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

53154 

Vol. 77, No. 170 

Friday, August 31, 2012 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0885; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NE–18–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Thielert 

Aircraft Engines GmbH Models TAE 

125–02–99 and TAE 125–02–114 

Reciprocating Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for all TAE 

125–02–99 and TAE 125–02–114 

reciprocating engines. This proposed 

AD was prompted by an in-flight 

shutdown of an airplane equipped with 

a TAE 125–02–99 engine. This proposed 

AD would require inspection of the oil 

filler plug vent hole at the next 

scheduled maintenance or within 110 

flight hours after the effective date of 

this AD. If chips are found to be 

blocking the vent hole, additional 

corrective action is required before next 

flight. We are proposing this AD to 

prevent engine in-flight shutdown or 

power loss, possibly resulting in 

reduced control of the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by October 30, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal Rulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and follow 

the instructions for sending your 

comments electronically. 

• Mail: Docket Management Facility, 

U.S. Department of Transportation, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

Washington, DC 20590–0001. 

• Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail 

address above between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. 

• Fax: 202–493–2251. 

For service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Thielert 

Aircraft Engines GmbH, Platanenstrasse 

14 D–09350, Lichtenstein, Germany, 

telephone: +49–37204–696–0; fax: +49– 

37204–696–2912; email: 

info@centurion-engines.com. You may 

review copies of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call 781–238–7125. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov; or in person at the 

Docket Operations office 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 Operations 

office (phone: 800–647–5527) is the 

same as the Mail address provided in 

the ADDRESSES section. Comments will 

be available in the AD docket shortly 

after receipt. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Frederick Zink, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine 

and Propeller Directorate, 12 New 

England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 

01803; email: frederick.zink@faa.gov; 

telephone: 781–238–7779; fax: 781– 

238–7199. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposed AD. Send your comments 

to an address listed under the 

ADDRESSES section. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2012–0885; Directorate Identifier 

2012–NE–18–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 based on 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 with FAA 

personnel concerning this proposed AD. 

Using the search function of the Web 

site, anyone can find and read the 

comments in any of our dockets, 

including, if provided, 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). 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA 

Airworthiness Directive No. 2012–0112, 

dated June 22, 2012 (referred to after 

this as ‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct an unsafe 

condition for the specified products. 

The MCAI states: 

An engine in-flight shutdown has been 

reported on an aeroplane equipped with a 

TAE 125–02–99 engine. The results of the 

investigation showed that this was due to 

blockage of the gearbox oil filling plug vent 

hole, which caused pressurisation in the 

gearbox, resulting in oil leakage and a 

slipping clutch. This condition, if not 

corrected, could result in further cases of 

engine in-flight shutdown and consequent 

loss of control of the aeroplane. 

Further investigation revealed that the 

blockage to the oil cap vent was the 

result of a residual chip from machining 

the oil cap vent hole. The chip is from 

the manufacturing process and did not 

fall off the oil plug. This is not the result 

of material in the oil system causing the 

blockage. You may obtain further 

information including the affected 

gearbox serial number list by examining 

the MCAI in the AD docket. 

Relevant Service Information 

Thielert Aircraft Engines has issued 

Service Bulletin TM TAE 125–1015 P1, 

Initial Issue, dated April 27, 2012. The 

actions described in this service 

information are intended to correct the 

unsafe condition identified in the 

MCAI. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of This Proposed AD 

This product has been approved by 

Germany and is approved for operation 

in the United States. Pursuant to our 

bilateral agreement with Germany, 

EASA has notified us of the unsafe 

condition described in the MCAI and 


EMCDONALD on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 170 / Friday, August 31, 2012 / Proposed Rules 53155 

service information referenced above. 

We are proposing this AD because we 

evaluated all information provided by 

EASA and determined the unsafe 

condition exists and is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. The proposed AD would 

require inspection of the oil filler plug 

vent hole at the next scheduled 

maintenance or within 110 flight hours 

after the effective date of this AD. If 

chips are found to be blocking the vent 

hole, additional corrective action is 

required before next flight. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect about 45 engines installed 

on airplanes of U.S. registry. We also 

estimate that it would take about 2.5 

work-hours per product to comply with 

this proposed AD. The average labor 

rate is $85 per work-hour. Required 

parts would cost about $30 per engine. 

Based on these figures, we estimate the 

cost of the proposed AD to U.S. 

operators to be $10,913. 

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); and 

3. 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. 

We prepared a regulatory evaluation 

of the estimated costs to comply with 

this proposed AD and placed it in the 

AD docket. 

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. 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new AD: 

Thielert Aircraft Engines: Docket No. FAA– 

2012–0885; Directorate Identifier 2012– 

NE–18–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by October 30, 

2012. 

(b) Affected Airworthiness Directives (ADs) 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all TAE 125–09–99 and 

TAE 125–02–114 reciprocating engines. 

(d) Reason 

This AD was prompted by an in-flight 

shutdown of an airplane equipped with an 

TAE 125–02–99 engine. We are issuing this 

AD to prevent engine in-flight shutdown or 

power loss, possibly resulting in reduced 

control of the airplane. 

(e) Actions and Compliance 

Unless already done, within 110 flight 

hours after the effective date of this AD, or 

at the next scheduled maintenance, do the 

following. 

(1) Remove the oil filler plug and check for 

chips blocking the vent hole in accordance 

with TAE Service Bulletin (S/B) TM TAE 

125–1015 P1, Initial Issue, dated April 27, 

2012. 

(2) If chips are found during the inspection 

in paragraph (e)(1) of this AD, disassemble 

the gearbox and check the radial shaft sealing 

rings (at the clutch and the propeller shaft) 

for leakage. If leakage is noted, replace the 

gearbox before the next flight. 

(f) Installation Prohibition 

After the effective date of this AD, do not 

install a gearbox with an S/N listed in TAE 

S/B TM TAE 125–1015, Initial Issued, dated 

April 27, 2012, into any engine unless the oil 

filler plug has passed the inspection required 

by paragraph (e)(1) of this AD. 

(g) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

The Manager, Engine Certification Office, 

FAA, may approve AMOCs for this AD. Use 

the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. 

(h) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Frederick Zink, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine and 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

email: frederick.zink@faa.gov; telephone 

(781) 238–7779; fax (781) 238–7199. 

(2) Refer to MCAI Airworthiness Directive 

No. 2012–0112, dated June 22, 2012, and 

TAE S/B TM TAE 125–1015 P1, Initial Issue, 

dated April 27, 2012 for related information. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Thielert Aircraft Engines 

GmbH, Platanenstrasse 14 D–09350, 

Lichtenstein, Germany, telephone: +49– 

37204–696–0; fax: +49–37204–696–2912; 

email: info@centurion-engines.com. You may 

review copies of the referenced service 

information at the FAA, Engine & Propeller 

Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA. For information on the 

availability of this material at the FAA, call 

781–238–7125. 

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on 

August 24, 2012. 

Robert G. Mann, 

Acting Manager, Engine & Propeller 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–21524 Filed 8–30–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–1222; Directorate 

Identifier 2010–NM–268–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing 

Company Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Supplemental notice of 

proposed rulemaking (NPRM); 

reopening of comment period. 

SUMMARY: We are revising an earlier 

proposed airworthiness directive (AD) 

for certain The Boeing Company Model 

737–600, –700, –700C, –800, –900, and 

–900ER series airplanes. That NPRM 

proposed to require checking the escape 

slide girt for serviceability, and 


EMCDONALD on DSK67QTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS