[4910-13-P] DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 39 [Docket No. FAA-2013-0197; Directorate Identifier 2013-NE-09-AD] RIN 2120-AA64 Airworthiness Directives; Pratt & Whit ney Canada Corp. Turboprop Engines AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthin ess directive (AD) for certain Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (P&WC) PW118A, PW118B, PW119B, PW119C, PW123, PW123B, PW123C, PW123D, PW123E, PW 123AF, PW124B, PW125B, PW126A, PW127, PW127E, PW127F, PW127G, and PW127M turboprop engines. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of fractures of the 1 st stage power turbine (PT) blade. This proposed AD would require inspection of the 1 st stage PT blades and the removal from service of those blades that fail the inspection or their repl acement with blades eligible for installation. We are proposing this AD to prevent fracture of the 1 st stage PT blade, possible engine fire, and damage to the airplane. DATES: We must receive comments on th is proposed AD by [INSERT DATE 60 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER]. 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.2  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 addre ss above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

 Fax: 202-493-2251. For service information identified in th is AD, contact Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., 1000 Marie-Victorin, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, J4G 1A1; phone: 800-268- 8000; fax: 450-647-2888; Web site: www.pwc.ca

. You may view this service information at the FAA, Engine & Propeller Direct orate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA. For information on the availabil ity 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 Operations o ffice 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 Operations office (phone: 800- 647-5527) is the same as the Mail address provided in the ADDRESSES s ection. Comments will be av ailable in the AD docket shortly after receipt. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frederick Zink, Aerospace Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New England3 Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; phone: 781-238-7779; fax: 781-238-7199; email: frederick.zink@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-2013-0197; Director ate Identifier 2013-NE-09-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 substant ive 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 publis hed on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477-78). Discussion Transport Canada, which is the aviation au thority for Canada, has issued Canada Airworthiness Directive CF-2013-02, dated January 22, 2013, a Mandatory Continuing4 Airworthiness Information (referred to after this as “the MCAI”), to correct an unsafe condition for the specified products. The MCAI states: There have been various repor ted incidents of P&WC PW100 series engine failures caused by the fracturing of the 1 st Stage Power turbine (PT1) blade. Some of the above cases have resulted in engine fires. Further inves tigation by P&WC has traced the affected PT1 blade failures to undetected shrinkage porosity of unacceptable levels within the bl ade casting. Service experience indicates that the blades ma nufactured between 2005 and 2008 exhibit a higher propensity for un acceptable levels of shrinkage porosity. This proposed AD would require inspection of the blades for shrinkage porosity and replacement with blades eligible for installa tion for those blades that fail the inspection. You may obtain further information by examining the MCAI in the AD docket. Relevant Service Information P&WC has issued Alert Service Bulle tin No. PW100-72-21823, Revision 3, dated March 8, 2013. The actions described in this service information are intended to correct the unsafe condition identified in the MCAI. FAA’s Determination and Requirements of This Proposed AD This product has been approved by the av iation authority of Canada and is approved for operation in the United States. Pu rsuant to our bilateral agreement with Canada, they have notified us of the unsafe condition described in the MCAI and service information referenced above. We are pr oposing this AD because we evaluated all information provided by Canada and determined the unsafe condition ex ists and is likely to exist or develop on other products of th e same type design. This proposed AD would require inspection of the 1 st stage PT blades and the removal from service of those blades that fail the inspection or their replacemen t with blades eligible for installation.5 Costs of Compliance We estimate that this proposed AD woul d affect about 540 engines installed on U.S. airplanes. We also estimate that it w ould take about 1.5 hours per engine to perform the inspection or repl acement required by this proposed AD. The average labor rate is $85 per hour. We estimate that 25% of the e ngines inspected would fail at least one 1 st stage PT blade. If the 1 st stage PT blade