Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2012)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 52201-52203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-19252]



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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 168 / Wednesday, August 29, 2012 / 
Rules and Regulations

[[Page 52201]]



DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 39

[Docket No. FAA-2011-1319; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-143-AD; 
Amendment 39-17151; AD 2012-16-04]
RIN 2120-AA64


Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule.

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

SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain 
The Boeing Company Model 777-200 and -300 series airplanes equipped 
with Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 800 engines. This AD was prompted by 
reports of events related to thermal damage of the thrust reverser (T/
R) inner wall on Rolls-Royce RB211 Trent 800 engines. This AD requires 
replacing the bleed valve parts and tubing with new parts and tubing on 
the left and right engines; and installing Aero-Engine database (AEDB) 
software in the airplane information management system (AIMS) hardware. 
We are issuing this AD to prevent T/R thermal damage caused by 
excessive heat downstream of the 8th stage IP8 exhaust ports, which 
could result in T/R structural failure. This failure could result in 
large pieces of the T/R or adjacent components departing the airplane. 
A separated T/R piece could result in a rejected takeoff and cause 
asymmetric thrust and consequent loss of control of the airplane during 
reverse thrust operations. Separated components could also cause 
structural damage to the airplane, damage to other airplanes due to 
debris left on the runway, or injury to people on the ground.

DATES: This AD is effective October 3, 2012.
    The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by 
reference of certain publications listed in the AD as of October 3, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: For Boeing service information identified in this AD, 
contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data & Services 
Management, P.O. Box 3707, MC 2H-65, Seattle, Washington 98124-2207; 
phone: 206-544-5000, extension 1; fax: 206-766-5680; Internet: https://www.myboeingfleet.com. For Rolls-Royce service information identified 
in this AD, contact Rolls-Royce plc, P.O. Box 31, Derby, DE24 8BJ, 
England; telephone 011 44 1332 242424; fax 011 44 1332 249936; 
Internet: https://www.aeromanager.com. You may review copies of the 
referenced service information at the FAA, Transport Airplane 
Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington. For information 
on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 425-227-1221.

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: Margaret Langsted, Aerospace Engineer, 
Propulsion Branch, ANM-140S, FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification 
Office, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, Washington 98057-3356; phone: 
425-917-6500; fax: 425-917-6590; email: [email protected].

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 December 12, 2011 (76 FR 
77157). That NPRM proposed to require replacing bleed valve parts and 
tubing with new parts and tubing on the left and right Rolls-Royce 
RB211 Trent 800 engines; and installing AEDB software in the airplane 
AIMS hardware.

Comments

    We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing 
this AD. The following presents the comments received on the proposal 
(76 FR 77157, December 12, 2011) and the FAA's response to each 
comment.

Request To Use Certain Service Information

    American Airlines (American) and Boeing requested that the NPRM (76 
FR 77157, December 12, 2011) allow the use of Boeing Special Attention 
Service Bulletin 777-31-0177, Revision 1, dated October 13, 2011, as a 
source of information to comply with the actions required by paragraph 
(h) of the NPRM.
    We agree. Paragraph (h) of the NPRM (76 FR 77157, December 12, 
2011) specified the use of Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 
777-31-0177, dated September 23, 2010. We have revised paragraph (h) of 
the final rule to add Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 777-31-
0177, Revision 1, dated October 13, 2011, as an additional source of 
service information for accomplishing the actions specified in that 
paragraph. Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 777-31-0177, 
Revision 1, dated October 13, 2011, specifies updates to the concurrent 
requirements paragraph.

Request To Allow Use of Service Information Revision

    American requested that the NPRM (76 FR 77157, December 12, 2011) 
allow the use of Rolls-Royce Service Bulletin RB.211-75-G466, dated 
November 21, 2011, as an additional source of information to accomplish 
the requirements of paragraph (g) of the NPRM.
    We agree. We have changed the final rule to specify that the 
actions required by paragraph (g) of the AD may be done in accordance 
with the Accomplishment Instructions of Rolls-Royce Service Bulletin 
RB.211-75-G466, Revision 1, including Supplement, dated June 20, 2011; 
or Rolls-Royce Service Bulletin RB.211-75-G466, Revision 2, including 
Supplement, dated November 21, 2011.

[[Page 52202]]

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 and minor editorial 
changes. We have determined that these minor changes:
    <bullet> [Agr]re consistent with the intent that was proposed in 
the NPRM (76 FR 77157, December 12, 2011) for correcting the unsafe 
condition; and
    <bullet> Do not add any additional burden upon the public than was 
already proposed in the NPRM (76 FR 77157, December 12, 2011).
    We also determined that these changes will not increase the 
economic burden on any operator or increase the scope of the AD.

Costs of Compliance

    We estimate that this AD affects 55 airplanes of U.S. registry.
    We estimate the following costs to comply with this AD:

                                                 Estimated Costs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                     Cost per      Cost on U.S.
                Action                         Labor cost           Parts cost        product        operators
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Replacement...........................  16 work-hours x $85 per          $75,000         $76,360      $4,199,800
                                         hour = $1,360.
Installation of AEDB software.........  1 work-hour x $85 per                  0              85           4,675
                                         hour = $85.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    According to the manufacturer, some of the costs of this AD may be 
covered under warranty, thereby reducing the cost impact on affected 
individuals. We do not control warranty coverage for affected 
individuals. As a result, we have included all costs in our cost 
estimate.

