AD 2014-15-03

This AD becomes effective August 27, 2014.

The Director of the Federal Register approved the incorporation by reference of a certain publication listed in this AD as of August 27, 2014.

For service information identified in this AD, contact Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp., 1000 Marie-Victorin, Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, J4G 1A1; phone: (800) 268-8000; fax: (450) 647-2888; Internet: www.pwc.ca. 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.

Wego Wang, Aerospace Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA, Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park, Burlington, MA 01803; phone: (781) 238-7134; fax: (781) 238-7199; email: wego.wang@faa.gov.

We issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend 14 CFR part 39 by adding an AD that would apply to the specified products. The NPRM was published in the Federal Register on April 10, 2014 (79 FR 19844). The NPRM proposed to correct an unsafe condition for the specified products. The MCAI states:

There have been reports of damage in excess of acceptable criteria to the high-pressure fuel line from the P&WC PW150A engine flowmeter to the flow divider. Damage has included fretting wear through contact with the engine igniter cables. The contact is the result of incorrectly routed igniter cables. While there has been no report of associated fuel leakage, the fretting wear, if undetected, could progress to a point where high-pressure fuel would leak into the engine nacelle.

We gave the public the opportunity to participate in developing this AD. We considered the comment received.

One commenter requested that we clarify the definition of shop visit because the igniter cables are on the exterior of the engine and no disassembly is required to gain access to the igniter cables.

We agree. We changed the definition of shop visit in paragraph (f) of this AD to be when an engine is inducted into the shop to perform maintenance.

We reviewed the available data, including the comment received, and determined that air safety and the public interest require adopting this AD with the changes described previously. We determined that these changes will not increase the economic burden on any operator or increase the scope of this AD.

We estimate that this AD affects 180 engines installed on airplanes of U.S. registry. We also estimate that it would take about 1 hour per engine to comply with this AD. The average labor rate is $85 per hour. Required parts cost about $682 per engine. Based on these figures, we estimate the cost of this AD on U.S. operators to be $138,060.

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.

We determined that 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 this AD:

(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),

(3) Will not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska to the extent that it justifies making a regulatory distinction, 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):