Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2023 / Proposed Rules 60603 

the Board. Such nominations may be 

conducted at meetings or with ballots 

submitted by mail, electronic mail, 

facsimile, or any other means of 

communication. 

(c) Nomination meetings or balloting 

by mail, electronic mail, facsimile, or 

any other means of communication 

shall be well publicized with notice 

given to producers, importers, and the 

Secretary at least 10 days prior to each 

meeting or distribution of ballots. 

* * * * * 

§ 1207.507 [Stayed] 

■ 7. Stay § 1207.507 indefinitely. 

Erin Morris, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–19003 Filed 9–1–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2023–1647; Project 

Identifier AD–2023–00487–E] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; General 

Electric Company Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a 

new airworthiness directive (AD) for 

certain General Electric Company (GE) 

Model GE90–90B, GE90–94B, GE90– 

110B1, and GE90–115B engines. This 

proposed AD was prompted by a 

manufacturer investigation that revealed 

certain high-pressure turbine (HPT) 

stage 1 disks, HPT stage 2 disks, forward 

HPT rotor seals, interstage HPT seals, 

and stages 7–9 compressor rotor spools 

were manufactured from powder metal 

material suspected to contain iron 

inclusion. This proposed AD would 

require replacement of affected HPT 

stage 1 disks, HPT stage 2 disks, forward 

HPT rotor seals, interstage HPT seals, 

and stages 7–9 compressor rotor spools. 

The FAA is proposing this AD to 

address the unsafe condition on these 

products. 

DATES: The FAA must receive comments 

on this proposed AD by October 20, 

2023. 

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 

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. 

AD Docket: You may examine the AD 

docket at regulations.gov by searching 

for and locating Docket No. FAA–2023– 

1647; or in person at Docket Operations 

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

through Friday, except Federal holidays. 

The AD docket contains this NPRM, any 

comments received, and other 

information. The street address for 

Docket Operations is listed above. 

Material Incorporated by Reference: 

• For service information 

incorporated by reference in this NPRM, 

contact General Electric Company, 1 

Neumann Way, Cincinnati, OH 45215; 

phone: (513) 552–3272; email: 

aviation.fleetsupport@ge.com; website: 

ge.com. 

• You may view this service 

information at the FAA, Airworthiness 

Products Section, Operational Safety 

Branch, 1200 District Avenue, 

Burlington, MA 01803. For information 

on the availability of this material at the 

FAA, call (817) 222–5110. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Alexei Marqueen, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, 

Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: (781) 

238–7178; email: Alexei.T.Marqueen@

faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites you to send any 

written relevant data, views, or 

arguments about this proposal. Send 

your comments to an address listed 

under ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No. 

FAA–2023–1647; Project Identifier AD– 

2023–00487–E’’ at the beginning of your 

comments. The most helpful comments 

reference a specific portion of the 

proposal, explain the reason for any 

recommended change, and include 

supporting data. The FAA will consider 

all comments received by the closing 

date and may amend this proposal 

because of those comments. 

Except for Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) as described in the 

following paragraph, and other 

information as described in 14 CFR 

11.35, the FAA will post all comments 

received, without change, to 

regulations.gov, including any personal 

information you provide. The agency 

will also post a report summarizing each 

substantive verbal contact received 

about this NPRM. 

Confidential Business Information 

CBI is commercial or financial 

information that is both customarily and 

actually treated as private by its owner. 

Under the Freedom of Information Act 

(FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt 

from public disclosure. If your 

comments responsive to this NPRM 

contain commercial or financial 

information that is customarily treated 

as private, that you actually treat as 

private, and that is relevant or 

responsive to this NPRM, it is important 

that you clearly designate the submitted 

comments as CBI. Please mark each 

page of your submission containing CBI 

as ‘‘PROPIN.’’ The FAA will treat such 

marked submissions as confidential 

under the FOIA, and they will not be 

placed in the public docket of this 

NPRM. Submissions containing CBI 

should be sent to Alexei Marqueen, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 

South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 

98198. Any commentary that the FAA 

receives which is not specifically 

designated as CBI will be placed in the 

public docket for this rulemaking. 

