Aircraft
Certification Service Washington, DC U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration
NE-08-17 R2
March 7, 2011
This is information only. Recommendations
aren’t mandatory.
Introduction
This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) alerts you,
operators, repair stations, and principal maintenance inspectors of CFM
International CFM56-2, CFM56-3, CFM56-5A, CFM56-5B, CFM56-5C, and
CFM56-7B turbofan engines that Propulsion Technology LLC of Miami,
Florida (currently doing business as Propulsion Technologies
International of Miami, Florida), might have improperly repaired and
returned to service certain critical engine parts. This bulletin
identifies the suspect parts by part number (P/N) and serial number
(S/N) and recommends disposition of these parts. The airworthiness
concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness
directive action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) part 39.
This Revision:
Updates the list of parts processed by Propulsion Technology LLC that might not conform to type design.
Removes duplicate entries from the list of parts.
Removes parts, which were
subsequently inspected/corrected by CFM International or that might be
listed in an airworthiness directive, from the list of parts.
No longer ties parts to specific CFM56 engine models due to the commonality of parts among multiple CFM56 engine models.
Includes a recommendation
for returning parts to service that have zero engine operating time
since processing by Propulsion Technology LLC and are listed in this
SAIB.
Background
A suspected unapproved parts (SUP) investigation regarding engine parts
overhauled by Propulsion Technology LLC, repair station certificate
number XZ4R084M, has revealed that repairs on CFM56 life-limited parts
hardware did not meet the requirements of the CFM56 engine overhaul
manual. Seal tooth plasma coating was inspected and determined to be,
in some areas, thicker than the engine overhaul manual limits. The
investigation also found seal tooth plasma coating overspray between
the seal teeth, which was not permitted by the engine overhaul manual
and potential missed cracks during the fluorescent-penetrant inspection.
After processing by Propulsion Technology LLC, the parts listed below
might not conform to type design. We are developing inspections with
CFM International to determine if the parts conform to type design, as
well as developing repair procedures to restore nonconforming parts to
type design.
Propulsion Technology LLC returned many of these parts to third-party
suppliers and repair stations for subsequent installation. The
potential unairworthy condition of these parts was unknown to the
third-party suppliers, repair stations, owners, and operators who, in
some cases, returned these parts to service. We received the attached
list that identifies by P/N and S/N, the suspect parts currently under
investigation in the SUP investigation for the CFM56 engine models
listed above.
Recommendations
If parts identified in the following list have never been returned to
service after processing by Propulsion Technology LLC, reinspect/
repair the parts per the most recent thermal spray repair documented in
the engine shop manual (Example - 72-31-08 Repair 1 for CDP seal).
Contact CFM International for further information on the type of
inspections to be performed. Parts successfully completing
reinspection/ repair may be returned to service and operated for the
remainder of their published lives.
If parts identified in the following list have been returned to
service, remove the parts the next time the engine is inducted into a
shop for engine maintenance. The reason we recommend removal of these
parts is that the effect on part lives resulting from the weight of
extra coating combined with secondary flow and temperature variations
and possible spallation, is unknown.
You should contact CFM International for further information to determine part disposition.
For Further Information Contact
Carlos Fernandes, Aerospace Engineer, Engine Certification Office, FAA,
Engine & Propeller Directorate, 12 New England Executive Park,
Burlington, MA 01803; phone: (781) 238-7189; fax: (781) 238-7199;
e-mail: carlos.fernandes@faa.gov.
