Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2012 / Proposed Rules 76977 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–0817; Directorate 

Identifier 99–NE–24–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; General 

Electric Company Turbofan Engines 

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 General Electric Company 

(GE) CF6–80C2 series turbofan engines. 

That NPRM proposed to supersede an 

AD that required replacement of fuel 

tubes connected to the fuel flowmeter. 

That NPRM was prompted by several 

reports of fuel leaks, and two reports of 

engine fire, due to mis-assembled 

supporting brackets on the fuel tube 

connecting the flowmeter to the 

Integrated Drive Generator (IDG) fuel-oil 

cooler. That NPRM required installation 

of a new simplified one-piece 

supporting bracket to eliminate misassembly. This supplemental action 

adds an engine model, alters the list of 

affected part numbers (P/Ns), changes 

the replacement schedule, and revises 

our estimated cost of compliance. We 

are reopening the comment period to 

allow the public the opportunity to 

comment on these proposed changes. 

We are proposing this AD to prevent 

high-pressure fuel leaks caused by 

improper seating of fuel tube flanges, 

which could result in an engine fire and 

damage to the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this supplemental NPRM by March 1, 

2013. 

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: U.S. Department of 

Transportation, Docket Operations, 

M–30, West Building Ground Floor, 

Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey 

Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 

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

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

For service information identified in 

this AD, contact General Electric 

Company, GE Aviation, Room 285, 1 

Neumann Way, Cincinnati, OH 45215, 

phone: (513) 552–3272; email: 

geae.aoc@ge.com. 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; 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: 

Kasra Sharifi, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine 

& Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238–7773; fax: 781–238– 

7199; email: kasra.sharifi@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–2012–0817; Directorate Identifier 

99–NE–24–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 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 proposed AD. 

Discussion 

We issued an NPRM to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to certain GE CF6–80C2 series 

turbofan engines. That NPRM published 

in the Federal Register on August 13, 

2012 (77 FR 48110). That NPRM 

proposed to supersede AD 2000–04–14, 

Amendment 39–11597 (65 FR 10698, 

February 29, 2000) which had required 

replacement of certain fuel tubes. That 

NPRM proposed to require installation 

of a new simplified one-piece bracket to 

eliminate mis-assembly. 

Actions Since Previous NPRM Was 

Issued 

Since we issued the previous NPRM 

(77 FR 48110, August 13, 2012), we 

received and evaluated comments from 

the public. The nature of the comments 

caused us to issue this supplemental 

NRPM to reopen the comment period 

and allow the public the opportunity to 

comment on the changes we have made. 

Comments 

The following presents the comments 

received on the previous NPRM (77 FR 

48110, August 13, 2012) and the FAA’s 

response to each comment. 

Request To Remove Certain Part 

Number From Final Rule 

Seven air carriers requested that we 

exclude bolt P/N MS9557–12 from the 

final rule because this is a common part 

used in other components of the engine 

besides the main engine control to 

flowmeter fuel tube. 

We agree. We changed the proposed 

AD by removing reference to P/N 

MS9557–12 from the compliance and 

prohibition paragraphs. 

Request To Remove Idle Leak Check 

Requirement 

The Boeing Company (Boeing) and 

FEDEX Express requested that we 

remove the idle leak check requirement, 

which they contend is not necessary to 

address the unsafe condition and which 

is included in normal maintenance, and 

so does not need to be mandated. 

We disagree. We are issuing this AD 

to prevent fuel leak and fire due to misassembled connections, and idle leak 

check is necessary to ensure no fuel 

leaks occur after tube or bracket 

replacement. We did not change the 

proposed AD. 

Request To Alter Mandate for 

Replacement of Hardware 

Boeing, General Electric Company, 

and American Airlines requested that 

we change the AD to mandate 

replacement of only the disconnected 

hardware during on-wing maintenance, 

and then the remaining balance of 

affected hardware during the next shop 

visit. 

We agree. We changed the proposed 

AD to require that for on-wing 

maintenance, only those tubes and 


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76978 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2012 / Proposed Rules 

brackets that had been disconnected 

would be replaced at that time. 

Request To Expand the Applicability 

GE and Boeing requested that we add 

the GE CF6–80C2B5F engine model to 

the list of applicable engines. Even 

though the production model of this 

engine used a one-piece design 

(2021M83G01), some engines may have 

subsequently received bracket P/N 

1321M88P001A, allowed by GE Alert 

Service Bulletin (SB) 73–A0401 for the 

purpose of hardware interchangeability. 

We agree. We changed the proposed 

AD by adding the GE CF6–80C2BF5 

engine to the list of applicable engines 

specified in paragraph (c). 

Request To Incorporate by Reference 

(IBR) Applicable GE SBs 

Four air carriers requested that 

applicable GE SBs be incorporated by 

reference in the AD to provide more 

specific and detailed instructions to aid 

operators in part replacement. 

We partially agree. We agree that GE 

SBs provide additional guidance. We 

disagree with incorporating the SBs by 

reference because multiple acceptable 

methods exist for performing the actions 

required by the AD. We did not change 

the proposed AD. 

Request To Clarify Why the AD 

Mandates Fuel Tube Changes 

Onur Air requested clarification as to 

why the proposed AD would mandate 

fuel tube changes when the GE SB only 

applies to engines with a certain 

bracket. 

We disagree. The proposed AD 

supersedes AD 2000–04–14, 

Amendment 39–11597 (65 FR 10698, 

February 29, 2000). That AD requires 

replacement of certain fuel tube P/Ns. 

The proposed AD retains that 

requirement and also mandates 

replacement of certain supporting 

brackets and spray shields. We did not 

change the proposed AD. 

Request To Provide Method To Identify 

Affected Configuration Without 

Disassembly 

American Airlines requested that the 

proposed AD provide a method to 

identify the affected fuel tube 

configuration without disassembling the 

tubes, because P/N 1321M42G04 is 

located under a loop clamp, making it 

difficult to read the P/N. 

We disagree. Detailed maintenance 

instructions can be found in the 

Instructions for Continued 

Airworthiness for the engine. We did 

not change the proposed AD. 

Request To Issue a New AD Instead of 

Superseding a Prior AD 

The National Transportation Safety 

Board requested that we issue a new 

AD, instead of proposing to supersede 

AD 2000–04–14, Amendment 39–11597 

(65 FR 10698, February 29, 2000), for 

actions regarding the removal of the 

bracket. Operators might presume that if 

they have already complied with AD– 

2000–04–14 that they might also comply 

with the additional requirements 

(replacement of brackets and spray 

shield) of the proposed supersedure AD. 

We disagree. The proposed 

supersedure AD addresses the same 

unsafe condition as the original AD, but 

expands its scope. The proposed 

supersedure AD will receive its own 

amendment number and AD number, 

and the original AD will be deleted. We 

did not change the proposed AD. 

Request for Changes to the Costs of 

Compliance 

American Airlines requested that we 

revise the cost estimate to more 

accurately capture the cost of the spray 

shield and also to include the cost of the 

idle leak check. 

We agree. In the ‘‘Cost of 

Compliance’’ section of the proposed 

AD, we have changed the cost estimate 

for each spray shield from $180 to $370, 

and we have included an estimated cost 

of $1000 per engine for the idle leak 

check. 

Request To Clarify Spray Shield Part 

Numbers 

Delta Airlines requested that we 

change the conjunction ‘‘and’’ between 

the two P/Ns listed in paragraph (f)(4) 

to ‘‘or’’ since each engine only has one 

spray shield to be replaced, and that we 

add spray shield P/N 1606M57G03 to 

the list, resulting in three specified 

P/Ns. The added part number is an 

alternative spray shield to P/N 

1775M61G01, and so is also affected by 

the AD. 

We partially agree. We agree that 

P/N 1606M57G03 should be added to 

the list of P/Ns to be removed. We 

disagree that the conjunction ‘‘and’’ 

should be changed to ‘‘or’’ because all 

three spray shield P/Ns are subject to 

replacement. We changed the AD to 

require the replacement of P/N 

1606M57G03. 

Request To Add Historical Information 

to Preamble 

GE requested that we add more 

historical information to the ‘‘Action 

Since Existing AD was Issued’’ 

paragraph in the AD preamble. 

We disagree. The cited preamble 

paragraph will not appear in the final 

rule, and so additional historical 

information will not add value to that 

proposed rule. We did not change the 

proposed AD. 

Request To Provide the P/Ns of Eligible 

Replacement Parts 

UPS requested that we provide P/Ns 

of eligible replacement parts. 

We disagree. The purpose of the AD 

is to identify and mandate removal of 

parts causing the unsafe condition. 

Operators are required to only use parts 

that are eligible for installation. We did 

not change the proposed AD. 

Request To Nullify Need for 

Compliance if SBs Already 

Accomplished 

Four air carriers requested that the AD 

state that no further action is required 

if the applicable GE SBs have already 

been accomplished. 

We disagree. The ‘‘Compliance’’ and 

‘‘Replacement’’ paragraphs sufficiently 

state that compliance actions do not 

have to be repeated if accomplished 

before the effective date of the AD. We 

did not change the proposed AD. 

Request To Withdraw the Proposed AD 

American Airlines requested that we 

withdraw the requirement to 

incorporate the spray shield on-wing 

any time the fuel tubes are disconnected 

because disconnecting them is an 

unnecessary hardship on air carriers. 

We disagree. On-wing maintenance to 

the spray shield and affected tubes 

without removing and replacing them 

may lead to the unsafe condition. We 

did not change the proposed AD. 

FAA’s Determination 

We are proposing this supplemental 

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. Certain changes described above 

expand the scope of the original NPRM. 

As a result, we have determined that it 

is necessary to reopen the comment 

period to provide additional 

opportunity for the public to comment 

on this supplemental NPRM. 

Proposed Requirements of the 

Supplemental NPRM 

This supplemental NPRM would 

require installation of a new simplified 

one-piece bracket to eliminate misassembly of supporting brackets on the 

fuel tube connecting the flowmeter to 

the IDG fuel-oil cooler. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect 926 GE CF6–80C2 engines 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2012 / Proposed Rules 76979 

installed on airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We also estimate that one hour would 

be required per engine to accomplish 

the actions required by this AD. The 

average labor rate is $85 per hour. We 

also estimate that the required parts will 

cost about $370 per engine. We estimate 

that the cost of the idle leak check is 

$1,000 per engine. Based on these 

figures, we estimate the total cost of the 

proposed AD to U.S. operators is 

$3,275,231. 

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, 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, 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): 

2012–XX–XX General Electric Company: 

Docket No. FAA–2012–0817; Directorate 

Identifier 99–NE–24–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by March 1, 

2013. 

(b) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 2000–04–14, 

Amendment 39–11597 (65 FR 10698, 

February 29, 2000). 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all General Electric 

Company (GE) CF6–80C2 A1/A2/A3/A5/A8/ 

A5F/B1/B2/B4/B5F/B6/B1F/B2F/B4F/B6F/ 

B7F/D1F turbofan engines with fuel tubes, 

part number (P/N) 1321M42G01, 

1334M88G01, 1374M30G01, 1383M12G01, 

1606M57G03, 1606M57G01, or 1775M61G01, 

or supporting bracket, P/N 1321M88P001A, 

installed. 

(d) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by several reports 

of fuel leaks, and two reports of engine fire, 

due to mis-assembled supporting brackets on 

the fuel tube connecting the flowmeter to the 

Integrated Drive Generator (IDG) fuel-oil 

cooler. We are proposing this AD to prevent 

high-pressure fuel leaks caused by improper 

seating of fuel tube flanges, which could 

result in an engine fire and damage to the 

airplane. 

(e) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(f) Replacement 

After the effective date of this AD, if the 

fuel tubes are disconnected for any reason, or 

at the next engine shop visit, whichever 

occurs first, replace the fuel tubes and 

brackets with improved tubes and brackets 

eligible for installation. For on-wing 

maintenance, replace only tubes and brackets 

that have been disconnected. Do the 

following: 

(1) Replace the fuel flowmeter to IDG fueloil cooler fuel tube, P/N 1321M42G01, with 

a part eligible for installation. 

(2) For engines with Power Management 

Controls, replace the Main Engine Control to 

fuel flowmeter fuel tube, P/N 1334M88G01, 

with a part eligible for installation. 

(3) For engines with Full Authority Digital 

Electronic Controls, replace the 

Hydromechanical Unit to fuel flowmeter fuel 

tubes, P/Ns 1383M12G01 and 1374M30G01, 

with a part eligible for installation. 

(4) Replace supporting bracket, P/N 

1321M88P001A, and spray shields, P/Ns 

1606M57G01, 1606M57G03, and 

1775M61G01 with one-piece supporting 

bracket, P/N 2021M83G01. 

(5) Perform an idle leak check after 

accomplishing paragraphs (f)(1), (f)(2), (f)(3), 

or (f)(4), or any combination thereof. 

(g) Prohibition 

After the effective date of this AD, do not 

install any of the following parts into any GE 

CF6–80C2 series turbofan engines: P/Ns 

1321M42G01, 1321M88P001A, 1334M88G01, 

1374M30G01, 1383M12G01, 1606M57G01, 

1606M57G03, and 1775M61G01. 

(h) 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. 

(i) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Kasra Sharifi, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238–7773; fax: 781–238–7199; 

email: kasra.sharifi@faa.gov. 

(2) For guidance on the replacements, refer 

to GE Alert Service Bulletins CF6–80C2 SB 

73–A0224, CF6–80C2 SB 73–A0231, CF6– 

80C2 SB 73–A0401, and CF6–80C2 SB 73– 

0242. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact General Electric Company, 

GE-Aviation, Room 285, 1 Neumann Way, 

Cincinnati, OH 45215, phone: (513) 552– 

3272; email: geae.aoc@ge.com. 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. 

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts on 

December 20, 2012. 

Robert J. Ganley, 

Acting Manager, Engine & Propeller 

Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–31362 Filed 12–28–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

40 CFR Part 152 

[EPA–HQ–OPP–2010–0305; FRL–9339–1] 

RIN 2070–AJ79 

Pesticides; Revisions to Minimum Risk 

Exemption 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 


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