81 FR 72620 - Plan for Information Collection Activity: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 203 (October 20, 2016)

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.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 203 (Thursday, October 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72620-72621]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[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]
 BILLING CODE 7533-01-P