Source: http://alanarmstronglaw.com/faa-misses-the-mark-with-new-flight-and-duty-rules/
Timestamp: 2018-05-21 01:18:45
Document Index: 663795267

Matched Legal Cases: ['§501', '§212', '§212', 'art 117', 'art 121', '§212', '§212', 'art 117']

FAA Misses the Mark with New Rules on Flight And Duty - Alan Armstrong Law
On March 7, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia heard oral argument on a petition for review filed by the Independent Pilot’s Association (hereinafter “IPA”) against the FAA in the case styled: Independent Pilots’ Association v. Federal Aviation Administration, United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia, Case Nos. 11-1483, 15-1027 (“the IPA Challenge”). The IPA represents more than 2,500 professional pilots who fly in the service of United Parcel Service. The IPA is an unincorporated association operating under §501(c)(5) of the Internal Revenue Code. The IPA Challenge is an outgrowth of inconsistent behavior by the FAA in response to a directive from Congress in the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-216 §212, 124 Stat. 2348, 2362 (2010) (hereinafter the “Safety Act”). In Section 2010 of the Safety Act, the FAA was directed by Congress to promulgate new flight and duty time rules “based on the best available scientific information…to address problems relating to pilot fatigue.” Id., §212(a)(1). The FAA ignored the Congressional mandate, promulgated new rules in the form of Part 117 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, but left cargo pilots subject to the old provisions of Part 121 based upon a “cost versus benefit analysis.” Accordingly, the UPS pilots by and through IPA have maintained that the FAA failed to consider the best scientific evidence as required by §212 of the Safety Act and has argued that the FAA argued in an arbitrary and capricious manner by ignoring scientific data on fatigue, sleep and circadian rhythm research. This article will review the history and circumstances surrounding the case brought by IPA before the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
While the personnel in the FAA responsible for promulgating the Final Rule may have been motivated by political considerations rather than medical concerns, if IPA is successful, one can anticipate a remand of the FAA’s decision to the Agency with direction from the DC Circuit Court of Appeals to comply with §212 of the Safety Act. If the FAA action is the cause of a remand by the DC Circuit, one may anticipate that the flight and duty time limitations applicable to passenger carrying pilots in Part 117 of the Regulations may also become applicable to pilots carrying cargo.