Title: Cabin Air Safety Act of 2019
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Cabin Air Safety Act of 2019
This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to implement regulations regarding smoke or fume incidents on commercial aircraft (excluding helicopters).
Specifically, the bill requires

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1112 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1112

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


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 10, 2019

Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Markey, and Mrs. Feinstein) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
                on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To improve the safety of the air supply on commercial 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 2019''.

SEC. 2. COMMERCIAL AIR CARRIER DEFINED.

    In this Act, the term ``commercial air carrier'' means an air 
carrier operating under part 121 or 135 of title 14, Code of Federal 
Regulations.

SEC. 3. 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 Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall prescribe 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 oil and hydraulic fluid fumes and 
        other potentially hazardous fumes, such as fumes relating to 
        hydraulic fluid, engine exhaust, ground service vehicle 
        exhaust, fuel, de-icing fluid, 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 
        4(a)(2).
            (6) Requirements relating to reporting incidents of smoke 
        and fumes on board aircraft to the Federal Aviation 
        Administration under sections 4 and 6(b).

SEC. 4. 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 Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration 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 a 
        commercial 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 Federal Aviation 
                        Administration; 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 commercial air 
                carriers to search the reported incidents database 
                compiled by the Federal Aviation Administration for the 
                purposes of reviewing and monitoring incidents 
                contained in the database and assisting with 
                investigations conducted under section 5.
    (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, the type of aircraft, the 
        registration number of the aircraft, and the individual 
        reporting the incident.
            (2) Information about the smoke or a fire, if relevant, 
        including a description of the nature and apparent source of 
        the smoke or fire.
            (3) Information about the fumes, including a description of 
        the type, apparent source, smell, and visual consistency (if 
        any) of the smoke or fumes.
            (4) Information about the location of the smoke or fumes.
            (5) Information about the engine manufacturer, engine type, 
        the engine serial number, and the age of the engine.
            (6) Information about--
                    (A) the phase of flight during which smoke or fumes 
                were present; and
                    (B) if the incident happened while the aircraft was 
                on the ground, the location of the aircraft at the 
                airport at the time of the incident.
            (7) Other observations about the smoke or fumes.
            (8) A description of symptoms reported by crew members and 
        passengers.
            (9) Information with respect to whether crew members or 
        passengers used, needed, or were administered supplemental or 
        emergency oxygen.
            (10) Information regarding any effects on the operation of 
        the flight.
            (11) Information about maintenance work conducted on the 
        aircraft following the incident.
    (c) Public Availability of Smoke and Fume Event Information.--
            (1) In general.--Not less frequently than quarterly and 
        subject to paragraph (2), the Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration 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 Federal Aviation Administration.
            (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 Federal Aviation Administration under 
        subsection (a)(2) that includes the following variables for 
        each event:
                    (A) Date.
                    (B) Tail number.
                    (C) Air carrier.
                    (D) Phase of flight.
                    (E) Location of fumes.
                    (F) Description of fumes.
                    (G) Aircraft type.
                    (H) Engine type.
                    (I) Oil type.
                    (J) Deidentified narrative.
                    (K) Cause or maintenance information if cause is 
                not known.
                    (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. 5. INVESTIGATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall prescribe regulations requiring the Federal 
Aviation Administration to conduct an investigation described in 
subsection (b), after a report is submitted to the Administration 
through the system for reporting incidents of smoke or fumes on board 
aircraft established under section 4(a)(2) and before the date that is 
7 days after the incident.
    (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 4 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 commercial 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. 6. AIR MONITORING EQUIPMENT.

    (a) Requirement To Include on Commercial Aircraft.--Not later than 
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
of the Federal Aviation Administration shall prescribe regulations 
requiring a commercial air carrier, by not later than one year after 
the regulations are published in the Federal Register--
            (1) to install and operate onboard carbon monoxide 
        detectors that--
                    (A) are situated in the air supply system to best 
                enable pilots and maintenance technicians to locate the 
                source or sources of air supply contamination;
                    (B) continuously monitor carbon monoxide levels in 
                the aircraft air supply system when the aircraft is in 
                flight; and
                    (C) alert the pilot and flight attendants in the 
                event that carbon monoxide concentration is at or above 
                9 ppm; and
            (2) to have in place procedures to train the pilots to 
        initiate standardized communication protocols, as soon as 
        appropriate, with the flight attendants and controllers (as 
        needed), and to apply their professional judgement based on 
        onboard conditions, all in response to carbon monoxide 
        concentration at or above 9 ppm.
    (b) Requirement for a Pilot To Report an Alarm.--The regulations 
prescribed under subsection (a) shall require a pilot to submit a form 
through the system for reporting incidents of smoke or fumes on board 
aircraft established under section 4(a)(2) if the carbon monoxide 
concentration is at or above 9 ppm at any time during flight.
    (c) Inclusion of Information Relating to Carbon Monoxide Detectors 
in Aircraft Manuals.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall prescribe regulations requiring an aircraft 
manufacturer that manufactures aircraft for commercial air carriers to 
include procedures for responding to alarms from carbon monoxide 
detectors 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 Bleed Air Quality.--The Federal Aviation Administration shall 
continue to research, study, and identify emerging technologies 
suitable to provide reliable warning of bleed air contamination, 
including through investigation and research into specific sensors, 
methods, and operational techniques to prevent fume events.
    (e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to imply that an investigation under section 5 is not necessary or that 
crew members and passengers have not been exposed to fumes if the alarm 
in a carbon monoxide detector installed on an aircraft is not 
activated.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Federal Aviation 
Administration such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.

SEC. 8. EXCLUSION OF HELICOPTERS.

    The provisions of this Act do not apply to helicopters.

SEC. 9. CONFORMING REPEAL.

    Section 326 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-
254) is repealed.
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