Proposed Rule2025-04567
Special Conditions: Carson Helicopters Inc., Sikorsky Model S-61A, S-61L, and S-61N (Including Those Modified by Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) No. SH640NE) Helicopters; Overload Protection Device in a Hoist
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
March 26, 2025
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Aviation Administration
Abstract
This action proposes special conditions for a supplemental type certificate (STC) to install a helicopter hoist equipped with an overload protection device (OLPD) on Sikorsky Model S-61A, S-61L, and S-61N (including those modified by STC No. SH640NE, which shortens the S-61N by 50 inches) helicopters. These helicopters, as modified by Carson Helicopters, Inc. (Carson), will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport category rotorcraft. This design feature is an OLPD installed in the hoist. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These proposed special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 57 (Wednesday, March 26, 2025)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 57 (Wednesday, March 26, 2025)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13705-13707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-04567]
========================================================================
Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 57 / Wednesday, March 26, 2025 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 13705]]
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 29
[Docket No. FAA-2024-2383; Notice No. 29-24-02-SC]
Special Conditions: Carson Helicopters Inc., Sikorsky Model S-
61A, S-61L, and S-61N (Including Those Modified by Supplemental Type
Certificate (STC) No. SH640NE) Helicopters; Overload Protection Device
in a Hoist
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of proposed special conditions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This action proposes special conditions for a supplemental
type certificate (STC) to install a helicopter hoist equipped with an
overload protection device (OLPD) on Sikorsky Model S-61A, S-61L, and
S-61N (including those modified by STC No. SH640NE, which shortens the
S-61N by 50 inches) helicopters. These helicopters, as modified by
Carson Helicopters, Inc. (Carson), will have a novel or unusual design
feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the
airworthiness standards for transport category rotorcraft. This design
feature is an OLPD installed in the hoist. The applicable airworthiness
regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for
this design feature. These proposed special conditions contain the
additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary
to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the
existing airworthiness standards.
DATES: Send comments on or before April 25, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2024-2383 using
any of the following methods:
Federal eRegulations Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and follow
the online instructions for sending your comments electronically.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W12-140, West
Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket Operations in
Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> at any time. Follow the online instructions for
accessing the docket or go to Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of the
West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington,
DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Scott Johnson, Mechanical Systems
Section, AIR-623, Technical Policy Branch, Policy and Standards
Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation
Administration, telephone 202-267-4644; email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a5f6c6cad1d18bf78befcacdcbd6cacbe5c3c4c48bc2cad3"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6f3c0c001b1b413d41250007011c00012f090e0e41080019">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested people to take part in this rulemaking
by sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments
reference a specific portion of the proposed special conditions,
explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting
data.
The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date for
comments and will consider comments filed late if it is possible to do
so without incurring delay. The FAA may change these special conditions
based on the comments received.
Privacy
Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in
the following paragraph, and other information as described in title
14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 11.35, the FAA will post all
comments received without change to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, including any
personal information you provide. The FAA will also post a report
summarizing each substantive verbal contact received about these
special conditions.
Confidential Business Information
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
these special conditions contain commercial or financial information
that is customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as
private, and that is relevant or responsive to these special
conditions, 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 the indicated comments will not be
placed in the public docket of these proposed special conditions. Send
submissions containing CBI to the individual listed in the contact
section above. Comments the FAA receives, which are not specifically
designated as CBI, will be placed in the public docket for these
proposed special conditions.
Background
On September 21, 2021, Carson applied for an amendment to STC No.
SR02507NY to add a hoist with an OLPD, to be installed on Sikorsky
Model S-61A, S-61L, and S-61N (including those modified by STC No.
SH640NE, which shortens the S-61N by 50 inches) helicopters. The S-61
helicopter is a twin-engine rotorcraft. The maximum takeoff weight is
between 19,000 and 22,000 pounds, depending on configuration, and the
helicopter has a maximum capacity of 39 passengers and a crew of 2.
Type Certification Basis
Under the provisions of Sec. 21.101, Carson must show that the
helicopters, for which they make application to modify by STC No.
SR02507NY, as will be changed, continue to meet the applicable
provisions of the regulations listed in each helicopter's respective
[[Page 13706]]
type certificate or the applicable regulations in effect on the date of
application for the change except for earlier amendments as agreed upon
by the FAA.
If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness
regulations (e.g., 14 CFR part 29) do not contain adequate or
appropriate safety standards for the Sikorsky Model S-61A, S-61L, and
S-61N (including those modified by STC No. SH640NE) helicopters because
of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are prescribed
under the provisions of Sec. 21.16.
Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which
they are issued. Should the applicant apply for a supplemental type
certificate to modify any other model included on the same type
certificate to incorporate the same novel or unusual design feature,
these special conditions would also apply to the other model under
Sec. 21.101.
In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special
conditions, the Sikorsky Model S-61A, S-61L, and S-61N (including those
modified by STC No. SH640NE) helicopters must comply with the exhaust-
emission requirements of part 34, and the noise-certification
requirements of part 36.
The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in Sec. 11.19, in
accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type
certification basis under Sec. 21.101.
Novel or Unusual Design Feature
The Sikorsky Model S-61A, S-61L, and S-61N (including those
modified by STC No. SH640NE) helicopters will incorporate the following
novel or unusual design feature:
An OLPD installed in a hoist.
Discussion
These special conditions are necessary because regulations
concerning external load carriage requirements for part 29 rotorcraft
do not address hoists that include an OLPD feature.
