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2019-09-04 LEONARDO S.P.A. (TYPE CERTIFICATE PREVIOUSLY HELD BY FINMECCANICA S.P.A., AGUSTAWESTLAND S.P.A.):
Amendment 39-19638; Docket No. FAA-2018-0726; Product Identifier 2017-SW-097-AD.

(a) APPLICABILITY

    This AD applies to Leonardo S.p.A.  (Type Certificate  previously held
    by Finmeccanica S.p.A., AgustaWestland S.p.A.)  Model AW109SP helicop-
    ters,  certificated in any category,  with a rescue hoist  part number
    109-B810-16-101 or 109-B810-16-201 installed.

(b) UNSAFE CONDITION

    This AD  defines the  unsafe condition  as chafing  of a  rescue hoist
    cable. This condition could result  in detachment of an external  load
    and subsequent injury to persons being lifted.

(c) EFFECTIVE DATE

    This AD is effective July 3, 2019.

(d) COMPLIANCE

    You are  responsible for  performing each  action required  by this AD
    within  the  specified  compliance time  unless  it  has already  been
    accomplished prior to that time.

(e) REQUIRED ACTIONS

(1) Within 10 hours time-in-service (TIS)  or before the next hoist opera-
    tion, whichever occurs first, inspect the rescue hoist handle assembly
    and the upper part of the cabin doorframe for chafing. The  inspection
    area  of  the  cabin doorframe  is depicted  in Figure  3 of  Leonardo
    Helicopters Bollettino Tecnico No. 109SP-110,  dated February 13, 2017
    (BT 109SP-110).  Examples of chafing are shown in Figures 10 and 11 of
    BT 109SP-110.  If there is any chafing, before further flight,  repair
    the chafed areas and inspect the first 6 meters (20 feet) of the hoist
    cable as follows:

(i) Measure the diameter of the hoist cable as described in the Compliance
    Instructions, Part I, paragraphs 3.4.1 through 3.4.2 of BT 109SP-110.

(ii) Average the two measurements at each location. If at any location the
     diameter of the hoist cable is less than 4.7 mm (0.185 inch),  before
     the next hoist operation, remove the hoist cable from service.

(iii) Inspect  the  hoist  cable  for  broken wires,  kinks,  bird caging,
      flattened  areas,  abrasion,  and necking,  referencing the examples
      shown and depicted in Figures 5 through 9 of BT 109SP-110.  If there
      are any broken wires, kinks, bird caging, flattened areas, abrasion,
      or necking, before the next hoist operation,  remove the hoist cable
      from service.

(2) Within 25 hours TIS,  replace the rescue hoist handle  attaching hard-
    ware as described in the Compliance Instructions, Part II,  paragraphs
    3 through 6, of BT 109SP-110.

(f) SPECIAL FLIGHT PERMITS

    A one-time special flight permit  may  be  granted  provided  that the
    hoist is not used.

(g) ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF COMPLIANCE (AMOCS)

(1) The Manager,  Safety Management Section,  Rotorcraft Standards Branch,
    FAA,  may  approve  AMOCs  for  this  AD. Send your proposal to: David
    Hatfield,  Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotor-
    craft Standards Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Ft Worth, TX 76177;
    telephone (817) 222-5110; email 9-ASWFTW-AMOC-Requests@faa.gov.

(2) For operations conducted under a 14 CFR part 119 operating certificate
    or under 14 CFR  part 91, subpart K,  we suggest that you  notify your
    principal inspector, or lacking a principal inspector, the manager  of
    the  local flight  standards district  office  or  certificate holding
    district office, before operating any aircraft complying with this  AD
    through an AMOC.

(h) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

    The subject of this AD is addressed in European Aviation Safety Agency
    (EASA) AD No. 2017-0025, dated February 14, 2017.  You  may  view  the
    EASA AD on the internet  at  http://www.regulations.gov  in Docket No.
    FAA-2018-0726.

(i) SUBJECT

    Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) Code:  2500,  Cabin Equipment/
    Furnishings.

(j) MATERIAL INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

(1) The Director of the Federal Register  approved  the  incorporation  by
    reference of the service information listed  in this paragraph under 5
    U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.

(2) You must use  this service information as applicable to do the actions
    required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.

(i) Leonardo Helicopters Bollettino Tecnico No. 109SP-110, dated February
    13, 2017.

(ii) [Reserved]

(3) For service information identified in this AD, contact Leonardo S.p.A.
    Helicopters,  Matteo Ragazzi,  Head of Airworthiness,  Viale G. Agusta
    520, 21017 C.Costa di Samarate (Va) Italy;  telephone +39-0331-711756;
    fax +39-0331-229046; or at https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/home.

(4) You may view this service information  at FAA,  Office of the Regional
    Counsel,  Southwest Region,  10101 Hillwood Pkwy.,  Room 6N-321,  Fort
    Worth, TX 76177.  For information on the availability of this material
    at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110.

(5) You  may  view  this  service  information  that  is  incorporated  by
    reference at the National Archives and Records Administration  (NARA).
    For  information  on the availability of this material  at NARA,  call
    (202) 741-6030, or go to: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr
    /ibrlocations.html.

