[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 64 (Thursday, April 2, 2020)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18478-18481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06736]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2020-0293; Project Identifier MCAI-2019-00122-E]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 
(Type Certificate Previously Held by Rolls-Royce plc) Turbofan Engines

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).

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SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) 
for certain Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 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 
model turbofan engines. This proposed AD was prompted by a report of a 
crack finding of the front air seal on the intermediate-pressure 
compressor (IPC) shaft assembly during the stripping of a flight test 
engine. This proposed AD would require initial and repetitive borescope 
inspections (BSIs) of the IPC shaft assembly and, depending on the 
results of the inspection, replacement of the IPC shaft assembly with a 
part eligible for installation. The FAA is proposing this AD to address 
the unsafe condition on these products.

DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this proposed AD by May 18, 
2020.

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 NPRM, contact Rolls-
Royce Deutschland Ltd. & Co KG, Eschenweg 11, 15827 Blankenfelde-
Mahlow, Germany; phone: +49 (0) 33 708 6 0; email: https://www.rolls-
royce.com/

[[Page 18479]]

contact-us.aspx. You may view this service information at the FAA, 
Engine and Propeller Standards Branch, 1200 District Avenue, 
Burlington, MA, 01803. For information on the availability of this 
material at the FAA, call 781-238-7759.

Examining the AD Docket

    You may examine the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-
0293; 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. Comments will be available in the AD 
docket shortly after receipt.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen Elwin, Aerospace Engineer, ECO 
Branch, FAA, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington, MA, 01803; phone: 781-
238-7236; fax: 781-238-7199; email: stephen.l.elwin@faa.gov.

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 the ADDRESSES section. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2020-0293; 
Project Identifier MCAI-2019-00122-E'' at the beginning of your 
comments. The FAA specifically invites comments on the overall 
regulatory, economic, environmental, and energy aspects of this NPRM. 
The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date and may 
amend this NPRM 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 FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive 
verbal contact received about this final rule.

Confidential Business Information

    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 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 Stephen Elwin, Aerospace 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.

Discussion

    The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the 
Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Community, has 
issued EASA AD 2019-0282, dated November 20, 2019 (referred to after 
this as ``the MCAI''), to address the unsafe condition on these 
products. The MCAI states:

    An occurrence was reported of finding cracks in the front air 
seal of the IPC shaft assembly during stripping of a flight test 
engine. Follow-up inspections of other in-shop engines revealed two 
more cracked front air seals of IPC shaft assemblies.
    This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to IPC 
shaft failure, possibly resulting in engine in-flight shut-down and 
consequent reduced control of the aeroplane.
    To address this potential unsafe condition, Rolls-Royce 
developed an inspection method and issued the NMSB, providing those 
inspection instructions.
    For the reason described above, this [EASA] AD requires 
repetitive on-wing inspections of the front air seal of the affected 
part at a specific area between the fourth (rearmost) seal fin of 
the IPC shaft assembly front air seal and the IPC Stage 1 disc and, 
depending on findings, removal from service of the engine for 
corrective action(s).

    You may obtain further information by examining the MCAI in the AD 
docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for 
and locating Docket No. FAA-2020-0293.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 Alert Non-Modification 
Service Bulletin (NMSB) 72-AK451, Initial Issue, dated November 14, 
2019. The Alert NMSB describes procedures for initial and repetitive 
BSIs of the IPC shaft assembly. 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 the 
ADDRESSES section.

FAA's Determination

    This product has been approved by EASA and is approved for 
operation in the United States. Pursuant to our bilateral agreement 
with the European Community, EASA has notified us of the unsafe 
condition described in the MCAI and service information referenced 
above. The FAA is proposing this AD because we evaluated all the 
relevant information provided by EASA 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 require initial and repetitive BSIs of the 
IPC shaft assembly and, depending on the results of the inspection, 
replacement of the IPC shaft assembly with a part eligible for 
installation.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this proposed AD affects 14 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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BSI IPC shaft assembly..............  3.5 work-hours x $85                 $0          $297.50           $4,165
                                       per hour = $297.50.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The FAA estimates the following costs to do any necessary 
replacement that would be required based on the results of the proposed 
inspection. The FAA has no way of determining the

[[Page 18480]]

number of engines that might need this replacement:

                                               On-Condition Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                                     Cost per
                  Action                                Labor cost                 Parts cost        product
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Replace IPC shaft assembly................  1,080 work-hours x $85 per hour =       $1,365,219       $1,457,019
                                             $91,800.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
    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) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and
    (3) 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

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 (AD):

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (Type Certificate Previously 
Held by Rolls-Royce plc): Docket No. FAA-2020-0293; Project 
Identifier MCAI-2019-00122-E.

