Federal Aviation Administration March 22, 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice contains a summary of a petition seeking relief from specified requirements of 14 CFR. The purpose of this notice is to improve the public's awareness of, and participation in, this aspect of FAA's regulatory activities. Neither publication of this notice nor the inclusion or omission of information in the summary is intended to affect the legal status of the petition or its final disposition.

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (Sikorsky) Model S-61A, D, E, L, N, NM, R, and V helicopters to require replacing each forward and aft fuel system 40 micron fuel filter element with a 10 micron nominal (40 micron absolute) fuel filter element. This AD was prompted by a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) review of in-service events where engine performance degradation occurred, and the review determined that some of these events were caused by contaminants larger than 10 microns present in the engine fuel control units (FCUs). The actions are intended to prevent particulate contamination in the FCU, which could lead to malfunction of an internal valve, power loss at a critical phase of flight, and loss of control of the helicopter.