Title: Helicopter Safety Act of 2020
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Helicopter Safety Act of 2020
This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to issue regulations to implement National Transportation Safety Board recommendations for crash-resistant systems with respect to existing and new U.S.-registered turbine-powered rotorcraft (e.g., a helicopter) certificated for six or more passenger seats.
Specifically, the FAA must require all U.S.-registered turbine-powered rotorcraft certificated for six or more passenger seats to be equipped with a flight data recorder, a cockpit voice recorder, and a terrain awareness and warning system.
The FAA may exempt any civilian helicopter from one or more of the equipment requirements.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3946 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3946

To require certain helicopters to be equipped with safety technologies, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 11, 2020

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require certain helicopters to be equipped with safety technologies, 
                        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 ``Helicopter Safety Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The January 26, 2020, helicopter crash near Calabasas, 
        California, in which 9 individuals lost their lives, was a 
        tragic event.
            (2) Officials from the National Transportation Safety Board 
        (NTSB) have noted that the helicopter involved in the fatal 
        January crash was not equipped with a Flight Data Recorder 
        (FDR), a Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), or a Terrain Awareness 
        and Warning System (TAWS).
            (3) The NTSB has investigated numerous tragic helicopter 
        accidents, including the crash of a helicopter in the Gulf of 
        Mexico in 2004, in which 10 individuals lost their lives, and a 
        crash in Missouri in 2011, in which 4 individuals lost their 
        lives.
            (4) The NTSB has provided recommendations to the FAA 
        regarding equipping helicopters with crash-resistant Flight 
        Data Recorders, Cockpit Voice Recorders, and Terrain Awareness 
        and Warning Systems.
            (5) The FAA has not acted on several NTSB recommendations 
        for increased helicopter safety technologies that could 
        potentially avert future tragedies.

SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF NTSB RECOMMENDATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Subject to subsections (b) and (c), not later than 
180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall issue such regulations as are necessary to implement the 
following NTSB recommendations for crash-resistant systems, but only 
with respect to existing and new U.S.-registered turbine-powered 
rotorcraft certificated for six or more passenger seats:
            (1) Safety Recommendation A-06-017, issued on March 7, 2006 
        (relating to requiring all rotorcraft operating under parts 91 
        and 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, with a 
        transport-category certification to be equipped with a cockpit 
        voice recorder (CVR) and a flight data recorder (FDR) or an 
        onboard cockpit image recorder with the capability of recording 
        cockpit audio, crew communications, and aircraft parametric 
        data).
            (2) Safety Recommendation A-06-018, issued on March 7, 2006 
        (relating to not permitting exemptions or exceptions to the 
        flight recorder regulations that allow transport-category 
        rotorcraft to operate without flight recorders, and withdrawing 
        exemptions and exceptions that allow transport-category 
        rotorcraft to operate without flight recorders).
            (3) Safety Recommendation A-06-019 issued on March 24, 2006 
        (relating to requiring all existing and new U.S.-registered 
        turbine-powered rotorcraft certificated for six or more 
        passenger seats to be equipped with a terrain awareness and 
        warning system).
    (b) Timing for Equipment Compliance.--The regulations required to 
be issued under subsection (a) shall require all U.S.-registered 
turbine-powered rotorcraft certificated for six or more passenger seats 
to be equipped with a Flight Data Recorder, a Cockpit Voice Recorder, 
and a Terrain Awareness and Warning System that each meet the 
respective requirements applicable under such regulations, not later 
than--
            (1) 1 year after the date on which the applicable 
        regulation is issued; or
            (2) 2 years after the date on which the applicable 
        regulation is issued, if the Administrator determines 
        appropriate.
    (c) Exemptions.--
            (1) In general.--In issuing the regulations required under 
        subsection (a), the Administrator may exempt any civilian 
        helicopter that the Administrator determines appropriate from 
        one or more of the equipment requirements of such regulations.
            (2) Requirements.--If the Administrator issues a final 
        regulation that contains an exemption described in paragraph 
        (1), the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on 
        Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
        Representatives the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate a report describing the exemption, 
        not later than the date on which the final regulation is 
        issued.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the FAA.
            (2) FAA.--The term ``FAA'' means the Federal Aviation 
        Administration.
            (3) NTSB.--The term ``NTSB'' means the National 
        Transportation Safety Board.
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