SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘National Transportation Safety Board Reauthorization 
Act of 2010’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.— 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Amendments to title 49, United States Code. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. General organization. 
Sec. 5. Administrative. 
Sec. 6. Disclosure, availability, and use of information. 
Sec. 7. Training. 
Sec. 8. Reports and studies. 
Sec. 9. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 10. Accident investigation authority. 
Sec. 11. Marine casualty investigations. 
Sec. 12. Inspections and autopsies. 
Sec. 13. Discovery and use of cockpit and surface vehicle recordings and tran-
scripts. 
Sec. 14. Family assistance. 
Sec. 15. Notification of marine casualties. 
Sec. 16. Use of board name, logo, initials, and seal. 
SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 49, UNITED STATES CODE. 
Except as otherwise specifically provided, whenever in 
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion of law, the reference shall be considered to be made 
to a section or other provision of title 49, United States 
Code. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 1101 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 1101. Definitions 
‘‘(a) ACCIDENT DEFINED.—In this chapter, the term 
‘accident’—
‘‘(1) means an event associated with the oper-
ation of a vehicle, aircraft, or pipeline, which results 
in damage to or destruction of the vehicle, aircraft, 
or pipeline, or which results in the death of or seri-
ous injury to any person, regardless of whether the 
initiating event is accidental or otherwise; and 
‘‘(2) may include an incident that does not in-
volve destruction or damage of a vehicle, aircraft, or 
pipeline, but affects transportation safety, as the 
Board prescribes by regulation. 
‘‘(b) APPLICABILITY
OF DEFINITIONS
IN OTHER 
LAWS.—The definitions contained in section 2101(17a) of 
title 46 and section 40102(a) of this title apply to this 
chapter.’’. 
SEC. 4. GENERAL ORGANIZATION. 
The last sentence of section 1111(d) is amended by 
striking ‘‘absent’’ and inserting ‘‘unavailable’’. 
SEC. 5. ADMINISTRATIVE. 
(a) GENERAL
AUTHORITY.—Section 1113(a) is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘and depositions’’ after 
‘‘hearings’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘subpena’’ and inserting 
‘‘subpoena’’; and
(2) in paragraph (2) by inserting before the 
first sentence the following: ‘‘In the interest of pro-
moting transportation safety, the Board shall have 
the authority by subpoena to summon witnesses and 
obtain evidence relevant to an accident investigation 
conducted under this chapter.’’. 
(b) ADDITIONAL POWERS.— 
(1) AUTHORITY
OF
BOARD
TO
ENTER
INTO 
CONTRACTS AND OTHER AGREEMENTS WITH NON-
PROFIT
ENTITIES.—Section 
1113(b)(1)(H) 
is 
amended by inserting ‘‘and other agreements’’ after 
‘‘contracts’’. 
(2) AUTHORITY OF BOARD TO ENTER INTO AND 
PERFORM
CONTRACTS, AGREEMENTS, LEASES, OR 
OTHER TRANSACTIONS.—Section 1113(b) is amend-
ed— 
(A) by striking paragraph (1)(I) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(I) negotiate, enter into, and perform con-
tracts, agreements, leases, or other transactions with 
individuals, private entities, departments, agencies, 
and instrumentalities of the Government, State and 
local governments, and governments of foreign coun-
tries on such terms and conditions as the Chairman 
of the Board considers appropriate to carry out the
functions of the Board and require that such entities 
provide appropriate consideration for the reasonable 
costs of any facilities, goods, services, or training 
provided by the Board.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) LEASE LIMITATION.—The authority of the 
Board to enter into leases shall be limited to the 
provision of special use space related to an accident 
investigation, or for general use space, at an average 
annual rental cost of not more than $300,000 for 
any individual property.’’. 
(3) AUTHORITY
OF
OTHER
FEDERAL
AGEN-
CIES.—Section 1113(b)(2) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(2) AUTHORITY OF OTHER FEDERAL AGEN-
CIES.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the head of a Federal department, agency, or instru-
mentality may transfer to or receive from the Board, 
with or without reimbursement, supplies, personnel, 
services, and equipment (other than administrative 
supplies and equipment).’’. 
(c) CRITERIA ON PUBLIC HEARINGS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1113 is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) PUBLIC HEARINGS.—
‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA.—The Board 
shall establish by regulation criteria to be used by 
the Board in determining, for each accident inves-
tigation and safety study undertaken by the Board, 
whether or not the Board will hold a public hearing 
on the investigation or study. 
‘‘(2) FACTORS.—In developing the criteria, the 
Board shall give priority consideration to the fol-
lowing factors: 
‘‘(A) Whether the accident has caused sig-
nificant loss of life. 
‘‘(B) Whether the accident has caused sig-
nificant property damage. 
‘‘(C) Whether the accident may involve a 
national transportation safety issue. 
‘‘(D) Whether a public hearing may pro-
vide needed information to the Board. 
‘‘(E) Whether a public hearing may offer 
an opportunity to educate the public on a safety 
issue. 
‘‘(F) Whether a public hearing may in-
crease both the transparency of the Board’s in-
vestigative process and public confidence that 
such process is comprehensive, accurate, and 
unbiased.
‘‘(G) Whether a public hearing is likely to 
significantly delay the conclusion of an inves-
tigation and whether the possible adverse ef-
fects of the delay on safety outweigh the bene-
fits of a public hearing.’’. 
(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—Section 1117 is amend-
ed— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para-
graph (5); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
paragraph (6) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) an analysis of the Board’s implementation 
of the criteria established pursuant to section 
1113(i) during the prior calendar year, including an 
explanation of any instance in which the Board did 
not hold a public hearing for an investigation of an 
accident that has caused significant loss of life or 
property damage or that may involve a national 
transportation safety issue.’’. 
(d) ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT IN-
SURANCE.—Section 1113 is further amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT IN-
SURANCE.—
‘‘(B) offset any benefits an employee may 
have as a result of government service, includ-
ing compensation under chapter 81 of title 5. 
‘‘(4) ENTITLEMENT TO OTHER INSURANCE.— 
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as af-
fecting the entitlement of an employee to insurance 
under section 8704(b) of title 5.’’. 
SEC. 6. DISCLOSURE, AVAILABILITY, AND USE OF INFORMA-
TION. 
(a) TRADE SECRETS, COMMERCIAL INFORMATION, 
AND
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION.—Section 1114(b) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking the subsection heading and in-
serting the following: ‘‘TRADE SECRETS, COMMER-
CIAL
INFORMATION, 
AND
FINANCIAL
INFORMA-
TION’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1) in the matter preceding 
subparagraph (A)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘submitted to the Board 
in the course of a Board investigation or study 
and’’ after ‘‘information’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, or commercial or finan-
cial information if the information would other-
wise be withheld under section 552(b)(4) of title 
5,’’ after ‘‘title 18’’;
(3) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1) 
of this subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘subparagraphs 
(A) through (C) of paragraph (1)’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) ANNOTATION
OF
CONTROLLED
INFORMA-
TION.—Each person submitting to the Board trade se-
crets, commercial information, financial information, or 
information that could be classified as controlled under the 
International Traffic in Arms Regulations shall appro-
priately annotate the information to indicate the restricted 
nature of the information in order to facilitate proper han-
dling of such materials by the Board. In this paragraph, 
the term ‘International Traffic in Arms Regulations’ 
means those regulations contained in parts 120 through 
130 of title 22, Code of Federal Regulations (or any suc-
cessor regulations). 
‘‘(5) DISCLOSURES TO PROTECT PUBLIC HEALTH 
AND SAFETY.—Disclosures of information under para-
graph (1)(D) may include disclosures through accident in-
vestigation reports, safety studies, and safety rec-
ommendations.’’. 
(b) SURFACE VEHICLE RECORDINGS
AND TRAN-
SCRIPTS.—The second sentence of section 1114(d)(1) is 
amended by striking ‘‘that’’ after ‘‘information’’.
(c) VESSEL RECORDINGS AND TRANSCRIPTS.—Sec-
tion 1114 is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1) by striking ‘‘and (f)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(e), and (g)’’; 
(2) in subsection (d)(1) by striking ‘‘or vessel’’; 
(3) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as 
subsections (f) and (g), respectively; and 
(4) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(e) VESSEL RECORDINGS AND TRANSCRIPTS.— 
‘‘(1) CONFIDENTIALITY
OF
RECORDINGS
AND 
TRANSCRIPTS.—The Board may not disclose publicly 
any part of a vessel’s voice or video recorder record-
ing or transcript of oral communications by or 
among the crew, pilots, or docking masters of a ves-
sel, vessel traffic services, or other vessels, or be-
tween the vessel’s crew and company communication 
centers, related to a marine casualty investigated by 
the Board. However, the Board shall make public 
any part of a transcript or any written depiction of 
visual information the Board decides is relevant to 
the marine casualty— 
‘‘(A) if the Board holds a public hearing 
on the marine casualty, at the time of the hear-
ing; or
‘‘(B) if the Board does not hold a public 
hearing, at the time a majority of the other fac-
tual reports on the marine casualty are placed 
in the public docket. 
