Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters

[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 21 (Monday, February 2, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 4431-4434]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01955]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2026-0732; Project Identifier MCAI-2026-00008-R; 
Amendment 39-23249; AD 2026-01-51]
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 adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all 
Airbus Helicopters Model H160-B helicopters. The FAA previously sent 
this AD as an emergency AD to all known U.S. owners and operators of 
these helicopters. This emergency AD was prompted by a report of the 
main rotor pitch rod rupturing during flight. This AD requires 
replacing the upper and lower pitch rod end bearings on the pitch rods 
of the main rotor with new pitch rod end bearings and reporting 
information after accomplishment of the replacement. This emergency AD 
also prohibits installing any affected main rotor lower and upper pitch 
rod end bearings on any helicopter, unless it is a serviceable part. 
The FAA is issuing this emergency AD to address the unsafe condition on 
these products.

DATES: This AD is effective February 17, 2026. Emergency AD 2026-01-51, 
issued on January 12, 2026, which contained the requirements of this 
amendment, was effective with actual notice.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of a certain publication identified in this AD as of February 
17, 2026.
    The FAA must receive comments on this AD by March 19, 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-2026-0732; 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

[[Page 4432]]

Parkway, Room 6N-321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information on the 
availability of this material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110. It is 
also available at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2026-0732.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Evan Weaver, Aviation Safety Engineer, 
FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (316) 
946-4152; 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-2026-0732; Project Identifier MCAI-
2026-00008-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 Evan 
Weaver, 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 Emergency AD 2026-01-51, dated January 12, 2026 
(Emergency AD 2026-01-51) (also referred to as the emergency AD), to 
address an unsafe condition on all Airbus Helicopters Model H160-B 
helicopters. The FAA sent the emergency AD to all known U.S. owners and 
operators of these helicopters. The emergency AD requires replacing the 
upper and lower pitch rod end bearings on the pitch rods of the main 
rotor with new pitch rod end bearings and reporting information after 
accomplishment of the replacement. The emergency AD also prohibits 
installing any affected main rotor lower and upper pitch rod end 
bearings on any helicopter, unless it is a serviceable part.
    Emergency AD 2026-01-51 was prompted by Emergency AD 2026-0001-E, 
dated January 8, 2026; corrected January 9, 2026 (EASA Emergency AD 
2026-0001-E) (also referred to as the MCAI), issued by EASA, which is 
the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, to 
correct an unsafe condition on all Airbus Helicopters Model H160-B 
helicopters. The MCAI states that pilots reported significant 
vibrations during flight and a subsequent investigation revealed a 
rupture of a main rotor pitch rod. The MCAI was intended to address the 
failure of the main rotor lower pitch rod end bearing part number (P/N) 
U623A30T1002 and U623A30T1006 (manufacturer P/N 12-14043P and 12-
14631P), and main rotor upper pitch rod end bearing P/N U623A30T1001 
and U623A30T1005 (manufacturer P/N 12-14042P and 12-14630P). EASA 
considers the MCAI an interim action. This condition, if not addressed, 
could result in structural failure of the main rotor pitch rod with 
consequent loss of control of the helicopter.
    The FAA is issuing this emergency AD to address the structural 
failure of the main rotor lower and upper pitch rod end bearings. This 
condition, if not addressed, could result in structural failure of the 
main rotor pitch rod with consequent loss of control of the helicopter.
    You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket at regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FAA-2026-0732.

Material Incorporated by Reference Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed EASA Emergency AD 2026-0001-E, which specifies 
procedures for replacing the upper and lower pitch rod end bearings on 
the pitch rods of the main rotor with new pitch rod end bearings. EASA 
Emergency AD 2026-0001-E also prohibits installing any affected main 
rotor lower and upper pitch rod end bearings that are not new parts 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 emergency AD requires accomplishing the actions specified in 
EASA Emergency AD 2026-0001-E, described previously, as incorporated by 
reference, except for any differences identified as exceptions in the 
regulatory text of this emergency 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 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 2026-0001-E is 
incorporated by reference in this emergency AD. This emergency AD 
requires compliance with EASA Emergency AD 2026-0001-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 2026-0001-E does not mean that operators need comply only with that 
section. For example, where the emergency AD requirement refers to 
``all required actions and compliance times,'' compliance with this 
emergency AD requirement is not limited to the section titled 
``Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s)'' in EASA Emergency AD 
2026-0001-E. Material required by EASA Emergency AD 2026-

[[Page 4433]]

0001-E for compliance will be available at regulations.gov under Docket 
No. FAA-2026-0732 after this AD is published.

