76400 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 236 / Wednesday, December 9, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

(i) Credit for Actions Accomplished in 

Accordance With Previous Service 

Information 

This AD allows credit for the inspection 

required in paragraph (g)(1) of this AD and 

the repair required in paragraph (g)(2) of this 

AD, if done before the effective date of this 

AD, following Part I of the Instructions in 

Piper Aircraft, Inc. Service Bulletin No. 1273, 

dated June 4, 2015. This AD also allows 

credit for the modification required in 

paragraph (h) of this AD, if done before the 

effective date of this AD, following Part II of 

the Instructions in Piper Aircraft, Inc. Service 

Bulletin No. 1273, dated June 4, 2015. 

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, Atlanta Aircraft 

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 Related 

Information, paragraph (j)(1) of this AD. 

(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 Gregory ‘‘Keith’’ Noles, Aerospace 

Engineer, FAA, Atlanta ACO, 1701 Columbia 

Avenue, College Park, Georgia 30337; phone: 

(404) 474–5551; fax: (404) 474–5606; email: 

gregory.noles@faa.gov. 

(2) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Piper Aircraft, Inc. 2926 

Piper Drive, Vero Beach, FL 32960; 

telephone: (415) 330–9500; email: sales@

atp.com; and Internet: http://www.piper.com/ 

technical-publications/. You may view this 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, 

Kansas City, Missouri 64106. For information 

on the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call (816) 329–4148. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on 

December 1, 2015. 

Pat Mullen, 

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–30882 Filed 12–8–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–4474; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–NE–34–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Pratt & 

Whitney Division Turbofan 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 

Pratt & Whitney Division (PW) 

PW4000–94 inch and PW4000–100 inch 

model turbofan engines. This proposed 

AD was prompted by a report of a crack 

find in the high-pressure compressor 

(HPC) disk. This proposed AD would 

require performing an ultrasonic 

inspection (USI) or an eddy current 

inspection (ECI) of the HPC 10th stage 

disk. We are proposing this AD to 

prevent failure of the HPC 10th stage 

disk, an uncontained disk release, 

damage to the engine, and damage to the 

airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by February 8, 2016. 

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 service information identified in 

this proposed AD, contact Pratt & 

Whitney Division, 400 Main St., East 

Hartford, CT 06108; phone: (860) 565– 

8770; fax: (860) 565–4503. You may 

view this 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 by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2015– 

4474; 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: 

Katheryn Malatek, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine 

& Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238–7747; fax: 781–238– 

7199; email: katheryn.malatek@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this NPRM. Send your comments to an 

address listed under the ADDRESSES

section. Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA– 

2015–4474; Directorate Identifier 2015– 

NE–34–AD’’ at the beginning of your 

comments. We specifically invite 

comments on the overall regulatory, 

economic, environmental, and energy 

aspects of this NPRM. We will consider 

all comments received by the closing 

date and may amend this NPRM 

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 NPRM. 

Discussion 

We propose to adopt a new AD for 

certain PW PW4000–94 inch turbofan 

engines with HPC 10th stage disk, part 

number (P/N) 51H710 or 53H976–06, 

installed and certain PW4000–100 inch 

turbofan engines with HPC 10th stage 

disk, P/N 53H976–06, installed. This 

proposed AD was prompted by a report 

of a crack find in the HPC 10th stage 

disk. The root cause of the crack was a 

manual polishing procedure, previously 

used during manufacture, that caused 

surface scratches on the disk. This 

proposed AD would require a USI or 

ECI of the HPC 10th stage disk. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent failure of 

the HPC 10th stage disk, which could 

lead to an uncontained disk release, 

damage to the engine, and damage to the 

airplane. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 236 / Wednesday, December 9, 2015 / Proposed Rules 76401 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed PW Alert Service 

Bulletin (ASB) No. PW4G–100–A72– 

255, dated August 31, 2015 and PW 

ASB No. PW4ENG A72–833, dated 

August 20, 2015. The ASBs provide lists 

of affected HPC disks and describe 

procedures for USI and ECI of the HPC 

10th stage 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 the 

ADDRESSES section of this NPRM. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are proposing this NPRM 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 NPRM would require performing 

a USI or ECI of the HPC 10th stage disk. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 763 engines installed on 

airplanes of U.S. registry. We also 

estimate that it would take about 12 

hours per engine to do the inspection. 

The average labor rate is $85 per hour. 

Based on these figures, we estimate the 

cost of this proposed AD on U.S. 

operators to be $778,260. 

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 to the extent that it justifies 

making a regulatory distinction, 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. 

§ 39.13 [Amended] 

■ 2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

Pratt & Whitney Division: Docket No. FAA– 

2015–4474; Directorate Identifier 2015– 

NE–34–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by February 8, 

2016. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

(1) This AD applies to all Pratt & Whitney 

Division (PW) PW4050, PW4052, PW4056, 

PW4060, PW4060A, PW4060C, PW4062, 

PW4062A, PW4152, PW4156, PW4156A, 

PW4158, PW4160, PW4460, PW4462, and 

PW4650 turbofan engines, including models 

with a ‘‘–3’’ suffix, with one of the following 

installed: 

(i) High-pressure compressor (HPC) 10th 

stage disk, part number (P/N) 51H710, with 

a serial number (S/N) listed in Table 1 of PW 

Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. PW4ENG 

A72–833, dated August 20, 2015; or 

(ii) HPC 10th stage disk, P/N 53H976–06, 

with an S/N listed in Table 2 of PW ASB No. 

