AD 2012-17-05

This AD is effective October 2, 2012.

For service information identified in this AD, contact Honeywell International Inc., 111 S. 34th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034-2802; Web site: http://portal.honeywell.com; or call Honeywell toll free at phone: 800-601-3099 (U.S./Canada) or 602-365-3099 (International Direct). You may view this service information at the FAA, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call 781-238-7125.

Joseph Costa, Aerospace Engineer, Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Office, FAA, Transport Airplane Directorate, 3960 Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, CA 90712-4137; phone: 562-627-5246; fax: 562-627-5210: email: joseph.costa@faa.gov.

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 February 21, 2012 (77 FR 9868). That NPRM proposed to require replacing affected LPT1 rotor assemblies with LPT1 rotor assemblies eligible for installation.

We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing this AD. The following presents the one comment received on the proposal and the FAA's response to the comment.

One commenter requested we change a term in paragraph (h) of the proposed AD. The commenter requested that “tie rod” be changed to “tie shaft.” The commenter said that making this change would allow a level of disassembly to access the inlet total temperature harness and other hardware without affecting the low-pressure turbine (LPT) module.

We do not agree. Mandating access to the LPT module in the AD and suspect disks when the tie rod is unstretched is consistent in achieving AD compliance sooner for the Falcon 20 and CASA 101 airplanes. LPT disk separations in these airplanes have been determined to be higher risk than for engines in other applications. We did not change the AD.

We reviewed the relevant data, considered the comment received, and determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting the AD as proposed except for minor editorial changes. We have determined that these minor changes:

• Are consistent with the intent that was proposed in the NPRM (77 FR 9868, February 21, 2012) for correcting the unsafe condition; and

• Do not add any additional burden upon the public than was already proposed in the NPRM (77 FR 9868, February 21, 2012).

We also determined that these changes will not increase the economic burden on any operator or increase the scope of the AD.

We estimate that this AD will affect 1,550 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. registry. We also estimate that it will take about 1 work-hour per engine to perform the actions at next access and 165 work-hours per unscheduled engine disassembly, and that the average labor rate is $85 per work-hour. Replacement parts will cost about $175,000 per engine. Based on these figures, we estimate the total cost of the AD to U.S. operators to be $35,195,488 per year.

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.

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.

Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the FAA amends 14 CFR part 39 as follows:

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

2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness directive (AD):