‘‘(2) REFERENCES TO INFORMATION IN MAKING 
SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS.—This subsection does 
not prevent the Board from referring at any time to 
voice or video recorder information in making safety 
recommendations.’’. 
(d) FOREIGN INVESTIGATIONS.—Section 1114(g) (as 
redesignated by subsection (c)(3) of this section) is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A) by striking ‘‘shall’’ and 
inserting ‘‘may’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2) by inserting ‘‘, or other 
relevant information authorized for disclosure under 
this chapter,’’ after ‘‘information’’. 
(e) PARTY REPRESENTATIVES TO NTSB INVESTIGA-
TIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 1114 is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(h) PARTY REPRESENTATIVES TO NTSB INVES-
TIGATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) PROHIBITION ON DISCLOSURE OF INFOR-
MATION.—A party representative to an accident or
marine casualty investigation of the Board is prohib-
ited from disclosing, orally or in written form, inves-
tigative information, as defined by the Board, to 
anyone who is not an employee of the Board or who 
is not a party representative to such investigation, 
except— 
‘‘(A) as provided in paragraph (2); or 
‘‘(B) at the conclusion of the fact finding 
stage of an investigation, which the investi-
gator-in-charge shall announce by formal post-
ing of a notice in the publicly available inves-
tigation docket. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—If the investigator-in-charge 
determines that a disclosure of information related 
to an accident or marine casualty investigation is 
necessary to prevent additional accidents or marine 
casualties, to address a perceived safety deficiency, 
or to assist in the conduct of the investigation, the 
investigator-in-charge may at any time authorize in 
writing a party representative to disclose such infor-
mation under conditions approved by the investi-
gator-in-charge. Such conditions shall ensure that, 
until the posting of a formal notice described in 
paragraph (1)(B), or until the information disclosed 
pursuant to this paragraph becomes publicly avail-
able by any other means, neither the entity rep-
resented by the party representative nor any other 
person may use such information in preparation for 
the prosecution of any claim or defense in litigation 
in connection with the accident or marine casualty 
being investigated or to make or deny any insurance 
claim in connection with such accident or marine 
casualty. 
‘‘(3) COMPLIANCE.—The Board shall require 
any individual who is a party representative to an 
investigation of the Board to sign a party agreement 
that includes language informing the individual of 
the prohibition in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(4) REPRESENTATIVES
OF
FEDERAL
AGEN-
CIES.—Paragraph (3) shall not apply to an indi-
vidual who is a representative of the Secretary of 
Transportation, the Secretary of the department in 
which the Coast Guard is operating, or any other 
Federal department, agency, or instrumentality par-
ticipating in the investigation and deemed by the 
Board to be performing a law enforcement or similar 
function. 
‘‘(5) COMPLIANCE WITH FAA STATUTORY OBLI-
GATIONS.—Nothing in this subsection prohibits the
Federal Aviation Administration from fulfilling stat-
utory obligations to ensure safe operations. 
‘‘(6) PARTY
REPRESENTATIVE
DEFINED.—In 
this subsection, the term ‘party representative’ 
means an individual representing a party to an in-
vestigation pursuant to section 831.11 of title 49, 
Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date 
of enactment of this subsection.’’. 
(2) CIVIL PENALTY.—Section 1151 is amend-
ed— 
(A) in the section heading by striking 
‘‘Aviation enforcement’’ and inserting 
‘‘Enforcement’’; and 
(B) 
by 
inserting 
‘‘1114(h),’’ 
before 
‘‘1132,’’ in each of subsections (a), (b)(1), and 
(c). 
(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The analysis 
for chapter 11 is amended by striking the item relat-
ing to section 1151 and inserting the following: 
‘‘1151. Enforcement.’’. 
(f) GAO STUDY OF PARTY PROCESS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Comptroller General 
shall conduct a study on the use of party representa-
tives in investigations conducted by the National 
Transportation Safety Board.
on the results of the study conducted under this sub-
section, including any recommendations for improve-
ments in the Board’s use of the party representative 
process. 
SEC. 7. TRAINING. 
Section 1115(d) is amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘theory and techniques and on 
transportation safety methods to advance Board 
safety recommendations’’ before the period at the 
end of the first sentence; 
(2) by inserting ‘‘or who influence the course of 
transportation safety through support or adoption of 
Board safety recommendations’’ before the period at 
the end of the second sentence; and 
(3) by inserting ‘‘under section 1118(c)(2)’’ be-
fore the period at the end of the third sentence. 
SEC. 8. REPORTS AND STUDIES. 
(a) 
STUDIES
AND
INVESTIGATIONS.—Section 
1116(b) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘carry out’’ 
and inserting ‘‘conduct’’; and 
(2) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(3) prescribe requirements for persons report-
ing accidents, as defined in section 1101(a), that
may be investigated by the Board under this chap-
ter;’’. 
(b) URGENT SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS AND IN-
TERIM MEASURES.—Section 1116 is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) URGENT SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS AND IN-
TERIM MEASURES.— 
‘‘(1) LIMITATION
ON
STATUTORY
CONSTRUC-
TION.—Nothing in this section shall restrict the 
Board from— 
‘‘(A) making urgent safety recommenda-
tions, as identified by the Board during an on-
going safety investigation or study, to any de-
partment, agency, or instrumentality of the 
Federal Government, a State or local govern-
mental authority, or a person concerned with 
transportation safety; or 
‘‘(B) recommending interim measures, as 
identified by the Board, to a department, agen-
cy, instrumentality, authority, or person de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) to mitigate risks to 
transportation safety pending implementation 
of more comprehensive responses by the depart-
ment, agency, instrumentality, authority, or 
person.
‘‘(2) INCLUSION
IN
FINAL
ACCIDENT
RE-
PORTS.—If the Board makes an urgent safety rec-
ommendation or recommends an interim measure 
before completing a relevant final accident report, if 
any, the urgent safety recommendation or interim 
measure shall also be reflected in the final accident 
report.’’. 
(c) EVALUATION AND AUDIT.—Section 1138(a) is 
amended by striking ‘‘conducted at least annually, but 
may be’’. 
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1118(a) is amended to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated for the purposes of this chapter— 
‘‘(1) $107,583,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
‘‘(2) $115,347,000 for fiscal year 2012; 
‘‘(3) $122,187,000 for fiscal year 2013; and 
‘‘(4) $124,158,000 for fiscal year 2014. 
Such sums shall remain available until expended.’’. 
(b) FEES, REFUNDS, REIMBURSEMENTS, AND AD-
VANCES.—Section 1118(c) is amended— 
(1) by striking the subsection heading and in-
serting the following: ‘‘FEES, REFUNDS, REIM-
BURSEMENTS, AND ADVANCES’’;
(2) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and reimbursements’’ and 
inserting ‘‘reimbursements, and advances’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘services’’ and inserting 
‘‘activities, services, and facilities’’; 
(3) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph 
(A) by striking ‘‘or reimbursement’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘reimbursement, or advance’’; and 
(B) in each of subparagraphs (A) and (B) 
by striking ‘‘activities’’ and all that follows be-
fore the semicolon and inserting ‘‘activities, 
services, or facilities for which the fee, refund, 
reimbursement, or advance is associated’’; 
(4) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para-
graph (4); 
(5) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) ANNUAL RECORD OF COLLECTIONS.—The 
Board shall maintain an annual record of collections 
received under paragraph (2).’’; and 
(6) in paragraph (4) (as redesignated by para-
graph (4) of this subsection) by inserting ‘‘or ad-
vance’’ after ‘‘fee’’.
SEC. 10. ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION AUTHORITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1131(a)(1) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) 
by striking ‘‘cause or probable cause’’ and inserting 
‘‘causes or probable causes’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘a fatality 
or substantial property damage’’ and inserting ‘‘a 
fatality (other than a fatality involving a trespasser) 
or substantial property damage’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (E) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(4) in subparagraph (F) by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(G) an accident in response to an international 
request and delegation under appropriate inter-
national conventions, coordinated through the De-
partment of State and accepted by the Board.’’. 
(b) AUTHORITIES OF OTHER AGENCIES.—The sec-
ond sentence of section 1131(a)(3) is amended by insert-
ing ‘‘or relevant to’’ after ‘‘developed about’’. 
(c) ACCIDENTS NOT INVOLVING GOVERNMENT MIS-
FEASANCE
OR
NONFEASANCE.—Section 
1131(c) 
is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) AUTHORITY
OF
BOARD
REPRESENTA-
TIVE.—In the case of a delegation of authority
under paragraph (1), the Secretary, or a person des-
ignated by the Secretary, shall have the authority of 
the Board, on display of appropriate credentials and 
written notice of inspection authority, to enter prop-
erty where the aircraft accident has occurred or 
wreckage from the accident is located and to gather 
evidence in support of a Board investigation, in ac-
cordance with rules the Board may prescribe.’’. 
(d) INCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS.—Section 1131 is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) INCIDENT INVESTIGATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—Not 
later than 90 days after the issuance of final regula-
tions under section 1101(a)(2), the Chairman of the 
Board shall seek to enter into a memorandum of un-
derstanding with the Secretary of Transportation 
and the head of each modal administration of the 
Department of Transportation that sets forth— 
‘‘(A) an understanding of the conditions 
under which the Board will conduct an incident 
investigation that involves the applicable mode 
of transportation; and 
‘‘(B) the roles and responsibilities of the 
parties to the memorandum when the Board is 
conducting an incident investigation.
‘‘(2) UPDATES AND RENEWALS.—Each memo-
randum of understanding required under paragraph 
(1) shall be updated and renewed not less than once 
every 5 years, unless parties to the memorandum 
agree that updating the memorandum is unneces-
sary. 
‘‘(3) BOARD
AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this 
paragraph negates the authority of the Board to in-
vestigate an incident. 
‘‘(4) INCIDENT DEFINED.—In this subsection, 
the term ‘incident’ means an incident described in 
regulations issued under section 1101(a)(2).’’. 
SEC. 11. MARINE CASUALTY INVESTIGATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 11 is amended by insert-
ing after section 1132 the following: 
‘‘§ 1132a. Marine casualty investigations 
‘‘(a) DELEGATION
OF
AUTHORITY
TO
COAST 
GUARD.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—In an investigation of a 
major marine casualty under section 1131(a)(1)(E), 
the Board, with the consent of the Secretary of the 
department in which the Coast Guard is operating, 
may delegate to the Commandant of the Coast 
Guard full authority to obtain the facts of the cas-
ualty. In the case of such a delegation, the Com-
mandant, acting through the Commandant’s on- 
scene representative, shall have the full authority of 
the Board. 
‘‘(2) REQUIRED TRAINING, EXPERIENCE, AND 
QUALIFICATIONS.—The Board may not make a dele-
gation under paragraph (1) unless the Board deter-
mines that the Commandant’s on-scene representa-
tives have sufficient training, experience, and quali-
fications in investigation, marine casualty recon-
struction, evidence collection and preservation, 
human factors, and documentation to act in accord-
ance with the best investigation practices of Federal 
and non-Federal entities. 
‘‘(b) PARTICIPATION OF COMMANDANT IN MARINE 
INVESTIGATIONS.—The Board shall provide for the par-
ticipation of the Commandant of the Coast Guard in an 
investigation by the Board of a major marine casualty 
under section 1131(a)(1)(E) if such participation is nec-
essary to carry out the duties and powers of the Com-
mandant, except that the Commandant may not partici-
pate in establishing the probable cause of the marine cas-
ualty (other than as provided in section 1131(b)).’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 
chapter 11 is amended by inserting after the item relating 
to section 1132 the following: 
‘‘1132a. Marine casualty investigations.’’.
SEC. 12. INSPECTIONS AND AUTOPSIES. 
(a) ENTRY AND INSPECTION.—Section 1134(a) is 
amended in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— 
(1) by striking ‘‘officer or employee’’ and in-
serting ‘‘officer, employee, or Federal designee’’; and 
(2) by inserting ‘‘in the conduct of any accident 
investigation or study’’ after ‘‘National Transpor-
tation Safety Board’’. 
(b) INSPECTION, TESTING, PRESERVATION, AND 
MOVING OF AIRCRAFT AND PARTS.—Section 1134(b) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) INSPECTION, TESTING, PRESERVATION, AND 
MOVING OF AIRCRAFT AND PARTS.— 
‘‘(1) INSPECTION
AND
TESTING.—In inves-
tigating an aircraft accident under this chapter, the 
Board may— 
‘‘(A) inspect and test, to the extent nec-
essary, any civil aircraft, aircraft engine, pro-
peller, appliance, or property on an aircraft in-
volved in an accident in air commerce; 
‘‘(B) seize or otherwise obtain any record-
ing device and recording pertinent to the acci-
dent; and 
‘‘(C) require specific information only 
available from the manufacturer to enable the 
Board to read and interpret any flight param-
eter or navigation storage device or media on 
board the aircraft involved in the accident. 
‘‘(2) MOVING OF AIRCRAFT AND PARTS.—Any 
civil aircraft, aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, or 
property on an aircraft involved in an accident in air 
commerce shall be preserved, and may be moved, 
only as provided by regulations of the Board. 
