A tail rotor part failed in flight on a Bell 222, and the FAA grounded it by emergency notice on 11 August before anything reached the Federal Register
The Federal Aviation Administration made this rule on 11 August. It reached the Federal Register on Wednesday.
Emergency Airworthiness Directive 2026-17-51 was issued that day and sent directly to every known United States owner and operator of the Bell Textron Canada Model 222. For those owners it took effect the moment they received it. The document filed on 26 August contains the same requirements and exists to catch anyone who did not get the notice, taking effect 15 days after publication.
What failed
The AD was prompted by a report of in-flight fatigue failure of a tail rotor pitch horn.
The underlying document is Transport Canada Emergency AD CF-2026-39, dated 10 August, which the FAA incorporates by reference and which describes higher stresses induced at certain critical locations on the pitch horn tangs, leading to premature fatigue cracking. The FAA states the consequence in its own words: failure of the tail rotor pitch horn and secondary tail rotor hub components, which could result in loss of control of the helicopter.
Neither document identifies the aircraft, the date or the place. Neither reports an injury.
What it requires
Tail rotor pitch horn part number 222-012-774-109, and the tail rotor pitch links associated with it, come off and stay off. A serviceable horn, part number 222-012-705-105 or 222-012-705-107, and its associated links go on. The affected horn may not be installed on any helicopter, which is a permanent bar rather than a one-time inspection.
Where the Canadian document says before next flight, the FAA substitutes before further flight. Where it says to discard parts, the FAA requires them removed from service. Where it asks operators to send information to the manufacturer, the FAA does not require it.
Paragraph (j) is the short one. Special flight permits under 14 CFR 21.197 and 21.199 are not allowed.
The cost, and the number the agency will not give
The FAA estimates the AD affects 15 helicopters on the United States register.
Verifying the part number is one work hour at $85, so $85 a helicopter and $1,275 across United States operators, which reproduces the agency's own total exactly. The replacement is two work hours, $170, plus $13,730 of parts, for $13,900 per helicopter.
There is no total against that second line. The FAA writes that it has no way of determining the number of helicopters that might need the replacement, because that depends on what the part number check finds. If all 15 needed it the bill would be $208,500, and that arithmetic is ours rather than the agency's.
The FAA calls this an interim action and says it might consider additional rulemaking if final action is later identified. Comments are due 45 days after publication, which the document stamps as 28 August, and the rule is final in the meantime.
