
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 225 (Tuesday, November 22, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72238-72239]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30082]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; 
Clearance of Renewed Approval of Information Collection: Revisions to 
Digital Flight Data Recorders

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, FAA 
invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approval to renew an information 
collection. The FAA amended the regulations governing flight data 
recorders to increase the number of digital flight data recorder 
parameters for certain Boeing airplanes. This requirement affects all 
Boeing 737 series airplanes manufactured after August 18, 2000. This 
change was based on safety recommendations from the National 
Transportation Safety Board following its investigations of two 
accidents and several incidents involving 737s.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by January 23, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kathy DePaepe at (405) 954-9362, or by 
email at: Kathy.A.DePaepe@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 2120-0616.
    Title: Revisions to Digital Flight Data Recorders.
    Form Numbers: There are no FAA forms associated with this 
collection.
    Type of Review: Renewal of an information collection.
    Background: Section 49 United States Code 40113(a) empowers the 
Secretary of Transportation (or the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration) to issue such regulations as he/she shall deem 
necessary to carry out the provisions of the Act. Section 49 United 
States Code 44701 empowers the Secretary of Transportation (or the 
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration) to prescribe 
reasonable rules and regulations, or minimum standards necessary for 
safety in air commerce. In the case of a B737 airplane accident, when 
the flight data recorder is retrieved from the scene, the information 
recorded by the aircraft's recorder will be downloaded and analyzed by 
accident investigators at the NTSB to determine probable cause. The 
data is automatically recorded by the flight data recorder; this is a 
passive information collection requiring no

[[Page 72239]]

effort by respondents to collect the information.
    Respondents: Approximately 2,960 Boeing 737 aircraft.
    Frequency: Data is electronically recorded constantly for a period 
of 25 hours of aircraft operation. Old information is overwritten on a 
continuing basis.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Not applicable.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 1 hour is to be entered into OMB's 
inventory as a placeholder figure for this passive information 
collection.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to the FAA at the following address: Ms. Kathy 
DePaepe, Room 126B, Federal Aviation Administration, AES-200, 6500 S. 
MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73169.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for FAA's performance; (b) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for FAA to enhance the 
quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (d) 
ways that the burden could be minimized without reducing the quality of 
the collected information. The agency will summarize and/or include 
your comments in the request for OMB's clearance of this information 
collection.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 14, 2011.
Albert R. Spence,
FAA Assistant Information Collection Clearance Officer, IT Enterprises 
Business Services Division, AES-200.
[FR Doc. 2011-30082 Filed 11-21-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P


