An Act to amend the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to provide for the application of Federal criminal law to certain events occurring on board aircraft in air commerce.
PL 87-197 (S.2268), enacted 09/05/1961

466 
PUBLIC LAW 87-197-SEPT. 5, 1961 
[75 ST A T . 
September 5, 1961 
[S. 2268] 
Public Law 87-197 
AN ACT 
To amend the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to provide for the application of 
Federal criminal law to certain events occurring on board aircraft in air 
commerce. 
"A i 
piracy. 
Be It enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
Federal A via- United States of America in Congress assembled, That section 902 of 
imen^men? '^^^' the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1472) is amended by 
72 Stat. 784. 
adding at the end thereof the following new subsections: 
"AIRCRAFT PIRACY 
"(i)(l) Whoever commits or attempts to commit aircraft piracy, 
as herein defined, shall be punished— 
"(A) by death if the verdict of the jury shall so recommend, 
or, in the case of a plea of guilty, or a plea of not guilty where 
the defendant has waived a trial by jury, if the court in its 
discretion shall so order; or 
"(B) by imprisonment for not less than twenty years, if the 
death penalty is not imposed. 
c r a f t 
"(2) As used in this subsection, the term 'aircraft piracy' means 
any seizure or exercise of control, by force or violence or threat of 
force or violence and with wrongful intent, of an aircraft in flight 
in air commerce. 
"INTERFERENCE WITH FLIGHT CREW MEMBERS OR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS 
"(j) Whoever, while aboard an aircraft in flight in air commerce, 
assaults, intimidates, or threatens any flight crew member or flight 
attendant (including any steward or stewardess) of such aircraft, so 
as to interfere with the performance by such member or attendant of 
his duties or lessen the ability of such member or attendant to perform 
his duties, shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more 
than twenty years, or both. Whoever in the commission of any such 
act uses a deadly or dangerous weapon shall be imprisoned for any 
term of years or for life. 
"CERTAIN CRIMES ABOARD AIRCRAFT IN FLIGHT 
" ( k ) ( l ) AVhoever, while aboard an aircraft in flight in air com-
merce, commits an act which, if committed within the special mari-
time and territorial jurisdiction of the United States, as defined in 
62 Stat. 685. 
scctiou 7 of title 18, United States Code, would be in violation of section 
113, 114, 661, 662, 1111, 1112, 1113, 2031, 2032, or 2111 of such title 18 
shall be punished as provided therein. 
"(2) Whoever, while aboard an aircraft in flight in air commerce, 
commits an act, which, if committed in the District of Columbia would 
be in violation of section 9 of the Act entitled 'x\n Act for the preser-
vation of the public peace and the protection of property within the 
District of Columbia', approved July 29, 1892, as amended (D.C. 
67 Stat. 92. 
Codc, scc. 22-1112), sliall be punished as provided therein. 
"CARRYING WEAPONS ABOARD AIRCRAFT 
"(1) Except for law enforcement officers of any municipal or State 
government, or the Federal Government, who are authorized or 
required to carry arms, and except for such other persons as may be 
so authorized under regulations issued by the Administrator, whoever, 
while aboard an aircraft being operated by an air carrier in air trans-
75 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LAW 87-197-SEPT. 5, 1961 
467 
portation, has on or about his person a concealed deadly or dangerous 
weapon, or whoever attempts to board such an aircraft while having 
on or about his person a concealed deadly or dangerous weapon, shall 
be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned not more than one year, 
or both. 
« 
FALSE 
INFORMATION 
"(m) (1) Whoever imparts or conveys or causes to be imparted or 
conveyed false information, knowing the information to be false, 
concerning an attempt or alleged attempt being made or to be made, 
to do any act which would be a crime prohibited by subsection (i), 
(j), (k), or (1) of this section, shall be fined not more than $1,000 or 
imprisoned not more than one year, or both. 
"(2) Whoever willfully and maliciously, or with reckless disregard 
for the safety of human life, imparts or conveys or causes to be 
imparted or conveyed false information, knowing the information to 
be false, concerning an attempt or alleged attempt being made or to 
be made, to do any act which would be a crime prohibited by subsection 
(i), (j), (k), or (1) of this section, shall be fined not more than 
$5,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. 
"INVESTIGATIONS BY FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION 
"(n) Violations of subsections (i) through (m), inclusive, of 
this section shall be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investi-
gation of the Department of Justice." 
