[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 82 (Tuesday, April 28, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 23492-23495]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08902]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2015-3941; Product Identifier 2015-SW-052-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH 
Helicopters

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking (SNPRM); reopening 
of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is revising an earlier proposal for Airbus Helicopters 
Deutschland GmbH (Airbus Helicopters) Model MBB-BK 117A-3, MBB-BK 117A-
4, MBB-BK 117B-1, MBB-BK 117B-2, and MBB-BK 117C-1 helicopters. This 
action revises the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) by expanding 
the applicability and proposing to add requirements to replace certain 
seals with newly certified seals and revise the Rotorcraft Flight 
Manual (RFM) for your helicopter. The FAA is proposing this 
airworthiness directive (AD) to address the unsafe condition on these 
products. Since these actions would impose an additional burden over 
those in the NPRM, the FAA is reopening the comment period to allow the 
public the chance to comment on these changes.

DATES: The comment period for the NPRM published in the Federal 
Register on May 5, 2016 (81 FR 27057), is reopened.
    The FAA must receive comments on this SNPRM by June 12, 2020.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 202-493-2251.
     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.
     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 https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2015-
3941; 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 SNPRM, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (previously 
European Aviation Safety Agency) (EASA) AD, any comments received, and 
other information. The street address for Docket Operations is listed 
above. Comments will be available in the AD docket shortly after 
receipt.
    For service information identified in this SNPRM, 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 https://www.airbus.com/helicopters/services/technical-support.html. You may 
view the referenced service information at the FAA, Office of the 
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N-321, 
Fort Worth, TX 76177.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt Fuller, Senior Aviation Safety 
Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 
10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone 817-222-5110; 
email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or 
arguments about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed 
under the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2015-3941; 
Product Identifier 2015-SW-052-AD'' at the beginning of your comments. 
The FAA specifically invites comments on the overall regulatory, 
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this SNPRM. The FAA will 
consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend this 
SNPRM based on those comments.
    The FAA will post all comments received, without change, to https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. 
The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal 
contact received about this SNPRM.

Discussion

    The FAA issued an NPRM to amend 14 CFR part 39 by adding an AD that 
would apply to Airbus Helicopters Model MBB-BK 117A-3, MBB-BK 117A-4, 
MBB-BK 117B-1, MBB-BK 117B-2, and MBB-BK 117C-1 helicopters with 
adhesive seal part number (P/N) 117-800201.01 installed

[[Page 23493]]

on an exterior or interior sliding door. The NPRM published in the 
Federal Register on May 5, 2016 (81 FR 27057). The NPRM was prompted by 
reports that the adhesive seal prevented the doors from jettisoning 
properly. The NPRM proposed to require removing this part-numbered 
adhesive seal from the exterior and interior of each sliding door. The 
NPRM also proposed to prohibit the installation of this part-numbered 
adhesive seal on any helicopter sliding door.
    EASA, which is the aviation authority for the Member States of the 
European Union, had issued EASA AD No. 2015-0163, dated August 6, 2015 
(EASA AD 2015-0163), to correct an unsafe condition for Airbus 
Helicopters Model MBB-BK 117A-3, MBB-BK 117A-4, MBB-BK 117B-1, MBB-BK 
117B-2, and MBB-BK 117C-1 helicopters. EASA advised that difficulties 
were reported regarding the jettisoning of doors. The malfunction was 
caused by the adhesive seal, which hampered the free movement of the 
inner handle. According to EASA, a subsequent investigation showed that 
the adhesive seal has mechanical and physical properties that do not 
meet relevant certification requirements. EASA stated that this 
condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to a malfunction 
of the door's jettisoning mechanism, reducing or preventing the 
evacuation of the helicopter during an emergency, possibly resulting in 
injury to occupants. To address this condition, EASA AD 2015-0163 
required inspecting the exterior and interior door jettisoning system 
on the left and right sliding doors for adhesive seal P/N 117-800201.01 
and removing those adhesive seals.

