76398 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 236 / Wednesday, December 9, 2015 / Proposed Rules 

Dated at Rockville, Maryland, this 19th day 

of November, 2015. 

For the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. 

Victor M. McCree, 

Executive Director for Operations. 

[FR Doc. 2015–30578 Filed 12–8–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7590–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2015–7205; Directorate 

Identifier 2015–CE–025–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Piper 

Aircraft, Inc. Airplanes 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to supersede 

Airworthiness Directive (AD) 96–12–12, 

which applies to certain Piper Aircraft, 

Inc. Models PA–31, PA–31–300, PA– 

31–325, and PA–31–350 airplanes. AD 

96–12–12 currently requires a one-time 

inspection of the bulkhead assembly at 

fuselage station (FS) 317.75 for cracks 

and the installation of one of two 

reinforcement kits determined by 

whether cracks were found during the 

inspection. Since we issued AD 96–12– 

12, bulkhead cracks were found on 

airplanes that had complied with AD 

96–12–12 and on additional airplanes 

not affected by AD 96–12–12. This 

proposed AD would require repetitive 

inspections of the bulkhead assembly at 

FS 317.75 for cracks, repair of cracks as 

necessary, and the installation of a 

reinforcement modification. We are 

proposing this AD to correct the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by January 25, 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 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. 

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– 

7205; 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: 

Gregory ‘‘Keith’’ Noles, Aerospace 

Engineer, FAA, Atlanta Aircraft 

Certification Office (ACO), 1701 

Columbia Avenue, College Park, Georgia 

30337; phone: (404) 474–5551; fax: (404) 

474–5606; email: gregory.noles@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–2015–7205; Directorate Identifier 

2015–CE–025–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 

On May 30, 1996, we issued AD 96– 

12–12, Amendment 39–9654 (61 FR 

28732, June 6, 1996) (‘‘AD 96–12–12’’), 

for certain Piper Aircraft, Inc. Models 

PA–31, PA–31–300, PA–31–325, and 

PA–31–350 airplanes. AD 96–12–12 

requires a one-time inspection of the 

bulkhead assembly at fuselage station 

(FS) 317.75 for cracks and the 

installation of one of two reinforcement 

kits, determined by whether cracks were 

found during the inspection. AD 96–12– 

12 resulted from cracks found in the FS 

317.75 upper bulkhead. We issued AD 

96–12–12 to prevent structural failure of 

the vertical fin forward spar caused by 

cracks in the FS 317.75 upper bulkhead, 

which could lead to loss of control. 

Actions Since AD 96–12–12 Was Issued 

Since we issued AD 96–12–12, cracks 

were found on the bulkhead assembly of 

airplanes in compliance with AD 96– 

12–12 and on additional airplanes not 

affected by AD 96–12–12 but of a 

similar type design. Piper Aircraft, Inc. 

has issued new service information that 

gives instructions for repair of the 

cracks and instructions for the 

installation of a reinforcement 

modification to prevent cracks from 

developing. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

We reviewed Piper Aircraft, Inc. 

Service Bulletin No. 1273A, dated 

October 22, 2015. The service bulletin 

describes procedures for inspecting the 

bulkhead assembly at FS 317.75, 

repairing any cracks found, and 

installation of a reinforcement 

modification to prevent cracks from 

developing. 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 AD 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 proposed AD would retain none 

of the requirements of AD 96–12–12. 

This NPRM would add airplanes to the 

Applicability, paragraph (c) of this 

proposed AD. This proposed AD would 

also require accomplishing the actions 

specified in the service information 

described previously. Airplanes in 

compliance with AD 96–12–12 must be 

re-inspected, repaired if necessary, and 

modified following the new service 

information. 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 236 / Wednesday, December 9, 2015 / Proposed Rules 76399 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 977 airplanes of U.S. registry. 

We estimate the following costs to 

comply with this proposed AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Inspection of the bulkhead assembly.2 work-hours × $85 per hour = $170 ........................ Not applicable. $170 $166,090 

Repair/reinforcement of bulkhead 

assembly.

8 work-hours × $85 per hour = $680 ........................ $500 1,180 1,152,860 

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 have 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 that the 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, 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 

removing Airworthiness Directive (AD) 

96–12–12, Amendment 39–9654 (61 FR 

28732, June 6, 1996), and adding the 

following new AD: 

Piper Aircraft, Inc.: Docket No. FAA–2015– 

7205; Directorate Identifier 2015–CE– 

025–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

AD action by January 25, 2016. 

(b) Affected ADs 

This AD replaces 96–12–12, Amendment 

39–9654 (61 FR 28732, June 6, 1996) (‘‘AD 

96–12–12’’). 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to the following Piper 

Aircraft, Inc. airplanes listed in paragraphs 

(c)(1) and (c)(2) of this AD, certificated in any 

category: 

(1) Models PA–31, PA–31–300, and PA– 

31–325: Serial numbers 31–2 through 31–900 

and 31–7300901 through 31–8312019; and 

(2) Model PA–31–350: Serial numbers 31– 

5001 through 31–5004 and 31–7305005 

through 31–8553002. 

Note 1 to paragraph (c)(1) of this AD: The 

Model PA–31 may also be identified as a PA– 

31–310, even though the PA–31–310 is not a 

model recognized by the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) on the type certificate 

data sheet. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC)/

Air Transport Association (ATA) of America 

Code 53, Fuselage. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by bulkhead cracks 

found on airplanes that had complied with 

AD 96–12–12 and on additional airplanes not 

affected by AD 96–12–12. We are issuing this 

AD to prevent structural failure of the 

vertical fin forward spar caused by cracks in 

the fuselage station (FS) at 317.75 upper 

bulkhead, which could lead to loss of 

control. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Inspection/Repair 

(1) Before or upon accumulating 2,000 

hours time-in-service (TIS) or within the next 

100 hours TIS after the effective date of this 

AD, whichever occurs later, and repetitively 

thereafter at intervals not to exceed 100 hours 

TIS, inspect the bulkhead assembly at FS 

317.75 for cracks following Part I of the 

Instructions in Piper Aircraft, Inc. Service 

Bulletin No. 1273A, dated October 22, 2015. 

(2) If any cracks are found during the 

inspection required in paragraph (g)(1) of this 

AD, before further flight, repair the cracks 

and install the reinforcement modification 

following Part I of the Instructions in Piper 

Aircraft, Inc. Service Bulletin No. 1273A, 

dated October 22, 2015. This repair/

modification terminates the requirements for 

the repetitive inspections required in 

paragraph (g)(1) of this AD. 

(3) You may do the modification required 

in paragraph (h) of this AD to terminate the 

repetitive inspections required in paragraph 

(g)(1) of this AD. 

(h) Modification 

Unless already done as a repair for cracks 

found in the inspection required in 

paragraph (g)(1) of this AD, before or upon 

accumulating 2,500 hours TIS or within the 

next 500 hours after the effective date of this 

AD, whichever occurs later, install the 

reinforcement modification following Part II 

of the Instructions in Piper Aircraft, Inc. 

Service Bulletin No. 1273A, dated October 

22, 2015. This modification terminates the 

repetitive inspections required in paragraph 

(g)(1) of this AD. 

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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