[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 203 (Thursday, October 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72620-72621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25412]
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NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD
Plan for Information Collection Activity: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request
AGENCY: National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The NTSB is announcing it is submitting a plan for an
Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for approval, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act. This ICR Plan describes a web-based report form an aircraft
operator may use to report a serious incident as defined in NTSB
regulations. Providing the option to permit operators to file reports
electronically will increase efficiency and be more convenient for
operators. This ICR Plan is the second of two required notices,
pursuant to OMB regulations concerning approvals of information
collections. This notice again describes the nature of the information
collection and its expected burden and advises the public it may submit
comments on this proposed information collection to the OIRA desk
officer for the NTSB.
DATES: Submit written comments regarding this proposed plan for the
collection of information by November 21, 2016.
ADDRESSES: Interested members of the public may submit written comments
on the collection of information to the OMB Desk Officer for the NTSB
at Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC
20503, or via fax: 202-395-5806, (this is not a toll-free number), or
email: [email protected]. Commenters are encouraged, but not
required, to send a courtesy copy of any comments to the National
Transportation Safety Board, Office of Aviation Safety, 490 L'Enfant
Plaza SW., Washington, DC 20594.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Josh Lindberg, NTSB Office of
Aviation Safety, at (202) 314-6667.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with OMB regulations that
require this Notice for proposed ICRs, the NTSB herein notifies the
public that it may submit comments on this proposed ICR Plan to the
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Desk Officer for
the NTSB. 5 CFR 1320.10(a). This request for approval is not associated
with a rulemaking activity.
This notice follows the first of the two required notices
requesting comment, which appeared in the Federal Register on July 7,
2015. 80 FR 38751. Comments in response to the first notice were due by
September 7, 2015. The NTSB did not receive any comments.
A. Paperwork Reduction Act Requirement
In accordance with OMB regulations that require this Notice for
proposed ICRs, the NTSB herein notifies the public that it may submit
comments on this proposed information collection. Title 5 CFR
1320.10(a) requires this notice to ``direct comments to the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for
[the NTSB]. A copy of the notice submitted to the Federal Register,
together with the date of expected publication, shall
[[Page 72621]]
be included in the agency's submission to OMB.''
As stated in the NTSB's first of the two required notices under the
Paperwork Reduction Act, the objective of these requests for comment is
to receive input from the public concerning: (1) Whether the proposed
collection is necessary for the NTSB to perform its mission; (2) the
accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways for the NTSB to enhance the
quality, usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4)
ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of
the collected information. 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1). Following publication of
this notice, the NTSB will submit to OIRA its evaluation of the above-
mentioned considerations, in accordance with Sec. 1320.8.
B. Description of Web-Based Report Form
The NTSB's proposed use of a web-based reporting form to collect
information concerning reportable aviation incidents is distinct from
its Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report Form (NTSB Form
6120.1), which the NTSB uses in determining the facts, conditions, and
circumstances for aircraft accident prevention activities and for
statistical purposes.\1\ The proposed electronic form to report serious
incidents, as listed at 49 CFR 830.5, will be a concise electronic form
available for completion on the NTSB Web site. The NTSB will obtain
information on the form to determine whether to commence an
investigation into the facts of the incident.
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\1\ See Information Collection Review Reference Number 201311-
3147-001; OMB Control Number 3147-0001.
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The form will ask, ``[w]hich of the following incidents did you
experience?'' and include a listing of the serious incidents operators
are required to report under 49 CFR 830.5. Respondents can check the
link to the appropriate incident and fill out the information required
to be reported for that incident. The form also asks whether serious
injuries or substantial damage occurred, as well as whether the
incident involved an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The form will
include web hyperlinks to the definitions of ``serious injury'' and
``substantial damage,'' as defined at 49 CFR 830.2, and a link to
guidance on reporting UAS accidents and incidents. If a respondent
answers ``yes'' to any of those questions, the information collection
will conclude by displaying an instruction for the respondent to
contact the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922. The next
set of questions on the form will seek the following information: Name
of operator; date and time of event (UTC); flight origin and intended
destination; aircraft registration number and type; approximate
location of the incident; number of pilots, crew, and passengers; and a
description of the nature of the incident. At the conclusion of the
form, the form will seek the respondent's name, email address, and
phone number.
C. Use of Information on the Web-Based Incident Report Form
The NTSB will use the information provided on the electronic report
form for serious incidents to determine whether to commence an
investigation into the incident. Everyone involved in an NTSB
investigation, including the parties to the investigation (as defined
at 49 CFR 831.11), depend on accurate information the NTSB collects
while conducting the investigation and determining which areas warrant
focus and attention. In this regard, if the NTSB determines it will
commence an investigation into the incident the operator has reported
via the electronic form, the NTSB will consider the form to be critical
to its statutory function to investigate aviation accidents and
incidents. In addition, the accuracy of the information the NTSB
collects on the form will be used in issuing safety recommendations
following the incident, in an effort to prevent future aviation
accidents and incidents.
The NTSB has considered whether this collection of information on
the draft electronic form is duplicative of any other agency's
collections of information. The NTSB is unaware of any form the Federal
Aviation Administration disseminates that solicits the same information
the electronic form will require. However, the NTSB notes some
operators may choose to provide a voluntary report to the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in accordance with the
Aviation Safety Reporting Program (ASRP).\2\
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\2\ Under the ASRP, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administrator may waive the imposition of a sanction, despite the
finding of a regulatory violation, as long as certain requirements
are satisfied. Aviation Safety Reporting Program, Advisory Circular
00-46E (Dec. 16, 2011). To take advantage of the program, one must
voluntarily file a report with NASA.
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The NTSB notes informing the NTSB of a serious incident listed at
49 CFR 830.5 is not voluntary, but is required by 49 CFR 830.5 and
830.10. The NTSB, in general, will not accept partially completed
forms; NTSB investigators will exercise their discretion in requesting
completion of an electronic incident reporting form a respondent
submits that is partially completed.
Currently, the NTSB accepts phone calls transmitting the
information described above. The NTSB seeks to improve the efficiency
of the receipt of the necessary information by offering respondents the
option of submitting the information online.
The NTSB has reviewed the form carefully to ensure it has used
plain, coherent, and unambiguous terminology in its request for
information. While some incidents listed in the form contain terms
specific to the aviation industry, the NTSB believes respondents
completing the form will be knowledgeable about the terminology the
NTSB uses in the form, and the NTSB has remained mindful of its choices
of terms in the development of the draft web-based form. The NTSB
estimates respondents will spend approximately 10 minutes in completing
the form. The NTSB estimates approximately 50 respondents per year will
complete the form, but notes this number may vary, given the
unpredictable nature of the frequency of aviation incidents.
D. Request for Comments
In accordance with 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), the NTSB again requests
feedback from the public concerning this proposed plan for information
collection. In particular, the NTSB asks the public to evaluate whether
the proposed collection of information is necessary; to assess the
accuracy of the NTSB's burden estimate; to comment on how to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
and to comment on how the NTSB might minimize the burden of the
collection of information.
The NTSB will work with OIRA to consider all feedback it receives
in response to this notice. As described above, obtaining the
information the NTSB seeks on these electronic incident report forms in
a timely manner is important to the NTSB's mission in investigating
incidents and thereby improving aviation safety. Therefore, obtaining
approval from OIRA for this electronic collection of information is a
priority for the NTSB.
Christopher A. Hart,
Chairman.
[FR Doc. 2016-25412 Filed 10-19-16; 8:45 am]
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