Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; Clearance of Renewed Approval of Information Collection: Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) Program

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

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. Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) is a program for the routine collection and analysis of digital flight data from airline operations, including but not limited to digital flight data currently collected pursuant to existing regulatory provisions. The FAA requires certificate holders who voluntarily establish approved FOQA programs to periodically provide aggregate trend analysis information from such programs to the FAA.

DATES:

Written comments should be submitted by October 28, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments on the proposed information collection to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Comments should be addressed to the attention of the Desk Officer, Department of Transportation/FAA, and sent via electronic mail to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov, or faxed to (202) 395-6974, or mailed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Docket Library, Room 10102, 725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503.

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ronda Thompson by email at: Ronda.Thompson@faa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

OMB Control Number: 2120-0660.

Title: Flight Operational Quality Assurance (FOQA) Program.

Form Numbers: There are no FAA forms associated with this collection.

Type of Review: Renewal of an information collection.

Background: The Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on the following collection of information was published on July 6, 2016 (81 FR 44087). There were no comments. The purpose of collecting, analyzing, aggregating, and reporting this information is to identify potential threats to safety, and to enable early corrective action before such threats lead to accidents. FOQA can provide an objective source of information for FAA decision making, including identification of the need for new rulemaking based on observed trends in FOQA data. Title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), Subpart 13.401, stipulates that the FAA does not use FOQA information in punitive enforcement action against an air carrier or its employees, when that air carrier has an FAA approved FOQA program. There are no legal or administrative requirements that necessitate this rule. The rule is intended to encourage the voluntary implementation of FOQA programs in the interest of safety enhancement.

Respondents: 60 airline operators.

Frequency: Information is collected monthly.

Estimated Average Burden per Response: 1 hour.

Estimated Total Annual Burden: 720 hours.