Issued in Fort Worth, Texas on May 15, 2019. Helene Gandy, Acting Director
Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification Service.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Hatfield, Aviation Safety Engineer,
Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch FAA, 10101 Hillwood
Pkwy, Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5110; email david.hatfield
@faa.gov.
PREAMBLE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2018-0726; Product Identifier 2017-SW-097-AD; Amendment
39-19638; AD 2019-09-04]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo S.p.A. (Type Certificate
Previously Held by Finmeccanica S.p.A., AgustaWestland S.p.A)
Helicopters

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain
Leonardo S.p.A. (Type Certificate previously held by Finmeccanica
S.p.A., AgustaWestland S.p.A.) Model AW109SP helicopters. This AD
requires inspecting and altering the rescue hoist. This AD was prompted
by a report of a damaged hoist cable that detached after load
application. The actions of this AD are intended to address an unsafe
condition on these products.

DATES: This AD is effective July 3, 2019.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by
reference of a certain document listed in this AD as of July 3, 2019.

ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this final rule,
contact Leonardo S.p.A. Helicopters, Matteo Ragazzi, Head of
Airworthiness, Viale G.Agusta 520, 21017 C.Costa di Samarate (Va)
Italy; telephone +39-0331-711756; fax +39-0331-229046; or at https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/home. You may review the referenced
service information at the FAA, Office of the Regional Counsel, Southwest
Region, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N-321, Fort Worth, TX 76177. It is
also available on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov by
searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2018-0726.

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-2018-
0726; 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 final rule, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD, any
incorporated-by-reference service information, the regulatory
evaluation, any comments received, and other information. The street
address for Docket Operations (phone: 800-647-5527) is 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: David Hatfield, Aviation Safety
Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA,
10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5110;
email david.hatfield@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Discussion

We issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR
part 39 by adding an AD that would apply to certain Leonardo S.p.A.
(formerly Finmeccanica S.p.A, AgustaWestland S.p.A.) Model AW109SP
helicopters. The NPRM published in the Federal Register on August 21,
2018 (83 FR 42230). The NPRM was prompted by a report of a damaged
hoist cable that detached after load application. The NPRM proposed to
require inspecting and altering the rescue hoist.
We are issuing this AD to address chafing of a rescue hoist cable.
This condition could result in detachment of an external load and
subsequent injury to persons being lifted.
EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the
European Union, has issued AD No. 2017-0025, dated February 14, 2017,
to correct an unsafe condition for certain Leonardo S.p.A. (formerly
Finmeccanica S.p.A. and AgustaWestland S.p.A.) Model AW109SP
helicopters. EASA advises that a hoist cable became snagged behind a
hoist handle assembly nut and broke during a dummy load application.
EASA further advises that this condition could result in detachment of
an external load, and subsequent personal injury or injury to persons
on the ground. To address this unsafe condition, the EASA AD requires
inspecting the hoist cable, modifying the rescue hoist handle, and
amending the rescue hoist pre-flight inspection described in the
rotorcraft flight manual.

Comments

We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing
this final rule. We have considered the comment received. One commenter
commented in support of the NPRM.

FAA's Determination

These helicopters have been approved by EASA and are approved for
operation in the United States. Pursuant to our bilateral agreement
with the European Union, EASA has notified us of the unsafe condition
described in the EASA AD. We are issuing this AD because we evaluated
all information provided by EASA and determined 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.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

Leonardo S.p.A. issued Leonardo Helicopters Bollettino Tecnico No.
109SP-110, dated February 13, 2017, which contains procedures for
inspecting the hoist handle, the passenger-side cabin doorframe, and
the hoist cable. This service information also specifies replacing the
attaching hardware on the rescue hoist handle and adding a temporary
pre-flight check of the hoist cable to the rotorcraft flight manual.
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.

Differences Between This AD and the EASA AD

The EASA AD requires amending the rotorcraft flight manual by
adding a daily rescue hoist cable preflight inspection, this AD does
not since the actions in this AD correct the unsafe condition.

Costs of Compliance

We estimate that this AD affects 30 helicopters of U.S. Registry.
We estimate that operators may incur the following costs in order to
comply with this AD, based on an average labor rate of $85 per hour.
Inspecting the hoist handle assembly, cabin doorframe, and hoist
cable requires about 2 hours, for a cost of $170 per helicopter and
$5,100 for the U.S. fleet. Replacing the hardware on the hoist handle
assembly requires about 1 hour and required parts costs are minimal,
for a cost of $85 per helicopter and $2,550 for the U.S. fleet.
If required, replacing a hoist cable requires about 3 hours and
required parts cost $3,150, for a cost per helicopter of $3,405.
According to Leonardo Helicopters' service information, some of the
costs of this AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the
cost impact on affected individuals. We do not control warranty
coverage by Leonardo Helicopters. Accordingly, we have included all
costs in our cost estimate.

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.

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) Is not a ``significant rule'' under DOT Regulatory Policies and
Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979);
(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska to the extent
that it justifies making a regulatory distinction; 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.
We prepared an economic evaluation of the estimated costs to comply
with this AD and placed it in the AD docket.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Incorporation by
reference, Safety.

Adoption of the Amendment

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the
Administrator, the FAA amends 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 airworthiness
directive (AD):