[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 83 (Friday, April 29, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 25622-25625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-09947]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2015-4031; Directorate Identifier 2014-SW-072-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters (Type Certificate 
Previously Held by Eurocopter France)

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: We propose to supersede airworthiness directive (AD) 2013-15-
03 for Eurocopter France Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, 
AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, and AS350D1 helicopters with a single 
hydraulic system and a certain hydraulic pump drive assembly installed. 
AD 2013-15-03 requires inspecting the hydraulic pump drive bearing 
(bearing) for leaks, rust, overheating, and condition. This proposed AD 
would add a requirement to grease the bearing and inspect for bronze 
particles in the grease, as well as change the inspection and 
inspection intervals of the bearing until it is replaced with an 
improved bearing. These proposed actions are intended to prevent 
hydraulic pump drive belt failure, loss of hydraulic servo assistance, 
and subsequent loss of helicopter control.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by June 28, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Docket: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for sending your 
comments electronically.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     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.
     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 by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2015-
4031; 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 proposed AD, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) 
ADs, 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 proposed rule, contact 
Airbus Helicopters, 2701 N. Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052; 
telephone (972) 641-0000 or (800) 232-0323; fax (972) 641-3775; or at 
http://www.airbushelicopters.com/techpub. You may review service 
information at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel,

[[Page 25623]]

Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N-321, Fort Worth, TX 
76177.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt Wilbanks, Aviation Safety 
Engineer, Regulations and Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 
10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5110; 
email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    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 might 
result from adopting the proposals in this document. The most helpful 
comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, 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 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 proposed rulemaking. Before acting on this proposal, we 
will consider all comments we receive on or before the closing date for 
comments. We will consider comments filed after the comment period has 
closed if it is possible to do so without incurring expense or delay. 
We may change this proposal in light of the comments we receive.

Discussion

    On July 11, 2013, we issued AD 2013-15-03, Amendment 39-17519 (78 
FR 44422, July 24, 2013) for Eurocopter France (now Airbus Helicopters) 
Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, and 
AS350D1 helicopters. AD 2013-15-03 requires visually inspecting the 
bearing for leaks, rust, overheating, and condition and manually 
rotating the bearing and inspecting for friction points, brinelling, 
and noise. If any of these conditions exist, AD 2013-15-03 requires 
replacing the hydraulic pump drive assembly. AD 2013-15-03 was prompted 
by six reports of hydraulic pump drive belt failure caused by bearing 
seizures. These actions are intended to prevent hydraulic pump drive 
belt failure, loss of hydraulic servo assistance, and subsequent loss 
of helicopter control.
    AD 2013-15-03 was prompted by AD No. 2013-0044-E, dated February 
27, 2013, issued by EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member 
States of the European Union, to correct an unsafe condition for 
Eurocopter France Model AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, 
AS350D, and non-FAA type-certificated Model AS350BB helicopters. EASA 
advised of hydraulic pump drive belt failures caused by seizure of the 
bearing. EASA stated that this condition, for helicopters with a single 
hydraulic system, could lead to loss of hydraulic servo assistance and 
an increase in pilot workload to the point that the helicopter needs to 
land as soon as possible. AD No. 2013-0044-E consequently required 
repetitive inspections of the hydraulic pump drive belt and bearing 
and, if required, replacing the hydraulic pump drive assembly.

Actions Since AD 2013-15-03 Was Issued

    Since we issued AD 2013-15-03 (78 FR 44422, July 24, 2013), EASA 
superseded AD No. 2013-0044-E with AD No. 2013-0284-E, dated December 
2, 2013, which added a new greasing procedure and changed the 
inspection, reduced the inspection intervals, and required marking the 
pump support assemblies after corrective action or replacing the pump 
support assemblies as terminating action. EASA AD No. 2013-0284-E 
advised that the hydraulic pump drive failure was caused by accidental 
indentation of the raceways from incorrect fitting of the bearing. 
Airbus Helicopters then introduced a new bearing, part number (P/N) 
704A33651269, to replace bearing P/N 704A33651243. This replacement 
corrects the unsafe condition as it has a reduced pre-loading value, 
which significantly improves its reliability. EASA consequently revised 
AD No. 2013-0284-E with AD No. 2013-0284R1, dated July 25, 2014, to 
exclude helicopters that had replaced the bearing with bearing P/N 
704A33651269.
    Because new cases of hydraulic pump drive bearing seizures 
continued to be reported on bearing P/N 704A33651243, EASA superseded 
AD No. 2013-0284R1 with EASA AD No. 2014-0233, dated October 23, 2014, 
to retain the inspections and require replacement of bearing P/N 
704A33651243 with bearing P/N 704A33651269. Installation of the new 
bearing constitutes terminating action for the repetitive inspections.

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 
its AD. We are proposing this AD because we evaluated all known 
relevant information and determined that an unsafe condition is likely 
to exist or develop on other products of the same type design.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    We reviewed Airbus Helicopters Alert Service Bulletin No. AS350-
63.00.24, Revision 0, dated October 21, 2014 (ASB), for Model AS350B, 
AS350BA, AS350BB, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350D, and military Model 
AS350L1 helicopters with a single hydraulic system and a hydraulic pump 
drive assembly P/N 350A35-0132-00. The ASB calls for mandatory 
replacement of bearing P/N 704A33651243 with bearing P/N 704A33651269 
and introduces a preventative maintenance operation for bearing P/N 
704A33651243 until it is replaced.
    This service information 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.

Proposed AD Requirements

    This proposed AD would require for each bearing with less than 115 
hours time-in-service (TIS), before accumulating 150 hours TIS, and for 
each bearing with 115 or more hours TIS, within 50 hours TIS, and for 
all helicopters thereafter at intervals not to exceed 150 hours TIS:
     Greasing the bearing, performing a test ground run, and 
then inspecting for bronze particles all grease that comes out of the 
bearing during the ground run and all grease around the bearing.
     If there are any bronze particles in the grease, before 
further flight, replacing the bearing with bearing P/N 704A33651269. 
This action would constitute terminating action for the inspections in 
this AD.
    Within 600 hours TIS and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 600 
hours TIS, this proposed AD also would require:
     Visually inspecting the bearing for bronze particles in 
the grease. If there are any bronze particles in the grease, before 
further flight, replacing the bearing with bearing P/N 704A33651269. 
This would constitute terminating action for the inspections in this 
proposed AD.
     Manually rotating the bearing and inspecting for a 
friction point,

[[Page 25624]]

brinelling, and a noise from the bearing. If there is a hard point, any 
brinelling, or any noise from the bearing, before further flight, 
replacing the bearing with an airworthy bearing.
    Replacing bearing P/N 704A33651243 with bearing P/N 704A33651269, 
or replacing hydraulic pump drive assembly P/N 350A35-0132-00 with 
hydraulic pump drive assembly P/N 350A35-0132-01, would constitute 
terminating action for the inspections required by this proposed AD.

Differences Between This Proposed AD and the EASA AD

    The EASA AD applies to Airbus Helicopters Model AS350BB 
helicopters, and this proposed AD would not because the Model AS350BB 
has no FAA-issued type certificate. This proposed AD would apply to 
Model AS350D1 and AS350C helicopters, while the EASA AD does not.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this proposed AD would affect 729 helicopters of 
U.S. Registry and that labor costs average $85 per work hour. Based on 
these estimates, we expect the following costs:
     Greasing and visually inspecting the bearing would require 
1.5 work hours and no parts would be needed. We estimate a total cost 
of $128 per helicopter and $93,312 for the U.S. fleet per inspection 
cycle.
     Inspecting and manually rotating the bearing would require 
2 work hours and no parts would be needed. We estimate a total cost of 
$170 per helicopter and $123,930 for the U.S. fleet per inspection 
cycle.
     Replacing the bearing would require 2 work hours and 
$1,571 for parts, for a total cost of $1,741 per helicopter and 
$1,269,189 for the U.S. fleet.
     Replacing the hydraulic pump drive assembly would require 
2 work hours and $8,543 for parts, for a total cost of $8,713 per 
helicopter and $6,351,777 for the U.S. fleet.

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 proposed AD would not have federalism 
implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would 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 this proposed regulation:
    1. Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive Order 
12866;
    2. Is not a ``significant rule'' under the 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 proposed 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.

The Proposed Amendment

    Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the 
Administrator, the FAA proposes to amend 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 removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 
2013-15-03, Amendment 39-17519 (78 FR 44422, July 24, 2013), and adding 
the following new AD:

Airbus Helicopters (Previously Eurocopter France): Docket No. FAA-
2015-4031; Directorate Identifier 2014-SW-072-AD.

(a) Applicability

    This AD applies to Airbus Helicopters Model AS350B, AS350BA, 
AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350C, AS350D, and AS350D1 helicopters 
with a hydraulic pump drive bearing (bearing) part number (P/N) 
704A33651243 installed, 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) Affected ADs

    This AD supersedes AD 2013-15-03, Amendment 39-17519 (78 FR 
44422, July 24, 2013).

(d) Comments Due Date

    We must receive comments by June 28, 2016.

(e) 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.

(f) Required Actions

    (1) For each bearing with less than 115 hours time-in-service 
(TIS), before accumulating 150 hours TIS, and for each bearing with 
115 or more hours TIS, within 50 hours TIS, and for all helicopters 
thereafter at intervals not to exceed 150 hours TIS:
    (i) Grease each bearing in accordance with the Accomplishment 
Instructions, paragraph 3.B.2.b., of Airbus Helicopters Alert 
Service Bulletin No. AS350-63.00.24, Revision 0, dated October 21, 
2014 (ASB).
    (ii) Perform a test ground run. Inspect all grease that comes 
out of the bearing during the ground run and all grease around the 
bearing for bronze particles.
    (iii) If there are any bronze particles in the grease, before 
further flight, replace the bearing with bearing P/N 704A33651269. 
This constitutes terminating action for the inspections in this AD.

    Note 1 to paragraph (f)(1)(iii) of this AD: Hydraulic pump drive 
assembly P/N 350A35-0132-01 is fitted with bearing P/N 704A33651269.

    (2) Within 600 hours TIS and thereafter at intervals not to 
exceed 600 hours TIS:
    (i) Visually inspect the bearing for bronze particles in the 
grease. If there are any bronze particles in the grease, before 
further flight, replace the bearing with bearing P/N 704A33651269. 
This constitutes terminating action for the inspections in this AD.
    (ii) Manually rotate the bearing and inspect for a friction 
point, brinelling, and a noise from the bearing. If there is a hard 
point, any brinelling, or any noise from the bearing, before further 
flight, replace the bearing with bearing P/N 704A33651269.
    (3) Replacing bearing P/N 704A33651243 with bearing P/N 
704A33651269, or replacing hydraulic pump drive assembly P/N 350A35-
0132-00 with hydraulic pump

[[Page 25625]]

drive assembly, P/N 350A35-0132-01, constitutes terminating action 
for the inspections required by this AD.

(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, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, Fort 
Worth, TX 76177; 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

    The subject of this AD is addressed in European Aviation Safety 
Agency (EASA) AD No. 2014-0233, dated October 23, 2014. You may view 
the EASA AD on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket 
No. FAA-2015-4031.

(i) Subject

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

    Issued in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 21, 2016.
Scott A. Horn,
Acting Manager, Rotorcraft Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-09947 Filed 4-28-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P