[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 145 (Monday, July 31, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 49361-49364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-15910]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2023-1637; Project Identifier MCAI-2023-00184-E]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG 
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 all Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) Model Trent 1000-A2, 
Trent 1000-AE2, Trent 1000-C2, Trent 1000-CE2, Trent 1000-D2, Trent 
1000-E2, Trent 1000-G2, Trent 1000-H2, Trent 1000-J2, Trent 1000-K2, 
and Trent 1000-L2 engines. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of 
cracking and separation of certain low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage 1 
blade assemblies. This proposed AD would require initial and repetitive 
inspections of affected LPT stage 1 blade assemblies for cracking or 
separation and, depending on the results of the inspections, reduction 
of the inspection interval or replacement of the LPT stage 1 blade set 
and disk, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency 
(EASA) AD, which is proposed for incorporation by reference (IBR). The 
FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these 
products.

DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this NPRM by September 14, 
2023.

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 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.
    AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FAA-2023-1637; 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

[[Page 49362]]

continuing airworthiness information (MCAI), any comments received, and 
other information. The street address for Docket Operations is listed 
above.
    Material Incorporated by Reference:
     For EASA service information material identified in this 
NPRM, contact EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 50668 Cologne, Germany; 
phone: +49 221 8999 000; email: [email protected]; website: 
easa.europa.eu. You may find this material on the EASA website at 
ad.easa.europa.eu.
     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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sungmo Cho, Aviation Safety Engineer, 
FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: (781) 238-
7241; email: [email protected].

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 ADDRESSES. Include ``Docket No. FAA-2023-1637; Project Identifier 
MCAI-2023-00184-E'' at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful 
comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, 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 proposal 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 
regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. The 
agency will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal 
contact received about this NPRM.

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 
Sungmo Cho, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des 
Moines, WA 98198. Any commentary that the FAA receives which is not 
specifically designated as CBI will be placed in the public docket for 
this rulemaking.

Background

    EASA, which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the 
European Union, has issued EASA AD 2023-0027, dated January 31, 2023 
(EASA AD 2023-0027) (referred to after this as the MCAI), to address an 
unsafe condition for all RRD Model Trent 1000-A2, Trent 1000-AE2, Trent 
1000-C2, Trent 1000-CE2, Trent 1000-D2, Trent 1000-E2, Trent 1000-G2, 
Trent 1000-H2, Trent 1000-J2, Trent 1000-K2 and Trent 1000-L2 engines. 
The MCAI states that manufacturer inspections detected cracking and 
separation of blade pairs in the weld region of certain LPT stage 1 
blade assemblies. A blade assembly consists of a pair of blades welded 
together at the outer shroud. There are 85 LPT stage 1 blade assemblies 
in one set. Such cracking and separation could cause failure of 
affected parts and damage to the LPT module.
    You may examine the MCAI in the AD docket at regulations.gov under 
Docket No. FAA-2023-1637.

Related Service Information Under 1 CFR Part 51

    The FAA reviewed EASA AD 2023-0027, which specifies procedures for 
inspection of affected LPT stage 1 blade assemblies and replacement of 
the LPT stage 1 blade set and disk. EASA AD 2023-0027 also specifies a 
reduction of the repetitive inspection intervals if cracking or 
separation is detected and meets certain criteria. This material is 
reasonably available because the interested parties have access to it 
through their normal course of business or by the means identified in 
ADDRESSES.

FAA's Determination

    These products have been approved by the aviation authority of 
another country and are 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 described above. The FAA is issuing this NPRM after 
determining that the unsafe condition described previously is likely to 
exist or develop on other products of the same type design.

Proposed AD Requirements in This NPRM

    This proposed AD would require accomplishing the actions specified 
in the MCAI described previously, except for any differences identified 
as exceptions in the regulatory text of this proposed.

Explanation of Required Compliance Information

    In the FAA's ongoing efforts to improve the efficiency of the AD 
process, the FAA developed a process to use some civil aviation 
authority (CAA) ADs as the primary source of information for compliance 
with requirements for corresponding FAA ADs. The FAA has since 
coordinated with other manufacturers and CAAs to use this process. As a 
result, the FAA proposes to incorporate by reference EASA AD 2023-0027 
in the FAA final rule. This proposed AD would, therefore, require 
compliance with EASA AD 2023-0027 in its entirety through that 
incorporation, except for any differences identified as exceptions in 
the regulatory text of this proposed AD. Using common terms that are 
the same as the heading of a particular section in the EASA AD does not 
mean that operators need comply only with that section. For example, 
where the AD requirement refers to ``all required actions within the 
compliance times,'' compliance with this AD requirement is not limited 
to the section titled ``Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s)'' in 
EASA AD 2023-0027. Service information required by the EASA AD for 
compliance will be available at regulations.gov by searching for and 
locating Docket No. FAA-2023-1637 after the FAA final rule is 
published.

