Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 216 / Wednesday, November 7, 2012 / Proposed Rules 66769 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–1006; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NE–28–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Turbojet 

Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 

(RRD) Spey 511–8 turbojet engines. This 

proposed AD was prompted by a recent 

quality review determination that bolts 

with reduced material properties may 

have been installed in some engines. 

This proposed AD would require 

inspection and replacement if 

necessary, of affected bolts, and if any 

bolt is found broken, inspection of the 

adjacent disc(s) for damage. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent 

uncontained turbine disc fracture and 

damage to the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by January 7, 2013. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking 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 Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG, Eschenweg 

11, Dahlewitz, 15827 BlankenfeldeMahlow, Germany; telephone: 49 0 33– 

7086–1883; fax: 49 0 33–7086–3276. 

You may view 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 

& Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238–7779; fax: 781–238– 

7199; email: frederick.zink@faa.gov. 

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–2012–1006; Directorate Identifier 

2012–NE–28–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 AD 2012– 

0158, dated August 22, 2012 (referred to 

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

unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

The results of a recent quality review of 

low pressure turbine (LPT) support assembly, 

high pressure turbine (HPT) bearing support 

assembly and HPT air seal sleeve bolts 

identified that, before installation, those bolts 

are not subjected to a complete quality 

inspection. As a consequence, bolts with 

reduced material properties may have been 

installed in some engines. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could lead to failure of a bolt, 

potentially causing turbine disc fracture and 

release of high-energy debris, possibly 

resulting in damage to the aeroplane and/or 

injury to the occupants. 

You may obtain further information by 

examining the MCAI in the AD docket. 

Relevant Service Information 

RRD has issued Alert Service Bulletin 

No. Sp72–A1068, Revision 1, dated June 

11, 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 

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. 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. This 

proposed AD would require inspection 

and replacement if necessary, of affected 

bolts, and if any bolt is found broken, 

inspection of the adjacent disc(s) for 

damage. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect about six engines installed 

on airplanes of U.S. registry. We also 

estimate that it would take about 2 

hours per engine to comply with this 

proposed AD. The average labor rate is 

$85 per hour. Required parts would cost 

about $860 per engine. Based on these 

figures, we estimate the cost of the 

proposed AD on U.S. operators to be 

$6,180. 

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 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS-1
66770 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 216 / Wednesday, November 7, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

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: 

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 

(Formerly Rolls-Royce Deutschland 

GmbH, Formerly Rolls-Royce plc): 

Docket No. FAA–2012–1006; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NE–28–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by January 7, 

2013. 

(b) Affected Airworthiness Directives (ADs) 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) Spey 511– 

8 turbojet engines, serial numbers 8847, 

8853, 8879, 8989, 8994, and 9817, with a date 

of the last shop visit before November 15, 

2007. 

(d) Reason 

This AD was prompted by a recent quality 

review determination that bolts with reduced 

material properties may have been installed 

in some engines. We are issuing this AD to 

prevent uncontained turbine disc fracture 

and damage to the airplane. 

(e) Actions and Compliance 

Unless already done, do the following 

actions for engines with a date of the last 

shop visit before November 15, 2007: 

(1) Within 4,500 engine cycles 

accumulated since that last engine shop visit, 

inspect the bolts installed in the low-pressure 

turbine (LPT) support assembly, highpressure turbine (HPT) bearing support 

assembly, and HPT air seal sleeve. 

(2) If engine cycles accumulated since the 

last engine shop visit is more than 4,400 

cycles on the effective date of this AD, 

inspect the bolts installed in the LPT support 

assembly, HPT bearing support assembly, 

and HPT air seal sleeve within 100 engine 

cycles. 

(3) If any broken bolt, brown bolt, or bolt 

with a rough oxidized surface is identified, 

replace all bolts with new bolts before further 

flight. 

(4) If any bolt is found broken in the LPT 

support assembly, inspect the LPT stage 2 

disc for damage before further flight. 

(5) If any bolt is found broken in the HPT 

shaft air seal sleeve, inspect the HPT stage 1 

disc for damage before further flight. 

(6) Within 30 days after the inspection, 

report the inspection findings to RRD service 

engineering. Guidance on reporting can be 

found in RRD Alert Service Bulletin No. 

Sp72–A1068, Revision 1, dated June 11, 

2012. 

(f) Installation Prohibition 

After the effective date of this AD, do not 

install any LPT support assembly, HPT 

bearing support assembly, or HPT air seal 

sleeve into any engine, or any engine onto an 

airplane, unless the bolts have been 

inspected and replaced if necessary, and the 

LPT stage 2 disc and HPT stage 1 disc have 

been inspected if necessary, as specified in 

paragraph (e) of this AD. 

(g) Definition 

For the purpose of this AD, a shop visit is 

when the engine is inducted into the shop for 

any maintenance involving the separation of 

pairs of major mating engine flanges (lettered 

flanges). However, the separation of engine 

flanges solely for the purposes of transporting 

the engine without subsequent engine 

maintenance is not an engine shop visit. 

(h) Paperwork Reduction Act Burden 

Statement 

A federal agency may not conduct or 

sponsor, and a person is not required to 

respond to, nor shall a person be subject to 

a penalty for failure to comply with a 

collection of information subject to the 

requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act unless that collection of information 

displays a current valid OMB Control 

Number. The OMB Control Number for this 

information collection is 2120–0056. Public 

reporting for this collection of information is 

estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per 

response, including the time for reviewing 

instructions, completing and reviewing the 

collection of information. All responses to 

this collection of information are mandatory. 

Comments concerning the accuracy of this 

burden and suggestions for reducing the 

burden should be directed to the FAA at: 800 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 

20591, Attn: Information Collection 

Clearance Officer, AES–200. 

(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

The Manager, Engine Certification Office, 

FAA, may approve AMOCs to this AD. Use 

the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19 to 

make your request. 

(j) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Frederick Zink, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238–7779; fax: 781–238–7199; 

email: frederick.zink@faa.gov. 

(2) Refer to European Aviation Safety 

Agency AD 2012–0158, dated August 22, 

2012, and RRD Alert Service Bulletin Sp72– 

A1068, for related information. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd 

& Co KG, Eschenweg 11, Dahlewitz, 15827 

Blankenfelde-Mahlow, Germany; telephone: 

49 0 33–7086–1883; fax: 49 0 33–7086–3276. 

You may view 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. 

(k) Material Incorporated by Reference 

None. 

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on 

October 26, 2012. 

Colleen M. D’Alessandro, 

Assistant Manager, Engine & Propeller 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–27170 Filed 11–6–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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