31866 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 111 /Wednesday, June 10, 1998 /Rules and Regulations

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Parts 11, 121, 125, 129, 135

[Docket No. 28109; Amendment No. 11–44]

RIN 2120–AF76

Revisions to Digital Flight Data

Recorder Rules

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final rule; Disposition of

comment.

SUMMARY: This document informs the

public of the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) approval and the

assigned control number for the

Revisions to Digital Flight Data Recorder

Rules final rule information collection

requirements, and responds to the one

comment received. This document also

adds the OMB control number to the

table in FAA’s general rulemaking

procedure regulations.

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 10, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Gary E. Davis, Air Carrier

Operations Branch (AFS–220), Flight

Standards Service, Federal Aviation

Administration, 800 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20591,

telephone (202) 267–3747.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

following information summarizes the

information collection considerations

for the Revisions to Digital Flight Data

Recorder Rules final rule (62 FR 38362,

July 17, 1997).

1.The reasons the information is

planned to be and/or has been

collected. This regulation revises and

updates the Federal Aviation

Regulations to require that certain

airplanes be equipped to accommodate

additional digital flight data recorder

(DFDR) parameters. These revisions

follow a series of safety

recommendations issued by the

National Transportation Safety Board

(NTSB), and the Federal Aviation

Administration’s decision that DFDR

rules should be revised to upgrade

recorder capabilities in most transport

airplanes. These revisions will require

additional information to be collected to

enable more thorough accident or

incident investigation and to enable

industry to predict certain trends and

make necessary modifications before an

accident or incident occurs.

2. The way such information is

planned to be and/or has been used to

further agency purposes and service

agency needs. These revisions will

require additional information to be

collected and retained by aircraft

operators to enable more thorough

accident or incident investigation and to

enable industry to predict certain trends

and make necessary modifications

before an accident or incident occurs.

3. An estimate, to the extent

practicable, of the average burden of the

collection. Once the DFDR has been

upgraded to record the required

parameters, no further expenditures are

required; recordation and storage of the

data in the recorder is automatic. Costs

of upgrade and installation vary by type

of aircraft and are detailed in the final

rule and regulatory evaluation (62 FR

28262).

4. Whether responses to the collection

of information are voluntary, required to

obtain or retain a benefit, or mandatory.

Collection of data is required by

regulation. In the case of an accident,

when the flight data recorder is

retrieved from the scene, the 25 hours

of information recorded by the aircraft’s

recorder will be downloaded and

analyzed by accident investigators at the

NTSB and the FAA to determine

probable cause.

5. The nature and extent of

confidentiality to be provided, if any.

Flight data recordings are surrendered

to the National Transportation Safety

Board only in the event of an accident

or an incident. Only after the data has

been analyzed and interpreted is a

compilation released.

6. The fact that an agency may not

conduct or sponsor, and a person is not

required to respond to, a collection of

information unless it displays a

currently valid OMB control number.

OBM has approved the Digital Flight

Data Recorder rule and assigned it the

following control number: 2120–0616.

Comments Received: The FAA

received one comment from Midwest

Airlines. The comment addresses

concerns regarding ‘‘language made in

the final rule as well as the

compatibility of the LORAL F800

DFDR’s utilized’’ by Midwest Express

airlines. This comment goes beyond the

scope of the request. The FAA solicited

comments on the information

requirements in order to: (1) Evaluate

whether the proposed collection of

information necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

(2) evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s

estimate of the burden of the proposed

collection of information; including the

validity of the methodology and

assumptions used; (3) enhance the

quality utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and (4)

minimize the burden of data collection

by regulated entities, including the use

of appropriate automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology. Discussion of the

compatibility of a particular flight data

recorder model with the requirements of

the rules has already been addressed in

the preamble to the final rule.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 11

Administrative practice and

procedure, Reporting and recordkeeping

requirements.

The Amendment

In consideration of the foregoing, the

Federal Aviation Administration

amends 14 CFR part 11 as set forth

below:

PART 11—GENERAL RULEMAKING

PROCEDURES

1. The authority citation for part 11

continues to read as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(g), 40101, 40103,

40105, 40109, 40113, 44110, 44502, 44701–

44702, 44711, 46102.

2. Section 11.101(b) is amended by

revising the entry for part 125 and by

adding the following entries in

numerical order to read as follows:

§ 11.101 OMB control numbers assigned

pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act.

* * * * *

(b) Display.

14 CFR part or section identified and described

Current

OMB control No.

* * * * *

Part 121 (except as below)

* * *

* * * * *

§ 121.344 ............................... 2120–0616

§ 121.344a ............................. 2120–0616

* * * * *

Part 125 (except as below) ...... 2120–0085

§ 125.226 ............................... 2120–0616

* * * * *

§ 129.20 .................................... 2120–0616

* * * * *

§ 135.152 .................................. 2120–0616

* * * * *

Issued in Washington, DC on June 1, 1998.

Mardi R. Thompson,

Acting Assistant Chief Counsel for

Regulations.

[FR Doc. 98–15142 Filed 6–9–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M