Pilot's Bill of Rights
PL 112-153 (S.1335), enacted 08/03/2012

126 STAT. 1159 
PUBLIC LAW 112–153—AUG. 3, 2012 
Public Law 112–153 
112th Congress 
An Act 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide rights for pilots, 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 ‘‘Pilot’s Bill of Rights’’. 
SEC. 2. FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ENFORCEMENT PRO-
CEEDINGS AND ELIMINATION OF DEFERENCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Any proceeding conducted under subpart C, 
D, or F of part 821 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, relating 
to denial, amendment, modification, suspension, or revocation of 
an airman certificate, shall be conducted, to the extent practicable, 
in accordance with the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and the 
Federal Rules of Evidence. 
(b) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided under paragraph (3), 
the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 
(referred to in this section as the ‘‘Administrator’’) shall provide 
timely, written notification to an individual who is the subject 
of an investigation relating to the approval, denial, suspension, 
modification, or revocation of an airman certificate under 
chapter 447 of title 49, United States Code. 
(2) INFORMATION
REQUIRED.—The notification required 
under paragraph (1) shall inform the individual— 
(A) of the nature of the investigation; 
(B) that an oral or written response to a Letter of 
Investigation from the Administrator is not required; 
(C) that no action or adverse inference can be taken 
against the individual for declining to respond to a Letter 
of Investigation from the Administrator; 
(D) that any response to a Letter of Investigation from 
the Administrator or to an inquiry made by a representa-
tive of the Administrator by the individual may be used 
as evidence against the individual; 
(E) that the releasable portions of the Administrator’s 
investigative report will be available to the individual; 
and 
(F) that the individual is entitled to access or otherwise 
obtain air traffic data described in paragraph (4). 
Notification. 
49 USC 44703 
note. 
49 USC 40101 
note. 
Pilot’s Bill of 
Rights. 
Aug. 3, 2012 
[S. 1335] 
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126 STAT. 1160 
PUBLIC LAW 112–153—AUG. 3, 2012 
(3) EXCEPTION.—The Administrator may delay timely 
notification under paragraph (1) if the Administrator deter-
mines that such notification may threaten the integrity of the 
investigation. 
(4) ACCESS TO AIR TRAFFIC DATA.— 
(A) FAA AIR TRAFFIC DATA.—The Administrator shall 
provide an individual described in paragraph (1) with 
timely access to any air traffic data in the possession 
of the Federal Aviation Administration that would facilitate 
the individual’s ability to productively participate in a pro-
ceeding relating to an investigation described in such para-
graph. 
(B) AIR TRAFFIC DATA DEFINED.—As used in subpara-
graph (A), the term ‘‘air traffic data’’ includes— 
(i) relevant air traffic communication tapes; 
(ii) radar information; 
(iii) air traffic controller statements; 
(iv) flight data; 
(v) investigative reports; and 
(vi) any other air traffic or flight data in the Fed-
eral Aviation Administration’s possession that would 
facilitate the individual’s ability to productively partici-
pate in the proceeding. 
(C) GOVERNMENT CONTRACTOR AIR TRAFFIC DATA.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—Any individual described in para-
graph (1) is entitled to obtain any air traffic data 
that would facilitate the individual’s ability to produc-
tively participate in a proceeding relating to an inves-
tigation described in such paragraph from a govern-
ment contractor that provides operational services to 
the Federal Aviation Administration, including control 
towers and flight service stations. 
(ii) REQUIRED
INFORMATION
FROM
INDIVIDUAL.— 
The individual may obtain the information described 
in clause (i) by submitting a request to the Adminis-
trator that— 
(I) describes the facility at which such informa-
tion is located; and 
(II) identifies the date on which such informa-
tion was generated. 
(iii) PROVISION OF INFORMATION TO INDIVIDUAL.— 
If the Administrator receives a request under this 
subparagraph, the Administrator shall— 
(I) request the contractor to provide the 
requested information; and 
(II) upon receiving such information, transmit-
ting the information to the requesting individual 
in a timely manner. 
