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.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

77157 

Vol. 76, No. 238 

Monday, December 12, 2011 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1319; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–NM–143–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

The Boeing Company Model 777–200 

and –300 series airplanes equipped with 

Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 800 engines. 

This proposed AD was prompted by 

reports of events related to thermal 

damage of the thrust reverser (T/R) 

inner wall on Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 

800 engines. This proposed AD would 

require replacing the bleed valve parts 

and tubing with new parts and tubing 

on the left and right engines. 

Additionally, this proposed AD would 

require installing Aero-Engine database 

(AEDB) software in the airplane 

information management system (AIMS) 

hardware. We are proposing this AD to 

eliminate T/R thermal damage caused 

by excessive heat downstream of the 8th 

stage IP8 exhaust ports, which could 

result in T/R structural failure. This 

failure could result in large pieces of the 

T/R or adjacent components departing 

the airplane. A separated T/R piece 

could result in a rejected takeoff (RTO) 

and cause asymmetric thrust and 

consequent loss of control of the 

airplane during reverse thrust 

operations. Separated components 

could also cause structural damage to 

the airplane, damage to other airplanes, 

or injury to people on the ground. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by January 26, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, 

using the procedures found in 14 CFR 

11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following 

methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Mail: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 

5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

For Boeing service information 

identified in this AD, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data 

& Services Management, P.O. Box 3707, 

MC 2H–65, Seattle, Washington 98124– 

2207; phone: (206) 544–5000, extension 

1; fax: (206) 766–5680; email: 

me.boecom@boeing.com; Internet: 

https://www.myboeingfleet.com. For 

Rolls-Royce service information 

identified in this AD, contact RollsRoyce plc, P.O. Box 31, DERBY, DE24 

8BJ, UK; telephone 011 44 1332 242424; 

fax 011 44 1332 249936. You may 

review copies of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Transport 

Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue 

SW., Renton, Washington. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (425) 227– 

1221. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Management Facility between 

9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 

Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD 

docket contains this proposed AD, the 

regulatory evaluation, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Office 

(phone: (800) 647–5527) is in the 

ADDRESSES section. Comments will be 

available in the AD docket shortly after 

receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rebel Nichols, Aerospace Engineer, 

Propulsion Branch, ANM–140S, FAA, 

Seattle Aircraft Certification Office 

(ACO), 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 

Washington 98057–3356; phone: (425) 

917–6509; fax: (425) 917–6590; email: 

Rebel.Nichols@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposal. Send your comments to 

an address listed under the ADDRESSES

section. Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA– 

2011–1319; Directorate Identifier 2011– 

NM–143–AD’’ at the beginning of your 

comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend this 

proposed AD because of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. We 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact we receive 

about this proposed AD. 

Discussion 

We have received 14 reports of events 

related to thermal damage of the T/R 

inner wall on Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 

800 engines. The events have included 

air turnbacks, in-flight engine 

shutdowns, T/R inner wall panel 

sections and parts being separated from 

the airplane, collapse of the inner T/R 

inner wall panel, and engine fire loop 

fault messages. 

Boeing issued Alert Service Bulletin 

777–78A0059, dated February 24, 2005; 

and Special Attention Service Bulletin 

777–78–0060, dated February 24, 2005; 

to provide instructions for inspecting 

the T/R inner wall panel structure and 

sealing the insulation blankets to 

prevent hot under-cowl air from 

contacting the T/R inner wall panel. 

Since those service bulletins were 

released, there have been four T/R 

events on airplanes on which those 

service bulletins had not been fully 

accomplished and 10 T/R events on 

airplanes on which those service 

bulletins had been accomplished. 

There are two separate causes of the 

thermal degradation. The first cause is 

the IP8 exhaust washing the outer side 

of the inner wall. This cause is 

addressed by this proposed AD through 

modification of the IP8 bleed system. 

The second cause is the inadequate 

thermal protection system. We are 

considering further rulemaking to 

address this cause. 

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77158 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 238 / Monday, December 12, 2011 / Proposed Rules 

This thermal degradation, if not 

corrected, could result in the T/R being 

damaged by excessive heat, which could 

result in thrust reverser structural 

failure. This failure could result in large 

pieces of the T/R or adjacent 

components departing the airplane. A 

separated T/R piece could result in an 

RTO and cause asymmetric thrust and 

consequent loss of control of the 

airplane during reverse thrust 

operations. Separated components 

could also cause structural damage to 

the airplane, damage to other airplanes, 

or injury to people on the ground. 

