatory continuing airworthiness 
information (MCAI), any comments received, and other information. The 
street address for Docket Operations is listed above.
    Material Incorporated by Reference:
    <bullet> For European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) material 
identified in this AD, contact EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 
Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 000; email: [email protected]; 
website: easa.europa.eu. You may find this material on the EASA website 
at ad.easa.europa.eu.
    <bullet> You may view this material at the FAA, Office of the 
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Room 6N-
321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information on the

[[Page 2073]]

availability of this material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110. It is 
also available at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2026-0011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Weir, Aviation Safety Engineer, 
FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (817) 
222-4045; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites you to send any written data, views, or arguments 
about this final rule. Send your comments using a method listed under 
ADDRESSES. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2026-0011; Project Identifier MCAI-
2025-01758-R'' at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful 
comments reference a specific portion of the final rule, explain the 
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. The FAA 
will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend 
this final rule because of those comments.
    Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in 
the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR 
11.35, the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to 
regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. The 
agency will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal 
contact received about this final rule.

Confidential Business Information

    CBI is commercial or financial information that is both customarily 
and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public 
disclosure. If your comments responsive to this AD contain commercial 
or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that 
you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to 
this AD, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted 
comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission containing 
CBI as ``PROPIN.'' The FAA will treat such marked submissions as 
confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public 
docket of this AD. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Jacob 
Fitch, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, 
Westbury, NY 11590. Any commentary that the FAA receives which is not 
specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for 
this rulemaking.

Background

    The FAA issued AD 2025-23-52, Amendment 39-23195 (90 FR 52555, 
November 21, 2025) (AD 2025-23-52), for Airbus Helicopters Model 
EC130B4 and EC130T2 helicopters. AD 2025-23-52 was prompted by an MCAI 
originated by EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States 
of the European Union. EASA issued Emergency AD 2025-0249-E, dated 
November 7, 2025, (EASA Emergency AD 2025-0249-E) to correct an unsafe 
condition identified as cracking on the center shaft assembly. EASA 
Emergency AD 2025-249-E states that fatigue testing revealed the 
service life limit of the center shaft assembly needs to be corrected 
because a crack could initiate on the center shaft assembly, P/N 
350A34021401 (Manufacturer P/N 350A34-0214-01), in the riveted area and 
propagate until failure. AD 2025-23-52 required replacing the center 
shaft assembly with a serviceable center shaft assembly (either a shaft 
with another P/N or the same P/N with lower hours TIS) and also 
prohibited installing a center shaft assembly that is not a serviceable 
center shaft assembly on any helicopter. The FAA issued AD 2025-23-52 
to address cracking on a center shaft assembly. The unsafe condition, 
if not addressed, could result in structural failure of the tail rotor 
drive shaft with consequent loss of control of a helicopter.

Actions Since AD 2025-23-52 Was Issued

    Since the FAA issued AD 2025-23-52, EASA superseded Emergency AD 
2025-0249-E and issued EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E, dated November 
25, 2025 (EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E) (also referred to as the 
MCAI). The MCAI retains the new service life limit from EASA Emergency 
AD 2025-249-E and additionally provides repetitive inspections to 
supersede the replacement instructions for certain center shaft 
assemblies.
    You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket at regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FAA-2026-0011.

Material Incorporated by Reference Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E, which specifies 
procedures for repetitively inspecting the center shaft assembly and 
replacing the center shaft assembly if it fails the inspection or 
exceeds a certain TIS with a serviceable center shaft assembly (either 
a shaft with another P/N or the same P/N with lower hours TIS). EASA 
Emergency AD 2025-0262-E also prohibits installing a center shaft 
assembly that is not a serviceable center shaft assembly on any 
helicopter.
    This material is reasonably available because the interested 
parties have access to it through their normal course of business or by 
the means identified in the ADDRESSES section.

FAA's Determination

    These products have been approved by the civil aviation authority 
(CAA) of another country and are approved for operation in the United 
States. Pursuant to the FAA's bilateral agreement with this State of 
Design Authority, that authority has notified the FAA of the unsafe 
condition described in the MCAI referenced above. The FAA is issuing 
this AD after determining that the unsafe condition described 
previously is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same 
type design.

AD Requirements

    This AD retains certain requirements of AD 2025-23-52. This AD also 
requires accomplishing the actions specified in EASA Emergency AD 2025-
0262-E, described previously, as incorporated by reference, except for 
any differences identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of this 
AD.

Explanation of Required Compliance Information

    In the FAA's ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of the AD 
process, the FAA developed a process to use some civil aviation 
authority (CAA) ADs as the primary source of information for compliance 
with requirements for corresponding FAA ADs. The FAA has been 
coordinating this process with manufacturers and CAAs. As a result, 
EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E is incorporated by reference in this AD. 
This AD requires compliance with EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E in its 
entirety through that incorporation, except for any differences 
identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of this AD. Using 
common terms that are the same as the heading of a particular section 
in EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E does not mean that operators need 
comply only with that section. For example, where the AD requirement 
refers to ``all required actions and compliance times,'' compliance 
with this AD requirement is not limited to the section titled 
``Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s)'' in EASA Emergency AD 
2025-0262-E. Material required by EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E for 
compliance will be available at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-
2026-0011 after this AD is published.