(5) TIMING.—Except when the Administrator determines 
that an emergency exists under section 44709(c)(2) or 46105(c), 
the Administrator may not proceed against an individual that 
is the subject of an investigation described in paragraph (1) 
during the 30-day period beginning on the date on which the 
air traffic data required under paragraph (4) is made available 
to the individual. 
(c) AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 49.— 
49 USC 44703. 
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126 STAT. 1161 
PUBLIC LAW 112–153—AUG. 3, 2012 
(1) AIRMAN CERTIFICATES.—Section 44703(d)(2) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘but is bound 
by all validly adopted interpretations of laws and regulations 
the Administrator carries out unless the Board finds an 
interpretation is arbitrary, capricious, or otherwise not 
according to law’’. 
(2) AMENDMENTS, MODIFICATIONS, SUSPENSIONS, AND REV-
OCATIONS OF CERTIFICATES.—Section 44709(d)(3) of such title 
is amended by striking ‘‘but is bound by all validly adopted 
interpretations of laws and regulations the Administrator car-
ries out and of written agency policy guidance available to 
the public related to sanctions to be imposed under this section 
unless the Board finds an interpretation is arbitrary, capricious, 
or otherwise not according to law’’. 
(3) REVOCATION OF AIRMAN CERTIFICATES FOR CONTROLLED 
SUBSTANCE
VIOLATIONS.—Section 44710(d)(1) of such title is 
amended by striking ‘‘but shall be bound by all validly adopted 
interpretations of laws and regulations the Administrator car-
ries out and of written agency policy guidance available to 
the public related to sanctions to be imposed under this section 
unless the Board finds an interpretation is arbitrary, capricious, 
or otherwise not according to law’’. 
(d) APPEAL FROM CERTIFICATE ACTIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Upon a decision by the National 
Transportation Safety Board upholding an order or a final 
decision by the Administrator denying an airman certificate 
under section 44703(d) of title 49, United States Code, or 
imposing a punitive civil action or an emergency order of revoca-
tion under subsections (d) and (e) of section 44709 of such 
title, an individual substantially affected by an order of the 
Board may, at the individual’s election, file an appeal in the 
United States district court in which the individual resides 
or in which the action in question occurred, or in the United 
States District Court for the District of Columbia. If the indi-
vidual substantially affected by an order of the Board elects 
not to file an appeal in a United States district court, the 
individual may file an appeal in an appropriate United States 
court of appeals. 
(2) EMERGENCY ORDER PENDING JUDICIAL REVIEW.—Subse-
quent to a decision by the Board to uphold an Administrator’s 
emergency order under section 44709(e)(2) of title 49, United 
States Code, and absent a stay of the enforcement of that 
order by the Board, the emergency order of amendment, modi-
fication, suspension, or revocation of a certificate shall remain 
in effect, pending the exhaustion of an appeal to a Federal 
district court as provided in this Act. 
(e) STANDARD OF REVIEW.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In an appeal filed under subsection (d) 
in a United States district court, the district court shall give 
full independent review of a denial, suspension, or revocation 
ordered by the Administrator, including substantive inde-
pendent and expedited review of any decision by the Adminis-
trator to make such order effective immediately. 
(2) EVIDENCE.—A United States district court’s review 
under paragraph (1) shall include in evidence any record of 
the proceeding before the Administrator and any record of 
the proceeding before the National Transportation Safety 
49 USC 44710. 
49 USC 44709. 
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126 STAT. 1162 
PUBLIC LAW 112–153—AUG. 3, 2012 
Board, including hearing testimony, transcripts, exhibits, 
decisions, and briefs submitted by the parties. 
SEC. 3. NOTICES TO AIRMEN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘NOTAM’’ means 
Notices to Airmen. 
(2) IMPROVEMENTS.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration shall begin a Notice to Airmen 
Improvement Program (in this section referred to as the 
‘‘NOTAM Improvement Program’’)— 
(A) to improve the system of providing airmen with 
pertinent and timely information regarding the national 
airspace system; 
(B) to archive, in a public central location, all NOTAMs, 
including the original content and form of the notices, 
the original date of publication, and any amendments to 
such notices with the date of each amendment; and 
(C) to apply filters so that pilots can prioritize critical 
flight safety information from other airspace system 
information. 
