[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 12 (Thursday, January 21, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 6271-6273]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-00672]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2020-1174; Project Identifier MCAI-2019-00135-E]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 
(Type Certificate Previously Held by Rolls-Royce Deutschland GmbH, 
Formerly BMW Rolls-Royce GmbH) Turbofan Engines

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) 
for certain Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) BR700-710A1-10, 
BR700-710A2-20 and BR700-710C4-11 model turbofan engines. This proposed 
AD was prompted by an investigation by RRD, which revealed a quality 
escape during the high-pressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 disk rim cooling 
air hole manufacturing process. This proposed AD would require removing 
affected HPT disks from service prior to reaching specified compliance 
times or at the next engine shop visit, whichever occurs first. The FAA 
is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this proposed AD by March 8, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
    For service information identified in this NPRM, contact Rolls-
Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG, Eschenweg 11, Dahlewitz 15827, Germany; 
phone: +49 0 33 7086 1200; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0d7f7f692379686e656568617d4d7f6261617e20316c2d657f686b30" http: royce.com">royce.com</a>">rrd.techhelp@rolls-royce.com</a>. You may 
view this service information at the FAA, Airworthiness Products 
Section, Operational Safety Branch, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington, 
MA 01803. For information on the availability of this material at the 
FAA, call (781) 238-7759.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket at https://www.regulations.gov by 
searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-1174; or in person at 
Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except Federal holidays. The AD docket contains this NPRM, the 
mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI), any comments 
received, and other information. The street address for Docket 
Operations is listed above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wego Wang, Aviation Safety Engineer, 
ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington MA 01803; phone: 
(781) 238-7134; fax: (781) 238-7199; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a2d5c7c5cd8cd5c3ccc5e2c4c3c38cc5cdd4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="631406040c4d14020d04230502024d040c15">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited

    The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or 
arguments about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed 
under ADDRESSES. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2020-1174; Project Identifier 
MCAI-2019-00135-E'' at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful 
comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the 
reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. The FAA 
will consider all comments received by the closing date and may amend 
this proposal because of those comments.
    Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in 
the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR

[[Page 6272]]

11.35, the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to 
https://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you 
provide. The agency will also post a report summarizing each 
substantive verbal contact received about this NPRM.

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 this NPRM contain commercial 
or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that 
you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to 
this NPRM, 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 they will not be placed in the public 
docket of this NPRM. Submissions containing CBI should be sent to Wego 
Wang, Aviation Safety Engineer, ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 District Avenue, 
Burlington, MA 01803. Any commentary that the FAA receives which is not 
specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for 
this rulemaking.

Background

    The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the 
Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has 
issued EASA AD 2019-0299, dated December 10, 2019 (referred to after 
this as ``the MCAI''), to address the unsafe condition on these 
products. The MCAI states:

    An occurrence was reported of an HPT stage 1 disc burst on an 
industrial gas turbine engine. Subsequent investigation revealed a 
quality escape during HPT stage 1 disc rim cooling air hole 
manufacturing process. A review revealed that 28 HPT stage 1 discs 
were subject to a similar quality escape, two of which have been 
recovered and removed from service. The consequence of this 
manufacturing error is that the affected parts can no longer safely 
reach their Declared Safe Cyclic Life (DSCL).
    This condition, if not corrected, may lead to failure of an 
affected part, possibly resulting in release of high-energy debris, 
with consequent damage to, and/or reduced control of, the aeroplane. 
To address this potentially unsafe condition, RRD issued the NMSB, 
providing instructions to remove the engine from service for in-shop 
replacement of the affected part.
    For the reasons described above, this [EASA] AD reduces the DSCL 
for the affected parts, requires identification of the affected 
parts and removal from service of each affected engine for 
replacement of the affected part. This [EASA] AD also prohibits 
(re)installation of affected parts.

    You may obtain further information by examining the MCAI in the AD 
docket at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating 
Docket No. FAA-2020-1174.

FAA's Determination

    This product has been approved by EASA and is approved for 
operation in the United States. Pursuant to our bilateral agreement 
with the European Community, EASA has notified us of the unsafe 
condition described in the MCAI and service information referenced 
above. The FAA is issuing this NPRM because the agency evaluated all 
the relevant information provided by EASA and determined the unsafe 
condition described previously is likely to exist or develop in other 
products of the same type design.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed RRD Alert Non-Modification Service Bulletin (NMSB) 
SB-BR700-72-A900659, Revision 1, dated November 5, 2019 (the NMSB). The 
NMSB provides the part numbers and serial numbers for affected HPT 
disks, the serial numbers for all engines with an affected HPT disk 
installed, and instructions for replacement of the affected HPT disk. 
This service information is reasonably available because the interested 
parties have access to it through their normal course of business or by 
the means identified in ADDRESSES.

Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM

    This proposed AD would require replacement of the affected HPT disk 
before reaching specified compliance times or at the next engine shop 
visit, whichever occurs first.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would 
affect 21 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. registry.
    The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed 
AD:

                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                    Cost per       Cost on U.S.
               Action                        Labor cost           Parts cost        product         operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Replace HPT disk....................  20 work-hours x $85 per        $550,000         $551,700      $11,585,700
                                       hour = $1,700.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FAA has included all known costs in its cost estimate. 
According to the manufacturer, however, all of the costs of this 
proposed AD may be covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost 
impact on affected operators.

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.
    The FAA is 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

    The FAA 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) Would not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and

[[Page 6273]]

    (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.

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

0
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.


Sec.  39.13  [Amended]

0
2. The FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness 
directive:

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (Type Certificate previously 
held by Rolls-Royce Deutschland GmbH, formerly BMW Rolls-Royce 
GmbH): Docket No. FAA-2020-1174; Project Identifier MCAI-2019-00135-
E.

(a) Comments Due Date

    The FAA must receive comments on this airworthiness directive 
(AD) by March 8, 2021.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) 
(Type Certificate previously held by Rolls-Royce Deutschland GmbH, 
formerly BMW Rolls-Royce GmbH) BR700-710A1-10, BR700-710A2-20 and 
BR700-710C4-11 model turbofan engines with a high-pressure turbine 
(HPT) stage 1 disk having a part number and serial number listed in 
Planning Information, paragraph 1.A., of RRD Alert Non-Modification 
Service Bulletin (NMSB) SB-BR700-72-A900659, Revision 1, dated 
November 5, 2019, installed.

(d) Subject

    Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) Code 7230, Turbine Engine 
Compressor Section.

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by an investigation by RRD, which revealed 
a quality escape during the HPT stage 1 disk rim cooling air hole 
manufacturing process. The FAA is issuing this AD to prevent failure 
of the HPT stage 1 disk. The unsafe condition, if not addressed, 
could result in the release of high-energy debris, damage to the 
airplane, and reduced control of the airplane.

(f) Compliance

    Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified, 
unless already done.

(g) Required Actions

    Before the affected HPT stage 1 disk exceeds 2,840 flight cycles 
(FCs) since new, or within 60 days after the effective date of this 
AD, whichever occurs later, but not to exceed 8 years after the 
effective date of this AD if using FCs, remove the affected HPT 
stage 1 disk from service and replace with a part eligible for 
installation. Guidance on replacing the HPT stage 1 disk can be 
found in the Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 3.B., of RRD 
Non-Modification Service Bulletin (NMSB) SB-BR700-72-A900659, 
Revision 1, dated November 5, 2019.

(h) Installation Prohibition

    After the effective date of this AD, do not install any affected 
HPT stage 1 disk onto any engine.

(i) Definition

    (1) For the purpose of this AD, a ``part eligible for 
installation'' is an HPT stage 1 disk that is not listed in 
paragraph 1.A. of RRD NMSB SB-BR700-72-A900659, Revision 1, dated 
November 5, 2019.

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, ECO Branch, 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 
certification office, send it to the attention of the person 
identified in Related Information. You may email your request to: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4c0d0209610d08610d01030f0c2a2d2d622b233a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="afeee1ea82eeeb82eee2e0ecefc9cece81c8c0d9">[email protected]</span></a>.
    (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.

(k) Related Information

    (1) For more information about this AD, contact Wego Wang, 
Aviation Safety Engineer, ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 District Avenue, 
Burlington, MA 01803; phone: (781) 238-7134; fax: (781) 238-7199; 
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#067163616928716768614660676728616970"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d3a4b6b4bcfda4b2bdb493b5b2b2fdb4bca5">[email protected]</span></a>.
    (2) Refer to European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 
2019-0299, dated December 10, 2019, for more information. You may 
examine the EASA AD in the AD docket at https://www.regulations.gov 
by searching for and locating it in Docket No. FAA-2020-1174.
    (3) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG, Eschenweg 11, Dahlewitz, 15827, 
Germany; phone: +49 0 33 7086 1200; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#deacacbaf0aabbbdb6b6bbb2ae9eacb1b2b2adf3e2bffeb6acbbb8e3" http: royce.com">royce.com</a>">rrd.techhelp@rolls-royce.com</a>. You may view this referenced service information at the 
FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, Operational Safety Branch, 1200 
District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803. For information on the 
availability of this material at the FAA, call (781) 238-7759.

    Issued on January 8, 2021.
Lance T. Gant,
Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-00672 Filed 1-19-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P


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