PW4ENG A72–833, dated August 20, 2015. 

(2) This AD also applies to all PW PW4164, 

PW4168, PW4168A, PW4164C, PW4164C/B, 

PW4170, PW4168A–1D, PW4168–1D, 

PW4164–1D, PW4164C–1D, and PW4164C/

B–1D turbofan engines with an HPC 10th 

stage disk, P/N 53H976–06, with an S/N 

listed Table 1 of PW ASB No. PW4G–100– 

A72–255, dated August 31, 2015, installed. 

(d) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a report of a 

crack find in the HPC 10th stage disk. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent failure of the HPC 

10th stage disk, an uncontained disk release, 

damage to the engine, and damage to the 

airplane. 

(e) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(1) Whenever the high-pressure turbine 

(HPT) or low-pressure turbine (LPT) is 

removed from the engine, perform an 

ultrasonic inspection (USI) of the HPC 10th 

stage disk for cracks. Remove from service 

any HPC 10th stage disk that fails inspection 

and replace with a part eligible for 

installation. 

(2) Whenever the HPC front drum rotor 

disk assembly is removed from the engine, 

perform an eddy current inspection (ECI) of 

the HPC 10th stage disk for cracks. Remove 

from service any HPC 10th stage disk that 

fails inspection and replace with a part 

eligible for installation. A USI as required by 

paragraph (e)(1) of this AD is not required if 

an ECI is performed. 

(f) 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 to 

make your request. You may email your 

request to: ANE-AD-AMOC@faa.gov. 

(g) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Katheryn Malatek, Aerospace 

Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA, 

Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New 

England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 

01803; phone: 781–238–7747; fax: 781–238– 

7199; email: katheryn.malatek@faa.gov. 

(2) PW ASB No. PW4G–100–A72–255, 

dated August 31, 2015 and PW ASB No. 

PW4ENG A72–833, dated August 20, 2015, 

can be obtained from PW using the contact 

information in paragraph (g)(3) of this AD. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Pratt & Whitney Division, 

400 Main St., East Hartford, CT 06108; 

phone: (860) 565–8770; fax: (860) 565–4503. 

(4) You may view this 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. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS

76402 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 236 / Wednesday, December 9, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on 

December 3, 2015. 

Colleen M. D’Alessandro, 

Directorate Manager, Engine & Propeller 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–30948 Filed 12–8–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–4076; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–NE–30–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce 

plc Turbofan 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 plc (RR) RB211–22B and 

RB211–524 turbofan engines with lowpressure turbine (LPT) support roller 

bearing, part number (P/N) LK30313 or 

P/N UL29651, installed. This proposed 

AD was prompted by a report of a 

breach of the turbine casing and release 

of engine debris. This proposed AD 

would require removal of certain LPT 

support roller bearings installed in RR 

RB211–22B and RB211–524 engines. We 

are proposing this AD to prevent failure 

of the LPT support roller bearing, loss 

of radial position following LPT blade 

failure, uncontained part release, 

damage to the engine, and damage to the 

airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by February 8, 2016. 

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. 

• 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. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket on 

the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2015– 

4076; 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 

mandatory continuing airworthiness 

information (MCAI), the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The 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: 

Brian Kierstead, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine 

& Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238–7772; fax: 781–238– 

7199; email: brian.kierstead@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–2015–4076; Directorate Identifier 

2015–NE–30–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. 

Discussion 

The European Aviation Safety Agency 

(EASA), which is the Technical Agent 

for the Member States of the European 

Community, has issued EASA AD 2015– 

0187, dated September 9, 2015 (referred 

to hereinafter as ‘‘the MCAI’’), to correct 

an unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

An RB211–524G2–T engine experienced an 

in-service event that resulted in breach of a 

turbine casing and some release of core 

engine debris through a hole in the engine 

nacelle. The investigation of the event 

determined the primary cause to have been 

fracture and release of a Low Pressure (LP) 

turbine stage 2 blade. The blade release 

caused secondary damage to the LP turbine, 

producing significant out-of-balance forces. 

The event engine was fitted with an LP 

turbine support bearing where the roller 

retention cage is constructed from two halves 

that are riveted together. The LP turbine 

imbalance resulted in an overload of the LP 

turbine support bearing and caused 

separation of the riveted, two-piece roller 

retention cage. Radial location of the LP 

turbine shaft was lost, allowing further 

progression of the event that resulted in a 

breach of the IP turbine casing. 

RR introduced a modified LPT 

support roller bearing that can 

withstand greater loads when an LPT 

turbine blade release occurs, thereby 

preventing LPT rotor movement. You 

may obtain further information by 

examining the MCAI in the AD docket 

on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2015– 

4076. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of This Proposed AD 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of the United 

Kingdom, 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. 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 removal from service of 

the affected LPT support bearings. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 9 engines installed on airplanes 

of U.S. registry. We also estimate it 

would take 0 hours to comply with this 

proposed AD since the proposed actions 

required by the AD would be performed 

during a shop visit, when major engine 

flanges are separated, which requires 

the removal of the LPT support roller 

bearing. Therefore, no additional time is 

needed to remove it. Parts would cost 

about $8,184 per engine. The average 

labor rate is $85 per hour. Based on 

these figures, we estimate the cost of 

this proposed AD on U.S. operators to 

be $73,656. 

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 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS