[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 41 (Thursday, March 2, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 13071-13072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04265]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 25
[Docket No.: FAA-2022-1544; Notice No. 23-04]
RIN 2120-AJ99
System Safety Assessments
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment
period.
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SUMMARY: This action extends the comment period for the NPRM titled
``System Safety Assessments,'' that was published on December 8, 2022.
In that document, the FAA proposed to amend certain airworthiness
regulations to standardize the criteria for conducting safety
assessments for systems, including flight controls and powerplants,
installed on transport category airplanes. With this action, the FAA
seeks to reduce risk associated with airplane accidents and incidents
that have occurred in service, and reduce risk associated with new
technology in flight control systems. The intended effect of this
proposed action is to improve aviation safety by making system safety
assessment (SSA) certification requirements more comprehensive and
consistent. The FAA is extending the comment period closing date to
allow commenters additional time to analyze the proposed rule and
prepare a response.
DATES: The comment period for the NPRM published on December 8, 2022,
at 87 FR 75424, and scheduled to close on March 8, 2023, is extended
until April 24, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2022-1544
using any of the following methods:
[[Page 13072]]
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov and
follow the online instructions for sending your comments
electronically.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30; U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at (202) 493-2251.
Privacy: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments
from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts
these comments, without edit, including any personal information the
commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system
of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which you can review at
www.dot.gov/privacy.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions for
accessing the docket or go to the Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of
the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical questions concerning
this action, contact Suzanne Masterson, Strategic Policy Transport
Section, AIR-614, Strategic Policy Management Branch, Policy and
Innovation Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation
Administration, 2200 South 216th Street, Des Moines, WA 98198;
telephone and fax (206) 231-3211; email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
A. Comments Invited
The FAA invites interested persons to participate in this
rulemaking by submitting written comments, data, or views. The agency
also invites comments relating to the economic, environmental, energy,
or federalism impacts that might result from adopting the proposals in
this document. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion
of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and
include supporting data. To ensure the docket does not contain
duplicate comments, commenters should send only one copy of written
comments, or if comments are filed electronically, commenters should
submit only one time.
The FAA will file in the docket all comments it receives, as well
as a report summarizing each substantive public contact with FAA
personnel concerning this proposed rulemaking. Before acting on this
proposal, the FAA will consider all comments it receives on or before
the closing date for comments. The FAA will consider comments filed
after the comment period has closed if it is possible to do so without
incurring expense or delay. The agency may change this proposal in
light of the comments it receives.
B. Availability of Rulemaking Documents
An electronic copy of rulemaking documents may be obtained from the
internet by--
1. Searching the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov;
2. Visiting the FAA's Regulations and Policies web page at
www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/; or
3. Accessing the Government Printing Office's web page at
www.GovInfo.com.
Copies may also be obtained by sending a request to the Federal
Aviation Administration, Office of Rulemaking, ARM-1, 800 Independence
Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591, or by calling (202) 267-9677.
Commenters must identify the docket or notice number of this
rulemaking.
All documents the FAA considered in developing this proposed rule,
including economic analyses and technical reports, may be accessed from
the internet through the Federal eRulemaking Portal referenced in item
(1) above.
Background
On December 8, 2023, the FAA published an NPRM titled ``System
Safety Assessments,'' in the Federal Register (87 FR 75424; Notice No.
23-04). In the NPRM, the FAA proposed to amend certain airworthiness
regulations to standardize the criteria for conducting safety
assessments for systems, including flight controls and powerplants,
installed on transport category airplanes. With this action, the FAA
seeks to reduce risk associated with airplane accidents and incidents
that have occurred in service, and reduce risk associated with new
technology in flight control systems. The intended effect of this
proposed action is to improve aviation safety by making system safety
assessment (SSA) certification requirements more comprehensive and
consistent. Commenters were instructed to provide comments on or before
March 8, 2023 (i.e., 90 days from the date of publication of the NPRM).
Since publication, the FAA has received several requests to extend
the comment period by an additional ninety (90) days. The commenters
generally requested more time to review the proposed rule and
associated guidance documents, and to develop comments and
recommendations.
Extension of Comment Period
The FAA partially grants the petitioners' requests for an extension
of the comment period. The FAA recognizes the complex and technical
nature of the proposed rule, and finds that an extension would help
commenters craft complete and helpful responses. However, under the
circumstances, the FAA finds that an additional forty-five (45) days
will provide sufficient opportunity for the public to comment.
Therefore, the comment period for Notice No. 23-04 is extended until
April 24, 2023.
The FAA does not plan to grant any additional requests to further
extend the comment period for this rulemaking.
Issued under authority provided by 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 44701(a),
and 44703 in Washington, DC, on February 24, 2023.
Brandon Roberts,
Executive Director, Office of Rulemaking, Federal Aviation
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2023-04265 Filed 3-1-23; 8:45 am]
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