Actions Since the NPRM Was Issued

    Since the FAA issued the NPRM, a new adhesive seal P/N has become 
available and the related service information has been revised to 
provide installation instructions for this new seal and instruction to 
use a revised flight manual with preflight check information for the 
new seal. EASA also revised its AD to EASA AD No. 2015-0163R1, dated 
April 27, 2016, to include a reference to the installation of the new 
adhesive seals.
    Accordingly, this SNPRM expands the applicability to include all 
Airbus Helicopters Model MBB-BK 117A-3, MBB-BK 117A-4, MBB-BK 117B-1, 
MBB-BK 117B-2, and MBB-BK 117C-1 helicopters and proposes to require 
installation of the new adhesive seals and revise the RFM for your 
helicopter.
    Additionally, since the NPRM was issued, the website address for 
Airbus Helicopters has changed. This website address has been updated 
in this SNPRM. Lastly, since the NPRM was issued, the FAA's Aircraft 
Certification Service has changed its organization structure. The new 
structure replaces product directorates with functional divisions. The 
FAA has revised some of the office titles and nomenclature throughout 
this proposed AD to reflect the new organizational changes. Information 
about the new structure can be found in the Notice published on July 
25, 2017 (82 FR 34564).

Comments

    The FAA gave the public the opportunity to participate in 
developing this proposed AD. The FAA received no comments on the NPRM 
or on the determination of the cost to the public.

FAA's Determination

    The FAA is proposing this SNPRM after evaluating all known relevant 
information and determining that an unsafe condition is likely to exist 
or develop on other helicopters of these same type designs. Certain 
changes described above expand the scope of the original NPRM. As a 
result, the FAA has determined that it is necessary to reopen the 
comment period to provide additional opportunity for the public to 
comment on this SNPRM.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH Helicopters 
Alert Service Bulletin MBB-BK117-20A-114, Revision 2, dated March 30, 
2016, for Model MBB-BK 117A-3, MBB-BK 117A-4, MBB-BK 117B-1, MBB-BK 
117B-2, and MBB-BK 117C-1 helicopters. This service information 
describes procedures for cleaning and degreasing the seal installation 
areas and installing adhesive seal P/N 117-800201.02. This service 
information also specifies flight manual revisions with preflight check 
information for this new seal.
    The FAA reviewed MBB Helicopters Flight Manual MBB-BK117 A-3, 
Revision 17.1, MBB Helicopters Flight Manual MBB-BK117 A-4, Revision 
16.1, MBB Helicopters Flight Manual MBB-BK117 B-1, Revision 20.1, 
Eurocopter Flight Manual BK117 B-2, Revision 21.2, and Eurocopter 
Flight Manual BK117 C-1, Revision 30.1, each dated March 25, 2015. This 
revision of the service information adds preflight check procedures for 
``Jettisonable sliding door installed, after ASB-BK117-20A-114'' in the 
Normal Procedures section, Preflight Exterior Check, under both 
``Fuselage--right side'' and ``Fuselage--left side'' of the RFM for 
your helicopter.
    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 Requirements of the SNPRM

    If adhesive seal P/N 117-800201.01 is installed, this proposed AD 
would require, within 25 hours time-in-service, removing each adhesive 
seal from the interior and exterior of each sliding door. For all 
helicopters, this proposed AD would require cleaning and degreasing the 
seal installation areas and installing adhesive seal P/N 117-800201.02. 
This proposed AD would also require revising the Normal Procedures 
section, Preflight Exterior Check, under both ``Fuselage--right side'' 
and ``Fuselage--left side'' of the RFM for your helicopter to check the 
condition of the exterior and interior seals.
    This proposed AD would also prohibit the installation of adhesive 
seal P/N 117-800201.01 on any helicopter sliding door.

Differences Between This SNPRM and the EASA AD

    The EASA AD does not mandate the installation of the new adhesive 
seals, whereas this proposed AD would. Model MBB-BK 117 B-2 serial 
number 7203 is affected by the EASA AD, but it is not affected by this 
SNPRM because it is ineligible for U.S. registration.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 45 helicopters of 
U.S. registry. Labor costs are estimated at $85 per work-hour. Based on 
these numbers, the FAA estimates the following costs to comply with 
this proposed AD.
    If installed, removing adhesive seals P/N 117-800201.01 would take 
about 0.5 work-hour for an estimated cost of about $43 per helicopter. 
Installing new seals and revising the RFM for your helicopter would 
take about 1 work-hour and a set of new seals (4 units) would cost 
about $5 for an estimated cost of $90 per helicopter and $4,050 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.

