6666 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 

burden should be directed to the FAA at: 800 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 

20591, Attn: Information Collection 

Clearance Officer, AES–200. 

(n) AMOCs 

(1) The Manager, Wichita ACO, 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 of the ACO, send it to the 

attention of the person identified in the 

Related Information section of this AD. 

(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. 

(3) AMOCs approved for AD 2011–07–13, 

Amendment 39–16650 (76 FR 18376, April 4, 

2011), are approved for this AD. 

(o) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact T.N. Baktha, Senior Aerospace 

Engineer, Wichita ACO, FAA, 1801 Airport 

Road, Room 100, Wichita, Kansas 67209; 

phone: (316) 946–4155; fax: (316) 946–4107; 

email: t.n.baktha@faa.gov. 

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on January 

25, 2012. 

John Colomy, 

Acting Manager, Small Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–1998 Filed 2–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2011–0946; Directorate 

Identifier 2011–NE–02–AD; Amendment 39– 

16926; AD 2012–02–03] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; CFM 

International, S.A. Turbofan Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule. 

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

CFM International, S.A. model CFM56– 

5B series turbofan engines. This AD was 

prompted by a normal quality sampling 

at CFM International, S.A. that isolated 

a production batch of fan blades with 

nonconforming geometry of mid-span 

shroud tips of the fan blades. This AD 

requires removing from service certain 

serial number (S/N) fan blades. We are 

issuing this AD to prevent an inflight 

shutdown (IFSD) of one or more engines 

following foreign object damage (FOD) 

or a bird strike. 

DATES: This AD is effective March 15, 

2012. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in the AD 

as of March 15, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: For service information 

identified in this AD, contact CFM 

International, Inc., Aviation Operations 

Center, 1 Neumann Way, M/D Room 

285, Cincinnati, OH 45125; 

International Phone: 1–(513) 552–3272; 

USA Phone: (877) 432–3272; 

International Fax: 1–(513) 552–3329; 

USA Fax: (877) 432–3329; email: 

geae.aoc@ge.com; or CFM International 

S.A., Customer Support Center, 

International Phone: 33 1 64 14 88 66; 

Fax: 33 1 64 79 85 55; email: 

snecma.csc@snecma.fr. You may review 

copies of the referenced 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 AD, the regulatory 

evaluation, any comments received, and 

other information. The address for the 

Docket Office (phone: (800) 647–5527) 

is Document Management Facility, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Docket 

Operations, M–30, West Building 

Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 

New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 

DC 20590. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Martin Adler, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine 

& Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: (781) 238–7157; fax: (781) 238– 

7199; email: martin.adler@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Discussion 

We issued a notice of proposed 

rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR 

part 39 to include an AD that would 

apply to the specified products. That 

NPRM published in the Federal 

Register on October 18, 2011 (76 FR 

64293). That NPRM proposed to require 

removing from service within 5,000 

flight hours (FHs) after the effective date 

of the AD, any fan blade, P/N 338–002– 

114–0, that has an S/N listed in CFM 

International Service Bulletin (SB) No. 

CFM56–5B S/B 72–0777, Revision 1, 

dated April 11, 2011. After the effective 

date of the AD, it would also prohibit 

installing any fan blade, P/N 338–002– 

114–0, that has an S/N listed in 

Appendix A of CFM International SB 

No. CFM56–5B S/B 72–0777, Revision 

1, dated April 11, 2011. 

Comments 

We gave the public the opportunity to 

participate in developing this AD. The 

following presents the comments 

received on the proposal and the FAA’s 

response to each comment. 

Request to Reword the Unsafe 

Condition Statement 

One commenter, CFM International, 

S.A., requested that we reword the 

unsafe condition statement ‘‘This defect 

would cause the upper panel of the fan 

blade to be liberated following FOD or 

a bird strike and likely result in an inflight shutdown (IFSD)’’ to ‘‘This nonconforming condition could increase the 

potential for damage during a foreign 

object impact. This secondary damage 

could include liberation of the upper 

panel of the blade, which increases the 

potential for in-flight shutdown.’’ The 

commenter stated that the outcome of 

FOD or bird strike event will not 

necessarily result in an outer panel 

release, therefore it is suggested that the 

sentence be replaced to more accurately 

reflect the possible outcome. 

We agree. The unsafe condition 

increases the likelihood of separation 

after an event, but will not result in 

separation in every case. We changed 

paragraph (d) of the AD, which is the 

only place in the final rule that this 

information appears, to state that this 

defect could cause the upper panel of 

the fan blade to be liberated following 

FOD or a bird strike and likely result in 

an IFSD. 

Request for Terminating Action 

One commenter, American Airlines, 

requested that we establish a 

terminating action that would specify a 

point at which the AD would be 

considered closed. This would allow the 

airline to limit the time that it must 

verify compliance with the AD and 

reduce operating costs. 