Relevant Service Information 

We reviewed Boeing Service Bulletin 

777–75A0002, Revision 1, dated 

October 26, 2011. This service 

information describes procedures for 

replacing bleed valve parts and tubing 

(including IP8 bleed valve ducts, duct 

bases, HP3 air tubes and associated 

parts) with new parts and tubing on the 

left and right Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 

800 engines. 

Boeing Service Bulletin 777– 

75A0002, Revision 1, dated October 26, 

2011, refers to Boeing Special Attention 

Service Bulletin 777–31–0177, dated 

September 23, 2010, as a concurrent 

requirement. This concurrent service 

bulletin describes procedures for 

installing the AEDB software, software 

part number 3110–BCG–00R–06, media 

set part number 243W0033–7, in the 

airplane AIMS hardware. 

Additionally, Boeing Service Bulletin 

777–75A0002, Revision 1, dated 

October 26, 2011, refers to Rolls-Royce 

Service Bulletin RB.211–75–G466, dated 

June 20, 2011, as an additional source 

of guidance for replacing bleed valve 

parts and tubing. 

Other Relevant Rulemaking 

We issued AD 2005–07–24, 

Amendment 39–14049 (70 FR 18285, 

April 11, 2005), for Model 777–200 and 

–300 series airplanes equipped with 

Rolls-Royce Model RB211 TRENT 800 

engines. That AD requires inspecting 

the thrust reversers for damage of the 

insulation blankets, the inner wall, and 

the compression and drag link fittings; 

and repair if necessary. That AD also 

requires applying sealant to certain 

areas of the thrust reverser. That AD 

refers to Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 

777–78A0059, dated February 24, 2005, 

for doing the required actions. That AD 

was prompted by two reports of thrust 

reverser failure; investigation revealed 

that the inner wall of the thrust 

reversers had collapsed from exposure 

to hot engine core compartment air. We 

issued that AD to prevent failure of a 

thrust reverser and adjacent components 

and their consequent separation from 

the airplane, which could result in an 

RTO and cause asymmetric thrust and 

consequent loss of control of the 

airplane during reverse thrust operation. 

If an RTO does not occur, these 

separated components could cause 

structural damage to the airplane or 

damage to other airplanes and possible 

injury to people on the ground. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all the relevant information 

and determined the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop in other products of the same 

type design. 

Proposed AD Requirements 

This proposed AD would require 

accomplishing the actions specified in 

the Boeing service information 

described previously. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 55 airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Replacement ................................................... 16 work-hours × $85 per hour = $1,360 ........ $75,000 $76,360 $4,199,800 

Installation of AEDB software ......................... 1 work-hour × $85 per hour = $85 ................. 0 85 4,675 

According to the manufacturer, some 

of the costs of this proposed AD may be 

covered under warranty, thereby 

reducing the cost impact on affected 

individuals. We do not control warranty 

coverage for affected individuals. As a 

result, we have included all costs in our 

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. 

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. 

Regulatory Findings 

We determined that this proposed AD 

would not have federalism implications 

under Executive Order 13132. This 

proposed AD would 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 this proposed regulation: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866, 

(2) Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under 

the DOT Regulatory Policies and 

Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 

1979), 

(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska, and 

(4) 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 Proposed Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA proposes to amend 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. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 238 / Monday, December 12, 2011 / Proposed Rules 77159 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

The Boeing Company: Docket No. FAA– 

2011–1319; Directorate Identifier 2011– 

NM–143–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by January 26, 

2012. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to The Boeing Company 

Model 777–200 and –300 series airplanes, 

certificated in any category, equipped with 

Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 800 engines, as 

identified in Boeing Service Bulletin 777– 

75A0002, Revision 1, dated October 26, 2011. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC)/ 

Air Transport Association (ATA) of America 

Code 78, Exhaust. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by reports of events 

related to thermal damage of the thrust 

reverser (T/R) inner wall on Rolls-Royce 

RB211 Trent 800 engines. We are issuing this 

AD to eliminate T/R thermal damage caused 

by excessive heat downstream of the 8th 

stage IP8 exhaust ports, which could result 

in T/R structural failure. This failure could 

result in large pieces of the T/R or adjacent 

components departing the airplane. A 

separated T/R piece could result in a rejected 

takeoff and cause asymmetric thrust and 

consequent loss of control of the airplane 

during reverse thrust operations. Separated 

components could also cause structural 

damage to the airplane, damage to other 

airplanes, or injury to people on the ground. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Replacement of Bleed Valve Parts and 

Tubing 

Within 36 months after the effective date 

of this AD, replace the bleed valve parts and 

tubing with new parts and tubing on the left 

and right engines, in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing 

Service Bulletin 777–75A0002, Revision 1, 

dated October 26, 2011. 

