This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains notices to the public of the proposed

issuance of rules and regulations. The

purpose of these notices is to give interested

persons an opportunity to participate in the

rule making prior to the adoption of the final

rules.

Proposed Rules Federal Register

763 

Vol. 79, No. 4 

Tuesday, January 7, 2014 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–1009; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–NE–35–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Pratt & 

Whitney Canada Corp. Turboprop 

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 Canada Corp. (P&WC) 

turboprop engines. This proposed AD 

was prompted by in-service events 

involving the perforation of engine cases 

as a result of the liberation of power 

turbine (PT) blades and the fracture/

displacement of the PT containment 

ring. This proposed AD would require 

installing a reinforcement liner to the 

PT containment ring and, for certain PT 

containment rings, adding scallops. We 

are proposing this AD to prevent 

uncontained engine failure and damage 

to the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by March 10, 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 Pratt & 

Whitney Canada Corp., 1000 MarieVictorin, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, 

J4G 1A1; phone: 800–268–8000; fax: 

450–647–2888; Internet: www.pwc.ca. 

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– 

1009; 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: 

Robert Green, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine 

& Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238–7754; fax: 781–238– 

7199; email: robert.green@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–2013–1009; Directorate Identifier 

2013–NE–35–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 

Transport Canada Civil Aviation, 

which is the aviation authority for 

Canada, has issued AD CF–2013–33R1, 

dated November 14, 2013 (referred to 

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

unsafe condition for the specified 

products. The MCAI states: 

There have been in-service events 

involving the perforation of PT6A small 

series engine cases as a result of the loss of 

integrity of Power Turbine (PT) Containment 

Rings under failure loads. Perforation of 

engine cases has been seen to result from the 

liberation of PT blades and from fracture/

displacement of the PT Containment Ring 

itself. 

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– 

2013–1009. 

Relevant Service Information 

P&WC has issued Service Bulletin 

(SB) No. PT6A–72–A1427, Revision 3, 

dated January 27, 2012. The SB 

describes procedures for reworking an 

affected PT containment ring by 

installing a reinforcement liner and, 

depending on the part number of the 

reworked ring, machining scallops into 

the ring. 

FAA’s Determination and Requirements 

of This Proposed AD 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of Canada, and is 

approved for operation in the United 

States. Pursuant 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 

proposing this AD because we evaluated 

all information provided by Transport 

Canada Civil Aviation 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 installing a reinforcement 

liner to the PT containment ring and, for 


wreier-aviles on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
764 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 4 / Tuesday, January 7, 2014 / Proposed Rules 

certain PT containment rings, adding 

scallops. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

affects 1,000 engines of U.S. registry. We 

also estimate that it would take about 3 

hours per engine to comply with this 

proposed AD. The average labor rate is 

$85 per hour. Required parts cost about 

$1,655 per engine. Based on these 

figures, we estimate the cost of this 

proposed AD on U.S. operators to be 

$1,910,000. 

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 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. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding 

the following new airworthiness 

directive (AD): 

Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.: Docket No. 

FAA–2013–1009; Directorate Identifier 

2013–NE–35–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

We must receive comments by March 10, 

2014. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Pratt & Whitney Canada 

Corp. (P&WC) turboprop engines as follows: 

all model PT6A–20, PT6A–20A, PT6A–20B, 

PT6A–25, PT6A–28, PT6A–34B, PT6A–36, 

and PT6A–135 engines; model PT6A–21 

engines, serial number (S/N) PCE–25361 and 

earlier; model PT6A–25A engines, S/N PCE– 

48757 and earlier; model PT6A–25C engines, 

S/N PCE–26258 and earlier; model PT6A–27 

engines, S/N PCE–42523 and earlier as well 

as all engines converted to PT6A–27; model 

PT6A–34 engines, S/N PCE–57303 and 

earlier as well as all engines converted to 

PT6A–34; model PT6A–34AG engines, S/N 

PCE–57312 and earlier as well as all engines 

converted to PT6A–34AG; model PT6A–114 

engines, S/N PCE–17218 and earlier; and 

model PT6A–135A engines, S/N PCE–35089 

and earlier. 

(d) Reason 

This AD was prompted by in-service 

events involving the perforation of engine 

cases as a result of the liberation of power 

turbine (PT) blades and the fracture/

displacement of the PT containment ring. We 

are issuing this AD to prevent uncontained 

engine failure and damage to the airplane. 

(e) Actions and Compliance 

(1) Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(2) Within 24 months after the effective 

date of this AD, modify the existing PT 

containment ring. Use paragraph 3., 

Accomplishment Instructions, of P&WC 

Service Bulletin (SB) No. PT6A–72–A1427, 

Revision 3, dated January 27, 2012, to make 

the modification. 

(f) Credit for Previous Actions 

If you modified the PT containment ring 

before the effective date of this AD using 

P&WC SB No. PT6A–72–A1427, Revision 3, 

dated January 27, 2012, or earlier versions, 

you have met the requirements of this AD. 

(g) 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. 

(h) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Robert Green, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238–7754; fax: 781–238–7199; 

email: robert.green@faa.gov. 

(2) Refer to MCAI Transport Canada Civil 

Aviation AD CF–2013–33R1, dated 

November 14, 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–2013–1009. 

(3) P&WC SB No. PT6A–72–A1427, 

Revision 3, dated January 27, 2012, pertains 

to the subject of this AD and can be obtained 

from P&WC, using the contact information in 

paragraph (h)(4) of this AD. 

(4) 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; Internet: 

www.pwc.ca. 

(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 

January 2, 2014. 

Colleen M. D’Alessandro, 

Assistant Directorate Manager, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, Aircraft Certification 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–00029 Filed 1–6–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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