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

77144

Vol. 69, No. 247

Monday, December 27, 2004

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2004–19930; Directorate 

Identifier 2004–NE–33–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce 

plc RB211 Trent 800 Series Turbofan 

Engines

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

Rolls-Royce plc (RR) RB211 Trent 800 

series turbofan engines. This proposed 

AD would require initial and repetitive 

borescope inspections of the high 

pressure-and-intermediate pressure 

(HP–IP) turbine internal and external oil 

vent tubes for coking and carbon 

buildup, and cleaning or replacing the 

vent tubes if necessary. This proposed 

AD results from a report of an RB211 

Trent 700 series engine experiencing a 

disk shaft separation, overspeed of the 

IP turbine rotor, and multiple blade 

release of IP turbine blades. Preliminary 

findings suggest these events resulted 

from an internal oil fire in the HP-IP 

turbine oil vent tubes due to coking and 

carbon buildup. This fire led to a second 

fire in the internal air cavity below the 

IP turbine disk drive shaft. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent internal 

oil fires in RB211 Trent 800 series 

turbofan engines due to coking and 

carbon buildup, that could cause 

uncontained engine failure and damage 

to the airplane.

DATES: We must receive any comments 

on this proposed AD by February 25, 

2005.

ADDRESSES: Use one of the following 

addresses to comment on this proposed 

AD. 

• DOT Docket Web Site: Go to http:/

/dms.dot.gov and follow the instructions 

for sending your comments 

electronically. 

• Government-wide Rulemaking Web 

Site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov

and follow the instructions for sending 

your comments electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility; 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Nassif Building, 

Room PL–401, Washington, DC 20590–

001. 

• Fax: (202) 493–2251. 

• Hand Delivery: Room PL–401 on 

the plaza level of the Nassif Building, 

400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, 

DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

Contact Rolls-Royce plc, PO Box 31, 

Derby, England; telephone: 011–44–

1332–249428; fax: 011–44–1332–249223 

for the service information identified in 

this proposed AD.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ian 

Dargin, Aerospace Engineer, Engine 

Certification Office, FAA, Engine and 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803–

5299; telephone (781) 238–7178; fax 

(781) 238–7199.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to submit any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments 

regarding this proposal. Send your 

comments to an address listed under 

ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA–

2004–19930; Directorate Identifier 

2004–NE–33–AD’’ in the subject line of 

your comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of the proposed AD. We will 

consider all comments received by the 

closing date and may amend the 

proposed AD in light of those 

comments. 

We will post all comments we 

receive, without change, to http://

dms.dot.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. We will also 

post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact with FAA 

personnel concerning this proposed AD. 

Using the search function of the DMS 

Web site, anyone can find and read the 

comments in any of our dockets, 

including the name of the individual 

who sent the comment (or signed the 

comment on behalf of an association, 

business, labor union, etc.). You may 

review the DOT’s complete Privacy Act 

Statement in the Federal Register

published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 

19477–78) or you may visit http://

dms.dot.gov.

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the docket that 

contains the proposal, any comments 

received, and any final disposition in 

person at the DMS Docket Offices 

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

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

The Docket Office (telephone (800) 647–

5227) is on the plaza level of the 

Department of Transportation Nassif 

Building at the street address stated in 

ADDRESSES. Comments will be available 

in the AD docket shortly after the DMS 

receives them. 

Discussion 

As a member of the National 

Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 

investigation team, we are investigating 

an incident event on RR RB211 Trent 

700 series engines and possible unsafe 

condition on RB211 Trent 800 series 

engines. The Civil Aviation Authority 

(CAA), which is the airworthiness 

authority for the United Kingdom (UK) 

is helping us investigate. A report was 

received of an RB211 Trent 700 series 

engine experiencing a disk shaft 

separation, overspeed of the IP turbine 

rotor, and multiple blade release of IP 

turbine blades. Preliminary findings 

suggest these events resulted from an 

internal oil fire in the HP–IP turbine oil 

vent tubes due to coking and carbon 

buildup. This fire led to a second fire in 

the internal air cavity below the IP 

turbine disk drive shaft. Because the oil 

vent tubes on the event engine were 

destroyed, the partner engine on the 

same airplane was inspected. That 

inspection revealed heavy coking and 

carbon buildup, with partial blockage of 

the HP–IP turbine oil vent tubes. Both 

engines had the same on-wing life of 

15,169 hours with 2,344 cycles-sincenew. Both engines contained Mobil Jet 

Oil 291, which also is suspect and will 

be removed from the list of approved 

oils for these engines. The NTSB 

investigation is ongoing and a probable 

cause finding has not yet been made. 

The fire, disk overspeed, and blade 

release appear to be the result of the 

coking and carbon buildup, evident in 

the sister engine and linked by cycles 

and oil use to the event engine. The 

Trent 800 series engines have similar 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 247 / Monday, December 27, 2004 / Proposed Rules 77145

design HP–IP turbine oil vent tubes and 

are the subject of this proposed AD. 

