preamble attached >>>
ADs updated daily at www.Tdata.com
PROPOSED AD VIKING AIR LIMITED: Docket No. FAA-2017-1038; Product Identifier 2017-CE-024-AD.
(a) COMMENTS DUE DATE

    We must receive comments by December 21, 2017.

(b) AFFECTED ADS

    None.

(c) APPLICABILITY

    This AD applies to Viking Air Limited Models DHC-6-1, DHC-6-100, DHC-6
    -200, DHC-6-300, and DHC-6-400 airplanes, all serial numbers, certifi-
    cated in any category.

(d) SUBJECT

    Air Transport Association of America (ATA) Code 27: Flight Controls.

(e) REASON

    This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information
    (MCAI)  originated  by an  aviation  authority of  another  country to
    identify and correct an unsafe  condition on an aviation product.  The
    MCAI describes the unsafe condition  as aileron cable wear or  fouling
    at the wing root  rib, fuselage skin, and  wing root rib fairlead,  or
    fraying of the cable from the  root rib fairlead. We are issuing  this
    AD to  identify and  correct wear  on the  aileron cable fuselage skin
    cut-out and  on the  wing root  rib fairlead,  and any  fraying of the
    cable from the root rib fairlead,  which could lead to failure of  the
    aileron cable and loss of control.

(f) ACTIONS AND COMPLIANCE

    Unless  already  done,  do the following actions  in paragraphs (f)(1)
    through (5) of this AD:

(1) Within the next 50 hours time-in-service  (TIS)  after  the  effective
    date of  this AD  or before  the aileron  cables have  accumulated 300
    hours  TIS,  whichever  occurs  later,  inspect  the  aileron   cables
    following  the  Accomplishment  Instructions  in  Viking  Air  Limited
    Service Bulletin V6/0022, Revision B, dated June 13, 2014 (SB V6/0022,
    Revision  B).  Inspect  repetitively thereafter  at  intervals  not to
    exceed 500 hours TIS, but not to exceed five inspections (the  initial
    and four repetitives).

(2) If any discrepancies are found  during any of the inspections required
    in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD,  before  further  flight,  replace the
    aileron cable(s)  following  the Accomplishment Instructions in SB V6/
    0022, Revision B.

(3) Upon  completion of the initial  and  four  repetitive inspections de-
    tailed in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD,  resume  the inspections speci-
    fied in the maintenance program.

(4) Within 30 days  after  completion of each inspection detailed in para-
    graphs (f)(1) of this AD,  report  the  results  of each inspection to
    Viking Air Limited in accordance with the reporting instructions in SB
    V6/0022, Revision B.

(5) Installation of new aileron cables  or  re- installation  of  existing
    cables that have been removed for any reason re-starts the inspections
    required in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD.

(g) OTHER FAA AD PROVISIONS

    The following provisions also apply to this AD:

(1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs):  The Manager,  New York ACO
    Branch,  FAA,  has  the authority  to approve  AMOCs for  this AD,  if
    requested using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information
    to ATTN: Erin Hulverson,  Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Boston  ACO Branch,
    1200 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803; telephone: (781) 238-7655;
    fax: (781) 238-7199;  email: erin.hulverson@faa.gov. Before  using any
    approved AMOC on any airplane  to which the AMOC applies,  notify your
    appropriate  principal  inspector  (PI) in  the  FAA  Flight Standards
    District Office (FSDO), or lacking a PI, your local FSDO.

(2) Contacting the Manufacturer:  For any requirement in this AD to obtain
    corrective  actions   from  a   manufacturer,  the   action  must   be
    accomplished using  a method  approved by  the Manager,  New York  ACO
    Branch, FAA; or  Transport Canada; or  Viking Air Limited's  Transport
    Canada Design Organization Approval (DOA). If approved by the DOA, the
    approval must include the DOA-authorized signature.

