Safety Management Systems

AGENCY:

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION:

Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM); extension of comment period.

SUMMARY:

This action extends the comment period for an NPRM titled “Safety Management Systems” that was published on January 11, 2023. In that document, the FAA proposed to update and expand the requirements for safety management systems (SMS) and require certain certificate holders and commercial air tour operators to develop and implement an SMS. 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 January 11, 2023 at 88 FR 1932, and scheduled to close on March 13, 2023, is extended until April 11, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2021-0419 using any of the following methods:

• 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 can be reviewed 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 Scott Van Buren, Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention, AVP-4, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Room 300 East, Washington, DC 20591, telephone (202) 494-8417; email Scott.VanBuren@faa.gov.

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 January 11, 2023, the FAA published an NPRM titled “Safety Management Systems” in the Federal Register (88 FR 1932; Notice No. 23-05). In the NPRM, the FAA proposes to update and expand the requirements for safety management systems (SMS) and require certain certificate holders and commercial air tour operators to develop and implement an SMS. The proposed rule would extend the requirement for an SMS to all certificate holders operating under the rules for commuter and on-demand operations, commercial air tour operators, production certificate (PC) holders that are holders or licensees of a type certificate (TC) for the same product, and holders of a TC who license that TC for production. The proposed rule is intended to improve aviation safety by requiring organizations to implement a proactive approach to managing safety. Commenters were instructed to provide comments on or before March 13, 2023 ( i.e., 60 days from the date of publication of the NPRM).

Since publication, the FAA has received two requests to extend the comment period by an additional sixty (60) days and a third request for an extension of an additional ninety (90) days. The commenters requested more time to review the proposed rule and develop comments and recommendations.

The FAA grants the petitioners' request for an extension of the comment period. The FAA recognizes the importance of the proposed rule and that an extension would help commenters craft complete and thoughtful responses. However, the FAA believes that an additional thirty (30) days provides sufficient opportunity to review the NPRM and provide comments. With this extension, the comment period will now close on April 11, 2023. This will provide the public with a total of ninety (90) days to conduct its review and submit comments to the docket.

The FAA will not grant any additional requests to further extend the comment period for this rulemaking.

Extension of Comment Period

In accordance with § 11.47(c) of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, the FAA has reviewed the petitions for extension of the comment period for this notice. The petitioners have shown a substantive interest in the proposed policy and good cause for the extension of the comment period. The FAA has determined that an extension of the comment period for an additional thirty (30) days to April 11, 2023 is consistent with the public interest, and that good cause exists for taking this action.

Accordingly, the comment period for Notice No. 23-05 is extended until April 11, 2023.