Relevant Service Information 

We have reviewed and approved the 

technical contents of RR Alert Service 

Bulletin (ASB) No. RB.211–72–AE362, 

dated May 7, 2004, that describes 

procedures for: 

• Initial and repetitive borescope 

inspections for coking and carbon 

buildup in the HP–IP turbine oil vent 

tubes; and 

• Cleaning the tubes if necessary, and 

removing the engine from service to 

clean or replace the tubes.

This ASB requires that all operators 

submit inspection data to the 

manufacturer. The CAA classified this 

ASB as mandatory and issued AD G–

2004–0009, dated May 27, 2004, in 

order to ensure the airworthiness of 

these RB211 Trent 800 series engines in 

the UK. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the Manufacturer’s Service 

Information 

Although RR ASB No. RB.211–72–

AE362, dated May 7, 2004, requires 

replacing the scavenge oil filter and 

sending the removed filter to RR for 

examination as part of returning the 

engine to service, this proposed AD 

does not require sending the removed 

filter to RR. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of the Proposed AD 

These Trent 800 series engines, 

manufactured in the U.K., are typecertificated for operation in the United 

States under the provisions of section 

21.29 of the Federal Aviation 

Regulations (14 CFR 21.29) and the 

applicable bilateral airworthiness 

agreement. In keeping with this bilateral 

airworthiness agreement, the CAA kept 

us informed of the situation described 

above. We have examined the CAA’s 

findings, reviewed all available 

information, and determined that AD 

action is necessary for products of this 

type design that are certificated for 

operation in the United States. For this 

reason, we are proposing this AD, which 

would require: 

• Initial and repetitive borescope 

inspections of the HP-IP turbine oil vent 

tubes for coking and carbon buildup; 

and 

• Cleaning the oil vent tubes or 

removing the engine from service if the 

tubes fail the inspection. 

Interim Action 

These actions are interim actions and 

we may take further rulemaking actions 

in the future. 

Costs of Compliance 

There are about 420 RB211 Trent 800 

series engines of the affected design in 

the worldwide fleet. We estimate that 

this proposed AD would affect 120 

engines installed on airplanes of U.S. 

registry. We also estimate that it would 

take about 1.5 work hours per engine to 

perform the proposed on-wing 

inspections, and about 0.5 work hour to 

perform the proposed in-shop 

inspections. The average labor rate is 

$65 per work hour. Based on these 

figures, we estimate the total cost for 

U.S. operators to perform one on-wing 

inspection to be $11,700, and the total 

cost to perform one in-shop inspection 

to be $3,900. 

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 have 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 that the 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); and 

3. Would 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 proposal and placed 

it in the AD Docket. You may get a copy 

of this summary at the address listed 

under ADDRESSES.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Safety.

The Proposed Amendment 

Under the authority delegated to me 

by the Administrator, the Federal 

Aviation Administration 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.

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive:

Rolls-Royce plc: Docket No. FAA–2004–

19930; Directorate Identifier 2004–NE–

33–AD.

Comments Due Date 

(a) The Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) must receive 

comments on this airworthiness 

directive (AD) action by February 25, 

2005. 

Affected ADs 

(b) None. 

Applicability: (c) This AD applies to 

Rolls-Royce plc (RR) RB211 Trent 875–

17, 877–17, 884–17, 884B–17, 892–17, 

892B–17, and 895–17 series turbofan 

engines. These engines are installed on, 

but not limited to, Boeing 777 airplanes. 

Unsafe Condition 

(d) This AD results from a report of 

an RB211 Trent 700 series engine 

experiencing a disk shaft separation, 

overspeed of the IP turbine rotor, and 

multiple blade release of IP turbine 

blades. Preliminary findings suggest 

these events resulted from an internal 

oil fire in the HP–IP turbine oil vent 

tubes due to coking and carbon buildup. 

This fire led to a second fire in the 

internal air cavity below the IP turbine 

disk drive shaft. We are issuing this AD 

to prevent internal oil fires in RB211 

Trent 800 series turbofan engines due to 

coking and carbon buildup, that could 

cause uncontained engine failure and 

damage to the airplane. 

Compliance: (e) You are responsible 

for having the actions required by this 

AD performed within the compliance 

times specified unless the actions have 

already been done. 

77146 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 247 / Monday, December 27, 2004 / Proposed Rules 

Initial Visual Inspection 

(f) Using paragraph 3.A. (on-wing) or 

3.B. (in-shop) of Accomplishment 

Instructions of RR Alert Service Bulletin 

(ASB) RB.211–72–AE362, dated May 7, 

2004, and the inspection schedule in 

Table 1 of this AD, perform an initial 

borescope inspection of the high 

pressure-and-intermediate pressure 

(HP–IP) turbine internal and external oil 

vent tubes for coking and carbon 

buildup as follows: 

(1) Insert an 8 mm diameter flex 

borescope to see if it will pass along the 

full length of the vent tube into the 

bearing chamber. 