Background 

The FAA was notified by the 

manufacturer of the detection of iron 

inclusion in a turbine disk 

manufactured from the same powder 

metal material used to manufacture 

certain HPT stage 1 disks, HPT stage 2 

disks, forward HPT rotor seals, 

interstage HPT seals, and stages 7–9 

compressor rotor spools for GE90–90B, 

GE90–94B, GE90–110B1, and GE90– 

115B engines. Further investigation by 

the manufacturer determined that the 

iron inclusion is attributed to 

deficiencies in the manufacturing 

process and may cause reduced material 

properties and a lower fatigue life 

capability, which may result in 

premature fracture and subsequent 

uncontained failure. The FAA has been 

informed that GE has communicated 

with affected operators with affected 

HPT stage 1 and stage 2 disks regarding 

the proposed corrective action for this 

unsafe condition. As a result, affected 

operators are already aware of the 

proposed corrective action and have 

already performed the actions proposed 

in this AD. Therefore, the FAA has 

determined that the compliance time to 

replace the affected HPT stage 1 and 

stage 2 disks before further flight is 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1
60604 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2023 / Proposed Rules 

appropriate. This condition, if not 

addressed, could result in uncontained 

debris release, damage to the engine, 

and damage to the airplane. The FAA is 

proposing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

FAA’s Determination 

The FAA is issuing this NPRM after 

determining that the unsafe condition 

described previously is likely to exist or 

develop on other products of the same 

type design. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed GE GE90–100 

Service Bulletin (SB) 72–0914, dated 

January 25, 2023 (GE GE90–100 SB 72– 

0914); which provides the affected part 

and serial numbers of the HPT stage 2 

disks, forward HPT rotor seals, and 

stages 7–9 compressor rotor spools; and 

specifies replacement instructions for 

the HPT stage 2 disks, forward HPT 

rotor seals, and stages 7–9 compressor 

rotor spools. 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 

ADDRESSES. 

Proposed AD Requirements in This 

NPRM 

This proposed AD would require 

replacement of certain HPT stage 1 

disks, HPT stage 2 disks, forward HPT 

rotor seals, interstage HPT seals, and 

stages 7–9 compressor rotor spools with 

parts eligible for installation. 

Differences Between This Proposed AD 

and the Service Information 

GE GE90–100 SB 72–0914, uses the 

term ‘‘HPT rotor stage 2 disk,’’ while 

this proposed AD uses the term ‘‘HPT 

stage 2 disk.’’ 

GE GE90–100 SB 72–0914, Effectivity, 

identifies GE Model GE–90–110B1 and 

GE–90–115B engines. The GE Model 

GE90–90B and GE90–94B engines are 

also affected by the unsafe condition, 

however, the FAA is not incorporating 

service information that is specific to GE 

Model GE90–90B and GE90–94B 

engines. 

Interim Action 

The FAA considers that this proposed 

AD would be an interim action. This 

unsafe condition is still under 

investigation by the manufacturer and, 

depending on the results of that 

investigation, the FAA may consider 

further rulemaking action. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD, if 

adopted as proposed, would affect 9 

engines installed on airplanes of U.S. 

registry. The FAA estimates that 0 

engines installed on airplanes of U.S. 

registry would require replacement of 

the interstage HPT seal. The FAA 

estimates the following costs to comply 

with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Replace HPT stage 1 disk .............................. 8 work-hours × $85 per hour = $680 ............. $1,116,300 $1,116,980 $2,233,960 

Replace HPT stage 2 disk .............................. 8 work-hours × $85 per hour = $680 ............. 531,578 532,258 532,258 

Replace stages 7–9 compressor rotor spool .. 8 work-hours × $85 per hour = $680 ............. 493,588 494,268 1,977,072 

Replace forward HPT rotor seal ..................... 8 work-hours × $85 per hour = $680 ............. 25,093 25,773 51,546 

Replace interstage HPT seal .......................... 8 work-hours × $85 per hour = $680 ............. 108,256 108,936 0 

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. 

The FAA is 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 

The FAA 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) Would not affect intrastate 

aviation in Alaska, and 

(3) Would 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: 

General Electric Company: Docket No. FAA– 

2023–1647; Project Identifier AD–2023– 

00487–E. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

airworthiness directive (AD) by October 20, 

2023. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to General Electric 

Company (GE) Model GE90–90B and GE90– 

94B with interstage HPT seals listed in Table 

1 to Paragraph (c) and GE90–110B1 and 

GE90–115B engines with an installed highpressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 disk, HPT 

stage 2 disk, forward HPT rotor seal, or stages 

7–9 compressor rotor spool part number (P/ 

N) and serial number (S/N) identified in 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 170 / Tuesday, September 5, 2023 / Proposed Rules 60605 

Table 1 to paragraph (c) of this AD or 

identified in Paragraph 4. APPENDIX—A, 

Tables 1, 2, or 3, of GE GE90–100 Service 

Bulletin (SB) 72–0914, dated January 25, 

2023 (GE90–100 SB 72–0914). 

