FAA Severe Turbulence Research and Development Act of 2023

To provide for Federal Aviation Administration research and development on severe turbulence, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the FAA Severe Turbulence Research and Development Act of 2023 2. Turbulence research and development (a) In general Subject to the availability of appropriations for such purpose, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (in this section referred to as the Administrator (1) enhance the monitoring and understanding of severe turbulence, including clear-air turbulence; and (2) inform the development of measures to mitigate safety impacts on crew and the flying public that may result from severe turbulence. (b) Research and development activities In conducting the research and development on severe turbulence in accordance with subsection (a), the Administrator shall— (1) establish processes and procedures for comprehensive and systematic data collection through both instrumentation and pilot reporting, of severe turbulence, including clear-air turbulence; (2) establish measures for storing and managing such data collection; (3) support measures for monitoring and characterizing incidents of severe turbulence; (4) consider relevant existing research and development from other entities, including Federal departments and agencies, academia, and the private sector; and (5) carry out research and development— (A) to understand the impacts of climate change and other factors on the nature of turbulence, including severe turbulence and clear-air turbulence; (B) to enhance turbulence forecasts for flight planning and execution, seasonal predictions for schedule and route-planning, and long-term projections of severe turbulence, including clear-air turbulence; and (C) on other subject matters areas related to severe turbulence, as determined by the Administrator; and (6) support the effective transition of the results of research and development to operations, where appropriate. (c) No duplication The Administrator shall ensure that research and development activities under this section do not duplicate other Federal programs relating to turbulence. (d) Turbulence data (1) Commercial providers In conducting research and development activities under subsection (b), the Administrator may enter into agreements with commercial providers for the following: (A) The purchase of turbulence data. (B) The placement on aircraft of instruments relevant to understanding and monitoring turbulence. (2) Data access The Administrator shall make the data collected pursuant to subsection (b) widely available and accessible to the scientific research, user, and stakeholder communities, including the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to the greatest extent practicable and in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration data management policies. (e) Report on turbulence research Not later than 15 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in collaboration with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that— (1) details the activities conducted under this section, including how the research and development activities under subsection (b) have contributed to the goals specified in subsection (a); (2) assesses the current state of scientific understanding of the causes, occurrence rates, and past and projected future trends in occurrence rates of severe turbulence, including clear-air turbulence; (3) describes the processes and procedures for collecting, storing, and managing, data in pursuant to subsection (b); (4) assesses— (A) the use of commercial providers pursuant to subsection (d)(1); and (B) the need for any future Federal Government collection or procurement of data and instruments related to turbulence, including an assessment of costs; (5) describes how such data will be made available to the scientific research, user, and stakeholder communities; and (6) identifies future research and development needed to inform the development of measures to predict and mitigate the safety impacts that may result from severe turbulence, including clear-air turbulence.

Summary: FAA Severe Turbulence Research and Development Act of 2023 This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to carry out applied research and development on severe air turbulence. Specifically, the FAA, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and in consultation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, must carry out applied research and development to enhance the monitoring and understanding of severe turbulence, including clear air turbulence (i.e., sudden severe turbulence occurring in cloudless regions that causes violent buffeting of aircraft); and inform the development of measures to mitigate safety impacts on crew and the flying public that may result from severe turbulence. The FAA may enter into agreements with commercial providers to purchase turbulence data and place instruments on aircraft in order to understand and monitor turbulence. Data collected pursuant to this bill must be widely available and accessible to scientific research, user, and stakeholder communities. Further, the FAA, in collaboration with NOAA, must submit a report to Congress on the research. The report must identify future research and development needed to predict and mitigate the safety impacts that may result from severe turbulence, including clear air turbulence.