2020-02587

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: • the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document • the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to • the agency docket number / agency internal file number • the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration • 14 CFR Part 39 • [Docket No. FAA-2017-0052; Product Identifier 2016-SW-081-AD; Amendment 39-21024; AD 2020-02-11] • RIN 2120-AA64 AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2015-04-04 for Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. (Bell) Model 412 and 412EP helicopters. AD 2015-04-04 required revising the Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) for your helicopter and installing a placard to limit flights to visual flight rules (VFR) and prohibit night operations because of failing inverters. This AD requires replacing the affected inverter with a new inverter. This AD was prompted by numerous failures of inverters. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products. DATES: This AD is effective March 17, 2020. ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this final rule, contact Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc., P.O. Box 482, Fort Worth, TX 76101; telephone 817-280-3391; fax 817-280-6466; or at https://www.bellcustomer.com. You may view this service information at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N-321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. 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. FAA-2017-0052; 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 economic evaluation, any comments received, and other information. The address for Docket Operations is Docket Operations, U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations,M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Beauregard, Aviation Safety Engineer, DSCO Branch, AIR-7J0, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone 817-222-5190; email timothy.beauregard@faa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Discussion The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR part 39 to supersede AD 2015-04-04, Amendment 39-18106 (80 FR 9594, February 24, 2015) (“AD 2015-04-04”). AD 2015-04-04 applied to Bell Model 412 and 412EP helicopters with a static inverter part number (P/N) 412-375-079-101 or 412-375-079-103 with a serial number 29145 or higher installed. The NPRM published in the Federal Register on August 2, 2018 (83 FR 37764). The NPRM was prompted by numerous failures of inverters and a newly introduced improved inverter, which corrects the unsafe condition. Bell determined the root causes of the failures were an external connector that caused a short circuit inside inverter P/N 412-375-079-101 and components chafing because of variations in the assembly process and packaging tolerances for inverter P/N 412-375-079-103. Bell introduced an improved inverter, P/N 412-375-079-105, and retrofit kits to replace inverter P/N 412-375-079-101 or 412-375-079-103 on helicopters with serial numbers 33001 or higher. These replacements and repairs correct the unsafe condition by providing 450 voltage amperes (VA) of total power instead of 500 VA, thereby reducing the input power to the inverter. The NPRM proposed to require thes…

Fonte: Federal Register (federalregister.gov). Texto original em inglês. Conteúdo sanitizado por segurança.