SEC. 2. Subsection (a) of section 903 of the Federal Aviation Act 
of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1473 (a)) is amended to read as follows: 
^2 stat. 786. 
"VENUE 
"SEC. 903. (a) The trial of any offense under this Act shall be in 
the district in which such offense is committed; or, if the offense is 
committed out of the jurisdiction of any particular State or district, 
the trial shall be in the district where the offender, or any one of two 
or more joint offenders, is arrested or is first brought. 
If such 
offender or offenders are not so arrested or brought into any district, 
an indictment or information may be filed in the district of the last 
known residence of the offender or of any one of two or more joint 
offenders, or if no such residence is known the indictment or infor-
mation may be filed in the District of Columbia. Whenever the 
offense is begun in one jurisdiction and completed in another, or 
committed in more than one jurisdiction, it may be dealt with, 
inquired of, tried, determined, and punished in any jurisdiction in 
which such offense was begun, continued, or completed, in the same 
manner as if the offense had been actually and wholly committed 
therein." 
SEC. 3. Paragraph (4) of section 101 of the Federal Aviation Act 
of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1301(4)) is amended by striking out "operation or 
navigation or aircraft within" and inserting in lieu thereof the follow-
ing : "operation or navigation of aircraft within". 
SEC. 4. Title X I of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 is amended by 
^^ ^^fj^y.^ ^ ^ 
adding at the end thereof the following new section: 
islo. 
' 
"AUTHORITY To REFUSE TRANSPORTATION 
"SEC. 1111. Subject to reasonable rules and regulations prescribed 
by the Administrator, any air carrier is authorized to refuse transpor-
tation to a passenger or to refuse to transport property when, in the 
72 Stat. 737. 
468 
PUBLIC LAW 87-198-SEPT. 5, 1961 
[75 S T A T . 
72 Stat. 734. 
72 Stat. 735. 
opinion of the air carrier, such transportation would or might be 
inimical to safety of flight." 
SEC. 5. (a) That portion of the table of contents contained in the 
first section of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 which appears under 
the heading "Sec. 902. Criminal penalties." is amended by adding at 
the end thereof the following: 
'*(i) Aircraft piracy. 
" (j) Interference with flight crew members or flight attendants. 
"(k) Certain crimes aboard aircraft in flight. 
"(1) Carrying weai)ons aboard aircraft. 
"(m) False information. 
"(n) Investigations by Federal Bureau of Investigation." 
(b) That portion of such table of contents which appears under 
the heading "TITLE XI—MISCELLANEOUS" is amended by adding at 
the end thereof the following: 
"SEO. 1111. Authority to refuse transportation." 
Approved September 5, 1961. 
September 5, 1961 
[H. R. 8922] 
Public Law 87-198 
AN ACT 
To amend the Small Business Act to increase by $20,000,000 the amount available 
for regular business loans thereunder. 
Small Busine s s 
Act, amendment. 
Loan funds. 
Ante.p. 168; 7 3 
Stat. 647. 
15 u s e 633. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Rejjresentatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That section 4(c) 
of the Small Business Act is amended— 
(1) by striking out "$1,000,000,000" each place it appears and 
inserting in lieu thereof "$1,020,000,000"; and 
(2) by striking out "$575,000,000" and inserting in lieu thereof 
"$695,000,000". 
Approved September 5, 1961. 
September 6, 1961 
[H. R. 29] 
Public Law 87-199 
AN ACT 
To amend section 216(b) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended, to 
permit the appointment of United States nationals to the Merchant Marine 
Academy. 
Merchant Marine 
Academy. 
Appointment of 
U. S. nationals. 
70 Stat. 25. 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ That paragraph (1) 
of section 216(b) of the Merchant Marine Act, 1936, as amended (46 
U.S.C., sec. 1126(b)), is amended by inserting before the period at 
the end of the third sentence thereof a colon and the following words: 
''''Provided, That a candidate nominated by the Governor of Ameri-
can Samoa shall not be denied admission by reason of his being a 
national but not a citizen of the United States: Provided 
further, 
That the foregoing proviso shall not be construed to permit any such 
person who is a national but not a citizen of the United States to be 
entitled to any office or position in the United States merchant marine 
by reason of his graduation from the Academy until such person shall 
have become a citizen". 
Approved September 6, 1961.