II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 36 

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

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 25, 2021 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. SCHUMER, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, and Mr. 

MARKEY) 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 ‘‘Kobe Bryant & Gianna 

5 Bryant Helicopter Safety Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

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

9 near Calabasas, California, in which 9 individuals 

10 lost their lives, was a tragic event. 


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1 (2) Officials from the National Transportation 

2 Safety Board (NTSB) have noted that the helicopter 

3 involved in the fatal January crash was not equipped 

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

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

6 Warning System (TAWS). 

7 (3) The NTSB has investigated numerous trag8 ic helicopter accidents, including the crash of a heli9 copter in the Gulf of Mexico in 2004, in which 10 

10 individuals lost their lives, and a crash in Missouri 

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

12 (4) The NTSB has provided recommendations 

13 to the FAA regarding equipping helicopters with 

14 crash-resistant Flight Data Recorders, Cockpit Voice 

15 Recorders, and Terrain Awareness and Warning 

16 Systems. 

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

18 recommendations for increased helicopter safety 

19 technologies that could potentially avert future trag20 edies. 

21 SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF NTSB RECOMMENDATIONS. 

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

23 not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this 

24 Act, the Administrator shall issue such regulations as are 

25 necessary to implement the following NTSB recommendaVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:00 Feb 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S36.IS S36

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1 tions for crash-resistant systems, but only with respect to 

2 existing and new U.S.-registered turbine-powered rotor3 craft certificated for 6 or more passenger seats: 

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

5 on March 7, 2006 (relating to requiring all rotor6 craft operating under parts 91 and 135 of title 14, 

7 Code of Federal Regulations, with a transport-cat8 egory certification to be equipped with a cockpit 

9 voice recorder (CVR) and a flight data recorder 

10 (FDR) or an onboard cockpit image recorder with 

11 the capability of recording cockpit audio, crew com12 munications, and aircraft parametric data). 

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

14 on March 7, 2006 (relating to not permitting exemp15 tions or exceptions to the flight recorder regulations 

16 that allow transport-category rotorcraft to operate 

17 without flight recorders, and withdrawing exemp18 tions and exceptions that allow transport-category 

19 rotorcraft to operate without flight recorders). 

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

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

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

23 certificated for 6 or more passenger seats to be 

24 equipped with a terrain awareness and warning sys25 tem). 


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1 (b) TIMING FOR EQUIPMENT COMPLIANCE.—The 

2 regulations required to be issued under subsection (a) 

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

4 certificated for 6 or more passenger seats to be equipped 

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

6 and a Terrain Awareness and Warning System that each 

7 meet the respective requirements applicable under such 

8 regulations, not later than— 

9 (1) 1 year after the date on which the applica10 ble regulation is issued; or 

11 (2) 2 years after the date on which the applica12 ble regulation is issued, if the Administrator deter13 mines appropriate. 

14 (c) EXEMPTIONS.— 

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

16 required under subsection (a), the Administrator 

17 may exempt any civilian helicopter that the Adminis18 trator determines appropriate from 1 or more of the 

19 equipment requirements of such regulations. 

20 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—If the Administrator 

21 issues a final regulation that contains an exemption 

22 described in paragraph (1), the Administrator shall 

23 submit to the Committee on Transportation and In24 frastructure of the House of Representatives the 

25 Committee on Appropriations of the House of RepVerDate Sep 11 2014 18:00 Feb 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S36.IS S36

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1 resentatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

2 and Transportation of the Senate, and the Com3 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate a report de4 scribing the exemption, not later than the date on 

5 which the final regulation is issued. 

6 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis9 trator’’ means the Administrator of the FAA. 

10 (2) FAA.—The term ‘‘FAA’’ means the Fed11 eral Aviation Administration. 

12 (3) NTSB.—The term ‘‘NTSB’’ means the Na13 tional Transportation Safety Board. 

Æ 


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