AGENCY:
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION:
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
SUMMARY:
The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Helicopters Model EC130B4 helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of inflight detachment of the left-hand (LH) side cabin sliding doors and cases of impact damage on the main rotor blades, which were caused by degradation of the sliding door locking mechanism. This proposed AD would require repetitive checks (measurements) of the load that operates the sliding door opening mechanism, repetitive inspections of the markings of the attachment screws for proper alignment, modifying the attachment system of the sliding door, and corrective actions if necessary, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, which will be incorporated by reference. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
DATES:
The FAA must receive comments on this proposed AD by September 21, 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 Mail address above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
For material incorporated by reference (IBR) in this AD, contact the EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 000; email ADs@easa.europa.eu; internet www.easa.europa.eu. You may find this IBR material on the EASA website at https://ad.easa.europa.eu. You may view this service information at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., 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 in the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-0685.
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-2020-0685; 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 NPRM, 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 FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristi Bradley, Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone 817-222-5485; email Kristin.Bradley@faa.gov.
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-2020-0685; Project Identifier MCAI-2020-00396-R” at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, 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 NPRM based on 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 the FAA receives, 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 the FAA receives about this NPRM.
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 NPRM 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 NPRM, 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 NPRM. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Kristi Bradley, Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone 817-222-5485; email Kristin.Bradley@faa.gov. Any commentary that the FAA receives which is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for this rulemaking.
Discussion
The EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, has issued EASA AD 2020-0069, dated March 24, 2020 (“EASA AD 2020-0069”) (also referred to as the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information, or “the MCAI”), to correct an unsafe condition for all Airbus Helicopters Model EC130B4 helicopters.
This proposed AD was prompted by reports of inflight detachment of the LH side cabin sliding doors and cases of impact damage on the main rotor blades, which were caused by degradation of the sliding door locking mechanism. The FAA is proposing this AD to address degradation of the locking mechanism, which could lead to further events of inflight detachment of a LH side cabin sliding door, and possibly result in damage to the helicopter and injury to persons on the ground. See the MCAI for additional background information.
Related IBR Material Under 1 CFR Part 51
EASA AD 2020-0069 describes procedures for repetitive checks (measurements) of the load that operates the sliding door opening mechanism, repetitive inspections of the markings of the attachment screws of the rear LH upper catch for proper alignment, modifying the attachment system of the sliding door, and corrective actions if necessary. Corrective actions include adjusting the rear LH upper catch to increase the load required to operate the sliding door opening mechanism, inspecting the rear LH upper catch to determine if any anchor nut is not locked, and replacing the anchor nuts of the rear LH upper catch. EASA AD 2020-0069 also specifies that doing the modification of the attachment system of the sliding door is a terminating action for the repetitive inspections of the markings of the attachment screws of the rear LH upper catch for proper alignment.
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 and Requirements of This Proposed AD
This product has been approved by the aviation authority of another country, and is approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant to the FAA's bilateral agreement with the State of Design Authority, the FAA has been notified of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI referenced above. The FAA is proposing this AD because the FAA evaluated all the relevant information and determined the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design.
Proposed AD Requirements
This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified in EASA AD 2020-0069 described previously, as incorporated by reference, except for any differences identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of this proposed AD.
Explanation of Required Compliance Information
In the FAA's ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of the AD process, the FAA initially worked with Airbus and EASA to develop a process to use certain EASA ADs as the primary source of information for compliance with requirements for corresponding FAA ADs. The FAA has since coordinated with other manufacturers and civil aviation authorities (CAAs) to use this process. As a result, EASA AD 2020-0069 will be incorporated by reference in the FAA final rule. This proposed AD would, therefore, require compliance with EASA AD 2020-0069 in its entirety, through that incorporation, except for any differences identified as exceptions in the regulatory text of this proposed AD. Using common terms that are the same as the heading of a particular section in the EASA AD 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 the EASA AD. Service information specified in EASA AD 2020-0069 that is required for compliance with EASA AD 2020-0069 will be available on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-0685 after the FAA final rule is published.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 159 helicopters of U.S. registry. The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed AD:
Estimated Costs for Required Actions
Labor cost | Parts cost | Cost per product | Cost on U.S. operators |
---|---|---|---|
Up to 3 work-hours × $85 per hour = Up to $255 | $0 | Up to $255 | Up to $40,545 |
The FAA estimates the following costs to do any necessary on-condition actions that would be required based on the results of any required actions. The FAA has no way of determining the number of aircraft that might need these on-condition actions:
Estimated Costs of On-Condition Actions
Labor cost | Parts cost | Cost per product |
---|---|---|
1 work-hours × $85 per hour = $85 | $0 | $85 |
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
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
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.
2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD):
Airbus Helicopters: Docket No. FAA-2020-0685; Project Identifier MCAI-2020-00396-R.
(a) Comments Due Date
The FAA must receive comments by September 21, 2020.
(b) Affected ADs
None.
(c) Applicability
This AD applies to all Airbus Helicopters Model EC130B4 helicopters, certificated in any category.
(d) Subject
Air Transport Association (ATA) of America Code 52, Doors.
(e) Reason
This AD was prompted by reports of inflight detachment of the left-hand (LH) side cabin sliding doors and cases of impact damage on the main rotor blades, which were caused by degradation of the sliding door locking mechanism. The FAA is issuing this AD to address degradation of the locking mechanism, which could lead to further events of inflight detachment of a LH side cabin sliding door, and possibly result in damage to the helicopter and injury to persons on the ground.
(f) Compliance
Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified, unless already done.
(g) Requirements
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 2020-0069, dated March 24, 2020 (“EASA AD 2020-0069”).
(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2020-0069
(1) Where EASA AD 2020-0069 refers to its effective date, this AD requires using the effective date of this AD.
(2) Where EASA AD 2020-0069 refers to January 24, 2019 (the effective date of EASA AD 2020-0069), this AD requires using the effective date of this AD.
(3) The “Remarks” section of EASA AD 2020-0069 does not apply to this AD.
(4) The “Parts Installation” allowance provided in paragraph (8) of EASA AD 2020-0069 does not apply to this AD.
(5) Although the service information referenced in EASA AD 2020-0069 specifies to discard certain parts, this AD does not include that requirement.
(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)
(1) The Manager, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this AD. Send your proposal to: Kristi Bradley, Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone 817-222-5485; email 9-ASW-FTW-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov.
(2) For operations conducted under a 14 CFR part 119 operating certificate or under 14 CFR part 91, subpart K, 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.
(j) Related Information
(1) For information about EASA AD 2020-0069, contact the EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, Germany; telephone +49 221 8999 000; email ADs@easa.europa.eu; internet www.easa.europa.eu. You may find this EASA AD on the EASA website at https://ad.easa.europa.eu. You may view this material at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N-321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 817-222-5110. This material may be found in the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-0685.
(2) For more information about this AD, contact Kristi Bradley, Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone 817-222-5485; email Kristin.Bradley@faa.gov.
Issued on July 31, 2020.
Lance T. Gant,
Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-17128 Filed 8-5-20; 8:45 am]
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