We do not agree. The AD as written 

clearly limits the fan blade serial 

numbers affected. The affected blades 

must never be installed in operating 

engines. We have no mechanism to 

assure that the affected fan blades have 

been completely purged from all 

inventories and so we can not stipulate 

when the AD is no longer applicable. 

We did not change the AD. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 2012 / Rules and Regulations 6667 

Conclusion 

We reviewed the relevant data, 

considered the comments received, and 

determined that air safety and the 

public interest require adopting the AD 

with the changes described previously. 

Costs of Compliance 

We estimate that this AD will affect 

16 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. 

registry. We also estimate that it will 

take about 6 work-hours per engine to 

perform the required actions and that 

the average labor rate is $85 per workhour. Required parts will cost about 

$47,830 per engine. Based on these 

figures, we estimate the total cost of this 

AD to U.S. operators to be $773,440. 

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 

This AD will not have federalism 

implications under Executive Order 

13132. This AD will 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 this AD: 

(1) Is not a ‘‘significant regulatory 

action’’ under Executive Order 12866, 

(2) Is not a ‘‘significant rule’’ under 

DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures 

(44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979), 

(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska, 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. 

Adoption of the Amendment 

Accordingly, under the authority 

delegated to me by the Administrator, 

the FAA amends 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): 

2012–02–03 CFM International, S.A.: 

Amendment 39–16926; Docket No. 

FAA–2011–0946; Directorate Identifier 

2011–NE–02–AD. 

(a) Effective Date 

This AD is effective March 15, 2012. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to CFM International, S.A. 

CFM56–5B1/3, CFM56–5B2/3, CFM56–5B3/ 

3, CFM56–5B4/3, CFM56–5B5/3, CFM56– 

5B6/3, CFM56–5B7/3, CFM56–5B8/3, 

CFM56–5B9/3, CFM56–5B3/3B1, and 

CFM56–5B4/3B1 engines equipped with fan 

blades part number (P/N) 338–002–114–0 

that have a serial number (S/N) listed in 

Appendix A of CFM International Service 

Bulletin (SB) No. CFM56–5B S/B 72–0777, 

Revision 1, dated April 11, 2011. 

(d) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a normal quality 

sampling at CFM International. S.A. that 

isolated a production batch of fan blades 

with nonconforming geometry of mid-span 

shroud tips of the fan blades. This defect 

could cause the upper panel of the fan blade 

to be liberated following foreign object 

damage (FOD) or a bird strike, and likely 

result in an inflight shutdown (IFSD). We are 

issuing this AD to prevent an IFSD of one or 

more engines following FOD or a bird strike. 

(e) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(f) Remove Fan Blades From Service 

For engines that have fan blades, P/N 338– 

002–114–0, with S/Ns listed in Appendix A 

of CFM International SB No. CFM56–5B S/ 

B 72–0777, Revision 1, dated April 11, 2011, 

remove the fan blades from service within 

5,000 flight hours after the effective date of 

this AD. 

(g) Installation Prohibition 

After the effective date of this AD, do not 

install any fan blade, P/N 338–002–114–0, 

that has a S/N listed in Appendix A of CFM 

International SB No. CFM56–5B S/B 72– 

0777, Revision 1, dated April 11, 2011, onto 

any engine. 

(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 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Martin Adler, Aerospace Engineer, 

Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & 

Propeller Directorate, 12 New England 

Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: (781) 238–7157; fax: (781) 238–7199; 

email: martin.adler@faa.gov. 

(j) Material Incorporated by Reference 

(1) You must use the following service 

information to identify the fan blade S/Ns 

affected by this AD. The Director of the 

Federal Register approved the incorporation 

by reference (IBR) under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 

1 CFR part 51 of the following service 

information. 

(2) CFM International Service Bulletin No. 

CFM56–5B S/B 72–0777, Revision 1, dated 

April 11, 2011. 

(3) For service information identified in 

this AD, contact CFM International, Inc., 

Aviation Operations Center, 1 Neumann 

Way, M/D Room 285, Cincinnati, OH 45125; 

International Phone: 1–(513) 552–3272; USA 

Phone: (877) 432–3272; International Fax: 1– 

(513) 552–3329; USA Fax: (877) 432–3329; 

email: geae.aoc@ge.com; or CFM 

International SA, Customer Support Center, 

International Phone: 33 1 64 14 88 66; Fax: 

33 1 64 79 85 55; e-mail: 

snecma.csc@snecma.fr. 

(4) You may review copies of the 

referenced service information at the FAA, 

Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New 

England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 

01803. For information on the availability of 

this material at the FAA, call 781–238–7125. 

(5) You may also review copies of the 

service information that is incorporated by 

reference at the National Archives and 

Records Administration (NARA). For 

information on the availability of this 

material at NARA, call 202–741–6030, or go 

to: http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/ 

cfr/ibr-locations.html. 

Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on 

January 19, 2012. 

Peter A. White, 

Manager, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–2893 Filed 2–8–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 


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