[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 29, 2024)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 85890-85892]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24964]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2024-2414; Project Identifier MCAI-2024-00530-E]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) 
for all Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Model Trent 1000-AE3, Trent 
1000-CE3, Trent 1000-D3, Trent 1000-G3, Trent 1000-H3, Trent 1000-J3, 
Trent 1000-K3, Trent 1000-L3, Trent 1000-M3, Trent 1000-N3, Trent 1000-
P3, Trent 1000-Q3, Trent 1000-R3, Trent 7000-72, and Trent 7000-72C 
engines. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of cracked 
intermediate pressure compressor (IPC) shaft assembly front air seals. 
This proposed AD would require an inspection of the affected IPC shaft 
assembly for cracking and, depending on the results of the inspection, 
repetitive inspections or replacement of the IPC shaft assembly front 
air seals, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency 
(EASA) AD, which is incorporated by reference. The FAA is proposing 
this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this NPRM by December 13, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in 14 CFR 
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to regulations.gov. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    <bullet> Fax: (202) 493-2251.
    <bullet> 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.
    <bullet> 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 under 
Docket No. FAA-2024-2414; 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, the mandatory continuing airworthiness 
information (MCAI), any comments received, and other information. The 
street address for Docket Operations is listed above.
    Material Incorporated by Reference:
    <bullet> For EASA material identified in this proposed AD, contact 
EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 
8999 000; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b7f6f3c4f7d2d6c4d699d2c2c5d8c7d699d2c2"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="37767344775256445619524245584756195242">[email protected]</span></a>; website: easa.europa.eu. You may 
find this material on the EASA website at ad.easa.europa.eu.
    <bullet> You may view this material 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: Barbara Caufield, Aviation Safety 
Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: 
(781) 238-7146; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#a1c3c0d3c3c0d3c08fc2c0d4c7c8c4cdc5e1c7c0c08fc6ced7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e98b889b8b889b88c78a889c8f808c858da98f8888c78e869f">[email protected]</span></a>.

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-2024-2414; Project Identifier 
MCAI-2024-00530-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

[[Page 85891]]

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 Barbara Caufield, 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

    EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the 
European Union, has issued EASA AD 2024-0178, dated September 12, 2024 
(EASA AD 2024-0178) (also referred to as the MCAI), to address an 
unsafe condition for all Model Trent 1000-AE3, Trent 1000-CE3, Trent 
1000-D3, Trent 1000-G3, Trent 1000-H3, Trent 1000-J3, Trent 1000-K3, 
Trent 1000-L3, Trent 1000-M3, Trent 1000-N3, Trent 1000-P3, Trent 1000-
Q3, Trent 1000-R3, Trent 7000-72, and Trent 7000-72 C engines. The MCAI 
states that there were reports of cracked IPC shaft assembly front air 
seals. Subsequent investigations identified possible change of the 
vibration and flutter characteristics of the affected IPC shaft 
assembly and identified a potential propagation of the cracking into 
the IPC stage 1 disc. Such cracking could lead to IPC stage 1 disk 
burst with consequent release of high energy debris and damage to the 
airplane or failure of the IPC front seal and release of debris, which 
could lead to an engine in-flight shutdown (IFSD) and in the case of a 
dual IFSD could result in reduced control of the airplane.
    You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket at regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FAA-2024-2414.

Material Incorporated by Reference Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed EASA AD 2024-0178, which specifies procedures for 
inspection of the affected IPC shaft assembly and replacement of the 
IPC shaft assembly front air seals. This material 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.

FAA's Determination

    These products have been approved by the aviation authority of 
another country and are approved for operation in the United States. 
Pursuant to the FAA's bilateral agreement with this State of Design 
Authority, it has notified the FAA of the unsafe condition described in 
the MCAI referenced above. 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.

Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM

    This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified 
in the MCAI described previously, except for any differences identified 
as exceptions in the regulatory text of this proposed AD.

Explanation of Required Compliance Information

    In the FAA's ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of the AD 
process, the FAA developed a process to use some civil aviation 
authority (CAA) ADs as the primary source of information for compliance 
with requirements for corresponding FAA ADs. The FAA has since 
coordinated with other manufacturers and CAAs to use this process. As a 
result, the FAA proposes to incorporate by reference EASA AD 2024-0178 
in the FAA final rule. This proposed AD would, therefore, require 
compliance with EASA AD 2024-0178 in its entirety through that 
incorporation, except for any differences identified as exceptions in 
the regulatory text of this proposed AD. Using common terms that are 
the same as the heading of a particular section in the EASA AD does not 
mean that operators need comply only with that section. For example, 
where the AD requirement refers to ``all required actions within the 
compliance times,'' compliance with this AD requirement is not limited 
to the section titled ``Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s)'' in 
EASA AD 2024-0178. Service information required by the EASA AD for 
compliance will be available at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA-
2024-2414 after the FAA final rule is published.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would 
affect 64 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. registry.
    The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed 
AD:

                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Cost per      Cost on U.S.
                Action                         Labor cost           Parts cost        product        operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inspect IPC shaft assembly............  5 work-hours x $85 per                $0            $425         $27,200
                                         hour = $425.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FAA estimates the following costs to do any necessary 
replacements that would be required based on the results of the 
proposed inspection. The agency has no way of determining the number of 
engines that might need these replacements.

                                               On-Condition Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Cost per
                    Action                                 Labor cost               Parts cost        product
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Replace IPC shaft assembly front air seals....  80 work-hours x $85 per hour =            $7,000         $13,800
                                                 $6,800.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

[[Page 85892]]

    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

0
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.


Sec.  39.13  [Amended]

0
2. The FAA amends Sec.  39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness 
directive:

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG: Docket No. FAA-2024-2414; 
Project Identifier MCAI-2024-00530-E.

(a) Comments Due Date

    The FAA must receive comments on this airworthiness directive 
(AD) by December 13, 2024.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Model 
Trent 1000-AE3, Trent 1000-CE3, Trent 1000-D3, Trent 1000-G3, Trent 
1000-H3, Trent 1000-J3, Trent 1000-K3, Trent 1000-L3, Trent 1000-M3, 
Trent 1000-N3, Trent 1000-P3, Trent 1000-Q3, Trent 1000-R3, Trent 
7000-72, and Trent 7000-72C engines.

(d) Subject

    Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) Code 7230, Turbine Engine 
Compressor Section.

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by reports of cracked intermediate pressure 
compressor (IPC) shaft assembly front air seals. The FAA is issuing 
this AD to prevent an IPC stage 1 disk burst or failure of the IPC 
front seal. The unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in 
an IPC stage 1 disk burst with consequent release of high energy 
debris and damage to the airplane or failure of the IPC front seal 
and release of debris, which could lead to an engine in-flight 
shutdown (IFSD) and in the case of a dual IFSD could result in 
reduced control of the airplane.

(f) Compliance

    Comply with this AD within the compliance times specified, 
unless already done.

(g) Required Actions

    Except as specified in paragraphs (h), (i), and (j) of this AD: 
Perform all required actions within the compliance times specified 
in, and in accordance with, European Union Aviation Safety Agency AD 
2024-0178, dated September 12, 2024 (EASA AD 2024-0178).

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2024-0178

    (1) Where EASA AD 2024-0178 refers to its effective date, this 
AD requires using the effective date of this AD.
    (2) Where the service information referenced in EASA AD 2024-
0178 specifies to reject the engine, this AD requires removing the 
affected part from service.
    (3) This AD does not adopt the Remarks paragraph of EASA AD 
2024-0178.

(i) No Reporting Requirement

    Although the service information referenced in EASA AD 2024-0178 
specifies to submit certain information to the manufacturer, this AD 
does not include that requirement.

(j) 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, AIR-520 Continued Operational 
Safety Branch, send it to the attention of the person identified in 
paragraph (k) of this AD and email to: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0b4a4644484b6d6a6a256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b2f3fffdf1f2d4d3d39cd5ddc4">[email protected]</span></a>.
    (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) Additional Information

    For more information about this AD, contact Barbara Caufield, 
Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, 
WA 98198; phone: (781) 238-7146; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2c4e4d5e4e4d5e4d024f4d594a454940486c4a4d4d024b435a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ea888b98888b988bc4898b9f8c838f868eaa8c8b8bc48d859c">[email protected]</span></a>.

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference

    (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference (IBR) of the material listed in this 
paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.
    (2) You must use this material as applicable to do the actions 
required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
    (i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 2024-0178, 
dated September 12, 2024.
    (ii) [Reserved]
    (3) For EASA material identified in this AD, contact EASA, 
Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 
000; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#39787d4a795c584a58175c4c4b564958175c4c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2362675063464250420d4656514c53420d4656">[email protected]</span></a>; website: easa.europa.eu. You may 
find this EASA AD on the EASA website at ad.easa.europa.eu.
    (4) You may view this material 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 material at the National Archives and 
Records Administration (NARA). For information on the availability 
of this material at NARA, visit www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations or email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#80e6f2aee9eef3f0e5e3f4e9efeec0eee1f2e1aee7eff6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ec8a9ec285829f9c898f98858382ac828d9e8dc28b839a">[email protected]</span></a>.

    Issued on October 22, 2024.
Peter A. White,
Deputy Director, Integrated Certificate Management Division, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-24964 Filed 10-28-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P


</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>