In 1991 the FAA tasked the External Load Working Group (Working
Group) of the Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) with
investigating the need to complement the rotorcraft 14 CFR part 133
Class D external load carriage regulations (including transport of
passengers external to the rotorcraft). Upon completion of their
review, the Working Group issued a report \1\ recommending updates to
the external load regulations in 14 CFR part 27 and part 29.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ External Load Working Group report <a href="https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/advisory_rulemaking_committees/RelwgT1-12041991.pdf">https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/advisory_rulemaking_committees/RelwgT1-12041991.pdf</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Based on the Working Group's report, the FAA recommended several
changes to part 27 and part 29 to improve safety. On July 13, 1998, the
FAA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking \2\ (NPRM) (63 FR 37746).
This NPRM proposed amendments to the airworthiness standards for
rotorcraft load combination certification. The FAA issued the final
rule based on this NPRM for part 27 at amendment 27-36 and part 29 at
amendment 29-43; however, the revised parts 27 and 29 did not address
OLPD features in hoist systems. As a result, the current Sec. Sec.
27.865 and 29.865 do not address hoist systems with OLPD features.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Docket No. 29277; Notice No. 98-6, ``Rotorcraft Load
Combination Safety Requirements.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The hoist being installed by Carson includes an OLPD in its design.
The OLPD reduces the likelihood of the loss of rotorcraft and crew due
to an entanglement of the hoist cable. Upon activation, the OLPD
affords the pilot time to respond and potentially jettison the load to
save the aircraft and the crew onboard.
Because the OLPD activation range is less than the limit static
load factor for human external cargo published in Sec. Sec. 27.865 and
29.865, it introduces a risk that the cable could completely unspool
(i.e., loss of cargo), particularly if unspooling is not subsequently
arrested once the load is reduced below the activation threshold.
Despite this risk, the overall safety will be improved with the
inclusion of this OLPD. Meeting the requirements of these proposed
special conditions demonstrates that the OLPD in the hoist installed by
Carson will activate to allow a slip and recapture in response to the
load conditions outlined in these proposed special conditions. By
``activation'' the FAA means all states of its intended function, which
consists of uncommanded cable payout (i.e., slippage) and the recapture
of the load (i.e., arresting the slippage). The FAA intends the
activation range to bound both payout and arrest. The FAA proposes that
the activation range for these special conditions would be 2.2 to 3.2
times the rated load. The functionality and activation requirement
comes from SAE AS6342, ``Minimum Operational Performance Standard
(MOPS) for Helicopter Hoist Systems,'' December 2020, section 4.7
paragraph 2.\3\ The OLPD must slip and recapture load only within the
activation range of 2.2 to 3.2 times the rated load. These special
conditions do not change the structural limit load factors specified in
Sec. Sec. 27.865 and 29.865. These special conditions contain the
additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary
to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the
existing airworthiness standards.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ SAE AS6342 is available for purchase at <a href="https://saemobilus.sae.org/standards/as6342-minimum-operational-performance-standard-mops-helicopter-hoist-systems">https://saemobilus.sae.org/standards/as6342-minimum-operational-performance-standard-mops-helicopter-hoist-systems</a>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to the activation range explained previously, the OLPD
must be designed to continue working correctly or as expected in every
way (i.e., function properly) when experiencing the maximum external
limit load specified in Sec. Sec. 27.865 and 29.865.
Applicability
As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the
helicopter models listed on the AML of STC No. SR02507NY, which is
available at DRS. Should Carson apply at a later date for a change to
STC No. SR02507NY to include any new models on the AML to incorporate
the same novel or unusual design feature, these special conditions
would apply to that model as well.
Conclusion
This action only affects the application for an STC to approve
installation of hoists that contain an OLPD listed on the AML of STC
No. SR02507NY. It is not a rule of general applicability and affects
only the applicant who applied to the FAA for approval of these
features on the helicopter.
List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 29
Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements.
Authority Citation
The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 40113, 44701, 44702, and 44704.
The Proposed Special Conditions
Accordingly, the FAA proposes the following special conditions as
part of the type certification basis for the Model S-61A, S-61L, and S-
61N, and S-61N (including those modified by STC No. SH640NE)
helicopters listed on the AML of STC No. SR02507NY, as modified by
Carson.
(a) The Overload Protection Device (OLPD) must:
(1) Function properly for all loads up to and including the Sec.
29.865(a) maximum external limit load.
(2) Be designed to hold any load up to 2.2 times the rated load and
shall activate between 2.2 times the rated load and 3.2 times the rated
load. This
[[Page 13707]]
activation range must take into account production and maintenance
tolerances, variations due to the environment (e.g., temperature and
humidity), and operations (e.g., length of cable paid out). The above
requirements must be met over the entire activation range.
(3) Protect the helicopter and cargo by incorporating design
activation limits (i.e., defined set point(s)) which:
(i) Prevent excess cable tension that might result in cable failure
or loads on the helicopter that endanger the aircraft,
(ii) Prevent uncommanded cable payout when experiencing cable loads
below the activation range,
(iii) Allow cable payout when experiencing loads above the
activation range, and
(iv) Arrest cable unspooling to prevent loss of cargo after an
activation event.
(b) The OLPD installation, maintenance, and inspection instructions
must be made a part of the applicable section(s) of the Instructions
for Continued Airworthiness (ICA).
Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on March 14, 2025.
Patrick R. Mullen,
Manager, Technical Policy Branch, Policy and Standards Division,
Aircraft Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-04567 Filed 3-25-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on March 26, 2025.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.