DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2021-0688; Project Identifier 2019-SW-025-AD]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Helicopteres Guimbal
Helicopters

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD)
for Helicopteres Guimbal (HG) Model Cabri G2 helicopters.
This proposed AD was prompted by the determination that certain parts
need life limits and certification maintenance requirement (CMR) tasks.
This proposed AD would require establishing life limits and CMR tasks
for various parts and removing any parts from service that have reached
or exceeded their life limits. Depending on the results of the CMR
tasks, this proposed AD would require corrective action. The FAA is
proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this proposed AD by October 7, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://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: Deliver to Mail address between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

For service information identified in this NPRM, contact
Helicopteres Guimbal, Basile Ginel, 1070, rue du
Lieutenant Parayre, Aerodrome d'Aix-en-Provence, 13290 Les
Milles, France; telephone 33-04-42-39-10-88; email
basile.ginel@guimbal.com; web https://www.guimbal.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. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA,
call (817) 222-5110.

Examining the AD Docket

You may examine the AD docket at https://www.regulations.gov by
searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2021-0688; 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 NPRM, the European
Aviation Safety Agency (now European Union Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) AD, any comments received, and other information. The street
address for Docket Operations is listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrea Jimenez, Aerospace Engineer,
COS Program Management Section, Operational Safety Branch, Compliance &
Airworthiness Division, FAA, 1600 Stewart Ave., Suite 410, Westbury, NY
11590; telephone (516) 228-7330; email andrea.jimenez@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments Invited

The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or
arguments about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed
under ADDRESSES. Include "Docket No. FAA-2021-0688; Project Identifier
2019-SW-025-AD" at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful
comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. The FAA
will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend
this proposal because of those comments.
Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in
the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR
11.35, the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you
provide. The agency will also post a report summarizing each
substantive verbal contact received about this NPRM.

Confidential Business Information

CBI is commercial or financial information that is both customarily
and actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public
disclosure. If your comments responsive to this NPRM contain commercial
or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that
you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to
this NPRM, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted
comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission containing
CBI as "PROPIN." The FAA will treat such marked submissions as
confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public
docket of this NPRM. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to
Andrea Jimenez, Aerospace Engineer, COS Program Management Section,
Operational Safety Branch, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, FAA,
1600 Stewart Ave., Suite 410, Westbury, NY 11590; telephone (516) 228-
7330; email andrea.jimenez@faa.gov. Any commentary that the FAA
receives which is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed in
the public docket for this rulemaking.

Background

EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the
European Union, issued EASA AD 2016-0032, dated February 24, 2016 (EASA
AD 2016-0032), to correct an unsafe condition for HG Model Cabri G2
helicopters. EASA AD 2016-0032 states HG has revised the airworthiness
limitations and maintenance tasks specified in the existing maintenance
manual. EASA further advised the revisions include new and more
restrictive applicable life limits and compliance times for applicable
tasks. Accordingly, EASA 2016-0032 required replacing each affected
part before exceeding its life limit, accomplishing all applicable
maintenance tasks within the defined intervals as described in revised
maintenance manual and if discrepancies were found accomplishing the
corrective actions in accordance with the applicable maintenance
instructions or contacting HG. EASA AD 2016-0032 also required revising
the existing Aircraft Maintenance Program (AMP) for your helicopter by
incorporating the actions specified in the revised maintenance. After
EASA issued EASA AD 2016-0032, HG again revised the airworthiness
limitations and maintenance tasks.

Accordingly, EASA superseded EASA AD 2016-0032 with EASA AD 2019-
0025, dated February 4, 2019 (EASA AD 2019-0025). EASA advises new and
more restrictive life limits have been established for cooling fan part
number (P/N) G52-00-001, and P/N G52-00-002, which have been identified
as mandatory for continued airworthiness in Helicopteres
Guimbal Cabri G2 Maintenance Manual (MM) and Instructions for Continued
Airworthiness J70-002 Issue 06, Section C, Airworthiness Limitations,
dated December 6, 2018 (MM J70-002 Issue 06). In addition to the new
life limits, EASA further advises of new and more restrictive
inspection intervals identified in MM J70-002-Issue 06 for cooling fan
P/N G52-00-001 with a certain mounted cooling fan front flange P/N G52-
02-200, or P/N G52-02-201. EASA further advises MM J70-002 Issue 06,
revised the tail structure paint to include certain part-numbered tail
booms and an additional figure. This condition, if not addressed, could
result in parts remaining in service beyond their fatigue life and
failure of a part, which could result in loss of control of the
helicopter.

