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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 46 / Thursday, March 11, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
This AD is effective April 15, 2021.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain documents listed in this AD
as of April 15, 2021.
ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this final rule, contact Airbus Helicopters, 2701 N Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, TX 75052;
telephone 9726410000 or 800232
0323; fax 9726413775; or at https
www.airbus.com/helicopters/services/
technical-support.html. 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. It is also available on the internet at https www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No.
FAA20200967.
DATES:

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. FAA2020
0967; 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 AD, the European Aviation Safety Agency now European Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA AD, 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, M
30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kristi Bradley, Aviation Safety Engineer, General Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, International Validation Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX
76177; telephone 817 2225110; email kristin.bradley@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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Discussion 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 Deutschland GmbH Model MBBBK117
A1, MBBBK117 A3, MBBBK117 A
4, MBBBK117 B1, MBBBK117 B2, MBBBK117 C1, and MBBBK117 C
2 helicopters. The NPRM published in the Federal Register on October 26, 2020 85 FR 67694. The NPRM
proposed to require dye-penetrant inspecting the TGB arm for a crack and for any dent, nick, and scratch, and depending on the inspection results,
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replacing the TGB, removing the surface material up to 0.2 mm using 80-grit abrasive paper and repeating the dye penetrant inspection, or finishing the surface with 600-grit or finer abrasive paper. The proposed requirements were intended to detect a crack in the TGB
arm.
The NPRM was prompted by EASA
AD No. 20180046, dated February 19, 2018, issued by EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, to correct an unsafe condition for Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH AHD formerly Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH, Eurocopter Hubschrauber GmbH, Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm GmbH, Airbus Helicopters Inc. formerly American Eurocopter LLC Model MBB
BK117 A1, MBBBK117 A3, MBB
BK117 A4, MBBBK117 B1, MBB
BK117 B2, MBBBK117 C1, and MBBBK117 C2 helicopters. EASA
advises that a crack was detected on a Model MBBBK117 A4 TGB arm and that this condition, if not corrected, could result in disconnection of the arm from the TGB and possible loss of control of the helicopter. To address this unsafe condition, the EASA AD requires an inspection of the TGB arm for a crack and for surface anomalies.
Comments The FAA gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing this final rule. The FAA received comments from two commenters in support of the NPRM.
FAAs Determination These helicopters have been approved by EASA and are approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant to the FAAs bilateral agreement with the European Union, EASA has notified the FAA of the unsafe condition described in its AD. The FAA is issuing this AD
after evaluating all of the information provided by EASA and determining the unsafe condition exists and is likely to exist or develop on other helicopters of these same type designs and that air safety and the public interest require adopting the AD requirements as proposed.
Differences Between This AD and the EASA AD
The EASA AD requires operators to contact Airbus Helicopters if there is a crack or if there is damage that cannot be repaired by removing surface material, whereas this AD requires replacing the TGB instead.

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Related Service Information Under 1
CFR Part 51
The FAA reviewed Airbus Helicopters Alert Service Bulletin ASB MBB
BK117 C265A008 for Model MBB
BK117 C2 helicopters and ASB MBB
BK11730A120 for Model MBBBK117
A1, MBBBK117 A3, MBBBK117 A
4, MBBBK117 B1, MBBBK117 B2, and MBBBK117 C1 helicopters, each Revision 0 and dated January 31, 2018.
The service information contains procedures for inspecting the TGB arm for a crack and surface anomalies.
This service information 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.
Costs of Compliance The FAA estimates that this AD
affects 177 helicopters of U.S. Registry.
Labor rates are estimated at $85 per work-hour. Based on these numbers, the FAA estimates that operators may incur the following costs in order to comply with this AD.
Removing the surface coating and inspecting the TGB arm for a crack takes about 2 work-hours and the cost of materials is minimal, for an estimated cost of $170 per helicopter and $30,090
for the U.S. fleet.
If required, reworking the TGB arm takes about 1 work-hour and the cost of materials is minimal, for an estimated cost of $85 per helicopter. Replacing a TGB with a cracked arm takes about 4.5
work-hours and costs about $69,000 for required parts, for an estimated cost of $69,383 per helicopter.
Authority for This Rulemaking Title 49 of the United States Code specifies the FAAs 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 Agencys 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 helicopters identified in this rulemaking action.

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