fails the insp ection, a replacement blade would cost $6,000. Based on these figures, we estimate th e cost of the inspec tion or replacement to U.S. operators to be $878,850. Authority for This Rulemaking Title 49 of the United States Code specifi es the FAA’s authority to issue rules on aviation safety. Subtitle I, section 106, descri bes 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 promo ting safe flight of civil aircraft in air commerce by prescribing regulations for pr actices, methods, and procedur es the Administrator finds necessary for safety in air commerce. This regu lation 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 w ould not have federalism implications under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD would not have a substantial direct6 effect on the States, on the relationship betw een the national Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and res ponsibilities among the various levels of government. For the reasons discussed above, I ce rtify this propos ed regulation: 1. Is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866; 2. Is not a “significant ru le” under the DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); 3. Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alas ka 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 th e criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. We prepared a regulatory evaluation of th e 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 safet y, Incorporation by reference, Safety. The Proposed Amendment Accordingly, under the authority delegate d 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 AD:7 Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (formerly Pratt & Whitney Canada Inc.): Docket No. FAA-2013-0197; Directorat e Identifier 2013-NE-09-AD. (a) Comments Due Date We must receive comments by [I NSERT DATE 60 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER]. (b) Affected Airworthiness Directives (ADs) None. (c) Applicability This AD applies to Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (P&WC) PW118A, PW118B, PW119B, PW119C, PW123, PW123B, PW 123C, PW123D, PW123E, PW123AF, PW124B, PW125B, PW126A, PW127, PW 127E, PW127F, PW127G, and PW127M turboprop engines with a 1 st stage power turbine (PT) blade part number (P/N) 3120973- 01, P/N 3120983-01, or P/N 3054053-01 installed that has a serial number listed in Table 1 of the Appendix of P&WC Service Bulletin No. PW100-72-21823, Revision 3, dated March 8, 2013. (d) Reason This AD was prompted by reports of fractures of the 1 st stage PT blade. We are issuing this AD to prevent fracture of the 1 st stage PT blade, possi ble engine fire, and damage to the airplane. (e) Actions and Compliance Unless already done, within 60 months after the effective date of this AD or when the affected PT blades are at module level e xposure, whichever occurs first, do one of the following:8 (1) Replace the affected 1 st stage PT blade with a blade eligible for installation; or (2) Perform a one-time X-ray in spection of the affected 1 st stage PT blades, using paragraph 3.F.(2) of the A ccomplishment Instructions of P&WC Service Bulletin No. PW100-72-21823, Revision 3, dated March 8, 2013. (f) Installation Prohibition After the effective date of this AD, do not install into any engine any 1 st stage PT blade that has not passed th e inspection required by para graph (e)(2) of this AD. (g) Definition For the purpose of this AD, module level e xposure is when the affected engine is inducted into the engine shop, the PT module is removed from the engine, and access is available to the necessary subassembly. (h) Credit for Previous Actions If before the effective date of this AD, you inspected the 1st stage PT blades using earlier versions of P&WC Service Bu lletin No. PW100-72-21823, Revision 3, dated March 8, 2013, you met the insp ection requirements in para graph (e) of this AD. (i) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs) The Manager, Engine Certification Offi ce, 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 Frederick Zink, Aerospace Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; phone: 781-238-7779; fax: 781-238- 7199; email: frederick.zink@faa.gov.9 (2) Refer to Transport Canada Airw orthiness Directiv e CF-2013-02, dated January 22, 2013, and P&WC Service Bulle tin No. PW100-72-21823, Revision 3, dated March 8, 2012, for related information. (3) For service information identified in this AD, contact Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., 1000 Marie-Victorin, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, J4G 1A1; phone: 800-268- 8000; fax: 450-647-2888; Web site: www.pwc.ca. You may view this service information at the FAA, Engine & Propeller Direct orate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA. For information on the availabil ity of this material at the FAA, call 781- 238-7125. Issued in Burlington, Mass achusetts, on March 29, 2013.

Colleen M. D’Alessandro, Assistant Manager, Engine & Propeller Directorate, Aircraft Certification Service.