[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31152-31153]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12409]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Flight Data Recorder (FDR) Filtering

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces a public meeting to discuss a 
recommendation made by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) 
to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the issue of filtering 
flight recorder data before it is recorded. This notice contains the 
date, times, location, and information for participation in the 
meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held Wednesday, July 7, 2004, starting at 
8:30 a.m., and ending at 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the NTSB Main Conference Room, 
NTSB Headquarters, 490 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 20594.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical questions about flight data 
recorder parameter filtering, and requests to present information at 
the public meeting should be directed to Timothy W. Shaver, Avionics 
Systems Branch, Aircraft Certification Service, AIR-130, Federal 
Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20591; telephone (202) 385-4686; facsimile (202) 385-4651; e-mail 
[email protected]. For other information, contact Alicia K. Douglas, 
Aircraft and Airport Rules Division, ARM-200, Federal Aviation 
Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; 
telephone (202) 267-9681; facsimile (202) 267-5075; e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On November 12, 2001, an Airbus 300-600 experienced a loss of 
control on initial climbout and crashed into a residential area in 
Belle Harbor, New York. The NTSB is still investigating this accident. 
This accident investigation, and other accident investigations, have 
highlighted some data recording practices that lessen the usefulness of 
recorded data, and hinder evaluation of the flight control system's 
performance. As a result, the NTSB issued a letter with three Safety 
Recommendations, A-03-48 through 50, for changes to the flight data 
recorder rule for transport category aircraft. The FAA is working to 
address these recommendations. However, the FAA determined that we need 
more information from industry about current practices on processing of 
data as it gets recorded to address Recommendation A-03-50, which 
states:

    ``Require that within 2 years, all Airbus A300-600/A310 and 
Boeing 747-400 airplanes and any other aircraft that may be 
identified as recording filtered data be retrofitted with a flight 
data recorder system capable of recording values that meet the 
accuracy requirements through the full dynamic range of each 
parameter at a frequency sufficient to determine a complete, 
accurate, and unambiguous time history of parameter activity, with 
emphasis on capturing each parameter's dynamic motion at the maximum 
rate possible, including reversals of direction at the maximum rate 
possible. (A-03-50)''

Purpose of This Public Meeting

    This meeting is being held to discuss the NTSB Safety 
Recommendation, A-03-50, and the issue of filtering flight recorder 
data before it is recorded. The purpose of this meeting is to gather 
information from industry about current practices on processing of data 
as it gets recorded on all transport airplanes. The FAA is interested 
in industry's position on the following:
     What data gets filtered before it is recorded, and how the 
filtering is accomplished.
     How individual manufacturers comply with the required 
``method for readily retrieving'' the recorded data.
     What equipment and procedures would need to be changed, 
and the costs involved, if the FAA were to adopt the NTSB 
recommendation as written.

Participation at the Public Meeting

    This meeting is open to anyone interested in FDR issues related to 
the referenced NTSB recommendation. Those attendees wishing to present 
data on this recommendation must submit the proposed presentation 
material to Timothy Shaver, Aircraft Certification Service, as listed 
in the section above, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, by June 28, 
2004. Please include contact information for the presenter with the 
proposal. Also, if the presenter needs audiovisual equipment for the 
presentation, include information on the equipment required with your 
request to present; not every form of audiovisual device may be 
available. Presentation length will be limited to 30 minutes or less 
depending on the number of requests to present. We will notify 
presenters of their selection by July 1, 2004. If we receive requests 
to present after the date specified above, we may add the presentation 
to the schedule if there is time available during the meeting; however, 
the presentations and the names of the presenters may not appear on the 
written agenda.
    The FAA will prepare an agenda of speakers and presenters and make 
the agenda available at the meeting. To accommodate as many speakers as 
possible, the amount of time allocated to each speaker may be less than 
the amount of time requested.

Public Meeting Procedures

    Persons who plan to attend the meeting should be aware of the 
following procedures established for this meeting:
    1. The will be no admission fee or other charge to attend or to 
participate in the public meeting.
    2. Representatives from the FAA will conduct the public meeting. A 
panel of FAA experts will be present to ask questions of, and discuss 
information presented by participants, as appropriate.
    3. FAA experts and public participants are expected to engage in a 
full discussion of all technical material presented at the meetings. 
Each person presenting conclusions will be expected to submit to the 
FAA data fully supporting those conclusions; all properly identified 
proprietary data submitted will be protected by the FAA from disclosure 
in accordance with applicable laws.
    4. Statements made by members of the panel are intended to 
facilitate discussion of the issues or to clarify issues.
    5. The meeting is designed to solicit public views and more 
complete

[[Page 31153]]

information relevant to flight data recorder issues related to the NTSB 
recommendation A-03-50. Therefore, the meeting will be conducted in an 
informal and nonadversarial manner.
    6. Participants must limit their presentations and submissions of 
data to flight data recorder issues related to the NTSB Recommendation 
A-03-50.
    7. The FAA requests that presenters at the meeting provide 10 
copies of all materials to be presented for distribution to the panel 
members; other copies may be provided to the audience at the discretion 
of the presenter.
    8. The FAA will try to accommodate all speakers; therefore, it may 
be necessary to limit the time available for an individual or group. If 
practicable, the meeting may be accelerated to enable adjournment as 
scheduled.
    9. Sign and oral interpretation can be made available at the 
meeting, as well as an assistive listening device, if requested 10 
calendar days before the meeting.
    10. The meeting will be recorded by a court reporter. A transcript 
of the meeting and all material accepted by the panel during the 
meeting will be made available, on request, unless protected from 
disclosure. Each person interested in purchasing a copy of the 
transcript should contact the court reporter directly. This information 
will be available at the meeting.

Susan J. M. Cabler,
Assistant Manager, Aircraft Engineering Division, Aircraft 
Certification Service.
[FR Doc. 04-12409 Filed 6-1-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P