AD 2002-12-08

Effective July 17, 2002.

Information regarding this action may be examined, by appointment, at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), New England Region, Office of the Regional Counsel, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA.

Robert Baitoo, Aerospace Engineer, Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Office, FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 3960 Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, CA 90712; telephone (562) 627-5245; fax (562) 627-5210.

A proposal to amend part 39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) to include an AD that is applicable to Honeywell International, Inc. (formerly AlliedSignal Inc., and Textron Lycoming) ALF502 and LF507 series turbofan engines was published in the Federal Register on August 23, 2001 (66 FR 44316). That action proposed to require removal from service of certain GPT components prior to reaching new, lower cyclic life limits using drawdown plans, and replacing with serviceable parts.

Interested persons have been afforded an opportunity to participate in the making of this amendment. No comments were received on the proposal or the FAA's determination of the cost to the public. However, since the proposal was published, the FAA has identified the need for a few corrections and clarifications.

Because the title of Table 3 lists those turbine spacer P/N's affected, the spacer P/N's in item 2 of the table are redundant and have been deleted.

Item 3 of Table 3, which is engine model ALF502R-3, has been identified as not having on its build list, spacer P/N 2-121-071-36. Therefore, this information has been deleted, and Table 3 has been renumbered accordingly.

A note after Table 3 has been added, to clarify that this AD does not affect the life limit of spacers P/N's 2-121-071-37-42, installed in ALF502R-3 engines. The life limit remains at 11,600 cycles-since-new.

After careful review of the available data, including the changes noted above, the FAA has determined that air safety and the public interest require the adoption of the rule with the changes described previously. The FAA has determined that these changes will neither increase the economic burden on any operator nor increase the scope of the AD.

There are approximately 1,600 engines of the affected design in the worldwide fleet. The FAA estimates that 300 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. registry would be affected by this AD, and that the prorated cost of the life reduction per engine would be approximately $7,980. Based on these figures, the total cost of the AD to U.S. operators is estimated to be $2,394,000.

This final rule does not have federalism implications, as defined in Executive Order 13132, because it 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. Accordingly, the FAA has not consulted with state authorities prior to publication of this final rule.

For the reasons discussed above, I certify that this action (1) is not a “significant regulatory action” under Executive Order 12866; (2) is not a “significant rule” under the DOT Regulatory Policies and Procedures (44 FR 11034, February 26, 1979); 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. A final evaluation has been prepared for this action, and it is contained in the Rules Docket. A copy of it may be obtained by contacting the Rules Docket at the location provided under the caption ADDRESSES.

Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the Federal Aviation Administration amends part 39 of the Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR part 39) as follows:

1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:

2. Section 39.13 is amended by adding a new airworthiness directive to read as follows: