Tdata AD

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2022-09-07	BELL TEXTRON CANADA LIMITED (TYPE CERTIFICATE PREVIOUSLY HELD BY BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA LIMITED): Amendment 39-22027; Docket No. FAA-2022-0145; Project Identifier MCAI-2021-00522-R.

(a) EFFECTIVE DATE

    This airworthiness directive (AD) is effective May 31, 2022.

(b) AFFECTED ADS

(1) This AD replaces AD 2019-11-05,  Amendment 39-19651 (84 FR 26546, June
    7, 2019) (AD 2019-11-05).

(2) This AD affects AD 2020-17-10, Amendment 39-21215 (85 FR 49941, August
    17, 2020) (AD 2020-17-10).

(c) APPLICABILITY

    This AD applies to Bell Textron Canada Limited  (type certificate pre-
    viously held by Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited) Model 429 hel-
    icopters,  certificated in any category,  serial numbers 57001 through
    57401 inclusive.

(d) SUBJECT

    Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) Code: 6720, Tail Rotor Control
    System.

(e) UNSAFE CONDITION

    This AD  was prompted  by a  report of  a worn  pitch link. The FAA is
    issuing this AD to address a worn pitch link, which if not  corrected,
    could result in pitch link  failure and subsequent loss of  control of
    the helicopter.

(f) COMPLIANCE

    Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified,  unless al-
    ready done.

(g) RETAINED REQUIREMENTS

(1) For pitch link assembly part number (P/N) 429-012-112-101, 429-012-112
    -103, 429-012-112-101FM, and 429-012-112-103FM:  Within 50 hours time-
    in-service (TIS) after July 12, 2019 (the effective date of AD 2019-11
    -05) and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 50 hours TIS:

(i) Perform a dimensional inspection  of  each  inboard and outboard pitch
    link assembly for axial and radial bearing play. With a 10X or  higher
    power  magnifying  glass,  inspect  the  bearing  liner  for  a crack,
    deterioration of the liner, and extrusion of the liner from the plane.
    If there is axial or radial play that exceeds allowable limits, or  if
    there is  a crack,  deterioration of  the liner,  or extrusion  of the
    liner, before further flight, replace the bearing.

(ii) Inspect the pitch link assembly sealant  for  pin holes and voids and
     to determine  if  the  sealant thickness is 0.025 inch  (0.64 mm)  or
     less,  extends  over  the  roll staked lip by 0.030 inch (0.76 mm) or
     more, and is clear of the bearing ball.  If  there  is  a pin hole or
     void, or if the sealant exceeds 0.026 inch (0.66 mm), does not extend
     over the roll staked lip by 0.030 inch (0.76 mm) or more,  or  is not
     clear of the bearing ball,  before further flight,  replace the bear-
     ing.

(2) For pitch link assembly P/N 429-012-112-101, 429-012-112-103, 429-012-
    112-101FM, and 429-012-112-103FM, within  200 hours TIS following  the
    initial inspection required by paragraph (g)(1) of this AD, or if  the
    hours  TIS  of a  pitch  link assembly  exceed  250 hours  TIS  or are
    unknown,  at  the  next 50-hour-TIS  inspection required  by paragraph
    (g)(1) of this AD:

(i) Replace each bearing P/N 429-312-107-103  with  a  date of manufacture
    before January 13, 2015,  with a bearing  P/N 429-312-107-103 that was
    manufactured on or after January 13, 2015.

(ii) Using a white permanent fine point marker or equivalent,  re-identify
     the pitch link assembly:

(A) Re-identify P/N 429-012-112-101 and 429-012-112-101FM  as 429-012-112-
    111FM.

(B) Re-identify P/N 429-012-112-103 and 429-012-112-103FM  as 429-012-112-
    113FM.

(iii) Apply a coating of DEVCON 2-TON (C-298)  or  equivalent over the new
      P/N.

(h) NEW REQUIREMENTS

    For pitch link assemblies other than P/N 429-012-112-101, 429-012-112-
    103,  429-012-112-101FM,  and  429-012-112-103FM:  Within 50 hours TIS
    after the effective date of this AD and thereafter at intervals not to
    exceed 50 hours TIS:

(1) Perform a dimensional inspection  of  each  inboard and outboard pitch
    link assembly for axial and radial bearing play.  With a 10X or higher
    power magnifying glass, inspect the bearing liner for a crack, deteri-
    oration of the liner,  and  extrusion  of the liner from the plane. If
    there is axial  or  radial play that exceeds allowable limits,  or  if
    there is a crack,  deterioration of the liner,  or  extrusion  of  the
    liner, before further flight, replace the bearing.

(2) Inspect the pitch link assembly sealant for pin holes and voids and to
    determine if the  sealant thickness is  0.025 inch (0.64  mm) or less,
    extends over the roll staked lip by 0.030 inch (0.76 mm) or more,  and
    is clear of the bearing  ball. If there is a  pin hole or void, or  if
    the sealant  exceeds 0.026  inch (0.66 mm),  does  not extend over the
    roll staked lip by  0.030 inch (0.76 mm)  or more, or is  not clear of
    the bearing ball, before further flight, replace the bearing.

(i) TERMINATING ACTION FOR CERTAIN ACTIONS IN AD 2020-17-10

    Accomplishing the initial inspection required  by paragraph (g)(1)  or
    (h) of this AD constitutes terminating action  for the inspections re-
    quired by paragraph (f)(2) of AD 2020-17-10 for that pitch link assem-
    bly only.

(j) OPTIONAL TERMINATING ACTION

    The repetitive inspections required by paragraph (h) of this AD are no
    longer required for helicopters that incorporate pitch link assemblies
    P/N 429-012-212-105 or 429-012-212-107, in accordance with Part III of
    the Accomplishment Instructions of Bell Alert Service Bulletin No. 429
    -15-16, Revision C, dated October 16, 2020.

(k) ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF COMPLIANCE (AMOCS)

(1) The Manager, International Validation Branch,  FAA,  has the authority
    to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the procedures  found
    in 14 CFR 39.19. In accordance with 14 CFR 39.19, send your request to
    your principal inspector or local Flight Standards District Office, as
    appropriate. If  sending information  directly to  the manager  of the
    International  Validation  Branch, send  it  to the  attention  of the
    person identified in paragraph (l)(1)  of this AD. Information may  be
    emailed to: 9-AVS-AIR730-AMOC@faa.gov.

(2) Before using any approved AMOC,  notify your appropriate principal in-
    spector, or lacking  a principal inspector,  the manager of  the local
    flight standards district office/certificate holding district office.

(l) RELATED INFORMATION

(1) For more  information  about this AD,  contact  Hal Jensen,  Aerospace
    Engineer, Operational Safety Branch,  Compliance & Airworthiness Divi-
    sion, FAA, 950 L’Enfant Plaza N SW, Washington, DC 20024; phone: (202)
    267–9167; email: hal.jensen@faa.gov.

(2) The subject of this AD is addressed in Transport Canada Civil Aviation
    AD CF-2015-16R3, dated April 30, 2021.  You  may  view  the  Transport
    Canada AD at https://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FAA-2022-0145.

(m) 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) Bell Alert Service Bulletin No. 429-15-16,  Revision C,  dated October
    16, 2020.

(ii) [Reserved]

(3) For service information  identified in this AD,  contact  Bell Textron
    Canada  Limited,  12,800  Rue de l’Avenir,  Mirabel,  Quebec  J7J 1R4,
    Canada; phone: 1-450-437-2862 or 1-800-363-8023;  fax: 1-450-433-0272;
    email: productsupport@bellflight.com or at https://www.bellflight.com/
    support/contactsupport.

(4) 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.

(5) You may view this service information  that is incorporated  by refer-
    ence at the National  Archives and Records Administration  (NARA). For
    information  on  the availability  of  this material  at  NARA, email:
    fr.inspection@nara.gov,  or  go to:  https://www.archives.gov/federal-
    register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

Issued on April 15, 2022. Ross Landes,  Deputy Director for Regulatory Op-
erations, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification Serv
-ice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Hal Jensen,  Aerospace Engineer,  Opera-
tional  Safety Branch,  Compliance  &  Airworthiness  Division,  FAA,  950
L’Enfant Plaza N SW, Washington, DC 20024;  phone: (202) 267–9167;  email:
hal.jensen@faa.gov.

PREAMBLE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2022-0145; Project Identifier MCAI-2021-00522-R;
Amendment 39-22027; AD 2022-09-07]
RIN 2120-AA64

Airworthiness Directives; Bell Textron Canada Limited (Type
Certificate Previously Held by Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited)
Helicopters

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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

SUMMARY: The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2019-11-05
for certain Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited (now Bell Textron
Canada Limited) Model 429 helicopters. AD 2019-11-05 required
inspecting the tail rotor (TR) pitch link assemblies, and replacing
certain pitch link bearings. This AD was prompted by a report of a worn
pitch link, and the FAA's determination that all TR pitch link
assemblies are affected by the unsafe condition. This AD continues to
require the actions specified in AD 2019-11-05, and revises the
applicability and requires inspections of certain other TR pitch link
assemblies. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition
on these products.

