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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA-2024-0461; Project Identifier AD-2023-00994-E]
RIN 2120-AA64
Airworthiness Directives; CFE Company Engines
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive
(AD) for certain CFE Company (CFE) Model CFE738-1-1B engines. This proposed
AD was prompted by a manufacturer investigation that revealed certain
high-pressure turbine (HPT) stage 1 and stage 2 disks were manufactured
from powder metal material suspected to contain iron inclusion. This proposed
AD would require replacement of affected HPT stage 1 and stage 2 disks
with parts eligible for installation. The FAA is proposing this AD to
address the unsafe condition on these products.
DATES: The FAA must receive comments on this proposed AD by April
22, 2024.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments, using the procedures found in
14 CFR 11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to regulations.gov. Follow the instructions
for submitting comments.
• Fax: (202) 493-2251.
• Mail: U.S. Department of Transportation, Docket Operations, M-30, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington,
DC 20590.
• Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
AD Docket: You may examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under Docket
No. FAA2024-0461; or in person at Docket Operations between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The AD docket
contains this NPRM, any comments received, and other information. The
street address for Docket Operations is listed above.
Material Incorporated by Reference:
• For service information identified in this NPRM, contact CFE Company,
111 S. 34th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85034-2802; phone: (800) 601-3099;
website: https://www.myaerospace.com.
• You may view this service information at the FAA, Airworthiness Products
Section, Operational Safety Branch, 1200 District Avenue, Burlington,
MA 01803. For information on the availability of this material at the
FAA, call (817) 222-5110.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alexei Marqueen, Aviation Safety
Engineer, FAA, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198; phone: (781)
238-7178; email: alexei.t.marqueen@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites you to send any written relevant data, views, or arguments
about this proposal. Send your comments to an address listed under ADDRESSES.
Include "Docket No. FAA-2024-0461; Project Identifier AD-2023-00994-E"
at the beginning of your comments. The most helpful comments reference
a specific portion of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended
change, and include supporting data. The FAA will consider all comments
received by the closing date and may amend this proposal because of those
comments.
Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in the
following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR 11.35,
the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to regulations.gov,
including any personal information you provide. The agency will also post
a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact received about this
NPRM.
Confidential Business Information
CBI is commercial or financial information that is both customarily and
actually treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your
comments responsive to this NPRM contain commercial or financial information
that is customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private,
and that is relevant or responsive to this NPRM, it is important that
you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Please mark each
page of your submission containing CBI as "PROPIN." The FAA will treat
such marked submissions as confidential under the FOIA, and they will
not be placed in the public docket of this NPRM. Submissions containing
CBI should be sent to Alexei Marqueen, Aviation Safety Engineer, FAA,
2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198. Any commentary that the
FAA receives which is not specifically designated as CBI will be placed
in the public docket for this rulemaking.
Background
The FAA was notified by the manufacturer that certain HPT stage 1 and
HPT stage 2 disks. installed on certain CFE738-1-1B model engines were
manufactured from powder metal material suspected to contain iron inclusion.
Further investigation by the manufacturer determined that the iron inclusion
is attributed to deficiencies in the manufacturing process and may cause
reduced material properties and a lower fatigue life capability, which
may result in structural failure. The manufacturer also informed the FAA
that additional risk assessments determined that there were no failed
events associated with the discovery of this iron inclusion material,
however concluded that replacement of the affected HPT stage 1 and HPT
stage 2 disks is necessary. This condition, if not addressed, could result
in uncontained debris release, damage to the engine, and damage to the
airplane. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on
these products.
FAA’s Determination
The FAA is issuing this NPRM after determining that the unsafe condition
described previously is likely to exist or develop on other products of
the same type design.
Related Service Information under 1 CFR Part 51
The FAA reviewed CFE Service Bulletin (SB) CFE738-72-A8082, dated July
4, 2023 (CFE738-72-A8082), which specifies the affected part and serial
numbers of the HPT stage 1 and stage 2 disks and specifies replacement
instructions for these affected parts. This service information is reasonably
available because the interested parties have access to it through their
normal course of business or by the means identified in ADDRESSES.
Proposed AD Requirements in this NPRM
This proposed AD would require replacement of certain HPT stage 1 and
HPT stage 2 disks with parts eligible for installation.
Costs of Compliance
The FAA estimates that this AD, if adopted as proposed, would affect 29
engines installed on airplanes of U.S. registry.
The FAA estimates the following costs to comply with this proposed AD:
Estimated costs
| Action |
Labor Cost |
Parts Cost |
Cost per product |
Cost on U.S. operators |
| Replace HPT stage
1 disk |
8 work-hours x $85 per hour =
$680 |
$78,797 |
$79,477 |
$1,986,925 |
| Replace HPT stage
2 disk |
8 work-hours x $85 per hour =
$680 |
$56,268 |
$56,948 |
$227,792 |
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.
The FAA is 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
The FAA determined that this proposed AD would not have federalism implications
under Executive Order 13132. This proposed AD 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.
For the reasons discussed above, I certify this proposed regulation:
(1) Is not a "significant regulatory action" under Executive Order 12866,
(2) Would not affect intrastate aviation in Alaska, and
(3) Would 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.
The Proposed Amendment
Accordingly, under the authority delegated to me by the Administrator,
the FAA proposes to amend 14 CFR part 39 as follows:
PART 39 - AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
1. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40113, 44701.
§ 39.13 [Amended]
2. The FAA amends § 39.13 by adding the following new airworthiness directive:
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