(2) If the vent tube prevents an 8 mm 

diameter flex borescope from passing 

along the full length of the tube into the 

bearing chamber, repeat the action using 

a 6 mm flex borescope. 

(3) If the 6 mm diameter flex 

borescope passes through to the bearing 

chamber, continue using the engine in 

service, and perform the repetitive 

inspections in this AD at the required 

intervals specified in Table 2 of this AD. 

(4) If the vent tube prevents the 6 mm 

diameter flex borescope from passing 

along the full length of the tube into the 

bearing chamber, remove the engine 

from service within 10 cycles-since-last 

inspection (CSLI).

TABLE 1.—INITIAL INSPECTION SCHEDULE

If the engine or the 05 module: Then initially inspect: 

Has reached the threshold life of 15,000 hours time-since new (TSN) 

or reached the threshold life of 3,000 cycles-since-new (CSN) on the 

effective date of this AD.

Within 1,000 hours time-in-service (TIS) or 200 cycles-in service (CIS) 

after the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs first. 

Has fewer than 15,000 hours TSN or fewer than 3,000 CSN on the effective date of this AD.Within 1,000 hours TIS or 200 CIS after reaching the threshold life. 

Repetitive Visual Inspections 

(g) Using paragraph 3.A. (on-wing) or 

3.B. (in-shop) of Accomplishment 

Instructions of RR ASB RB.211–72–

AE362, dated May 7, 2004, paragraphs 

(f)(1) through (f)(4) of this AD, and the 

inspection schedule in Table 2 of this 

AD, perform repetitive borescope 

inspections of the HP–IP turbine 

internal and external oil vent tubes for 

coking and carbon buildup.

TABLE 2.—REPETITIVE INSPECTION SCHEDULE

If at the previous inspection, before any cleaning was performed: Then: 

(1) There was no coking and carbon buildup of a visible thickness; or 

an 8 mm diameter flex borescope could pass along the full length of 

the internal vent tube into the bearing chamber.

Reinspect within 6,000 hours time-since-last-inspection (TSLI) or within 

1,200 cycles-since-last-inspection (CSLI), whichever occurs first. 

(2) The coking or carbon buildup prevented an 8 mm diameter flex 

borescope from passing through the internal vent tube, but a 6 mm 

diameter flex borescope could pass along the full length of the internal vent tube into the bearing chamber.

Reinspect within 1,500 hours TSLI or within 300 CSLI, whichever occurs first. 

(3) The coking or carbon buildup prevented the 6 mm diameter flex 

borescope from passing through the full length of the internal vent 

tube and into the bearing chamber.

Remove the engine from service within 10 CSLI. 

Reporting Requirements 

(h) Report findings of the inspection 

to Rolls-Royce using Table 1 (On-wing 

Inspection Findings) or Table 2 (In-shop 

Inspection Findings) of RR ASB 

RB.211–72–AE362, dated May 7, 2004. 

The Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) has approved the reporting 

requirements specified in Table 1 and 

Table 2 of RR ASB RB.211–72–AE362, 

dated May 7, 2004, and assigned OMB 

control number 2120–0056. 

Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(i) The Manager, Engine Certification 

Office, has the authority to approve 

alternative methods of compliance for 

this AD if requested using the 

procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

Related Information 

(j) CAA airworthiness directive No. 

G–2004–0009, dated May 27, 2004, also 

addresses the subject of this AD.

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on 

December 17, 2004. 

Francis A. Favara, 

Acting Manager, Engine and Propeller 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.

[FR Doc. 04–28145 Filed 12–23–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 71

[Docket No. FAA–2004–19289; Airspace 

Docket No. 04–AGL–20] 

Proposed Establishment of Class E 

Airspace; McGregor, MN

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY: This document proposes to 

establish Class E airspace at McGregor, 

MN. Standard Instrument Approach 

Procedures have been developed for 

McGregor/Isedor Iverson Airport, 

McGregor, MN. Controlled airspace 

extending upward from 700 feet or more 

above the surface of the earth is needed 

to contain aircraft executing these 

approaches. This action would establish 

an area of controlled airspace for 

McGregor/Isedor Iverson Airport.

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before February 20, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send comments on the 

proposal to the Docket Management 

System, U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Room Plaza 401, 400 

Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20590–0001. You must identify the 

docket Number FAA–2004–19289/

Airspace Docket No. 04–AGL–20, at the 

beginning of your comments. You may 

also submit comments on the Internet at 

http://dms.dot.gov. You may review the 

public docket containing the proposal, 

any comments received, and any final