II 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3946 

To require certain helicopters to be equipped with safety technologies, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 11, 2020 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. MARKEY, and Ms. HARRIS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To require certain helicopters to be equipped with safety 

technologies, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helicopter Safety Act 

5 of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The January 26, 2020, helicopter crash 

2 near Calabasas, California, in which 9 individuals 

3 lost their lives, was a tragic event. 

4 (2) Officials from the National Transportation 

5 Safety Board (NTSB) have noted that the helicopter 

6 involved in the fatal January crash was not equipped 

7 with a Flight Data Recorder (FDR), a Cockpit 

8 Voice Recorder (CVR), or a Terrain Awareness and 

9 Warning System (TAWS). 

10 (3) The NTSB has investigated numerous trag11 ic helicopter accidents, including the crash of a heli12 copter in the Gulf of Mexico in 2004, in which 10 

13 individuals lost their lives, and a crash in Missouri 

14 in 2011, in which 4 individuals lost their lives. 

15 (4) The NTSB has provided recommendations 

16 to the FAA regarding equipping helicopters with 

17 crash-resistant Flight Data Recorders, Cockpit Voice 

18 Recorders, and Terrain Awareness and Warning 

19 Systems. 

20 (5) The FAA has not acted on several NTSB 

21 recommendations for increased helicopter safety 

22 technologies that could potentially avert future trag23 edies. 


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1 SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF NTSB RECOMMENDATIONS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsections (b) and (c), 

3 not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 

4 this Act, the Administrator shall issue such regulations 

5 as are necessary to implement the following NTSB rec6 ommendations for crash-resistant systems, but only with 

7 respect to existing and new U.S.-registered turbine-pow8 ered rotorcraft certificated for six or more passenger seats: 

9 (1) Safety Recommendation A–06–017, issued 

10 on March 7, 2006 (relating to requiring all rotor11 craft operating under parts 91 and 135 of title 14, 

12 Code of Federal Regulations, with a transport-cat13 egory certification to be equipped with a cockpit 

14 voice recorder (CVR) and a flight data recorder 

15 (FDR) or an onboard cockpit image recorder with 

16 the capability of recording cockpit audio, crew com17 munications, and aircraft parametric data). 

18 (2) Safety Recommendation A–06–018, issued 

19 on March 7, 2006 (relating to not permitting exemp20 tions or exceptions to the flight recorder regulations 

21 that allow transport-category rotorcraft to operate 

22 without flight recorders, and withdrawing exemp23 tions and exceptions that allow transport-category 

24 rotorcraft to operate without flight recorders). 

25 (3) Safety Recommendation A–06–019 issued 

26 on March 24, 2006 (relating to requiring all existing 


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1 and new U.S.-registered turbine-powered rotorcraft 

2 certificated for six or more passenger seats to be 

3 equipped with a terrain awareness and warning sys4 tem). 

5 (b) TIMING FOR EQUIPMENT COMPLIANCE.—The 

6 regulations required to be issued under subsection (a) 

7 shall require all U.S.-registered turbine-powered rotorcraft 

8 certificated for six or more passenger seats to be equipped 

9 with a Flight Data Recorder, a Cockpit Voice Recorder, 

10 and a Terrain Awareness and Warning System that each 

11 meet the respective requirements applicable under such 

12 regulations, not later than— 

13 (1) 1 year after the date on which the applica14 ble regulation is issued; or 

15 (2) 2 years after the date on which the applica16 ble regulation is issued, if the Administrator deter17 mines appropriate. 

18 (c) EXEMPTIONS.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—In issuing the regulations 

20 required under subsection (a), the Administrator 

21 may exempt any civilian helicopter that the Adminis22 trator determines appropriate from one or more of 

23 the equipment requirements of such regulations. 

24 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—If the Administrator 

25 issues a final regulation that contains an exemption 


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1 described in paragraph (1), the Administrator shall 

2 submit to the Committee on Transportation and In3 frastructure of the House of Representatives the 

4 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep5 resentatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

6 and Transportation of the Senate, and the Com7 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate a report de8 scribing the exemption, not later than the date on 

9 which the final regulation is issued. 

10 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

11 In this Act: 

12 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis13 trator’’ means the Administrator of the FAA. 

14 (2) FAA.—The term ‘‘FAA’’ means the Fed15 eral Aviation Administration. 

16 (3) NTSB.—The term ‘‘NTSB’’ means the Na17 tional Transportation Safety Board. 

Æ 


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