TABLE 1 TO PARAGRAPH (c)—AFFECTED HPT STAGE 1 AND STAGE 2 DISKS, AND INTERSTAGE HPT SEALS

Part name P/N S/N 

HPT stage 1 disk .................................................................... 1865M13G08 ......................................................................... GWN11657 

GWN117GN 

GWN10NNW 

GWN10PGW 

GWN10T0A 

GWN10T0C 

GWN10THW 

GWN10TJ0 

HPT stage 2 disk .................................................................... 1865M14P04 ......................................................................... TMT4RN06 

TMT4RN26 

Interstage HPT seal ................................................................ 2453M60P01 ......................................................................... NCU61528 

NCU61686 

NCU56200 

NCU61527 

NCU61687 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) 

Code 7230, Turbine Engine Compressor 

Section; 7250, Turbine Section. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a manufacturer 

investigation that revealed certain HPT stage 

1 disks, HPT stage 2 disks, forward HPT rotor 

seals, interstage HPT seals, and stages 7–9 

compressor rotor spools were manufactured 

from powder metal material suspected to 

contain iron inclusion. The FAA is issuing 

this AD to prevent premature fracture and 

subsequent uncontained failure. The unsafe 

condition, if not addressed, could result in 

uncontained debris release, damage to the 

engine, and damage to the airplane. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Required Actions 

At the applicable times specified in 

paragraphs (g)(1) through (6) of this AD, 

remove each affected HPT stage 1 disk, HPT 

stage 2 disk, forward HPT rotor seal, 

interstage HPT seal, and stages 7–9 

compressor rotor spool from service and 

replace with a part eligible for installation. 

(1) For HPT stage 1 disks, before further 

flight. 

(2) For HPT stage 2 disks with a P/N and 

S/N identified in Paragraph 4. APPENDIX— 

A, Table 1 of GE90–100 SB 72–0914, at the 

next piece part exposure or before exceeding 

3,500 cycles since new (CSN), whichever 

occurs first. 

(3) For HPT stage 2 disks with a P/N and 

S/N identified in Table 1 to paragraph (c) of 

this AD, before further flight. 

(4) For forward HPT rotor seals with a 

P/N and S/N identified in Paragraph 4. 

APPENDIX—A, Table 3 of GE90–100 SB 72– 

0914, at the next piece part exposure or 

before exceeding 14,200 CSN, whichever 

occurs first. 

(5) For interstage HPT seals, at the next 

piece part exposure or before exceeding 

12,600 CSN, whichever occurs first. 

(6) For stages 7–9 compressor rotor spools, 

at the next piece part exposure or before 

exceeding the cyclic removal thresholds 

identified in Paragraph 4. APPENDIX—A, 

Table 2 of GE90–100 SB 72–0914, whichever 

occurs first. 

(h) Definition 

For the purpose of this AD, a ‘‘part eligible 

for installation’’ is any HPT stage 1 disk, HPT 

stage 2 disk, stages 7–9 compressor rotor 

spool, forward HPT rotor seal, or interstage 

HPT seal with a P/N and S/N that is not 

identified in paragraph (c) of this AD. 

(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, AIR–520 Continued 

Operational Safety Branch, 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 AIR–520 Continued 

Operational Safety Branch, send it to the 

attention of the person identified in 

paragraph (j) of this AD and email to: ANEAD-AMOC@faa.gov. 

(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. 

(j) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Alexei Marqueen, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des 

Moines, WA 98198; phone: (781) 238–7178; 

email: Alexei.T.Marqueen@faa.gov. 

(k) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

(IBR) of the service information listed in this 

paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 

part 51. 

(2) You must use this service information 

as applicable to do the actions required by 

this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise. 

(i) General Electric GE90–100 Service 

Bulletin 72–0914, dated January 25, 2023. 

(ii) [Reserved] 

(3) For service information incorporated by 

reference in this AD, contact General Electric 

Company, 1 Neumann Way, Cincinnati, OH 

45215; phone: (513) 552–3272; email: 

aviation.fleetsupport@ge.com; website: 

ge.com. 

(4) You may view this service information 

at FAA, Airworthiness Products Section, 

Operational Safety Branch, 1200 District 

Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (817) 222–5110. 

(5) You may view this service information 

that is incorporated by reference at the 

National Archives and Records 

Administration (NARA). For information on 

the availability of this material at NARA, 

email: fr.inspection@nara.gov, or go to: 

www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibrlocations.html. 

Issued on August 11, 2023. 

Ross Landes, 

Deputy Director for Regulatory Operations, 

Compliance & Airworthiness Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18858 Filed 9–1–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with PROPOSALS1