(3) Reporting  Requirements:  For any reporting requirement in this AD,  a
    federal  agency  may not  conduct  or sponsor,  and  a person  is  not
    required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for
    failure to  comply with  a collection  of information  subject to  the
    requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection  of
    information  displays  a current  valid  OMB Control  Number.  The OMB
    Control Number  for this  information collection  is 2120-0056. Public
    reporting  for  this  collection of  information  is  estimated to  be
    approximately 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing
    instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of  information.
    All  responses  to  this  collection  of  information  are  mandatory.
    Comments concerning the  accuracy of this  burden and suggestions  for
    reducing the burden should be directed to the FAA at: 800 Independence
    Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591, Attn: Information Collection Clearance
    Officer, AES-200.

(h) RELATED INFORMATION

    Refer  to  MCAI Transport Canada AD  Number CF-2017-20,  dated June 7,
    2017 for related information. You may examine the MCAI on the Internet
    at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No.
    FAA-2017-1038. For  service information  related to  this AD,  contact
    Viking Air Limited Technical  Support, 1959 De Havilland  Way, Sidney,
    British Columbia,  Canada, V8L  5V5; telephone:  (North America) (866)
    492-8527; fax: (250) 656-0673; email: technical.support@vikingair.com;
    Internet: http://www.vikingair.com/support/service-bulletins. You  may
    review  this referenced  service information  at the  FAA,  Policy and
    Innovation Division, 901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106.  For in-
    formation on the availability of this material at the FAA,  call (816)
    329-4148.

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri,  on October 20, 2017. Pat  Mullen, Acting
Deputy Director,  Policy and  Innovation Division,  Aircraft Certification
Service.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by December 21, 2017.
PREAMBLE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2017-1038; Product Identifier 2017-CE-024-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Viking Air Limited Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for
Viking Air Limited Models DHC-6-1, DHC-6-100, DHC-6-200, DHC-6-300, and
DHC-6-400 airplanes. This proposed AD results from mandatory continuing
airworthiness information (MCAI) originated by an aviation authority of
another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an
aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as aileron
cable wear or fouling at the wing root rib, fuselage skin, and wing
root rib fairlead, or fraying of the cable from the root rib fairlead.
We are issuing this proposed AD to require actions to address the
unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: We must receive comments on this proposed AD by December 21, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by any of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.

Fax: (202) 493-2251.

Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590.

Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket
Operations, M-30, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

For service information identified in this proposed AD, contact
Viking Air Limited Technical Support, 1959 De Havilland Way, Sidney,
British Columbia, Canada, V8L 5V5; telephone: (North America) (866)
492-8527; fax: (250) 656-0673; email: technical.support@vikingair.com;
Internet: http://www.vikingair.com/support/service-bulletins. You may
review this referenced service information at the FAA, Policy and
Innovation Division, 901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For
information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call (816)
329-4148.

Examining the AD Docket


You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.
gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2017-1038;
or in person at the Docket Management Facility between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket
contains this proposed AD, the regulatory evaluation, any comments
received, and other information. The street address for the Docket
Office (telephone (800) 647-5527) is in the ADDRESSES section. Comments
will be available in the AD docket shortly after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erin Hulverson, Aerospace Engineer,
FAA, Boston ACO Branch, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803;
telephone: (781) 238-7655; fax: (781) 238-7199; email:
erin.hulverson@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

We invite you to send any written relevant data, views, or
arguments about this proposed AD. Send your comments to an address
listed under the ADDRESSES section. Include "Docket No. FAA-2017-1038;
Product Identifier 2017-CE-024-AD" at the beginning of your comments.
We specifically invite comments on the overall regulatory, economic,
environmental, and energy aspects of this proposed AD. We will consider
all comments received by the closing date and may amend this proposed AD
because of those comments.

We will post all comments we receive, without change, to http://
regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. We
will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact we
receive about this proposed AD.

Discussion

Transport Canada, which is the aviation authority for Canada, has
issued AD Number CF-2017-20, dated June 7, 2017 (referred to after this
as "the MCAI"), to correct an unsafe condition for Viking Air Limited
Models DHC-6-1, DHC-6-100, DHC-6-200, DHC-6-300, and DHC-6-400
airplanes. The MCAI states:

There have been reports of accelerated aileron cable wear
because of contact with the fuselage skin cut-out or the wing root
rib. Wear that is not detected can lead to failure of the aileron
cable and loss of control of the aeroplane.

The root cause of this problem has not yet been identified. This
[Transport Canada] AD requires inspection of the aeroplane and
reporting of the inspection results to Viking Air Ltd. This
[Transport Canada] AD is considered an interim action and further AD
action may follow.

Aileron cables are typically replaced at intervals of 60 months
in accordance with the DHC-6 maintenance schedule.

You may examine the MCAI on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov
by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2017-1038.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

Viking Air Limited has issued DHC-6 Twin Otter Service Bulletin
Number: V6/0022, Revision B, dated June 13, 2014. The service
information describes procedures for initial and repetitive inspections
of the aileron cable for aileron cable wear or fouling at the wing root
rib, fuselage skin, and wing root rib fairlead, or fraying of the cable
from the root rib fairlead, and replacement of the aileron cables as
necessary. 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 of this
NPRM.

FAA's Determination and Requirements of the Proposed AD

This product has been approved by the aviation authority of another
country, and is approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant
to our bilateral agreement with this State of Design Authority, they
have notified us of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and
service information referenced above. We are proposing this AD because
we evaluated all information and determined the unsafe condition exists
and is likely to exist or develop on other products of the same type
design.

Costs of Compliance

We estimate that this proposed AD will affect 141 products of U.S.
registry. We also estimate that it would take about 20 work-hours per
product to comply with the basic requirements of this proposed AD. The
average labor rate is $85 per work-hour.

Based on these figures, we estimate the cost of the proposed AD on
U.S. operators to be $239,700, or $1,700 per product.

In addition, the following is an estimate of possible necessary
follow-on replacement actions. We have no way of determining the number
of products that may need these actions.

Action Work-hours * Labor cost (@$85/hour) Parts cost Cost per product
Replace 1 cable 6 $510 $244 $754
Replace 2 cables (on the same wing) 8 680 458 1,138
Replace 2 cables (one on each wing) 12 1,020 488 1,508
Replace all 4 cables (2 per wing) 16 1,360 916 2,336

* Work-hours includes access, testing, and close-up.

Paperwork Reduction Act

A federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not
required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to penalty for
failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the
requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of
information displays a current valid OMB control number. The control
number for the collection of information required by this proposed AD
is 2120-0056. The paperwork cost associated with this proposed AD has
been detailed in the Costs of Compliance section of this document and
includes time for reviewing instructions, as well as completing and
reviewing the collection of information. Therefore, all reporting
associated with this proposed AD is mandatory. Comments concerning the
accuracy of this burden and suggestions for reducing the burden should
be directed to the FAA at 800 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC
20591. ATTN: Information Collection Clearance Officer, AES-200.

Authority for This Rulemaking

Title 49 of the United States Code specifies the FAA's 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 Agency's
authority.

We are 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.

This AD is issued in accordance with authority delegated by the
Executive Director, Aircraft Certification Service, as authorized by
FAA Order 8000.51C. In accordance with that order, issuance of ADs is
normally a function of the Compliance and Airworthiness Division, but
during this transition period, the Executive Director has delegated the
authority to issue ADs applicable to small airplanes and domestic
business jet transport airplanes to the Director of the Policy and
Innovation Division.

Regulatory Findings

We determined that this proposed AD would not have federalism
implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would 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 this proposed
regulation:

(1) Is not a "significant regulatory action" under Executive
Order 12866,

(2) Is not a "significant rule" under the DOT Regulatory Policies
and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979),

(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and

(4) 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 Proposed Amendment

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the FAA proposes to amend 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

PART 39--AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.

Sec. 39.13 [Amended]

2. The FAA amends Sec. 39.13 by adding the following new AD: