Airworthiness Directive: Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Model RB211–524G2–19, RB211–524G2–T–19, RB211–524G3–19, RB211–524G3–T–19, RB211–524H2–19, RB211–524H2–T–19, RB211–524H–36, and RB211–524H–T–36 Engines

Police – Accident – Death – Obituary News : The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing a final rule superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2020–15–07 for certain Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) engines. The AD 2020–15–07 required the replacement of the low-pressure turbine (LPT) stage 1 disk with specific part numbers. However, an updated analysis by the engine manufacturer revealed that certain part-numbered and serial-numbered LPT stage 1 disks that have undergone rework could fail before the current published life limits.

To address this unsafe condition, the FAA is issuing a new AD that retains the requirement to replace the LPT stage 1 disk and includes additional LPT stage 1 disks, as specified in a European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) AD. The AD will be effective from December 26, 2023.

Interested parties can examine the AD docket at regulations.gov under Docket No. FAA–2023–1399 or in person at Docket Operations in Washington, DC. The AD docket contains the final rule, the mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI), any comments received, and other relevant information.

Service information for compliance with this AD can be obtained from EASA or viewed at the FAA’s Airworthiness Products Section in Burlington, MA. The estimated cost of compliance for this AD is $723,600 for U.S. operators.

The FAA received a comment from the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) and The Boeing Company supporting the proposed rule without any changes.

In conclusion, this AD is being issued to prevent the failure of the LPT stage 1 disk, which could result in uncontained release of high-energy debris from the engine, in-flight shutdown of the engine, damage to the engine, and damage to the airplane. This AD is adopted as proposed in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) and replaces the previous AD 2020–15–07..