[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 44 (Friday, March 6, 2026)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 10965-10968]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04451]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2026-2288; Project Identifier MCAI-2026-00079-R;
Amendment 39-23281; AD 2026-05-08]
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 adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all
Airbus Helicopters Model H160-B helicopters. This AD was prompted by a
report of the main rotor pitch rod rupturing during flight. This AD
requires inspecting the upper and lower pitch rod end bearings on the
pitch rods of the main rotor and depending on the results, corrective
actions. This AD also requires reporting the results of the inspection.
The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these
products.
DATES: This AD is effective March 23, 2026.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by
reference of a certain publication listed in this AD as of March 23,
2026.
The FAA must receive comments on this AD by April 20, 2026.
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 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 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-2026-2288; 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:
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.
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. It is also available at
regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-2026-2288.
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-2026-2288; Project Identifier MCAI-
2026-00079-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
[[Page 10966]]
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
EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the
European Union, has issued EASA AD 2026-0020, dated January 27, 2026
(EASA AD 2026-0020) (also referred to as the MCAI), to correct an
unsafe condition on all Airbus Helicopters (AH) 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 and a permanent plastic deformation
of the pitch rod in the failure area. EASA issued Emergency AD 2026-
001-E, dated January 8, 2026; corrected January 9, 2026 (EASA EAD 2026-
001-E) (which corresponds to FAA AD 2026-01-51) as an interim action to
repetitively replace the affected parts: 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). The MCAI is a supplementary measure to perform a one-
time inspection of the affected parts; EASA EAD 2026-001-E is not
superseded. EASA considers the MCAI an interim action.
The FAA is issuing this 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-2026-2288.
Material Incorporated by Reference Under 1 CFR Part 51
The FAA reviewed EASA AD 2026-0020, which specifies procedures for
a one-time inspection of the upper and lower pitch rod end bearings on
the pitch rods of the main rotor. Depending on the results, EASA AD
2026-0020 requires contacting AH for approved corrective actions. EASA
AD 2026-0020 also requires the inspection results to be reported to AH.
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 requires accomplishing the actions specified in the EASA AD
2026-0020, described previously, as incorporated by reference, except
for any differences identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of
this AD. See ``Differences Between this AD and the MCAI'' for a
discussion of the general differences included in this AD.
Differences Between This AD and the MCAI
The MCAI specifies reporting the results of the inspection within 7
days, whereas this AD requires reporting the results within 10 days.
Interim Action
The FAA considers that this AD is an interim action. If final
action is later identified, the FAA might consider additional
rulemaking.
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 AD 2026-0020 is incorporated
by reference in this AD. This AD requires compliance with EASA AD 2026-
0020 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 AD 2026-0020 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 AD 2026-0020. Material required by
EASA AD 2026-0020 for compliance will be available at regulations.gov
under Docket No. FAA-2026-2288 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 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 there is a significant risk of structural failure in the lower
or upper main rotor pitch rod end bearings of helicopters and the
inspection must be accomplished within 5 hours time-in-service. The
compliance time in this AD 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 the FAA has determined
that it has good cause to adopt this rule without prior notice and
comment, RFA analysis is not required.
[[Page 10967]]
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
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Cost per Cost on U.S.
Action Labor cost Parts cost product operators
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Inspect the upper and lower pitch rod 1 work-hour x $85 per $0 $85 $1,105
end bearings (ten total). hour = $85.
Reporting inspection result........... 1 work-hour x $85 per 0 85 1,105
hour = $85.
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The FAA estimates the following costs to do any replacements that
would be required based on the results of the inspection. The agency
has no way of determining the number of helicopters that might need
these replacements:
On-Condition Costs
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Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per product
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Replace the upper and lower pitch 8 work-hours x $85 Up to $134,570............ Up to $135,250.
rod end bearings. per hour = $680.
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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 take
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:
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:
2026-05-08 Airbus Helicopters: Amendment 39-23281; Docket No. FAA-
2026-2288; Project Identifier MCAI-2026-00079-R.
(a) Effective Date
This airworthiness directive (AD) is effective March 23, 2026.
(b) Affected ADs
None.
(c) Applicability
This AD applies to all Airbus Helicopters Model H160-B
helicopters, certificated in any category.
(d) Subject
Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) Code 6200, Main Rotor
System.
(e) Unsafe Condition
This AD was prompted by a report of the main rotor pitch rod
rupturing during flight. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the
structural failure of the main rotor lower and upper pitch rod end
bearings. The unsafe 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 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 (EASA) AD
2026-0020, dated January 27, 2026 (EASA AD 2026-0020).
[[Page 10968]]
(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2026-0020
(1) Where EASA AD 2026-0020 refers to its effective date, this
AD requires using the effective date of this AD.
(2) Where EASA AD 2026-0020 requires compliance in terms of
flight hours, this AD requires using hours time-in-service.
(3) Where paragraph (2) of EASA AD 2026-0020 specifies to
``before further flight, contact AH [Airbus helicopters] for the
approved corrective actions(s) instructions, and within the
compliance time specified therein'', this AD requires replacing that
text with ``before further flight, repair any discrepancy using a
method approved by the Manager, International Validation Branch,
FAA; or EASA; or Airbus Helicopters' EASA Design Organization
Approval (DOA). If approved by the DOA, the approval must include
the DOA-authorized signature''.
(4) Where paragraph (3) of EASA AD 2026-0020 specifies to
``Within 7 days'', this AD requires replacing that text with
``Within 10 days''.
(5) Where the material referenced in EASA AD 2026-0020 specifies
``check'', this AD requires replacing that text with ``inspection''.
(6) Where the material referenced in EASA AD 2026-0020 specifies
if a minimum of one out of roundness value is equal to or more than
0.3 mm (.012 in) ``contact Airbus Helicopters for further
instructions before resuming flights'', this AD requires replacing
that text with ``before further flight, perform corrective actions
using a method approved by the Manager, International Validation
Branch, FAA; or EASA; or Airbus Helicopters' EASA DOA. If approved
by the DOA, the approval must include the DOA-authorized
signature''.
(7) This AD does not adopt the ``Remarks'' section of EASA AD
2026-0020.
(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 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 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 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 AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
(i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 2026-0020,
dated January 27, 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 February 27, 2026.
Steven W. Thompson,
Acting Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-04451 Filed 3-5-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P