Cabin Air Safety Act of 2022
Bill: S.3944 | Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard (D-CT)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Cabin Air Safety Act of 2022
This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement regulations regarding smoke or fume incidents on aircraft (excluding helicopters).
Specifically, the bill requires

To improve the safety of the air supply on aircraft, and for other 
                               purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Cabin Air Safety Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SAFETY OF THE AIR SUPPLY ON AIRCRAFT.

    (a) In General.--Subpart III of part A of subtitle VII of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
chapter:

              ``CHAPTER 454--CABIN AIR QUALITY AND SAFETY

``Sec. 45401. Definition of Administrator
    ``In this chapter the term `Administrator' means the Administrator 
of the Federal Aviation Administration.
``Sec. 45402. Training to respond to smoke or fume incidents on 
              aircraft
    ``(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Administrator shall promulgate 
regulations requiring flight attendants, pilots, aircraft maintenance 
technicians, and airport first responders and emergency response teams 
to receive training, not less frequently than annually, on how to 
respond to incidents on board aircraft involving smoke or fumes.
    ``(b) Requirements.--The training required by subsection (a) shall 
include the dissemination of educational materials with respect to the 
following:
            ``(1) Sources and types of smoke and fumes on board 
        aircraft.
            ``(2) Odor and visual descriptors to allow an individual to 
        recognize the presence of engine oil and hydraulic fluid fumes 
        and other potentially hazardous fumes, such as fumes relating 
        to engine exhaust, ground service vehicle exhaust, fuel, de-
        icing fluid, electrical failures, and ozone.
            ``(3) The potential for acute or chronic impairment to an 
        individual relating to such fumes.
            ``(4) Procedures for recognizing and responding to smoke 
        and fumes on board aircraft.
            ``(5) An overview of the system for reporting incidents of 
        smoke or fumes on board aircraft established under section 
        45403(a)(2).
            ``(6) Requirements relating to reporting incidents of smoke 
        and fumes on board aircraft to the Administrator under sections 
        45403 and 45405(b).
``Sec. 45403. Reporting of incidents of smoke or fumes on board 
              aircraft
    ``(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Administrator shall--
            ``(1) develop a standardized form for flight attendants, 
        pilots, and aircraft maintenance technicians to report 
        incidents of smoke or fumes on board an aircraft operated by an 
        air carrier; and
            ``(2) establish a system for reporting incidents of smoke 
        or fumes on board aircraft that allows--
                    ``(A) pilots, flight attendants, and aircraft 
                maintenance technicians to--
                            ``(i) submit the form developed under 
                        paragraph (1) to the Administrator and the 
                        relevant air carrier; and
                            ``(ii) receive a copy of such submission 
                        for their records; and
                    ``(B) pilots, flight attendants, aircraft 
                maintenance technicians, the collective bargaining 
                representative of employees of the air carrier, and air 
                carriers to search the reported incidents database 
                compiled by the Administrator for the purposes of 
                reviewing and monitoring incidents contained in the 
                database and assisting with investigations conducted 
                under section 45404.
    ``(b) Content of Forms.--The form developed under subsection (a)(1) 
for reporting an incident of smoke or fumes on board an aircraft shall 
include sections for the following information, if available at the 
time of the report:
            ``(1) Identification of the flight number, the city pair, 
        the type of aircraft, the registration number of the aircraft, 
        and the individual reporting the incident.
            ``(2) Information about the presence of smoke, including a 
        description of the nature, intensity, and visual consistency 
        (if any).
            ``(3) Information about the presence of fumes, including a 
        description of the nature and intensity of the odor.
            ``(4) Information about the location of the smoke or fumes 
        in the aircraft.
            ``(5) Information about the source of the smoke or fumes, 
        including in relation to the air supply vents and electrical 
        system.
            ``(6) Information about the type of smoke or fumes.
            ``(7) Information about the engine manufacturer, engine 
        type, the engine serial number, and the age of the engine.
            ``(8) Information about--
                    ``(A) the phase of flight during which smoke or 
                fumes were present;
                    ``(B) the estimated duration of the smoke or fumes; 
                and
                    ``(C) if the incident happened while the aircraft 
                was on the ground, information about the air supply 
                source at the time of the incident.
            ``(9) Other observations about the smoke or fumes.
            ``(10) A description of symptoms reported by crew members 
        and passengers and any required onboard medical attention.
            ``(11) Information with respect to whether crew members or 
        passengers used, needed, or were administered supplemental or 
        emergency oxygen.
            ``(12) Information regarding any disruption to the 
        operation of the flight or subsequent flights.
            ``(13) Information about relevant maintenance work 
        conducted on the aircraft prior to and following the incident.
            ``(14) Relevant air monitoring data collected during the 
        flight.
    ``(c) Public Availability of Smoke and Fume Event Information.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not less frequently than quarterly and 
        subject to paragraph (2), the Administrator shall compile, and 
        make available to the public, statistics regarding the 
        information obtained from the forms developed under subsection 
        (a)(1) and submitted to the Administrator.
            ``(2) Website.--The Administrator shall develop a publicly 
        available internet website that includes the aggregate data 
        required under paragraph (1) and a searchable database for the 
        events reported to the Administrator under subsection (a)(2) 
        that includes the following variables for each event:
                    ``(A) Date.
                    ``(B) Tail number.
                    ``(C) Aircraft type.
                    ``(D) Air carrier.
                    ``(E) Phase of flight.
                    ``(F) Location of smoke or fumes in the aircraft.
                    ``(G) Description of smoke or fumes, including 
                relation to air supply vents and the nature and 
                intensity of the odor.
                    ``(H) Engine or auxiliary power unit type.
                    ``(I) Engine oil or hydraulic fluid type, including 
                product name.
                    ``(J) Deidentified narrative.