[[Page 2074]]

Justification for Immediate Adoption and Determination of the Effective 
Date

    Section 553(b) of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 U.S.C. 
551 et seq.) authorizes agencies to dispense with notice and comment 
procedures for rules when the agency, for ``good cause,'' finds that 
those procedures are ``impracticable, unnecessary, or contrary to the 
public interest.'' Under this section, an agency, upon finding good 
cause, may issue a final rule without providing notice and seeking 
comment prior to issuance. Further, section 553(d) of the APA 
authorizes agencies to make rules effective in less than thirty days, 
upon a finding of good cause.
    An unsafe condition exists that requires the immediate adoption of 
this AD without providing an opportunity for public comments prior to 
adoption. The FAA has found that the risk to the flying public 
justifies forgoing notice and comment prior to adoption of this rule 
because cracks in the center shaft assembly could already exist and if 
not immediately addressed could lead to structural failure of the tail 
rotor drive shaft with consequent loss of control of a helicopter. 
Additionally, the initial inspection for certain parts is within 10 
hours TIS from the effective date of this AD, which is shorter than the 
time necessary for the public to comment and for publication of the 
final rule. Accordingly, notice and opportunity for prior public 
comment are impracticable and contrary to the public interest pursuant 
to 5 U.S.C. 553(b).
    In addition, the FAA finds that good cause exists pursuant to 5 
U.S.C. 553(d) for making this amendment effective in less than 30 days, 
for the same reasons the FAA found good cause to forgo notice and 
comment.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) do not 
apply when an agency finds good cause pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 553 to adopt 
a rule without prior notice and comment. Because FAA has determined 
that it has good cause to adopt this rule without prior notice and 
comment, RFA analysis is not required.

Interim Action

    The FAA considers that this AD is an interim action. If final 
action is later identified, the FAA might consider additional 
rulemaking.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this AD affects 304 helicopters of U.S. 
registry.
    The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this AD:

                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                       Cost per    Cost on U.S.
                  Action                            Labor cost           Parts cost    product       operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inspection of the center shaft assembly..  2 work-hours x $85 per hour           $0         $170         $51,680
                                            = $170.
Replace the center shaft assembly........  12 work-hours x $85 per           26,890       27,910       8,484,640
                                            hour = $1,020.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
    The FAA is 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

    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, and
    (2) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

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

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:
0
a. Removing Airworthiness Directive 2025-23-52, Amendment 39-23195 (90 
FR 52555, November 21, 2025); and
0
b. Adding the following new airworthiness directive:

2026-01-08 Airbus Helicopters: Amendment 39-23236; Docket No. FAA-
2026-0011; Project Identifier MCAI-2025-01758-R.

(a) Effective Date

    This airworthiness directive (AD) is effective February 2, 2026.

(b) Affected ADs

    This AD replaces AD 2025-23-52, Amendment 39-23195 (90 FR 52555, 
November 21, 2025) (AD 2025-23-52).

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to all Airbus Helicopters Model EC130B4 and 
EC130T2 helicopters, certificated in any category.

(d) Subject

    Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) Code 6510, Tail Rotor 
Drive.

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by a determination that the service life 
limit of the center shaft assembly needs to be corrected because a 
crack could initiate on the center shaft assembly. The FAA is 
issuing this AD to address cracking on a center shaft assembly. The 
unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in structural 
failure of the tail rotor drive shaft with consequent loss of 
control of a helicopter.

(f) Compliance

    Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified, 
unless already done.

(g) Required Actions

    Except as specified in paragraphs (h) and (i) of this AD: Comply 
with all required actions and compliance times specified in, and in 
accordance with, European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 
Emergency

[[Page 2075]]

AD 2025-0262-E, dated November 25, 2025 (EASA Emergency AD 2025-
0262-E).

(h) Exceptions to EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E

    (1) Where EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E refers to its effective 
date, this AD requires using the effective date of this AD.
    (2) Where EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E refers to November 11, 
2025 (the effective date of EASA Emergency AD 2025-0249-E), this AD 
requires using December 8, 2025 (the effective date of AD 2025-23-
52).
    (3) Where EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-E requires compliance in 
terms of flight hours, this AD requires using hours time-in-service.
    (4) Where the material referenced in EASA Emergency AD 2025-
0262-E specifies to make photos, this AD does not require that 
action.
    (5) This AD does not adopt the ``Remarks'' section of EASA 
Emergency AD 2025-0262-E.

(i) No Reporting and Return of Parts Requirements

    Although the material referenced in EASA Emergency AD 2025-0262-
E specifies to submit certain information to the manufacturer and to 
return the parts to the manufacturer, this AD does not require those 
actions.

(j) Special Flight Permits

    Special flight permits are prohibited.

(k) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, International Validation Branch, FAA, has the 
authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the 
procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14 CFR 39.19, 
send your request to your principal inspector or local Flight 
Standards District Office, as appropriate. If sending information 
directly to the manager of the International Validation Branch, send 
it to the attention of the person identified in paragraph (l) of 
this AD and email to: [email protected].
    (2) Before using any approved AMOC, notify your appropriate 
principal inspector, or lacking a principal inspector, the manager 
of the local flight standards district office/certificate holding 
district office.

(l) Additional Information

    For more information about this AD, contact George Weir Aviation 
Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 
11590; phone: (817) 222-4045; email: [email protected].

(m) Material Incorporated by Reference

    (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference of the material listed in this paragraph 
under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.
    (2) You must use this material as applicable to do the actions 
required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
    (i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Emergency AD 
2025-0262-E, dated November 25, 2025.
    (ii) [Reserved]
    (3) For EASA material identified in this AD, contact EASA, 
Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 
000; email: [email protected]; website: easa.europa.eu. You may 
find the EASA material on the EASA website at ad.easa.europa.eu.
    (4) You may view this material at the FAA, Office of the 
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Room 6N-
321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information on the availability of 
this material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110.
    (5) You may view this material at the National Archives and 
Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability 
of this material at NARA, visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations or email [email protected].

    Issued on January 12, 2026.
Steven W. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-00818 Filed 1-15-26; 8:45 am]
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