[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 196 (Tuesday, October 12, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 55195-55196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-26575]


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

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. 95-ANE-57]


Airworthiness Directives; Pratt & Whitney JT9D Series Turbofan 
Engines

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal.

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

SUMMARY: This action withdraws a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) 
that proposed a new airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to Pratt & 
Whitney JT9D series turbofan engines. That action would have superseded 
AD 96-25-10 by adding additional affected turbine exhaust case (TEC) 
assemblies eligible for modification, and adding an additional TEC 
modification compliance option. Since the issuance of the NPRM, the 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determined that any additional 
TEC assemblies could be installed as a TEC modification compliance 
option through the alternate method of compliance (AMOC) procedure 
instead. Accordingly, the proposed rule is withdrawn.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tara Goodman, Aerospace Engineer, 
Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine and Propeller Directorate, 12 
New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803-5299; telephone (781) 
238-7130, fax (781) 238-7199.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal 
Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) to add a new airworthiness 
directive (AD) to supersede AD 96-25-10, amendment 39-9853 (61 FR 
66892, December 19, 1996), applicable to Pratt & Whitney (PW) JT9D 
series turbofan engines, was published in the Federal Register on 
September 2, 1998 (63 FR 46712). The proposed rule would have added 
additional affected turbine exhaust case (TEC) assemblies that are 
eligible for modification, and added an additional TEC modification 
compliance option. That action was prompted by PW issuing Service 
Bulletin (SB) No. 6157, Revision 2, dated January 28, 1998, that lists 
by part number (P/N) additional affected TEC assemblies that are 
eligible for modification, and by PW providing an additional TEC 
modification compliance option in issuing PW SB No. 6320, dated 
February 5, 1998. The proposed actions were intended to prevent release 
of uncontained debris from the TEC following an internal engine 
failure, which can result in damage to the aircraft.
    Since the issuance of that NPRM, the FAA reevaluated the proposed 
supersedure of AD 96-25-10. The current AD is applicable to certain PW 
JT9D engines and mandates a modification using specific TEC P/Ns listed 
in the SBs incorporated by reference. More recent revisions of the SBs 
referenced in the current AD offer the possibility of using TEC 
assembly P/Ns not included in the SBs incorporated into the current AD. 
The proposal sought to expand that list of TEC assembly P/Ns that would 
serve as compliance with the requirements of the current AD. The 
proposal, however, did not preserve the original compliance end date of 
the current AD. The FAA has determined, therefore, that rather than 
superseding the existing AD, the additional TEC assembly P/Ns may be 
considered approved alternate methods of compliance (AMOC) using the 
AMOC process specified in the current AD. This will preserve the 
current AD's compliance end-date for the modification.
    Upon further consideration, the FAA has determined that superseding 
AD 96-25-10 is unnecessary. Accordingly the proposed rule is hereby 
withdrawn. AD 96-25-10 in its original form, remains in effect.
    Withdrawal of this notice of proposed rulemaking constitutes only 
such action, and does not preclude the agency from issuing another 
notice in the future, nor does it commit the agency to any course of 
action in the future.
    Since this action only withdraws a notice of proposed rulemaking, 
it is neither a proposed nor a final rule and therefore, is not covered 
under Executive Order 12866, the Regulatory Flexibility Act, or DOT 
Regulatory

[[Page 55196]]

Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979).

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 39

    Air transportation, Aircraft, Aviation safety, Safety.

The Withdrawal

    Accordingly, the notice of proposed rulemaking, Docket 95-ANE-57, 
published in the Federal Register on September 2, 1998, (63 FR 46712), 
is withdrawn.

    Issued in Burlington, Massachusetts, on October 5, 1999.
Diane Romanosky,
Acting Manager, Engine and Propeller Directorate, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 99-26575 Filed 10-8-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P