Accordingly, EASA AD 2019-0025 retains the requirements of EASA AD
2016-0032 and requires replacing each affected part before exceeding
its life limit, accomplishing all applicable maintenance tasks within
the defined intervals as described in MM J70-002 Issue 6, and if
discrepancies are found accomplishing the corrective actions in
accordance with the applicable maintenance instructions or contacting
HG. EASA AD 2019-0025 also requires revising the tail structure paint
scheme to include certain part-numbered tail booms and an additional
figure. EASA AD 2019-0025 requires revising the existing AMP for your
helicopter by incorporating the actions specified in MM J70-002 Issue 6.

FAA's Determination

These helicopters have been approved by EASA and are approved for
operation in the United States. Pursuant to the FAA's bilateral
agreement with the European Union, EASA has notified the FAA about the
unsafe condition described in its AD. The FAA is proposing this AD
after evaluating all known relevant information and determining that
the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop
on other helicopters of the same type designs.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

The FAA reviewed Helicopteres Guimbal Cabri G2 MM
J70-002 Issue 06. This service information specifies airworthiness life
limits, inspection intervals, and CMR requirements for parts installed
on Cabri G2 helicopters. Issue 06 establishes life limits for certain
part-numbered cooling fan front flanges, and engine pulley ball
bearings and CMR requirements for certain cooling fan front flanges.

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.

Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM

This proposed AD would require, before further flight after the
effective date of this AD, removing from service certain part-numbered
cooling fan front flanges and engine pulley ball bearings that have
accumulated or exceeded their life limit. This proposed AD would also
require establishing recurring CMR tasks for certain part-numbered
cooling fan front flanges. Depending on the results of the CMR tasks,
this proposed AD would also require corrective action. Additionally,
this proposed AD would require painting certain part-numbered tail
booms with glossy white paint.

Differences Between This Proposed AD and EASA AD 2019-0025

EASA AD 2019-0025 requires contacting Helicopteres
Guimbal for corrective actions when a discrepancy is found, whereas
this proposed AD would require removing the part from service. EASA AD
2019-0025 requires accomplishing the actions specified in MM J70-002
Issue 06, whereas this proposed AD would require establishing a life
limit for certain part-numbered cooling fan front flanges and certain
part-numbered engine pulley ball bearings and removing any part from
service accordingly instead. EASA AD 2019-0025 requires revising the
AMP with the actions specified in MM J70-002 Issue 06, whereas the
proposed AD would not.

Costs of Compliance

The FAA estimates that this proposed AD would affect 32 helicopters
of U.S. Registry. The FAA estimates that operators may incur the
following costs in order to comply with this proposed AD. Labor costs
are estimated at $85 per work-hour.

Replacing a cooling fan front flange would take about 16 work-hours
and parts would cost about $4,500 for an estimated cost of $5,860 per
helicopter and $187,520 for the U.S. fleet, per replacement cycle.

Replacing an engine pulley ball bearing would take about 12 work-
hours and parts would cost about $250 for an estimated cost of $1,270
per helicopter and $40,640 for the U.S. fleet, per replacement cycle.

The FAA has no way of determining the estimated costs to do
allowable repairs based on the results of the CMR tasks. If required,
replacing a cracked cooling fan front flange would take about 16 work-
hours and parts would cost about $4,500 for an estimated cost of
$5,860.

The FAA has included all known costs in its cost estimate.
According to the manufacturer, however, some of the costs of this
proposed AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost
impact on affected operators.

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.

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

The FAA 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, I certify this proposed regulation:

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

(2) Would not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and

(3) Would 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 airworthiness
directive: