Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 88 / Friday, May 6, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 26967 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2022–0512; Project 

Identifier AD–2022–00367–E; Amendment 

39–22042; AD 2022–10–04] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; Engine 

Alliance Turbofan Engines 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Engine Alliance (EA) GP7270, GP7272, 

and GP7277 model turbofan engines. 

This AD was prompted by a 

manufacturer investigation that revealed 

certain stages 7–9 compressor rotor 

spools were manufactured from a billet 

of material suspected of having foreign 

material embedded. This AD requires 

the replacement of the affected stages 7– 

9 compressor rotor spool. The FAA is 

issuing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective May 23, 

2022. 

The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD by June 21, 2022. 

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 

https://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 final rule, contact Engine Alliance, 

411 Silver Lane, East Hartford, CT 

06118; phone: (800) 565–0140; email: 

help24@pw.utc.com; website: 

www.engineallianceportal.com. You 

may view this service information 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. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2022–0512; 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 

final rule, any comments received, and 

other information. The street address for 

the Docket Operations is listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Stephen Elwin, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 

District Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803; 

phone: (781) 238–7236; email: 

Stephen.L.Elwin@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The FAA was notified by the 

manufacturer of a powder metal 

material contamination discovered in a 

part manufactured from the same billet 

material used to manufacture the EA 

GP7270, GP7272, and GP7277 highpressure compressor (HPC) stage 8 rotor 

disk. Subsequent investigation by the 

manufacturer determined that the HPC 

stage 8 rotor disk, which is welded into 

the stages 7–9 compressor rotor spool, 

was manufactured from billets 

suspected of having foreign material 

embedded. The presence of foreign 

material in the billet may lead to crack 

formations and premature failure of the 

HPC stage 8 rotor disk. This condition, 

if not addressed, could result in failure 

of the HPC stage 8 rotor disk, 

uncontained release of the HPC stage 8 

rotor disk, damage to the engine, and 

damage to the airplane. The FAA is 

issuing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

FAA’s Determination 

The FAA is issuing this AD because 

the agency has determined the unsafe 

condition described previously is likely 

to exist or develop in other products of 

the same type design. 

Related Service Information 

The FAA reviewed Engine Alliance 

Service Bulletin (SB) EAGP7–72–449, 

Original Issue, dated December 9, 2021. 

The SB describes procedures for 

removing and replacing the affected 

stages 7–9 compressor rotor spool. 

AD Requirements 

This AD requires the replacement of 

the affected stages 7–9 compressor rotor 

spool. 

Interim Action 

The FAA considers this AD to be an 

interim action. This issue is still under 

investigation by the manufacturer and, 

depending on the results of that 

investigation, the FAA may consider 

further rulemaking action. 

Justification for Immediate Adoption 

and Determination of the Effective Date 

Section 553(b)(3)(B) of the 

Administrative Procedure Act (APA) (5 

U.S.C. 551 et seq.) authorizes agencies 

to dispense with notice and comment 

procedures for rules when the agency, 

for ‘‘good cause,’’ finds that those 

procedures are ‘‘impracticable, 

unnecessary, or contrary to the public 

interest.’’ Under this section, an agency, 

upon finding good cause, may issue a 

final rule without providing notice and 

seeking comment prior to issuance. 

Further, section 553(d) of the APA 

authorizes agencies to make rules 

effective in less than thirty days, upon 

a finding of good cause. 

The FAA justifies waiving notice and 

comment prior to adoption of this rule 

because no domestic operators use this 

product. It is unlikely that the FAA will 

receive any adverse comments or useful 

information about this AD from any U.S. 

operator. Accordingly, notice and 

opportunity for prior public comment 

are unnecessary, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

553(b)(3)(B). In addition, for the 

foregoing reason(s), the FAA finds that 

good cause exists pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

553(d) for making this amendment 

effective in less than 30 days. 

Comments Invited 

The FAA invites you to send any 

written data, views, or arguments about 

this final rule. Send your comments to 

an address listed under ADDRESSES. 

Include ‘‘Docket No. FAA–2022–0512 

and Project Identifier AD–2022–00367– 

E’’ at the beginning of your comments. 

The most helpful comments reference a 

specific portion of the final rule, 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 final rule 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 https://

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information you provide. The 

agency will also post a report 

summarizing each substantive verbal 

contact received about this final rule. 

Confidential Business Information 

CBI is commercial or financial 

information that is both customarily and 


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26968 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 88 / Friday, May 6, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 

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 AD contain 

commercial or financial information 

that is customarily treated as private, 

that you actually treat as private, and 

that is relevant or responsive to this AD, 

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 AD. Submissions containing CBI 

should be sent to Stephen Elwin, 

Aviation Safety Engineer, ECO Branch, 

FAA, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington, 

MA 01803. Any commentary that the 

FAA receives which is not specifically 

designated as CBI will be placed in the 

public docket for this rulemaking. 

Regulatory Flexibility Act 

The requirements of the Regulatory 

Flexibility Act (RFA) do not apply when 

an agency finds good cause pursuant to 

5 U.S.C. 553 to adopt a rule without 

prior notice and comment. Because FAA 

has determined that it has good cause to 

adopt this rule without prior notice and 

comment, RFA analysis is not required. 

Costs of Compliance 

The FAA estimates that this AD 

affects 0 engines installed on airplanes 

of U.S. registry. 

The FAA estimates the following 

costs to comply with this AD: 

ESTIMATED COSTS

Action Labor cost Parts cost Cost per 

product 

Cost on U.S. 

operators 

Replace stages 7–9 compressor rotor spool .. 8 work-hours × $85 per hour = $680 ............. $853,400 $854,080 $0 

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. 

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 

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, 

and 

(2) Will not affect intrastate aviation 

in Alaska. 

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39 

Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation 

safety, Incorporation by reference, 

Safety. 

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: 

2022–10–04 Engine Alliance: Amendment 

39–22042; Docket No. FAA–2022–0512; 

Project Identifier AD–2022–00367–E. 

(a) Effective Date 

This airworthiness directive (AD) is 

effective May 23, 2022. 

(b) Affected ADs 

None. 

(c) Applicability 

This AD applies to Engine Alliance (EA) 

GP7270, GP7272, and GP7277 model 

turbofan engines with an installed: 

(1) Stages 7–9 compressor rotor spool, part 

number (P/N) 2031M90G05, having serial 

number (S/N) GWN0R7R3; or 

(2) Stages 7–9 compressor rotor spool, P/ 

N 2031M90G07, having S/N GWN0R9R3, 

GWN0R9TC, GWN0R9TM, GWN0RCT5, or 

GWN0RCT6. 

(d) Subject 

Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC) 

Code 7230, Turbine Engine Compressor 

Section. 

(e) Unsafe Condition 

This AD was prompted by a manufacturer 

investigation that revealed certain stages 7– 

9 compressor rotor spools were manufactured 

from a billet of material suspected of having 

foreign material embedded. The FAA is 

issuing this AD to prevent failure of the highpressure compressor (HPC) stage 8 rotor disk. 

The unsafe condition, if not addressed, could 

result in uncontained release of the HPC 

stage 8 rotor disk, damage to the engine, and 

damage to the airplane. 

(f) Compliance 

Comply with this AD within the 

compliance times specified, unless already 

done. 

(g) Required Actions 

Within 500 flight cycles (FCs) after the 

effective date of this AD, remove the affected 

stages 7–9 compressor rotor spool from 

service and replace with a part eligible for 

installation. 

(h) Definition 

For the purpose of this AD, a ‘‘part eligible 

for installation’’ is any stages 7–9 compressor 

rotor spool with an S/N that is not identified 

in paragraph (c)(1) or (2) of this AD. 

(i) Alternative Methods of Compliance 

(AMOCs) 

(1) The Manager, ECO 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 of the certification office, 

send it to the attention of the person 

identified in paragraph (j) of this AD and 

email to: ANE-AD-AMOC@faa.gov. 

(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. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 88 / Friday, May 6, 2022 / Rules and Regulations 26969 

(j) Related Information 

For more information about this AD, 

contact Stephen Elwin, Aviation Safety 

Engineer, ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 District 

Avenue, Burlington, MA 01803; phone: (781) 

238–7236; email: Stephen.L.Elwin@faa.gov. 

(k) Material Incorporated by Reference 

None. 

Issued on April 30, 2022. 

Gaetano A. Sciortino, 

Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives, 

Compliance & Airworthiness Division, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–09631 Filed 5–5–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Federal Aviation Administration 

14 CFR Part 39 

[Docket No. FAA–2022–0506; Project 

Identifier MCAI–2022–00507–G; Amendment 

39–22037; AD 2022–09–17] 

RIN 2120–AA64 

Airworthiness Directives; ScheibeAircraft-GmbH Gliders 

AGENCY: Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA), DOT. 