Note 1: The service bulletin 

accomplishment instructions might refer to 

other procedures. When the words ‘‘refer to’’ 

are used and the operator has an accepted 

alternative procedure, the accepted 

alternative procedure can be used to comply 

with the AD. When the words ‘‘in accordance 

with’’ are included in the instruction, the 

procedure in the design approval holder 

document must be used to comply with the 

AD. 

(h) Concurrent Requirements 

Prior to or concurrently with doing the 

actions required by paragraph (g) of this AD, 

install Aero-Engine database software, 

software part number 3110–BCG–00R–06, 

media set part number 243W0033–7, in the 

airplane information management system 

hardware, in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing 

Special Attention Service Bulletin 777–31– 

0177, dated September 23, 2010. 

(i) Maintenance 

Note 2: After accomplishing the actions 

required by paragraphs (g) and (h) of this AD, 

maintenance and/or preventative 

maintenance under 14 CFR part 43 is 

permitted provided the maintenance does not 

result in changing the AD-mandated 

configuration (reference 14 CFR 39.7). 

(j) Credit for Actions Accomplished in 

Accordance With Previous Service 

Information 

Replacing the bleed valve parts and tubing 

with new parts and tubing on the left and 

right engines in accordance with the 

Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Alert 

Service Bulletin 777–75A0002, dated January 

12, 2011, before the effective date of this AD 

is acceptable for compliance with the 

corresponding replacements required by 

paragraph (g) of this AD. 

(k) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Seattle Certification 

Office (ACO), 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 ACO, send it to the 

attention of the person identified in the 

Related Information section of this AD. 

Information may be emailed to: 9–ANM– 

Seattle–ACO–AMOC–Requests@faa.gov. 

(2) Before using any approved AMOC, 

notify your appropriate principal inspector, 

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 Rebel Nichols, Aerospace Engineer, 

Propulsion Branch, ANM–140S, FAA, Seattle 

Aircraft Certification Office (ACO), 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057– 

3356; phone: (425) 917–6509; fax: (425) 917– 

6590; email: Rebel.Nichols@faa.gov. 

(2) For Boeing service information 

identified in this AD, contact Boeing 

Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data & 

Services Management, P.O. Box 3707, MC 

2H–65, Seattle, Washington 98124–2207; 

phone: (206) 544–5000, extension 1; fax: 

(206) 766–5680; email: 

me.boecom@boeing.com; Internet: https:// 

www.myboeingfleet.com. 

(3) For Rolls-Royce service information 

identified in this AD, contact Rolls-Royce 

plc, P.O. Box 31, DERBY, DE24 8BJ, UK; 

telephone 011 44 1332 242424; fax 011 44 

1332 249936. You may review copies of the 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind 

Avenue SW., Renton, Washington. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (425) 227–1221. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on 

December 5, 2011. 

Ali Bahrami, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–31738 Filed 12–9–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1318; Directorate 

Identifier 2010–NM–274–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; 328 Support 

Services GmbH Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all 328 

Support Services GmbH (Type 

Certificate previously held by AvCraft 

Aerospace GmbH; Fairchild Dornier 

GmbH; Dornier Luftfahrt GmbH) Model 

328–100 and –300 airplanes that would 

supersede an existing AD. This 

proposed AD results from mandatory 

continuing airworthiness information 

(MCAI) originated by an aviation 

authority of another country to identify 

and correct an unsafe condition on an 

aviation product. The MCAI describes 

the unsafe condition as: 

An incident has been reported with a 

Dornier 328–100 aeroplane, where the righthand (RH) power lever jammed in flight-idle 

position during the landing roll-out. The 

aeroplane was stopped by excessive braking. 

The reason for the jamming was that the 

cockpit door locking device * * * had fallen 

off the RH cockpit wall, blocking the RH 

power/condition lever pulley/cable cluster 

below the door. * * * 

This condition, if not corrected, could 

cause interference with the engine and/or 

flight control cables, possibly resulting in 

reduced control of the aeroplane. 

* * * * * 

The proposed AD would require actions 

that are intended to address the unsafe 

condition described in the MCAI. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by January 26, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. 

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