[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 143 (Thursday, July 25, 2013)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 44897-44899]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-17864]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2013-0381; Directorate Identifier 2013-NE-16-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Turbomeca S.A. Turboshaft Engines
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
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SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all
Turbomeca S.A. Arrius 2B1, 2B1A, 2B2, and 2K1 turboshaft engines. This
proposed AD was prompted by in-flight shutdowns caused by interrupted
fuel supply at the hydro-mechanical metering unit (HMU). This proposed
AD would require initial and repetitive inspections of the HMU high
pressure pump drive gear shaft splines, cleaning and inspections of the
sleeve assembly splines, and replacement of the HMU if it fails
inspection. We are proposing this AD to prevent in-flight shutdown and
damage to the engine.
DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by September 23,
2013.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the instructions for sending your
comments electronically.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: 202-493-2251.
For service information identified in this AD, contact Turbomeca,
S.A., 40220 Tarnos, France; phone: 33 (0)5 59 74 40 00; telex: 570 042;
fax: 33 (0)5 59 74 45 15. You may view this service information at the
FAA, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park,
Burlington, MA. For information on the availability of this material at
the FAA, call 781-238-7125.
Examining the AD Docket
You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov; 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 mandatory
continuing airworthiness information (MCAI), the regulatory evaluation,
any comments received, and other information. The street address for
the Docket Operations office (phone: 800-647-5527) is the same as the
Mail address provided in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be
available in the AD docket shortly after receipt.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frederick Zink, Aerospace Engineer,
Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12
New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; phone: 781-238-7779;
fax: 781-238-7199; email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or
arguments about this proposed AD. Send your comments to an address
listed under the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2013-0381;
Directorate Identifier 2013-NE-16-AD'' at the beginning of your
comments. We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory,
economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this proposed AD. We
will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend
this proposed AD based on those comments.
We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. We
will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact
with FAA personnel concerning this proposed AD. Using the search
function of the Web site, anyone can find and read the comments in any
of our dockets, including, if provided, the name of the individual who
sent the comment (or signed the comment on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You may view the DOT's complete Privacy
Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65
FR 19477-78).
Discussion
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical
Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has issued EASA
AD 2013-
[[Page 44898]]
0082, dated April 2, 2013, referred to hereinafter as ``the MCAI'', to
correct an unsafe condition for the specified products. The MCAI
states:
A number of in-flight shutdown occurrences have been reported
for Arrius 2 engines. The results of the technical investigations
concluded that these events were caused by deterioration of the
splines on the high pressure (HP)/low pressure (LP) pump assembly
drive shaft of the hydro-mechanical metering unit (HMU), which
eventually interrupted the fuel supply to the engine.
This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to
further cases of engine in-flight shutdown, possibly resulting in
forced landing.
To address these occurrences, Turbomeca published Service
Bulletin (SB) No. SB 319 73 2825, which provides inspection
instructions. After that SB was issued, further similar occurrences
prompted Turbomeca to perform a new assessment of the issue. As a
result, it was determined that repetitive inspections of the HMU,
including an additional inspection of the sleeve assembly, was
necessary to address the issue. Those instructions are provided in
Turbomeca Mandatory SB (MSB) No. SB 319 73 2825 version G.
For the reasons described above, this AD requires repetitive
inspections of drive gear shaft splines of the HP pump, and
depending on findings, accomplishment of applicable corrective
actions.
You may obtain further information by examining the MCAI in the AD
docket. We are proposing this AD to prevent in-flight shutdown and
damage to the engine.
Relevant Service Information
Turbomeca S.A. has issued Mandatory Service Bulletin No. SB 319 73
2825, Version G, dated January 24, 2013. The service information
describes procedures for correcting the unsafe condition described in
the MCAI.
FAA's Determination and Requirements of This Proposed AD
This product has been approved by the aviation authority of France,
and is approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant to our
bilateral agreement with the European Community, EASA has notified us
of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and service information
referenced above. We are proposing this AD because we evaluated all
information provided by EASA and determined the unsafe condition exists
and is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type
design. This proposed AD would require initial and repetitive
inspections and cleaning of the HMU high pressure pump drive gear shaft
splines, cleaning and inspections of the sleeve assembly splines, and
replacement of the HMU if it fails inspection.
Costs of Compliance
We estimate that this proposed AD would affect 162 engines
installed on helicopters of U.S. registry. We also estimate that it
would take about one hour per engine to comply with this proposed AD.