ACTION: Final rule; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The FAA is adopting a new 

airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 

Scheibe-Aircraft-GmbH Model SF 25 C 

gliders. This AD was prompted by 

mandatory continuing airworthiness 

information (MCAI) issued by the 

aviation authority of another country to 

identify and correct an unsafe condition 

on an aviation product. The MCAI 

identifies the unsafe condition as severe 

corrosion on the inner surface of the 

control stick tube. This AD requires 

inspecting the left-hand (LH) and righthand (RH) control sticks for corrosion 

and, if corrosion is found, replacing the 

affected control stick. The FAA is 

issuing this AD to address the unsafe 

condition on these products. 

DATES: This AD is effective May 23, 

2022. 

The Director of the Federal Register 

approved the incorporation by reference 

of a certain publication listed in this AD 

as of May 23, 2022. 

The FAA must receive comments on 

this AD by June 21, 2022. 

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 

https://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 final rule, contact Scheibe Aircraft 

GmbH, Am Flugplatz 5, Heubach, D– 

73540, Germany; phone: +49 07173 

184286; email: info@scheibe-aircraft.de; 

website: https://scheibe-aircraft.de/. 

You may view this service information 

at the FAA, Airworthiness Products 

Section, Operational Safety Branch, 901 

Locust, Kansas City, MO 64106. For 

information on the availability of this 

material at the FAA, call (817) 222– 

5110. It is also available at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2022– 

0506. 

Examining the AD Docket 

You may examine the AD docket at 

https://www.regulations.gov by 

searching for and locating Docket No. 

FAA–2022–0506; 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 

final rule, the MCAI, any comments 

received, and other information. The 

street address for the Docket Operations 

is listed above. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Rutherford, Aviation Safety Engineer, 

General Aviation & Rotorcraft Section, 

International Validation Branch, FAA, 

901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, MO 

64106; phone: (816) 329–4165; email: 

jim.rutherford@faa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The European Union Aviation Safety 

Agency (EASA), which is the Technical 

Agent for the Member States of the 

European Union, has issued EASA 

Emergency AD 2022–0066–E, dated 

April 11, 2022 (referred to after this as 

‘‘the MCAI’’), to address an unsafe 

condition on Scheibe-Aircraft-GmbH 

(formerly Sportavia-Pu ̈tzer GmbH & Co. 

KG and Scheibe Flugzeugbau GmbH) 

Model SF 25-series sailplanes (gliders). 

The MCAI states: 

An occurrence was reported of finding 

fracture in a RH control stick of a powered 

sailplane, located above the weld seam at the 

transfer joint. Subsequent investigation 

determined that the fracture was a result of 

severe corrosion phenomena affecting the 

inner surface of the control stick tube due to 

water ingress. 

This condition, if not detected and 

corrected, could lead to a rupture of an 

affected part, possibly resulting in reduced 

control, or loss of control, of the powered 

sailplane. 

To address this unsafe condition, Scheibe 

issued the original issue of [service bulletin] 

TM/SB 653–96 to provide inspection and 

replacement instructions. 

Consequently, EASA issued Emergency AD 

2022–0043–E (later revised) to require 

repetitive inspections of each affected part to 

detect corrosion and replacement of each 

affected part with a serviceable part. 

Since EASA AD 2022–0043R1 was issued, 

it was identified that powered sailplanes on 

which Scheibe mod[ification] 653C–41–S10.1 

is embodied are also affected by this unsafe 

condition. 

For the reason described above, this 

[EASA] AD retains the requirements of EASA 

AD 2022–0043R1, which is superseded, and 

expands the Applicability. 

You may examine the MCAI in the 

AD docket at https://

www.regulations.gov by searching for 

and locating Docket No. FAA–2022– 

0506. 

FAA’s Determination 

The FAA is issuing this AD because 

the agency has determined the unsafe 

condition described previously is likely 

to exist or develop in other products of 

the same type design. 

Related Service Information Under 1 

CFR Part 51 

The FAA reviewed Scheibe Aircraft 

GmbH Service Bulletin 653–96/1, dated 

April 4, 2022. This service information 

specifies procedures for repetitive 

inspections for corrosion on the LH and 

RH control sticks and replacement 

instructions for when corrosion is 

found. This service information is 

reasonably available because the 

interested parties have access to it 

through their normal course of business 

or by the means identified in 

ADDRESSES. 

Other Related Service Information 

The FAA also reviewed Scheibe 

Aircraft GmbH Service Bulletin 653–96, 

dated March 2, 2022. This service 

information specifies procedures for 

repetitive inspections for corrosion on 

the LH and RH control sticks and 

replacement instructions for when 

corrosion is found. 

FAA’s Determination 

This product has been approved by 

the aviation authority of another 

country, and is 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 and service 


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