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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 119 / Thursday, June 24, 2021 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 39
Docket No. FAA20170432; Project Identifier 2013SW074AD; Amendment 3921587; AD 20211125
RIN 2120AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters Type Certificate Previously Held by Eurocopter France Helicopters Federal Aviation Administration FAA, DOT.
ACTION: Final rule.
AGENCY:

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive AD for certain Airbus Helicopters Type Certificate previously held by Eurocopter France Model AS350B3 and EC130T2
helicopters. This AD was prompted by a report of failure of an engine digital electronic control unit DECU. This AD
requires revising the existing Rotorcraft Flight Manual RFM for your helicopter. The FAA is issuing this AD
to address the unsafe condition on these products.
DATES: This AD is effective July 29, 2021.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain documents listed in this AD
as of July 29, 2021.
ADDRESSES: For Airbus Helicopters service information identified in this final rule, contact Airbus Helicopters, 2701 N Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, TX
75052; telephone 972 6410000 or 800 2320323; fax 972 6413775; or at https www.airbus.com/helicopters/
services/technical-support.html. For Safran Turbomeca service information identified in this final rule, contact Safran Helicopter Engines, S.A., 64511
Bordes, France; phone: +33 0 5 59 74
45 11. You may view the referenced service information at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. The Airbus Helicopters service information is also available at https
www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA2017
0432.
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SUMMARY:

Examining the AD Docket You may examine the AD docket at https www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No.
FAA20170432; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
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holidays. The AD docket contains this final rule, the European Aviation Safety Agency now European Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA AD, the EASA
safety information bulletin SIB, any service information that is incorporated by reference, any comments received, and other information. The street address for Docket Operations is U.S.
Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon Jordan, Rotorcraft Flight Test Pilot, Southwest Section, Flight Test Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone 817 222
5110; email jon.jordan@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking NPRM to amend 14 CFR
part 39 by adding an AD that would apply to Airbus Helicopters Type Certificate previously held by Eurocopter France Model AS350B3 and EC130T2 helicopters with an ARRIEL
2D engine and THALES full authority digital engine control FADEC part number P/N C13165DA00 without amendment A or P/N C13165FA00
without amendment B, installed. The NPRM published in the Federal Register on March 22, 2021 86 FR
15140. In the NPRM, the FAA proposed to require revising the Emergency Procedures of the existing RFM for your helicopter by inserting Appendix 4. of Airbus Helicopters Alert Service Bulletin ASB No. AS35001.00.67 or ASB No. EC13004A004, each Revision 2 and dated February 17, 2014 ASB
AS35001.00.67 and ASB EC130
04A004 or a different document with information identical to that in Appendix 4., as applicable to your helicopter model. As an optional terminating action for the RFM revision, the NPRM proposed to allow installing amendment A on FADEC P/N
C13165DA00 or amendment B on FADEC P/N C13165FA00.
The NPRM was prompted by EASA
AD 20130287, dated December 5, 2013
EASA AD 20130287, issued by EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, to correct an unsafe condition for Eurocopter formerly Eurocopter France, Aerospatiale Model AS 350 B3
and EC 130 T2 helicopters with an ARRIEL 2D engine and THALES FADEC
P/N C13165DA00 or P/N C13165FA00
installed. EASA advises of a report of an in-flight event where the pilot noticed
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that the temporary amber governor GOV light had illuminated, followed by the failure of the vehicle engine monitoring display VEMD screens, and no availability of the automatic or auxiliary engine back-up control ancillary unit EBCAU. Subsequent investigation identified an internal failure of the engine DECU, which led to loss of fuel flow regulation frozen fuel metering unit. This failure was not indicated to the pilot by a red GOV
warning light as expected, but with amber GOV indication and loss of VEMD display instead. EASA also advises that if this fuel metering unit is frozen in the open position, it may lead to a rotor overspeed, and if it is frozen in the closed position, it may lead to unavailability of engine power. EASA
states that this condition, if not addressed, could result in the pilot identifying the type of failure condition incorrectly, possibly resulting in an improper response.
Accordingly, and pending the development of a DECU assembly design improvement, the EASA AD
requires incorporating a new procedure into the Emergency Procedures section of the RFM and informing all flight crews of the RFM change. EASA
considers its AD an interim action and states that further AD action may follow.
After EASA issued EASA AD 2013
0287, EASA issued SIB No. 201323, dated December 19, 2013, for Eurocopter AS 350 B3 and EC 130 T2
helicopters with a Turbomeca ARRIEL
2D engine installed. The SIB
recommends modifying certain electronic engine control units EECUs.
Comments The FAA received comments from an anonymous commenter. The commenter stated that the EECU or DECU is an engine component and requested this be reflected as an engine AD and not an airframe AD. The commenter further stated that this AD is unnecessary because the flight manual revision is required as part of the certification of the aircraft and is already regulatory as the flight manual is an FAA approved manual. The FAA does not agree; EASA, as the state of design authority for Airbus Helicopters, determined that the unsafe condition exists only in the Model AS 350 B3 and EC 130 T2
helicopters. Additionally, one of the actions mitigating the unsafe condition is modification of the RFM.
Consequently, EASA issued AD 2013
0287 against the airframe. As the validating authority, the FAA, in accordance with the bilateral agreement with the European Union, did not find just cause to change the effectivity for
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