Quiero saber acerca de...

15576

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 55 / Wednesday, March 24, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 39
Docket No. FAA20210194; Project Identifier MCAI202001434R; Amendment 3921482; AD 20210705
RIN 2120AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo S.p.a. Type Certificate Previously Held by Agusta S.p.A. Leonardo Helicopters Federal Aviation Administration FAA, DOT.
ACTION: Final rule; request for comments.
AGENCY:

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive AD 200726
52 which applied to certain Agusta S.p.A. now Leonardo Model A109C, A109E, and A109K2 helicopters. AD
20072652 required inspecting for swelling, deformation, bonding separation, and for a crack on each main rotor blade MRB with a certain partnumbered tip cap installed, and removing the MRB from service before further flight if any of these conditions exist and exceed the prescribed limits.
This AD retains all inspections for certain serial-numbered MRBs, but for MRBs with a certain tip cap installed, this AD requires dye-penetrant inspections rather than visual inspections. This AD was prompted by additional reports of in-flight loss of part of a tip cap. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
DATES: This AD becomes effective April 8, 2021.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain documents listed in this AD
as of April 8, 2021.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain other documents listed in this AD as of January 7, 2002 66 FR 60144, December 3, 2001.
The FAA must receive comments on this AD by May 10, 2021.
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 4932251.
Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M
30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.

khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with RULES

SUMMARY:

VerDate Sep<11>2014

15:49 Mar 23, 2021

Jkt 253001

Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
For Agusta and Leonardo Helicopters service information identified in this final rule, contact Leonardo S.p.a.
Helicopters, Emanuele Bufano, Head of Airworthiness, Viale G.Agusta 520, 21017 C.Costa di Samarate Va Italy;
telephone +390331225074; fax +39
0331229046; or at https
www.leonardocompany.com/en/home.
You may view this service information at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101
Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 817 2225110. It is also available at https www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No.
FAA20210194.
Examining the AD Docket You may examine the AD docket at https www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No.
FAA20210194; 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 European Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA AD, any comments received, and other information. The street address for Docket Operations is listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fred Guerin, Aerospace Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, International Validation Branch, FAA, 2200 South 216th St., Des Moines, WA
98198; telephone 206 2313500; email fred.guerin@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background The FAA issued Emergency AD 2007
2652 on December 20, 2007 and published it as a Final rule; request for comments on May 9, 2008, as Amendment 3915519 73 FR 26316.
AD 20072652 applied to Agusta S.p.A. now Leonardo Model A109C, A109E, and A109K2 helicopters with an MRB part number P/N 709010301all dash numbers installed. AD 2007
2652 required, for any MRB with a serial number S/N with a prefix of either EMor A5-, except a MRB
with a tip cap P/N 709010329109, within 10 hours time-in-service TIS
and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 25 hours TIS:
A tap inspection of the upper and lower sides of each tip cap and in the tip cap to blade bond area for bonding separation;

PO 00000

Frm 00016

Fmt 4700

Sfmt 4700

A visual inspection of the upper and lower side of each blade tip cap for swelling or deformation; and A dye-penetrant inspection of the tip cap leading edge along the welded joint line of the upper and lower tip cap skin shells for a crack.
For any MRB with a tip cap P/N 709
010329109 installed, the AD required visually inspecting for a crack on the leading edge at the welded bead joint line of shells using a 10x or higher power magnifying glass, and if there is damage other than a crack, inspecting the area using a dye-penetrant inspection method, within the following compliance times:
For a tip cap P/N 709010329109
with 600 or more hours TIS, inspect within the next 5 hours TIS or 30 days, whichever occurs first, and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 50 hours TIS; or For a tip cap P/N 709010329109
with less than 600 hours TIS, inspect before reaching 600 hours TIS, and thereafter, at intervals not to exceed 50
hours TIS.
AD 20072652 also required replacing the MRB if swelling, deformation, a crack, or bonding separation that exceeds the prescribed limits is found in an MRB with an affected prefix, except an MRB with a tip cap P/N 709010329109. The MRB must be replaced with an airworthy MRB before further flight. If a crack is found in a MRB with tip cap P/
N 709010329109, then AD 200726
52 required replacing the MRB before further flight. The actions were required to be accomplished in accordance with the manufacturers service information.
AD 20072652 was prompted by EASA AD 20070306E, dated December 14, 2007 EASA AD 2007
0306E. EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, notified the FAA that an unsafe condition may exist on Agusta Model A109C, A109E, and A109K2
helicopters. EASA advises that an incident occurred in which a Model A109E helicopter lost part of the tip of the MRB due to fracture of the welded bead joint line of shells. The manufacturer advised that the investigation relating to this tip cap failure was still ongoing.
Actions Since AD 20072652 Was Issued Since the FAA issued AD 200726
52, EASA issued AD 20200230, dated October 22, 2020 EASA AD 2020
0230, which supersedes EASA AD
20070306E, to correct an unsafe condition for Leonardo S.p.a.
Helicopters, formerly Finmeccanica S.p.A., AgustaWestland S.p.A., Agusta
E:FRFM24MRR1.SGM

24MRR1