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

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):

2012-16-04 The Boeing Company: Amendment 39-17151; Docket No. FAA-
2011-1319; Directorate Identifier 2011-NM-143-AD.

(a) Effective Date

    This AD is effective October 3, 2012.

(b) Affected ADs

    None.

(c) Applicability

    This AD applies to The Boeing Company Model 777-200 and -300 
series airplanes, certificated in any category, equipped with Rolls-
Royce RB211 Trent 800 engines, as identified in Boeing Service 
Bulletin 777-75A0002, Revision 1, dated October 26, 2011.

(d) Subject

    Joint Aircraft System Component (JASC)/Air Transport Association 
(ATA) of America Code 78, Exhaust.

(e) Unsafe Condition

    This AD was prompted by reports of events related to thermal 
damage of the thrust reverser (T/R) inner wall on Rolls-Royce RB211 
Trent 800 engines. We are issuing this AD to eliminate T/R thermal 
damage caused by excessive heat downstream of the 8th stage IP8 
exhaust ports, which could result in T/R structural failure. This 
failure could result in large pieces of the T/R or adjacent 
components departing the airplane. A separated T/R piece could 
result in a rejected takeoff and cause asymmetric thrust and 
consequent loss of control of the airplane during reverse thrust 
operations. Separated components could also cause structural damage 
to the airplane, damage to other airplanes due to debris left on the 
runway, or injury to people on the ground.

 (f) Compliance

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

(g) Replacement of Bleed Valve Parts and Tubing

    Within 36 months after the effective date of this AD, replace 
the bleed valve parts and tubing with new parts and tubing on the 
left and right engines, in accordance with the Accomplishment 
Instructions of Boeing Service Bulletin 777-75A0002, Revision 1, 
dated October 26, 2011; Rolls-Royce Service Bulletin RB.211-75-G466, 
Revision 1, including Supplement, dated June 20, 2011; or Rolls-
Royce Service Bulletin RB.211-75-G466, Revision 2, including 
Supplement, dated November 21, 2011.

 (h) Concurrent Requirements

    Prior to or concurrently with doing the actions required by 
paragraph (g) of this AD, install Aero-Engine database software, 
software part number 3110-BCG-00R-06, media set part number 
243W0033-7, in the airplane information management system hardware, 
in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Special 
Attention Service Bulletin 777-31-

[[Page 52203]]

0177, dated September 23, 2010; or Boeing Special Attention Service 
Bulletin 777-31-0177, Revision 1, dated October 13, 2011.

 (i) Credit for Previous Actions

    This paragraph provides credit for the replacement required by 
paragraph (g) of this AD, if the replacement was performed before 
the effective date of this AD using Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 
777-75A0002, dated January 12, 2011.

 (j) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs)

    (1) The Manager, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office (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. Information may be emailed 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) Related Information

    For more information about this AD, contact Margaret Langsted, 
Aerospace Engineer, Propulsion Branch, ANM-140S, FAA, Seattle 
Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., Renton, 
Washington 98057-3356; phone: 425-917-6500; fax: 425-917-6590; 
email: [email protected].

(l) Material Incorporated by Reference

    (1) The Director of the Federal Register approved the 
incorporation by reference (IBR) under 5 U.S.C. 552(a) and 1 CFR 
part 51.
    (2) You must use the following service information to do the 
actions required by this AD, unless the AD specifies otherwise.
    (i) Boeing Service Bulletin 777-75A0002, Revision 1, dated 
October 26, 2011.
    (ii) Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 777-31-0177, 
dated September 23, 2010.
    (iii) Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 777-31-0177, 
Revision 1, dated October 13, 2011.
    (iv) Rolls-Royce Service Bulletin RB.211-75-G466, Revision 1, 
including Supplement, dated June 20, 2011. The revision level of 
this document is not identified in the document.
    (v) Rolls-Royce Service Bulletin RB.211-75-G466, Revision 2, 
including Supplement, dated November 21, 2011. The revision level of 
this document is not identified in the document.
    (3) For Boeing service information identified in this AD, 
contact For Boeing service information identified in this AD, 
contact Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Attention: Data & Services 
Management, P.O. Box 3707, MC 2H-65, Seattle, Washington 98124-2207; 
phone: 206-544-5000, extension 1; fax: 206-766-5680; Internet: 
https://www.myboeingfleet.com.
    (4) For Rolls-Royce service information identified in this AD, 
contact Rolls-Royce plc, P.O. Box 31, Derby, DE24 8BJ, England; 
telephone: 011 44 1332 242424; fax: 011 44 1332 249936; Internet: 
https://www.aeromanager.com.
    (5) You may review copies of the referenced service information 
at the FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 1601 Lind Avenue SW., 
Renton, Washington. For information on the availability of this 
material at the FAA, call 425-227-1221.
    (6) 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 Renton, Washington, on July 26, 2012.
Kalene C. Yanamura,
Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, Aircraft Certification 
Service.

[FR Doc. 2012-19252 Filed 8-28-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P

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