                    ``(K) Relevant maintenance information.
                    ``(L) Such other criteria as the Administrator 
                considers appropriate.
            ``(3) Redaction.--Before making either individual event 
        information or aggregate data available to the public under 
        paragraph (1) or (2), the Administrator shall redact any 
        personally identifiable information.
``Sec. 45404. Investigations
    ``(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Administrator shall promulgate 
regulations--
            ``(1) authorizing the Federal Aviation Administration to, 
        at their discretion, conduct an investigation described in 
        subsection (b) not less than 7 days after a report is submitted 
        to the Administrator through the system for reporting incidents 
        of smoke or fumes on board aircraft established under section 
        45403(a)(2); and
            ``(2) requiring the Federal Aviation Administration to 
        conduct an investigation described in subsection (b) when the 
        report indicates that 1 or more crew members or passengers had 
        symptoms that required medical attention.
    ``(b) Requirements for Investigations.--An investigation described 
in this subsection shall include the following:
            ``(1) Gathering factual and standardized information from 
        all flight attendants, pilots, aircraft maintenance 
        technicians, airport first responders, emergency response 
        teams, and medical doctors involved in the incident.
            ``(2) Gathering any reports submitted under section 45403 
        with respect to the incident.
            ``(3) Gathering technical findings on any replaced, worn, 
        missing, failed, or improperly serviced components that may 
        have resulted in the incident.
            ``(4) Identifying the cause of the incident, if possible.
    ``(c) Participation of Air Carriers and Collective Bargaining 
Representatives.--In conducting an investigation under this section, 
the Federal Aviation Administration shall--
            ``(1) consult with the air carrier involved;
            ``(2) work in conjunction with the technical 
        representatives of the air carrier; and
            ``(3) invite the participation of the collective bargaining 
        representative of employees of the air carrier.
``Sec. 45405. Air quality monitoring equipment
    ``(a) Requirement To Include on Aircraft.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this section, the Administrator 
shall promulgate regulations requiring an air carrier, after 90 days 
for public comment and not later than 1 year after the regulations are 
finalized in the Federal Register--
            ``(1) to install and operate onboard detectors and other 
        air quality monitoring equipment that--
                    ``(A) are situated in the air supply system to 
                enable pilots and maintenance technicians to identify 
                the location of the source or sources of air supply 
                contamination in real time, including any concentration 
                of carbon monoxide that is dangerous to human health;
                    ``(B) continuously monitor any relevant marker 
                compound consistent with engine oil and hydraulic fluid 
                fume concentration in the aircraft cabin and air supply 
                system; and
                    ``(C) alert the pilot and flight attendants to poor 
                air quality that is dangerous to human health; and
            ``(2) to have in place procedures to train the pilots to 
        initiate standardized communication and source isolation 
        protocols, as soon as appropriate, with the flight attendants 
        and air traffic controllers (as needed), and to apply their 
        professional judgement based on onboard conditions, all in 
        response to poor air quality that is dangerous to human health.
    ``(b) Authority of the Administrator.--The Administrator may 
establish standards for aircraft cabin air quality, as the 
Administrator determines is necessary to protect the health and safety 
of air carrier crew members and passengers, in consultation with--
            ``(1) the Director of the National Institute for 
        Occupational Safety and Health of the Centers for Disease 
        Control and Prevention;
            ``(2) the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational 
        Safety and Health; and
            ``(3) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency.
    ``(c) Inclusion of Information Relating to Air Quality Monitoring 
Equipment in Aircraft Manuals.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
the enactment of this section, the Administrator shall promulgate 
regulations requiring an aircraft manufacturer that manufactures 
aircraft for air carriers to include procedures for responding to 
alarms from air quality monitoring equipment required under subsection 
(a) during normal and nonstandard operations in the flight operator's 
manual for each such aircraft produced by the manufacturer.
    ``(d) Continuing Research To Develop Sensors and Techniques To 
Monitor Cabin Air Quality.--The Administrator shall continue to 
research, study, and identify emerging technologies suitable to provide 
reliable warning of cabin air contamination from an aircraft bleed air 
system, including through investigation and research into specific 
sensors, methods, and operational techniques to prevent poor air 
quality that is dangerous to human health.
    ``(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to imply that an investigation under section 45404 is not 
necessary or that crew members and passengers have not been exposed to 
smoke or fumes if the alarm from any air quality monitoring equipment 
installed on an aircraft is not activated.
``Sec. 45406. Minimum equipment list for bleed air system
    ``Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 
section, the Administrator shall promulgate regulations requiring any 
manufacturer of aircraft that transports passengers or cargo to include 
the air quality monitoring equipment required under section 45405 in 
the master minimum equipment list for aircraft with a bleed air system 
certified under section 44704 or for which certification was delegated 
under section 44702(d).
``Sec. 45407. Authorization of appropriations
    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator such 
sums as may be necessary to carry out this chapter.
``Sec. 45408. Exclusion of helicopters
    ``The provisions of this chapter do not apply to helicopters.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Table of contents.--The table of contents of subpart 
        III of part A of subtitle VII of title 49, United States Code, 
        is amended by inserting after the item relating to chapter 453 
        the following:

              ``Chapter 454--Cabin Air Quality and Safety

``45401. Definition of Administrator.
``45402. Training to respond to smoke or fume incidents on aircraft.
``45403. Reporting of incidents of smoke or fumes on board aircraft.
``45404. Investigations.
``45405. Air quality monitoring equipment.
``45406. Minimum equipment list for bleed air system.
``45407. Authorization of appropriations.
``45408. Exclusion of helicopters.''.
            (2) Conforming repeal.--Section 326 of the FAA 
        Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note) and the item 
        relating to that section in the table of contents under section 
        1(b) of that Act are repealed.
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