[[Page 23494]]

    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

    The FAA 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 above, I certify this proposed 
regulation:
    1. Is not a ``significant regulatory action'' under Executive Order 
12866,
    2. Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and
    3. 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.

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 adding the following new airworthiness 
directive (AD):

Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH: Docket No. FAA-2015-3941; 
Product Identifier 2015-SW-052-AD.

(a) Applicability

    This AD applies to Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH Model 
MBB-BK 117A-3, MBB-BK 117A-4, MBB-BK 117B-1, MBB-BK 117B-2, and MBB-
BK 117C-1 helicopters, certificated in any category.

(b) Unsafe Condition

    This AD defines the unsafe condition as the presence of sealant 
on a sliding door (door). This condition could result in the door 
failing to jettison, preventing helicopter occupants from exiting 
the helicopter during an emergency.

(c) Comments Due Date

    The FAA must receive comments by June 12, 2020.

(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 after the effective date of 
this AD:
    (i) For helicopters with adhesive seal part number (P/N) 117-
800201.01 installed on an exterior or interior door, remove adhesive 
seal P/N 117-800201.01 from the interior and exterior of each door, 
remove any adhesive using solvent (CM 202 or equivalent) and remove 
any grease using methyl ethyl ketone (CM 217 or equivalent), and 
install adhesive seal P/N 117-800201.02. Refer to Figures 1 through 
4 of Airbus Helicopters Alert Service Bulletin MBB-BK117-20A-114, 
Revision 2, dated March 30, 2016 (ASB MBB-BK117-20A-114) for a 
depiction of the seal installation areas.
    (ii) For helicopters without adhesive seal P/N 117-800201.01 
installed, clean the seal installation areas using solvent (CM 202 
or equivalent), remove any grease using methyl ethyl ketone (CM 217 
or equivalent), and install adhesive seal P/N 117-800201.02. Refer 
to Figures 1 through 4 of ASB MBB-BK117-20A-114 for a depiction of 
the seal installation areas.
    (iii) Revise the Normal Procedures section, Preflight Exterior 
Check, under both ``Fuselage--right side'' and ``Fuselage--left 
side'' of the Rotorcraft Flight Manual for your helicopter by adding 
the information in Figure 1 to paragraph (e)(1)(iii) of this AD or 
by adding the information for ``Jettisonable sliding door installed, 
after ASB-BK117-20A-114'' of the following as applicable for your 
helicopter: MBB Helicopters Flight Manual MBB-BK117 A-3, Revision 
17.1, MBB Helicopters Flight Manual MBB-BK117 A-4, Revision 16.1, 
MBB Helicopters Flight Manual MBB-BK117 B-1, Revision 20.1, 
Eurocopter Flight Manual BK117 B-2, Revision 21.2, or Eurocopter 
Flight Manual BK117 C-1, Revision 30.1, each dated March 25, 2015. 
Using a different document with information identical to the 
information for the ``Jettisonable sliding door installed, after 
ASB-BK117-20A-114'' procedures in the Flight Manual revision 
specified in this paragraph for your helicopter is acceptable for 
compliance with the requirements of this paragraph. This action may 
be performed by the owner/operator (pilot) holding at least a 
private pilot certificate and must be entered into the aircraft 
records showing compliance with this AD in accordance with Sec.  
43.9(a)(1) through (4) and Sec.  91.417(a)(2)(v). The record must be 
maintained as required by Sec.  91.417, Sec.  121.380, or Sec.  
135.439.
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP28AP20.019

    (2) After the effective date of this AD, do not install adhesive 
seal P/N 117-800201.01 on any helicopter door.

(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 Section, Rotorcraft Standards 
Branch, 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, the FAA suggests 
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) For service information related to this AD, 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 https://www.airbus.com/helicopters/services/technical-support.html. You may 
view the referenced service information at the FAA, Office of the 
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy, Room 6N-
321, Fort Worth, TX 76177.

[[Page 23495]]

    (2) The subject of this AD is addressed in European Union 
Aviation Safety Agency (previously European Aviation Safety Agency) 
(EASA) AD No. 2015-0163R1, dated April 27, 2016. You may view the 
EASA AD on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. 
FAA-2015-3941.

(h) Subject

    Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) Code: 5220, Emergency 
Exits.

    Issued on April 22, 2020.
Gaetano A. Sciortino,
Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives, Compliance & Airworthiness 
Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-08902 Filed 4-27-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P