(a) Comments Due Date

    The FAA must receive comments by May 18, 2020.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to:
    (1) Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) (Type Certificate 
previously held by Rolls-Royce plc) 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, and Trent 1000-R3 model turbofan engines.
    (2) RRD Trent 7000-72 and Trent 7000-72C model turbofan engines.

(d) Subject

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

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by a report of a crack finding of the front 
air seal on the intermediate-pressure compressor (IPC) shaft 
assembly during the stripping of a flight test engine. The FAA is 
proposing this AD to prevent failure of the IPC shaft assembly. The 
unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in loss of thrust 
control and reduced control of the airplane.

(f) Compliance

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

(g) Required Actions

    (1) Within the compliance times specified in Table 1 to 
paragraph (g)(1) of this AD, and thereafter, at intervals not to 
exceed 200 flight cycles (FCs), perform a borescope inspection (BSI) 
of the IPC shaft assembly, part number KH18436, in accordance with 
the Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 3.B., of Rolls-Royce (RR) 
Trent 1000 Alert Non-Modification Service Bulletin (NMSB) 72-AK451, 
Initial Issue, dated November 14, 2019.

[[Page 18481]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TP02AP20.001

    (2) An in-shop BSI in accordance with Accomplishment 
Instructions, paragraph 3.A, of RR Trent 1000 Alert NMSB 72-AK451, 
Initial Issue, dated November 14, 2019, may be substituted for any 
on-wing BSI, provided the compliance time specified in Table 1 to 
paragraph (g)(1) of this AD is not exceeded.
    (3) If, during any initial or repetitive BSI of the IPC shaft 
assembly required by paragraph (g)(1) or (2) of this AD, any crack 
is detected, before further flight, remove the IPC shaft assembly 
and replace it with a part eligible for installation.

(h) Definitions

    For the purpose of this AD, a ``part eligible for installation'' 
is:
    (1) An IPC shaft assembly that is new (not previously installed 
on an engine);
    (2) An IPC shaft assembly that, before (re)installation, has 
passed an inspection (no crack detected) in accordance with 
Accomplishment Instructions, paragraph 3.B., of RR Trent 1000 Alert 
NMSB 72-AK451, Initial Issue, dated November 14, 2019.

(i) No Reporting Requirement

    The reporting requirements in the Accomplishment Instructions, 
paragraphs 3.A. and 3.B., of RR Trent 1000 Alert NMSB 72-AK451, 
Initial Issue, dated November 14, 2019, are not required by this AD.

(j) Credit for Previous Actions

    You may take credit for the initial BSI of the IPC shaft 
assembly that is required by paragraph (g)(1) of this AD if you 
performed the BSI before the effective date of this AD using RR 
Trent 1000 NMSB 72-K452, Initial Issue, dated October 21, 2019.

(k) 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 
ECO Branch, send it to the attention of the person identified in 
paragraph (l)(1) of this AD. You may email your request 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.

(l) Related Information

    (1) For more information about this AD, contact Stephen Elwin, 
Aerospace Engineer, ECO Branch, FAA, 1200 District Avenue, 
Burlington, MA, 01803; phone: 781-238-7236; fax: 781-238-7199; 
email: stephen.l.elwin@faa.gov.
    (2) Refer to European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD 
2019-0282, dated November 20, 2019, for more information. You may 
examine the EASA AD in the AD docket on the internet at https://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating it in Docket No. 
FAA-2020-0293.
    (3) For service information identified in this AD, contact 
Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG, Eschenweg 11, 15827 
Blankenfelde-Mahlow, Germany; phone: +49 (0) 33 708 6 0; email: 
https://www.rolls-royce.com/contact-us.aspx. You may view this 
referenced service information at the FAA, Engine and Propeller 
Standards Branch, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington, MA, 01803. For 
information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 
781-238-7759.

    Issued on March 26, 2020.
Lance T. Gant,
Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft Certification 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-06736 Filed 4-1-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P


