Wire
FAA orders crack checks on Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines
The new directive replaces an earlier rule for Trent 1000 models after the agency said high-pressure turbine blades can crack early. The FAA says no engines of this type are on the U.S. Registry, and comments are due July 30, 2026.
The Federal Aviation Administration is tightening inspections on Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG Trent 1000 engines, a family used on several long-haul jet models. The new directive covers the Trent 1000-AE3 through -R3 line and focuses on high-pressure turbine, or HPT, blades that may crack before their expected life runs out.
Comment deadline: July 30, 2026 Submit comments: regulations.gov Effective date: June 30, 2026
FAA airworthiness directive 2026-12-06 requires initial and repeated borescope inspections, a camera check inside the engine, for axial cracks in those blades. If the inspections turn up a problem, operators must keep checking the blades or replace them with eligible parts. The agency also added an optional way to end the repeat-inspection cycle.
A rule with little U.S. footprint
The practical effect inside the United States appears limited. The FAA says there are no engines of this type on the U.S. Registry, so it does not expect compliance costs here even though the new rule supersedes an older directive for the same engine family.
The agency is taking comments through July 30, 2026.
Agency: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT. Docket ID: FAA-2026-4655 RIN: 2120-AA64 CFR parts: 14 CFR Part 39 Comment deadline: July 30, 2026 Effective date: June 30, 2026 Submit comments: regulations.gov Contact: Alexis Whitaker • Aviation Safety Engineer • (516) 228-7309 • alexis.j.whitaker@faa.gov • 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198