The average labor rate is $85 per hour. Required parts cost about $753
per engine. Based on these figures, we estimate the cost of the
proposed AD on U.S. operators to be $135,756.
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 above, 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 a regulatory 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 adding the following new airworthiness
directive (AD):
Turbomeca S.A.: Docket No. FAA-2013-0381; Directorate Identifier
2013-NE-16-AD.
(a) Comments Due Date
We must receive comments by September 23, 2013.
(b) Affected ADs
None.
(c) Applicability
This AD applies to all Turbomeca S.A. Arrius 2B1, 2B1A, 2B2, and
2K1 turboshaft engines.
(d) Reason
This AD was prompted by in-flight shutdowns caused by
interrupted fuel supply at the hydro-mechanical metering unit (HMU).
We are issuing this AD to prevent in-flight shutdown and damage to
the engine.
(e) Actions and Compliance
Unless already done, do the following actions.
(f) Initial Visual Inspection for HMUs Not Previously Inspected
(1) On the effective date of this AD, for those HMUs that have
not previously been inspected per Turbomeca Mandatory Service
Bulletin (MSB) No. SB 319 73 2825, Version G, dated January 24,
2013, or earlier versions; perform an initial visual inspection of
HMU aft splines of the high pressure pump for wear, corrosion,
scaling, or cracks, and clean and inspect the sleeve assembly
splines for wear, corrosion, scaling, or cracks, at the following:
(i) For HMUs that have accumulated more than 150 operating hours
(OHs) since new or since last overhaul, within 50 HMU OHs after
effective date of this AD.
(ii) For HMUs that have accumulated 150 or fewer OHs since new
or since last overhaul, before exceeding 200 HMU OHs.
[[Page 44899]]
(g) Initial Visual Inspection for HMUs That Have Been Previously
Inspected
(1) On the effective date of this AD, for those HMUs that have
been previously inspected per Turbomeca MSB No. SB 319 73 2825,
Version G, dated January 24, 2013, or earlier versions; perform a
visual inspection of HMU aft splines of the high pressure pump for
wear, corrosion, scaling, or cracks, and clean and inspect the
sleeve assembly splines for wear, corrosion, scaling, or cracks, at
the following:
(i) For HMUs that have accumulated 300 OHs or more since last
inspection, within 200 HMU OHs after effective date of this AD.
(ii) For HMUs that have accumulated fewer than 300 OHs since
last inspection, before exceeding 500 HMU OHs.
(h) Repetitive Visual Inspections of HMUs
(1) Thereafter, repetitively visually inspect the HMU aft
splines of the high pressure pump, and clean and inspect the sleeve
assembly splines for wear, corrosion, scaling, or cracks, at
intervals not to exceed 500 HMU OHs.
(2) If, during any initial or repetitive inspection required by
this AD, an HMU does not pass inspection, then before further
flight, replace the sleeve assembly on the affected high pressure
pump drive gear shaft or replace the affected HMU.
(i) Installation Prohibition
After the effective date of this AD, do not install any engine
on any helicopter unless the HMU was inspected as required by this
AD.
(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)
The Manager, Engine Certification Office, FAA, may approve AMOCs
to this AD. Use the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19 to make your
request.
(k) Related Information
(1) For more information about this AD, contact Frederick Zink,
Aerospace Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine &
Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA
01803; email: [email protected]; phone: 781-238-7779; fax: 781-
238-7199.
(2) Refer to European Aviation Safety Agency, AD 2013-0082,
dated April 2, 2013, for more information. You may examine the AD on
the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov.
(3) Turbomeca MSB No. SB 319 73 2825, Version G, dated January
24, 2013, which is not incorporated by reference in this AD, can be
obtained from Turbomeca, S.A. using the contact information in
paragraph (k)(4) of this AD.
(4) For service information identified in this AD, contact
Turbomeca, S.A., 40220 Tarnos, France; phone: 33 (0)5 59 74 40 00;
telex: 570 042; fax: 33 (0)5 59 74 45 15.
(5) You may view this service information at the FAA, Engine &
Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington,
MA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA,
call 781-238-7125.
Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on July 18, 2013.
Colleen M. D'Alessandro,
Assistant Manager, Engine & Propeller Directorate, Aircraft
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-17864 Filed 7-24-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P