AD 2008-07-01

This AD becomes effective April 30, 2008. The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of certain publications listed in the regulations as of April 30, 2008. The Director of the Federal Register previously approved the incorporation by reference of Turbomeca Mandatory Alert Service Bulletins A292 72 0809, Update 1, dated October 4, 2005; and A292 72 0810, dated March 24, 2004; as of February 28, 2006 (71 FR 3754, January 24, 2006).

You can get the service information identified in this AD from Turbomeca, 40220 Tarnos, France; telephone (33) 05 59 74 40 00, fax (33) 05 59 74 45 15.

The Docket Operations office is located at Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.

James Lawrence, Aerospace Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine and Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; e-mail: james.lawrence@faa.gov; telephone (781) 238-7176, fax (781) 238-7199.

The FAA proposed to amend 14 CFR part 39 by superseding AD 2006-02-08R1, Amendment 39-14721 (71 FR 46390, August 14, 2006), with a proposed AD. The proposed AD applies to certain Turbomeca Arriel 1B, 1D, 1D1, and 1S1 turboshaft engines. We published the proposed AD in the Federal Register on March 9, 2007 (72 FR 10622). That action proposed to require:

• Initial and repetitive position checks of the 2nd stage turbine blades on Turbomeca Arriel 1B, 1D, 1D1, and 1S1 turboshaft engines.

• Replacement of 2nd stage turbines on 1B and 1D1 engines only.

• Initially replacing 2nd stage turbines in Arriel 1B, 1D, and 1D1 turboshaft engines.

You may examine the AD docket on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov; or in person at the Docket Operations office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains this AD, the regulatory evaluation, any comments received, and other information. The street address for the Docket Operations office (telephone (800) 647-5527) is provided in the ADDRESSES section. Comments will be available in the AD docket shortly after receipt.

We provided the public the opportunity to participate in the development of this AD. We received no comments on the proposal or on the determination of the cost to the public.

We have added to the AD, an option to terminate the repetitive position check requirements by installing a new turbine, part number (P/N) 0 292 25 039 0.

We corrected the number of turbine replacements in the Costs of Compliance from 587 to 571, and changed the total cost from $3,905,240 to $3,769,760.

We have carefully reviewed the available data and determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting the AD as proposed.

We estimate that this AD will affect 721 engines installed on helicopters of U.S. registry. We also estimate that it will take about 2 work-hours per engine to inspect all 721 engines and 40 work-hours per engine to replace about 571 2nd stage turbines on 1B and 1D1 engines, and that the average labor rate is $80 per work-hour. Required parts would cost about $3,200 per engine. Based on these figures, we estimate the total cost of the AD to U.S. operators to be $3,769,760.

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.

We have determined that 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); 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.

We prepared a summary of the costs to comply with this AD and placed it in the AD Docket. You may get a copy of this summary at the address listed under ADDRESSES.

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the Federal Aviation Administration amends 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

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

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by removing Amendment 39-14721 (71 FR 46390, August 14, 2006) and by adding a new airworthiness directive, Amendment 39-15442, to read as follows: