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

69316 

Vol. 78, No. 223 

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2012–1202; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NE–38–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (Formerly 

Rolls-Royce Deutschland GmbH, 

Formerly BMW Rolls-Royce GmbH) 

Turbofan Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to supersede 

existing airworthiness directive (AD) 

2012–26–14 that applies to all RollsRoyce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) 

BR700–715A1–30, BR700–715B1–30, 

and BR700–715C1–30 turbofan engines. 

AD 2012–26–14 currently requires 

removal from service of the highpressure (HP) compressor stages 1 to 6 

rotor disc assembly before exceeding 

certain thresholds. Since we issued AD 

2012–26–14, RRD developed a new 

silver-free nut that, if installed with a 

new HP compressor stages 1 to 6 disc 

assembly, would correct the unsafe 

condition identified in AD 2012–26–14. 

Therefore, we propose to supersede AD 

2012–26–14 to restrict the applicability 

to engines exposed to silver plated nuts. 

Additionally, we are removing the 

terminating action statement from AD 

2012–26–14 based on a comment 

received. This proposed AD would 

require removal from service of certain 

HP compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc 

assemblies before exceeding certain 

thresholds. We are proposing this AD to 

prevent failure of the HP compressor 

stages 1 to 6 rotor disc assembly, which 

could lead to an uncontained engine 

failure and damage to the airplane. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by January 21, 2014. 

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 AD, contact Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG, Eschenweg 

11, Dahlewitz, 15827 BlankenfeldeMahlow, Germany; phone: 49 0 33– 

7086–1200; fax: 49 0 33–7086–1212. 

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; 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 

MCAI, 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: 

Robert Morlath, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine 

& Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238 7154; fax: 781–238 

7199; email: robert.c.morlath@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–2012–1202; Directorate Identifier 

2012–NE–38–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 December 27, 2012, we issued 

AD–2012–26–14, Amendment 39–17309 

(78 FR 2195, January 10, 2013) (‘‘AD 

2012–26–14’’) for RRD BR700–715A1– 

30, BR700–715B1–30, and BR700– 

715C1–30 turbofan engines. AD 2012– 

26–14 requires removal from service of 

the HP compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor 

disc assembly before exceeding certain 

thresholds. AD 2012–26–14 resulted 

from a report of silver chloride-induced 

stress corrosion cracking of the HP 

compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc 

assembly, identified during overhaul. 

We issued AD 2012–26–14 to prevent 

failure of the HP compressor stages 1 to 

6 rotor disc assembly, which could lead 

to an uncontained engine failure and 

damage to the airplane. We set a 

separate compliance standard for 

engines operated under the Hawaiian 

Flight Mission. The different cycle 

limits are established because the 

Hawaiian Flight Mission profile was 

sufficiently different from the normal 

flight profile as to affect the cyclic 

loading on the life limited parts. 

Actions Since Existing AD Was Issued 

Since we issued AD 2012–26–14, RRD 

released new part number (P/N) 

components as a design fix for the issue 

described above. 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

comment on AD 2012–26–14. We 

received two comments. The following 

presents the comments received, and 

the FAA’s response to each comment. 

Comments 

Request To Include HP Compressor 

P/Ns in the AD 

Southwest Airlines (SWA) requested 

that we include the P/Ns of the affected 

HP compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc 


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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 19, 2013 / Proposed Rules 69317 

assemblies in this AD. The commenter 

provided no justification for this 

request. 

We partially agree. We agree with 

revising the Applicability paragraph of 

this proposed AD because RRD 

developed new P/N silver-free nuts, 

which, if installed with a new HP 

compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc 

assembly, would correct the unsafe 

condition. 

We disagree with identifying specific 

HP compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc 

assemblies because this proposed AD 

applies to all HP compressor stages 1 to 

6 rotor disc assemblies that have had 

silver-plated nuts installed. We revised 

the Applicability paragraph to clarify 

that this proposed AD applies to all HP 

compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc 

assemblies that were installed using 

nuts, P/N AS44862 or P/N AS64367. 

Request To Clarify Parts Eligible for 

Installation 

SWA requested that we clarify 

paragraph (f) of AD 2012–26–14. The 

commenter stated that it is unclear if 

reinstalling disc assemblies having 

fewer cycles since new (CSN) than that 

required by paragraph (e) of AD 2012– 

26–14, is acceptable. 

We agree. The intent of AD 2012–26– 

14 is to allow operation of the disc 

assembly up to the CSN specified in 

paragraph (e) of AD 2012–26–14. It is 

acceptable to reinstall disc assemblies 

that have fewer CSN than specified in 

paragraph (e) of AD 2012–26–14. 

Therefore, we removed the terminating 

action paragraph from this proposed 

AD. 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data and 

considered the comments received. 

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 

certain requirements of AD 2012–26–14. 

This proposed AD would change the 

Applicability paragraph to specify the 

P/N nuts associated with reduced life 

and would also change paragraph (f) by 

removing language concerning the 

terminating action. This AD requires 

removal from service of certain HP 

compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc 

assemblies before exceeding certain 

thresholds. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this proposed AD 

would affect about 255 engines installed 

on airplanes of U.S. registry. We also 

estimate that it would take about 20 

hours per engine to comply with this 

proposed AD. The average labor rate is 

$85 per hour. Prorated parts life will 

cost about $13,500 per engine. Based on 

these figures, we estimate the cost of 

this proposed AD on U.S. operators to 

be $3,876,000. 

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 proposed 

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 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. 

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) 

2012–26–14, Amendment 39–17309 (78 

FR 2195, January 10, 2013), and adding 

the following new AD: 

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG: 

Docket No. FAA–2012–1202; Directorate 

Identifier 2012–NE–38–AD. 

(a) Comments Due Date 

The FAA must receive comments on this 

AD action by January 21, 2014. 

(b) Affected ADs 

This AD supersedes AD 2012–26–14, 

Amendment 39–17309 (78 FR 2195, January 

10, 2013). 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to all Rolls-Royce 

Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) BR700– 

715A1–30, BR700–715B1–30, and BR700– 

715C1–30 turbofan engines with highpressure (HP) compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor 

disc assemblies that were ever installed using 

nuts, part number (P/N) AS44862 or P/N 

AS64367. 

(d) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a report of silver 

chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking of 

the HP compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc 

assembly. We are issuing this AD to prevent 

failure of the HP compressor stages 1 to 6 

rotor disc assembly, which could lead to an 

uncontained engine failure and damage to 

the airplane. 

(e) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(1) For BR700–715A1–30 turbofan engines 

operated under the Hawaiian Flight Mission 

only, remove the HP compressor stages 1 to 

6 rotor disc assembly from service before 

exceeding 16,000 flight cycles since new 

(CSN) or before further flight after the 

effective date of this AD, whichever occurs 

later. 

(2) For BR700–715A1–30, BR700–715B1– 

30, and BR700–715C1–30 turbofan engines 

(all flight missions except Hawaiian Flight 

Mission), remove the HP compressor stages 1 

to 6 rotor disc assembly from service before 


TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS
69318 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 223 / Tuesday, November 19, 2013 / Proposed Rules 

exceeding 14,000 flight CSN or before further 

flight after the effective date of this AD, 

whichever occurs later. 

(f) Prohibition Statement 

After the effective date of this AD, do not 

install an HP compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor 

disk assembly into an engine, or an engine 

with an HP compressor stage 1 to 6 rotor disk 

assembly onto an aircraft, if the HP 

compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disk assembly 

has ever been operated with nuts, P/N 

AS44862 or P/N AS64367, and has more CSN 

than specified in the applicable portion of 

the compliance section of this AD. 

(g) Definition 

For the purpose of this AD, flight cycles is 

defined as the total flight CSN on the HP 

compressor stages 1 to 6 rotor disc assembly, 

without any pro-rated calculations applied 

for different flight missions. 

(h) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

The Manager, Engine Certification Office, 

may approve AMOCs for this AD. Use the 

procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19, to make 

your request. 

(i) Related Information 

(1) For more information about this AD, 

contact Robert Morlath, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: 781–238 7154; fax: 781–238 7199; 

email: robert.c.morlath@faa.gov. 

(2) Refer to MCAI European Aviation 

Safety Agency AD 2012–0230, dated October 

30, 2012. You may examine this MCAI in the 

AD docket on the Internet at http:// 

www.regulations.gov/

#!documentDetail;D=FAA-2012-1202-0003. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd 

& Co KG, Eschenweg 11, Dahlewitz, 15827 

Blankenfelde-Mahlow, Germany; phone: 49 0 

33–7086–1200; fax: 49 0 33–7086–1212. 

(4) 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 

November 8, 2013. 

Colleen M. D’Alessandro, 

Assistant Directorate Manager, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, Aircraft Certification 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2013–27633 Filed 11–18–13; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2013–0966; Directorate 

Identifier 2013–CE–040–AD] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Rockwell 

Collins, Inc. Transponders 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

(NPRM). 

SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Rockwell Collins TPR–720 and TPR– 

900 Mode select (S) transponders that 

are installed on airplanes. This 

proposed AD was prompted by the 

identification that the TPR–720 and 

TPR–900 Mode S transponders respond 

intermittently to Mode S interrogations 

from both ground-based and traffic 

collision avoidance system (TCAS-) 

equipped airplanes. This proposed AD 

would require testing and calibration of 

the alignment of the transponders. We 

are proposing this AD to correct the 

unsafe condition on these products. 

DATES: We must receive comments on 

this proposed AD by January 3, 2014. 

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 Rockwell 

Collins, Inc., Collins Aviation Services, 

350 Collins Road NE., M/S 153–250, 

Cedar Rapids, IA 52498–0001; 

telephone: 888–265–5467 (U.S.) or 319– 

265–5467; fax: 319–295–4941 (outside 

U.S.); email: techmanuals@

rockwellcollins.com; Internet: http://

www.rockwellcollins.com/Services_

and_Support/Publications.aspx. You 

may review 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; 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: 

Roger A. Souter, FAA, Wichita Aircraft 

Certification Office, 1801 Airport Road, 

Room 100, Wichita, Kansas 67209; 

telephone: 316–946–4134; facsimile: 

316–946–4107; email address: 

roger.souter@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Comments Invited 

We invite you to send any written 

relevant data, views, or arguments about 

this proposal. Send your comments to 

an address listed under the ADDRESSES

section. Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA– 

2013–0966; Directorate Identifier 2013– 

CE–040–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 

FAA surveillance and testing of Mode 

S transponders, associated with an 

upcoming change to the National 

Airspace System (NAS) ground-based 

system software, exposed a deficiency 

in the capability of the Rockwell Collins 

TPR–720 and TPR–900 series 

transponders to properly respond to 

Mode S interrogations from both 

ground-based radars and TCASequipped airplanes. 

FAA and Rockwell Collins, Inc. 

investigated the deficiency with the 

transponders and determined that age 

and lack of depot-level maintenance 

may cause a shift in the sync phase 

reversal tolerance causing intermittent 

replies to the Mode S and TCAS II 

interrogations. The transponder receiver 


TKELLEY on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with PROPOSALS