Costs of Compliance

    The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would 
affect 26 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. Registry.
    The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed 
AD:

[[Page 49363]]



                                                 Estimated Costs
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                                                                                    Cost per       Cost on U.S.
               Action                        Labor cost           Parts cost        product         operators
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Inspect LPT stage 1 blade assemblies  4 work-hours x $85 per               $0             $340           $8,840
                                       hour = $340.
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    The FAA estimates the following costs to do any necessary 
replacements that would be required based on the results of the 
proposed inspection. The agency has no way of determining the number of 
aircraft that might need these replacements:

                                               On-Condition Costs
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                                                                                                     Cost per
                    Action                                Labor cost               Parts cost        product
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Replace LPT stage 1 blade set and disk.......  4 work-hours x $85 per hour =          $720,000         $720,340
                                                $340.
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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) Would not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and
    (3) Would 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:

Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd. & Co. KG: Docket No. FAA-2023-1637; 
Project Identifier MCAI-2023-00184-E.

(a) Comments Due Date

    The FAA must receive comments on this airworthiness directive 
(AD) by September 14, 2023.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) 
Model Trent 1000-A2, Trent 1000-AE2, Trent 1000-C2, Trent 1000-CE2, 
Trent 1000-D2, Trent 1000-E2, Trent 1000-G2, Trent 1000-H2, Trent 
1000-J2, Trent 1000-K2, and Trent 1000-L2 engines.

(d) Subject

    Joint Aircraft Service Component (JASC) Code 7250, Turbine 
Section.

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by reports of cracking and separation of 
certain low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage 1 blade assemblies. The FAA 
is issuing this AD to prevent failure of the LPT stage 1 blades. The 
unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in high energy 
debris release, damage to the airplane, and reduced control of the 
airplane.

(f) Compliance

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

(g) Required Actions

    Except as specified in paragraphs (h) and (i) of this AD: 
Perform all required actions within the compliance times specified 
in, and in accordance with, European Union Aviation Safety Agency AD 
2023-0027, dated January 31, 2023 (EASA AD 2023-0027).

(h) Exceptions to EASA AD 2023-0027

    (1) Where EASA AD 2023-0027 specifies compliance from its 
effective date, this AD requires using the effective date of this 
AD.
    (2) This AD does not adopt the Remarks paragraph of EASA AD 
2023-0027.
    (3) Where the service information referenced in EASA AD 2023-
0027 specifies discarding the removed LP turbine stage 1 blade set, 
this AD requires removing the affected part from service.
    (4) Where the service information referenced in EASA AD 2023-
0027 specifies to quarantine the removed LP turbine stage 1 rotor 
disc, this AD requires removing the affected part from service.

 (i) No Reporting Requirement

    Although the service information referenced in EASA AD 2023-0027 
specifies to submit certain information to the manufacturer, this AD 
does not include that requirement.

(j) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, AIR-520, Continued Operational Safety 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 branch office, send it to 
the attention of the person identified in

[[Page 49364]]

paragraph (k) of this AD and email to: [email protected].
    (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.

(k) Additional Information

    For more information about this AD, contact Sungmo Cho, Aviation 
Safety Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; 
phone: (781) 238-7241; email: [email protected].

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference

    (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference (IBR) of the service information listed 
in this paragraph under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR part 51.
    (2) You must use this service information as applicable to do 
the actions required by this AD, unless this AD specifies otherwise.
    (i) European Union Aviation Safety Agency AD 2023-0027, dated 
January 31, 2023.
    (ii) [Reserved]
    (3) For EASA AD 2023-0027, contact EASA, Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer 3, 
50668 Cologne, Germany; phone: +49 221 8999 000; email: 
[email protected]; website: easa.europa.eu. You may find this EASA 
AD on the EASA website at ad.easa.europa.eu.
    (4) 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.
    (5) You may view this 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, email [email protected], or go to: www.archives.gov/federal-register/cfr/ibr-locations.html.

    Issued on July 21, 2023.
Victor Wicklund,
Deputy Director, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-15910 Filed 7-28-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P