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 required the immediate adoption of 
Emergency AD 2026-01-51, issued on January 12, 2026, to all known U.S. 
owners and operators of these helicopters. The FAA found that the risk 
to the flying public justified forgoing notice and comment prior to 
adoption of this rule because there is a significant risk of structural 
failure in the lower or upper main rotor pitch rod end bearings of 
helicopters that have exceeded 160 hours time-in-service (TIS) on the 
affected parts. Given the urgency, the FAA permits only one additional 
flight of maximum duration of 5 hours TIS before the mandatory 
replacement of these parts. This compliance time is shorter than the 
time necessary for the public to comment and for the publication of the 
final rule. These conditions still exist, therefore, 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 forego 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 emergency 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 13 helicopters of U.S. 
registry.
    The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this AD:

                                                                     Estimated Costs
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Action                    Labor cost                  Parts cost                    Cost per product             Cost on U.S. operators
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Replace the upper and lower pitch  8 work-hours x $85    Up to $134,570.................  Up to $135,250.................  Up to $1,758,250
 rod end bearings.                  per hour = $680.
Report per replacement cycle.....  1 work-hour x $85     $0.............................  $85............................  $1,105
                                    per hour = $85.
Return of parts per replacement    1 work-hour x $85     $50............................  $135...........................  $1,755
 cycle.                             per hour = $85.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FAA has received no definitive data to provide cost estimates 
for the return of parts, except the FAA estimates that it would take 
about 1 work-hour per product to comply with the associated paperwork 
necessary for the return of parts and cost approximately $50 to ship.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 
required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for 
failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the 
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of 
information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number. The OMB 
Control Number for this information collection is 2120-0056. Public 
reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be 
approximately 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing 
instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and 
maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the 
collection of information. All responses to this collection of 
information are mandatory. Send comments regarding this burden estimate 
or any other aspect of this collection of information, including 
suggestions for reducing this burden, to: Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood 
Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177-1524.

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:

[[Page 4434]]

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:

2026-01-51 Airbus Helicopters: Amendment 39-23249; Docket No. FAA-
2026-0732; Project Identifier MCAI-2026-00008-R.

(a) Effective Date

    The FAA issued Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2026-01-51 
on January 12, 2026 (also referred to as the emergency AD), directly 
to affected owners and operators. As a result of such actual notice, 
that emergency AD was effective for those owners and operators on 
the date it was received. This emergency AD contains the same 
requirements as the emergency AD and, for those who did not receive 
actual notice, is effective on February 17, 2026.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This emergency AD applies to all Airbus Helicopters Model H160-B 
helicopters, certificated in any category.

(d) Subject

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

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This emergency AD was prompted by a report of the main rotor 
pitch rod rupturing during flight. The FAA is issuing this emergency 
AD to address the structural failure of the main rotor lower and 
upper pitch rod end bearings. This condition, if not addressed, 
could result in structural failure of the main rotor pitch rod with 
consequent loss of control of the helicopter.

(f) Compliance

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

(g) Required Actions

    Except as specified in paragraph (h) of this AD: Comply with all 
required actions and compliance times specified in, and in 
accordance with European Union Aviation Safety Agency Emergency AD 
2026-0001-E, dated January 8, 2026; corrected January 9, 2026 (EASA 
Emergency AD 2026-0001-E).

(h) Exceptions to EASA Emergency AD 2026-0001-E

    (1) Where EASA Emergency AD 2026-0001-E refers to its effective 
date, this AD requires using the date of receipt of this emergency 
AD.
    (2) Where EASA Emergency AD 2026-0001-E requires compliance in 
terms of flight hours, this emergency AD requires using hours time-
in-service.
    (3) Where the material referenced in EASA Emergency AD 2026-
0001-E specifies ``check'', this emergency AD requires replacing 
that text with ``inspect''.
    (4) This emergency AD does not adopt the ``Remarks'' section of 
EASA Emergency AD 2026-0001-E.

(i) Special Flight Permits

    Special flight permits are prohibited.

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, International Validation Branch, FAA, has the 
authority to approve AMOCs for this emergency 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 (k) of 
this emergency 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.

(k) Additional Information

    For more information about this emergency AD, contact Evan 
Weaver, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 1600 Stewart Avenue, Suite 
410, Westbury, NY 11590; phone: (316) 946-4152; email: 
[email protected].

(l) 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 emergency AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
    (i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) Emergency AD 
2026-0001-E, dated January 8, 2026; corrected January 9, 2026.
    (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 28, 2026.
Steven W. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-01955 Filed 1-30-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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