‘‘(3) TRADE SECRETS, COMMERCIAL INFORMA-
TION, AND
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION.—The provi-
sions of section 1114(b) shall apply to materials pro-
vided under paragraph (1)(C) and properly identi-
fied as trade secrets, commercial information, or fi-
nancial information.’’. 
(c) AVOIDING UNNECESSARY INTERFERENCE; PRE-
SERVING EVIDENCE.—Section 1134(c) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(c) AVOIDING UNNECESSARY INTERFERENCE; PRE-
SERVING EVIDENCE.— 
‘‘(1) INSPECTION AND TESTING.—In carrying 
out subsection (a)(1), an officer or employee may— 
‘‘(A) examine or test any vehicle, vessel, 
rolling stock, track, or pipeline component; 
‘‘(B) seize or otherwise obtain any record-
ing device and recording pertinent to the acci-
dent; and
‘‘(C) require the production of specific in-
formation only available from the manufacturer 
to enable the Board to read and interpret any 
operational parameter or navigation storage de-
vice or media on board the vehicle, vessel, or 
rolling stock involved in the accident. 
‘‘(2) TRADE SECRETS, COMMERCIAL INFORMA-
TION, AND
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION.—The provi-
sions of section 1114(b) shall apply to materials pro-
vided under paragraph (1)(C) and properly identi-
fied as trade secrets, commercial information, or fi-
nancial information. 
‘‘(3) 
CONDUCT
OF
EXAMINATIONS
AND 
TESTS.—An examination or test under paragraph 
(1)(A) shall be conducted in a way that— 
‘‘(A) does not interfere unnecessarily with 
transportation services provided by the owner 
or operator of the vehicle, vessel, rolling stock, 
track, or pipeline component; and 
‘‘(B) to the maximum extent feasible, pre-
serves evidence related to the accident, con-
sistent with the needs of the investigation and 
with the cooperation of that owner or oper-
ator.’’.
SEC. 13. DISCOVERY AND USE OF COCKPIT AND SURFACE 
VEHICLE RECORDINGS AND TRANSCRIPTS. 
Section 1154(a)(1)(A) is amended by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ and inserting ‘‘; or’’. 
SEC. 14. FAMILY ASSISTANCE. 
(a) FAMILY ASSISTANCE IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION 
ACCIDENTS.—Section 41113(b)(7) is amended by insert-
ing before the period at the end the following: ‘‘, and that 
at least 60 days before the planned destruction of any un-
claimed possession of a passenger a reasonable attempt 
will be made to notify the family of the passenger’’. 
(b) FAMILY ASSISTANCE IN COMMERCIAL AVIATION 
ACCIDENTS
INVOLVING
FOREIGN
CARRIERS.—Section 
41313(c)(7) is amended by inserting before the period at 
the end the following: ‘‘, and that at least 60 days before 
the planned destruction of any unclaimed possession of a 
passenger a reasonable attempt will be made to notify the 
family of the passenger’’. 
SEC. 15. NOTIFICATION OF MARINE CASUALTIES. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the National Transportation Safety Board and 
the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard 
is operating shall jointly prescribe regulations to ensure 
the prompt notification and reporting of marine casualties 
by the Coast Guard to the Board.
SEC. 16. USE OF BOARD NAME, LOGO, INITIALS, AND SEAL. 
Section 709 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘or’’ at the end of the para-
graph immediately preceding the paragraph that be-
gins ‘‘Shall be punished as follows:’’; and 
(2) by inserting the following before the para-
graph that begins ‘‘Shall be punished as follows:’’: 
‘‘Whoever, except with the written permission of the 
Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, 
knowingly uses the words ‘National Transportation Safety 
Board’, the logo of the Board, the initials ‘NTSB’, or the 
official seal of the Board, or any colorable imitation of 
such words, logo, initials, or seal, in connection with any 
advertisement, circular, book, pamphlet, or other publica-
tion, or any play, motion picture, broadcast, telecast, or 
other production, in a manner reasonably calculated to 
convey the impression that such advertisement, circular, 
book, pamphlet, or other publication, or such play, motion 
picture, broadcast, telecast, or other production, is ap-
proved, endorsed, or authorized by the National Transpor-
tation Safety Board;’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives September 28, 
2010. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4714 
AN ACT 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to author-
ize appropriations for the National Transpor-
tation Safety Board for fiscal years 2011 
through 2014, and for other purposes.