(b) GOALS OF PROGRAM.—The goals of the NOTAM Improve-
ment Program are— 
(1) to decrease the overwhelming volume of NOTAMs an 
airman receives when retrieving airman information prior to 
a flight in the national airspace system; 
(2) make the NOTAMs more specific and relevant to the 
airman’s route and in a format that is more useable to the 
airman; 
(3) to provide a full set of NOTAM results in addition 
to specific information requested by airmen; 
(4) to provide a document that is easily searchable; and 
(5) to provide a filtering mechanism similar to that provided 
by the Department of Defense Notices to Airmen. 
(c) ADVICE FROM PRIVATE SECTOR GROUPS.—The Administrator 
shall establish a NOTAM Improvement Panel, which shall be com-
prised of representatives of relevant nonprofit and not-for-profit 
general aviation pilot groups, to advise the Administrator in car-
rying out the goals of the NOTAM Improvement Program under 
this section. 
(d) PHASE-IN AND COMPLETION.—The improvements required 
by this section shall be phased in as quickly as practicable and 
shall be completed not later than the date that is 1 year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 4. MEDICAL CERTIFICATION. 
(a) ASSESSMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall initiate an assessment of the Federal Avia-
tion Administration’s medical certification process and the asso-
ciated medical standards and forms. 
(2) REPORT.—The Comptroller General shall submit a 
report to Congress based on the assessment required under 
paragraph (1) that examines— 
(A) revisions to the medical application form that would 
provide greater clarity and guidance to applicants; 
Deadline. 
49 USC 44703 
note. 
Deadline. 
Establishment. 
Deadline. 
49 USC 44701 
note. 
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126 STAT. 1163 
PUBLIC LAW 112–153—AUG. 3, 2012 
(B) the alignment of medical qualification policies with 
present-day qualified medical judgment and practices, as 
applied to an individual’s medically relevant circumstances; 
and 
(C) steps that could be taken to promote the public’s 
understanding of the medical requirements that determine 
an airman’s medical certificate eligibility. 
(b) GOALS OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION’S MED-
ICAL CERTIFICATION PROCESS.—The goals of the Federal Aviation 
Administration’s medical certification process are— 
(1) to provide questions in the medical application form 
that— 
(A) are appropriate without being overly broad; 
(B) are subject to a minimum amount of misinterpreta-
tion and mistaken responses; 
(C) allow for consistent treatment and responses during 
the medical application process; and 
(D) avoid unnecessary allegations that an individual 
has intentionally falsified answers on the form; 
(2) to provide questions that elicit information that is rel-
evant to making a determination of an individual’s medical 
qualifications within the standards identified in the Adminis-
trator’s regulations; 
(3) to give medical standards greater meaning by ensuring 
the information requested aligns with present-day medical judg-
ment and practices; and 
(4) to ensure that— 
(A) the application of such medical standards provides 
an appropriate and fair evaluation of an individual’s quali-
fications; and 
(B) the individual understands the basis for deter-
mining medical qualifications. 
(c) ADVICE FROM PRIVATE SECTOR GROUPS.—The Administrator 
shall establish a panel, which shall be comprised of representatives 
of relevant nonprofit and not-for-profit general aviation pilot groups, 
aviation medical examiners, and other qualified medical experts, 
to advise the Administrator in carrying out the goals of the assess-
ment required under this section. 
(d) FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION RESPONSE.—Not later 
than 1 year after the issuance of the report by the Comptroller 
Deadline. 
Establishment. 
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126 STAT. 1164 
PUBLIC LAW 112–153—AUG. 3, 2012 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 1335: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 158 (2012): 
June 29, considered and passed Senate. 
July 23, considered and passed House. 
General pursuant to subsection (a)(2), the Administrator shall take 
appropriate actions to respond to such report. 
Approved August 3, 2012. 
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