[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 13 (Friday, January 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2865-2866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00826]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; 
Clearance of a Renewed Approval of Information Collection: Helicopter 
Air Ambulance Operator Reports

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 Federal Register Notice with a 60-day comment period 
soliciting comments on the following collection of information was 
published on November 3, 2017 (82 FR 51331).
    The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 mandates that all 
helicopter air ambulance operators must begin reporting the number of 
flights and hours flown, along with other specified information, during 
which helicopters operated by the certificate holder are providing 
helicopter air ambulance services. The helicopter air ambulance 
operational data provided to the FAA is used by the agency as 
background information useful in the development of risk mitigation 
strategies to reduce the helicopter air ambulance accident rate, and to 
meet the mandates set by Congress.
    In response to the November 3, 2017 notice and request for 
comments, the FAA received two comments. One comment from an individual 
and one comment from the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA). The 
individual commented that the hourly burden per average response 
estimate has increased since the last notice was published on July 29, 
2014 (79 FR 44083) and asked for the reason for the change in estimated 
burden. In response, the FAA clarifies that none of

[[Page 2866]]

the requirements have changed, but operator data have changed. The 
overall number of operators has decreased. Additionally, the number of 
large operators (to which we attribute a higher hourly burden) has 
increased and the number of small operators (to which we attribute a 
lower hourly burden) has decreased. Therefore, in the aggregate, the 
average hourly burden increased from six (6) hours to eleven (11) hours 
per operator.
    The AMOA commented that they strongly supported the intent of the 
data collection requirement, but also noted that the original 
collection requirement should have been the subject of notice and 
comment rulemaking. The FAA notes, as indicated in the August 12, 2013 
Requests for Comments; Clearance of a New Approval of Information 
Collection: Helicopter Air Ambulance Operator Reports (78 FR 48925), 
that prior to issuance of the first information collection notice, 
representatives from the Flight Standards Service, Office of Accident 
Investigation and Prevention, and the Office of the Chief Counsel met 
with representatives from AMOA to discuss the FAA's approach to this 
data collection. Meetings were held on October 15, 2012 and May 17, 
2013. On June 28, 2013 AMOA submitted a response to the FAA discussing 
its view of the method to collect the data being pursued by the FAA. A 
copy of that letter was placed in the docket (FAA-2013-0684) and was 
considered by the agency.
    AMOA also commented that the FAA has underestimated the hourly 
burden for both large and small operators. Although AMOA did not 
provide any specific data to support its comment, in response the FAA 
has increased the estimates of hourly burden for both large and small 
operators in this notice and request for comments.
    AMOA also requested information from the FAA's Office of Accident 
Investigation and Prevention and commented on the FAA's implementation 
of certain provisions of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, 
which are both beyond the scope of this clearance of a renewed approval 
of information collection.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by February 20, 2018.

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 
[email protected], 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: Barbara Hall at (940) 594-5913, or by 
email at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 2120-0761.
    Title: Helicopter Air Ambulance Operator Reports.
    Form Numbers: Helicopter Air Ambulance Mandatory Flight Information 
Report.
    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 November 3, 2017 (82 FR 51331). The FAA Modernization 
and Reform Act of 2012 (The Act) mandates that all helicopter air 
ambulance operators must begin reporting the number of flights and 
hours flown, along with other specified information, during which 
helicopters operated by the certificate holder were providing 
helicopter air ambulance services. See Public Law 112-95, Sec. 306, 49 
U.S.C. 44731. The FAA Administrator had 180 days to develop a 
methodology to collect and store those data. The Act further mandates 
that not later than 2 years after the date of enactment, and annually 
thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a 
report containing a summary of the data collected.
    The helicopter air ambulance operational data provided to the FAA 
will be used by the agency as background information useful in the 
development of risk mitigation strategies to reduce the helicopter air 
ambulance accident rate, and to meet the mandates set by Congress. The 
information requested is limited to the minimum necessary to fulfill 
these reporting requirements mandated by the Act and as developed by 
FAA. The amount of data required to be submitted is proportional to the 
size of the operation.
    Respondents: 65 helicopter air ambulance certificate holders.
    Frequency: The information is collected annually.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 13.4 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 870 hours.

    Issued in Fort Worth, TX, on January 8, 2018.
Barbara Hall,
FAA Information Collection Clearance Officer, IT Enterprises Business 
Services Division, ASP-110.
[FR Doc. 2018-00826 Filed 1-18-18; 8:45 am]
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