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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 92 / Friday, May 14, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
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:
Matthew Fuller, AD Program Manager, Operational Safety Branch, Airworthiness Products Section, General Aviation & Rotorcraft Unit, telephone 817 2225110; email matthew.fuller@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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Background The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking NPRM to amend 14 CFR
part 39 to supersede AD 20152504, Amendment 3918342 80 FR 76381, December 9, 2015, AD 20152504.
AD 20152504 applied to Agusta S.p.A
now Leonardo S.p.a. Model A109A
and A109A II helicopters. The NPRM
published in the Federal Register on March 8, 2021 86 FR 13232. In the NPRM, the FAA proposed to retain the initial and repetitive 25 hours time-inservice TIS inspections required by AD
20152504 and depending on the inspection results, continue to require replacing the slider with an airworthy slider. Additionally, the NPRM
proposed to require, within 800 hours TIS, removing slider part number P/N
1090130117 from service and replacing it with a modified slider P/N
1090130117 marked with an R
after the serial number, which would provide a terminating action for the repetitive inspections. Finally, the NPRM proposed to prohibit installing certain sliders on any helicopter. The NPRM was prompted by EASA AD
20200142, dated June 25, 2020 EASA
AD 20200142, issued by EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, to correct an unsafe condition for Leonardo S.p.a.
Model A109A and A109A II helicopters with a certain part-numbered slider.
EASA AD 20200142 supersedes EASA
AD 20150097, dated June 1, 2015
EASA AD 20150097. EASA AD 2015
0097 was issued after unusual play was detected on a certain part-numbered slider. EASA advised in EASA AD
20150097 that investigation revealed excessive wear of the slider broaching at the point of contact with the tail rotor shaft but that the cause of the excessive play had not been determined. EASA
AD 20152504 prompted the FAA to issue AD 20152504. EASA now advises that further investigation results identified the reason for the excessive play was a manufacturing issue.
Accordingly, EASA AD 20200142
retains the repetitive inspections for a
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certain part-numbered slider, requires replacing a certain part-numbered slider with a modified slider, and provides a terminating action for the repetitive inspections.
Comments The FAA received no comments on the NPRM or on the determination of the costs.
Conclusion 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 about the unsafe condition described in its AD. The FAA reviewed the relevant data and determined that air safety requires adopting this AD as proposed. Accordingly, the FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these helicopters as proposed in the NPRM; however, the paragraphs have been restructured to meet current formatting requirements, and the responsible office for approving Alternative Methods of Compliance has been revised. These changes will neither increase the scope of the AD nor increase the economic burden on any operator.
Related Service Information The FAA reviewed Leonardo Helicopters Alert Service Bulletin No.
109149, Revision A, dated May 18, 2020, which specifies procedures for repetitively inspecting the slider for play. This service information also references procedures for replacing the affected slider with a modified slider.
Differences Between This AD and the EASA AD
The EASA AD requires replacing the affected part-numbered slider within 60
months, while this AD requires replacing the affected slider within 800
hours TIS.
Costs of Compliance The FAA estimates that this AD
affects 147 helicopters of U.S. Registry.
The FAA estimates that operators may incur the following costs in order to comply with this AD. Labor costs are estimated at $85 per work-hour.
Inspecting the slider for play takes about 1 work-hour for an estimated cost of $85 per helicopter and $12,495 for the U.S. fleet per inspection cycle.
Replacing a slider takes about 10 workhours and parts cost about $4,068 for an estimated cost of $4,918 per helicopter and $722,946 for the U.S. fleet.
According to Leonardo Helicopters service information, some of the costs of
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this AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost impact on affected persons. The FAA does not control warranty coverage by Leonardo Helicopters. Accordingly, the FAA has included all costs in this cost estimate.
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 products identified in this rulemaking action.
Regulatory Findings This AD will not have federalism implications under Executive Order 13132. This AD will 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 that this AD:
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 Amendment Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the FAA amends 14 CFR part 39 as follows:
PART 39AIRWORTHINESS
DIRECTIVES
1. The authority citation for part 39
continues to read as follows:

E:FRFM14MYR1.SGM

14MYR1