EASA AD No.: 2010-0097

EASA Form 110 Page 1/3 

## EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2010-0097

Date: 26 May 2010

Note: This Airworthiness Directive (AD) is issued b y EASA, acting in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 on behalf of the European Communit y, its Member States and of the European third countries that participate in the activities of EASA under Article 66 of that Regulation.

This AD is issued in accordance with EC 1702/2003, Part 21A.3B. In accordance with EC 2042/2003 Annex I, Part M.A.301, the continuing airworthiness of an aircraft shall be en sured by accomplishing any applicable ADs. Conseque ntly, no person may operate an aircraft to which an AD applies, except in accor dance with the requirements of that AD unless other wise specified by the Agency [EC 2042/2003 Annex I, Part M.A.303] or agreed with the Authority of the State of Registry [EC 216/200 8, Article 14(4) exemption].



### Type Approval Holder’s Name :
Rolls-Royce plc Type/Model designation(s) :

RB211 Trent 800 series engines

TCDS Number : UK CAA 1051

Foreign AD : Not applicable

Supersedure : None



### ATA 72 Engine – Low Pressure Compressor Fan Blades - Inspection

Manufacturer(s): Rolls-Royce plc

Applicability: Models RB211 Trent 895-17, 892-17, 892B-17, 884-17, 884B-17, 877-17 and 875-17. These engines are known to be installed on, but not limited to, Boeing 777 series aeroplanes.

Reason: In January 2009 a Trent 895 powered Boeing 777-200 aircraft experienced

release of a Low Pressure (LP) compressor blade whi ch failed due to fatigue cracking in the root section of the blade. The rele ased blade (undercut root standard) had received a part life processing to ap ply a compression layer to the blade root (Service Bulletin SB72-D672 - Introducti on of Laser Shock Peening (LSP)) and also a part life upgrade to the retentio n feature lubrication system. Investigation has revealed that the effectiveness o f this upgraded blade root lubrication coating system may be reduced dependant on the extent of previous running with the earlier standard, leading to incre ased blade root stress levels. In the specific case of the released blade, a review o f its in-service modification history has shown that it operated for a relatively high number of flight cycles prior to the compression layer processing and the new ret ention feature lubrication system. A review of the Engine Health Monitoring da ta has also identified it operated at high N1 speeds compared to the Trent 80 0 fleet average N1 speeds. The combination of these factors has resulted in in creased fatigue life usage which is considered to have led to crack initiation and propagation prior to reaching the blades declared life limit. A review o f all in-service undercut / LSPEASA AD No.: 2010-0097

EASA Form 110 Page 2/3 standard Trent 800 LP compressor blades has identif ied specific blades that carry a similar increased susceptibility to cracking. This AD is issued to mitigate the risk of possible multiple fan blades failure affecting those blades identified as described abov e which could lead to high energy non contained debris from the engine. This AD requires repetitive ultrasonic inspections of the specific LP compressor blades as identified in the Rolls Royce Non Modific ation Service Bulletin (NMSB) RB211-72-AG244 to detect possible root cracks devel oping in the undercut radius shear key slot area and, if necessary, replacement of any LP compressor blade.

Effective Date: 09 June 2010

Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s): Required as indicated: (1) Initial Inspection: as specified in the first c olumn of Table 1 (below) inspect the affected LP compressor blades complying with th e corresponding thresholds indicated in the second column, in accor dance with (i.a.w.) Section 3 “Accomplishment Instructions” of Rolls Ro yce Non Modification Service Bulletin (NMSB) RB211-72-AG244, rejected LP compressor blades must be removed from the engine before next flight. (2) Repetitive Inspections: following Initial Inspe ction, repeat the inspection at recurring intervals not exceeding 100 flight cycles and reject, as required, the affected LP compressor blades as detailed in pa ragraph (1) of this AD. (3) After the thresholds indicated in Table 1 of th is AD, do not install any affected LP compressor blade unless previously inspected i.a .w. the requirements of paragraph (1) of this AD and thereafter, repeat the inspection i.a.w. paragraph (2) of this AD.

Table 1:

Appendix number of NMSB RB211-72-AG244 which identifies affected LP compressor blades by

Serial Number: Initial Inspection threshold

3A 120 Flight Cycles after the effective date of this AD

3B No later than 1 January 2012

3C No later than 1 January 2013

3D No later than 1 January 2014

3E No later than 1 January 2015

3F No later than 1 January 2016EASA AD No.: 2010-0097

EASA Form 110 Page 3/3 Ref. Publications: Rolls-Royce RB211 Propulsion System Non Modificatio n Service Bulletin RB211- 72-AG244 Initial issue. The use of later approved revisions is acceptable f or compliance with the requirements of this AD.

Remarks : 1. If requested and appropriately substantiated, EA SA can approve Alternative Methods of Compliance for this AD. 2. This AD was posted on 23 March 2010 as PAD 10-03 0 for consultation until 20 April 2010. No comments were received during the consultation period. 3. Enquiries regarding this AD should be referred t o the Airworthiness Directives, Safety Management & Research Section, Certification Directorate, EASA. Email ADs@easa.europa.eu

. 4. For any question concerning the technical conten t of the requirements in this AD, please contact: Rolls-Royce plc. PO Box 31, Derby, DE24 8BJ, United Kingdom. Phone: +44 (0) 1332 242424, Fax: +44 (0) 1332 249936. Email: tech.help@rolls-royce.com or download the publication from https://www.aeromanager.com

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