I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7521 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to require that certain rotorcraft 
manufactured before April 5, 2020, comply with requirements relating 
to fuel system crash resistance, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 14, 2022 
Mr. NEGUSE (for himself, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mr. CARSON, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. 
CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, and Mr. COHEN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, 
and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to require that 
certain rotorcraft manufactured before April 5, 2020, 
comply with requirements relating to fuel system crash 
resistance, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helicopter Passenger 
Protection Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. HELICOPTER FUEL SYSTEM SAFETY. 
Section 44737 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(2) by striking ‘‘the date 
that is 18 months after the date of enactment of 
this section’’ and inserting ‘‘April 5, 2020’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as 
subsections (c) and (d), respectively; and 
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(b) PROHIBITION
FOR ROTORCRAFT MANUFAC-
TURED BEFORE APRIL 5, 2020.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 5 years 
after the date of enactment of this subsection, a per-
son may not operate in United States airspace a 
rotorcraft manufactured before April 5, 2020, for 
which the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration has issued a standard airworthiness 
certificate, unless such rotorcraft includes a fuel sys-
tem that is certified by the Administrator to— 
‘‘(A) comply with the requirements applica-
ble to the category of the rotorcraft under para-
graphs (1), (2), (3), (5), and (6) of section 
27.952(a), 
section 
27.952(f), 
and 
section 
27.963(g) (but allowing for a minimum punc-
ture force of 250 pounds) or paragraphs (1), 
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(2), (3), (5), and (6) of section 29.952(a), sec-
tion 29.952(f), and section 29.963(b) (but al-
lowing for a minimum puncture force of 250 
pounds) of title 14, Code of Federal Regula-
tions, as in effect on the date of enactment of 
this subsection; or 
‘‘(B) employ other means acceptable to the 
Administrator to provide an equivalent level of 
fuel system crash resistance. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—This subsection shall not 
apply to an unmanned aircraft that does not carry 
any occupants.’’. 
SEC. 3. CREDIT FOR IMPROVING SAFETY OF FUEL SYSTEMS 
IN ROTORCRAFT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subpart B of part IV of sub-
chapter A of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code of 
1986 is amended by inserting after section 30D the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘SEC. 30E. IMPROVING SAFETY OF FUEL SYSTEMS IN 
ROTORCRAFT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There shall be allowed as a cred-
it against the tax imposed by this chapter for the taxable 
year an amount equal to 10 percent of the qualified fuel 
system improvement costs which are paid or incurred by 
the taxpayer during the taxable year. 
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‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section— 
‘‘(1) QUALIFIED FUEL SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT 
COSTS.—The term ‘qualified fuel system improve-
ment costs’ means costs paid or incurred to make 
qualified changes to a fuel system in a rotorcraft 
that did not, before such changes, meet the require-
ments described in paragraph (2)(A). 
‘‘(2) QUALIFIED CHANGES.—The term ‘quali-
fied changes’ means— 
‘‘(A) changes necessary to make a fuel sys-
tem compliant with the requirements under— 
‘‘(i) paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (5), and 
(6) of section 27.952(a), section 27.952(c), 
section 27.952(f), section 27.952(g), sec-
tion 27.963(g) (but allowing for a min-
imum puncture force of 250 pounds if suc-
cessfully drop tested in-structure), and sec-
tion 27.975(b) of title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations as in effect on the date of en-
actment of this section, or 
‘‘(ii) paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (5), and 
(6) of section 29.952(a), section 29.952(c), 
section 29.952(f), section 29.952(g), sec-
tion 29.963(b) (but allowing for a min-
imum puncture force of 250 pounds if suc-
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cessfully drop tested in-structure), and 
29.975(a)(7) of such title as so in effect, 
and 
‘‘(B) such changes as the Secretary deter-
mines are necessary to result in a fuel system 
that has equivalent crash resistance to a fuel 
system compliant with the requirements under 
clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (A).’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 
for such subpart A is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 30D the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 30E. Improving safety of fuel systems in rotorcraft.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after 
December 31, 2022. 
Æ 
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