DATES: This AD is effective May 31, 2022.
The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by
reference of a certain publication listed in this AD as of May 31,
2022.

ADDRESSES: For service information identified in this final rule,
contact Bell Textron Canada Limited, 12,800 Rue de l'Avenir, Mirabel,
Quebec J7J 1R4, Canada; phone: 1-450-437-2862 or 1-800-363-8023; fax:
1-450-433-0272; email: productsupport@bellflight.com; or at https://www.bellflight.com/support/contact-support. 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. It is also available at https://www.regulations.gov by
searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2022-0145.

Examining the AD Docket

You may examine the AD docket at https://www.regulations.gov by
searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2022-0145; 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
Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) AD, any comments received, and
other information. The address for Docket Operations 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: Hal Jensen, Aerospace Engineer,
Operational Safety Branch, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, FAA,
950 L'Enfant Plaza N SW, Washington, DC 20024; phone: (202) 267-9167;
email: hal.jensen@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14
CFR part 39 to supersede AD 2019-11-05, Amendment 39-19651 (84 FR
26546, June 7, 2019) (AD 2019-11-05). AD 2019-11-05 applied to certain
Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited Model 429 helicopters. The NPRM
published in the Federal Register on February 23, 2022 (87 FR 10107).
In the NPRM, the FAA proposed to continue to require inspecting the TR
pitch link assemblies, and replacing certain pitch link bearings, as
well as proposed to revise the applicability and require inspections of
certain other TR pitch link assemblies. The NPRM was prompted by TCCA
AD CF-2015-16R3, dated April 30, 2021 (TCCA AD CF-
2015-16R3), issued by TCCA, which is the aviation authority for Canada,
to correct an unsafe condition for certain Bell Helicopter Textron
Canada Limited Model 429 helicopters. TCCA AD CF-2015-16R3 retains the
requirements of TCCA AD CF-2015-16R2, dated April 3, 2017, and revises
the applicability by specifying certain helicopter serial numbers to
account for new production helicopters, which have already incorporated
the new pitch link assemblies and corrected the unsafe condition. TCCA
AD CF-2015-16R3 also specifies that installing a new pitch link
assembly terminates the repetitive inspections. This condition, if not
addressed, could result in pitch link failure and subsequent loss of
control of the helicopter.

Discussion of Final Airworthiness Directive

Comments

The FAA received no comments on the NPRM or on the determination of
the costs.

Conclusion

These helicopters have been approved by the aviation authority of
Canada and are approved for operation in the United States. Pursuant to
the FAA's bilateral agreement with Canada, TCCA, its technical
representative, has notified the FAA of 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.
Except for minor editorial changes, this AD is adopted as proposed in
the NPRM.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

The FAA reviewed Bell Alert Service Bulletin No. 429-15-16,
Revision C, dated October 16, 2020. This service information contains
procedures for inspecting the TR pitch link assemblies, replacing
certain pitch link bearings, and replacement of the pitch link
assemblies. 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.

Costs of Compliance

The FAA estimates that this AD affects 120 helicopters of U.S.
Registry. Labor rates are estimated at $85 per work-hour. Based on
these numbers, the FAA estimates the following costs to comply with
this AD.

Estimated Costs for Required Actions

Action	Labor cost	Parts cost	Cost per product	Cost on U.S. operators
Retained inspections from AD 2019-11-05	2 work-hours x $85 per hour = $170 per inspection cycle	$0	$170 per inspection cycle	$20,400 per inspection cycle
New inspections	2 work-hours x $85 per hour = $170 per inspection cycle	0	$170 per inspection cycle	$20,400 per inspection cycle

The FAA estimates the following costs to do any necessary on-
condition replacements that would be required based on the results of
any required actions. The FAA has no way of determining the number of
helicopters that might need these on-condition actions:

Estimated Costs of On-Condition Actions

Action	Labor cost	Parts cost	Cost per product	Cost on U.S. operators
Bearing replacements	3 work-hours x $85 per hour = $255	$3,340	$3,343	$401,160

According to the manufacturer, some of the costs of this AD may be
covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost impact on affected
operators. The FAA does not control warranty coverage for affected
operators. As a result, the FAA has included all known costs in the
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.
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 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:

a. Removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2019-11-05, Amendment 39-19651
(84 FR 26546, June 7, 2019); and

b. Adding the following new AD: