11722 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 41 / Monday, March 3, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0876; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–NE–27–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 Trent 768– 

60, 772–60, and 772B–60 turbofan 

engines. This proposed AD was 

prompted by an uncontained multiple 

turbine blade failure on an RR RB211 

Trent 772B turbofan engine. This 

proposed AD would require 

modification of the engine by removing 

an electronic engine control (EEC) 

incorporating EEC software standard 

A14 or earlier and installing an EEC 

eligible for installation. We are 

proposing this AD to prevent failure of 

the intermediate pressure (IP) turbine 

disk drive arm or burst of the high 

pressure turbine disk, which could lead 

to uncontained engine failure and 

damage to the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by May 2, 2014. 

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 

plc, Corporate Communications, P.O. 

Box 31, Derby, England, DE248BJ; 

phone: 011–44–1332–242424; fax: 011– 

44–1332–249936; email: http://

www.rolls-royce.com/contact/civil_

team.jsp; or Web site: https://

www.aeromanager.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 by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2013– 

0876; 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 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: 

Anthony W. Cerra Jr., Aerospace 

Engineer, Engine Certification Office, 

FAA, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 

New England Executive Park, 

Burlington, MA 01803; phone: 781– 

238–7128; fax: 781–238–7199; email: 

anthony.cerra@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–2013–0876; Directorate Identifier 

2013–NE–27–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 2013– 

0190, dated August 20, 2013 (referred to 

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

unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

An operator of an A330 aeroplane fitted 

with RR Trent 772B engines experienced an 

engine uncontained multiple turbine blade 

failure. Investigation results showed that 

High Pressure/Intermediate Pressure (HP/IP) 

oil vent tubes may be affected by carbon 

deposit and may also be damaged by their 

outer heat shields, which in this case led to 

combustion inside the tube. The consequent 

chain of events resulted in an engine internal 

fire which caused the failure of the IP 

Turbine (IPT) disc drive arm. 

This condition, if not corrected, could lead 

to uncontained multiple turbine blade 

failures or an HP/IP turbine disc burst, 

possibly resulting in damage to, and reduced 

control of, the aeroplane. 

You may examine the MCAI in the AD 

docket on the Internet at http://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating it in Docket No. FAA– 

2013–0876. 

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 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 

modification of the engine by removing 

an EEC incorporating EEC software 

standard A14 or earlier and installing an 

EEC eligible for installation. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect about 72 engines installed 

on airplanes of U.S. registry. We also 

estimate that it would take about 1 hour 

per product to comply with this 

proposed AD. The average labor rate is 

$85 per hour. There are no required 

parts. Based on these figures, we 

estimate the cost of the proposed AD on 

U.S. operators to be $6,120. 

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 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 41 / Monday, March 3, 2014 / Proposed Rules 11723 

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. 

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. Amend § 39.13 by adding the 

following new airworthiness directive 

(AD): 

Rolls-Royce plc: Docket No. FAA–2013– 

0876; Directorate Identifier 2013–NE– 

27–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by May 2, 

2014. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all Rolls-Royce plc (RR) 

RB211 Trent 768–60, 772–60, and 772B–60 

turbofan engines prior to engine serial 

number 42066. 

(d) Reason 

This AD was prompted by an uncontained 

multiple turbine blade failure on an RR 

RB211 Trent 772B turbofan engine. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent failure of the 

intermediate pressure turbine disc drive arm 

or burst of the high pressure turbine disk, 

which could lead to uncontained engine 

failure and damage to the airplane. 

(e) Actions and Compliance 

After the effective date of this AD, at the 

next engine shop visit or by December 31, 

2018, whichever occurs first, modify the 

engine by removing any electronic engine 

control (EEC) that incorporates EEC software 

standard A14 or earlier and installing an EEC 

eligible for installation. 

(f) Installation Prohibition 

After modification of an engine as required 

by paragraph (e) of this AD, do not install an 

EEC with software standard A14 or earlier 

into that engine. 

(g) Definition 

(1) For the purposes of this AD, an ‘‘engine 

shop visit’’ is the induction of an engine into 

the shop for maintenance involving the 

separation of pairs of major mating engine 

flanges, except that the separation of engine 

flanges solely for the purposes of 

transportation without subsequent engine 

maintenance does not constitute an engine 

shop visit. 

(2) For the purposes of this AD, an EEC 

‘‘eligible for installation’’ in paragraph (e) of 

this AD is any EEC that does not contain 

software standard A14 or earlier. 

(h) Credit for Previous Actions 

If before the effective date of this AD you 

removed from an engine any EEC that had 

EEC software standard A14 or earlier and 

your engine no longer has an EEC with 

software standard A14 or earlier, you have 

met the requirements of this AD. 

(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 Anthony W. Cerra, Jr., Aerospace 

Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA, 

Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New 

England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 

01803; phone: 781–238–7128; fax: 781–238– 

7199; email: anthony.cerra@faa.gov. 

(2) Refer to MCAI European Aviation 

Safety Agency AD 2013–0190, dated August 

20, 2013, for more information. You may 

examine the MCAI in the AD docket on the 

Internet at http://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating it in Docket No. 

FAA–2013–0876. 

(3) RR Alert Service Bulletin No. RB.211– 

73–AG829, dated April 18, 2012, which is 

not incorporated by reference in this AD, can 

be obtained from Rolls-Royce plc using the 

contact information in paragraph (j)(4) of this 

AD. 

(4) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Rolls-Royce plc, Corporate 

Communications, P.O. Box 31, Derby, 

England, DE248BJ; phone: 011–44–1332– 

242424; fax: 011–44–1332–249936; email: 

http://www.rolls-royce.com/contact/civil_

team.jsp; or Web site: https://

www.aeromanager.com. 

(5) 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 

February 20, 2014. 

Colleen M. D’Alessandro, 

Assistant Directorate Manager, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, Aircraft Certification 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–04349 Filed 2–28–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2014–0130; Directorate 

Identifier 2014–CE–005–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Alpha 

Aviation Concept Limited Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), Department of 

Transportation (DOT). 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Alpha Aviation Concept Limited Model 

R2160 airplanes. This proposed AD 

results from mandatory continuing 

airworthiness information (MCAI) 

originated by an aviation authority of 

another country to identify and correct 

an unsafe condition on an aviation 

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