Sec. 334. Study on airworthiness standards compliance
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/bill/118/s/1939/is/section-334·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Administrator shall conduct a study on the safety consequences of a transport airplane design approved by a domestic or foreign aviation manufacturer failing to comply with the applicable airworthiness standards. The study shall identify— each final airworthiness directive applicable to transport airplanes that was issued by the FAA in the 2-year period prior to the date of enactment of this section to address unsafe conditions resulting from the approval of designs that were non-compliant with an applicable airworthiness standard; and for each such airworthiness directive— the airworthiness standard with which the affected products failed to comply, as well as the resulting unsafe condition and whether such condition resulted in an accident; the methods by which the noncompliance was discovered and brought to the attention of the FAA; an analysis of whether the method used by the applicant to show compliance was acceptable and whether other compliance methods would have identified the noncompliance during the type certification process; the date of approval of the relevant type design and the date of issuance of the airworthiness directive; any corrective action mandated to address the identified unsafe condition; the period of time specified for the incorporation of the corrective action, during which the affected products were allowed to operate before the unsafe condition was corrected; and the total cost of compliance estimated in the final rule adopting the airworthiness directive.
In conducting the study under subsection (a), the Administrator shall coordinate with, and solicit comments from, union representatives of the aviation safety engineers involved in the development of airworthiness directives. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes— the results of the study conducted under subsection (a); a description of any root cause of unsafe conditions identified by such study, as well as an identification of any action required to address any such root cause; the union representative comments solicited under subsection (b); and any other recommendations for legislative or administrative action determined appropriate by the Administrator.
For purposes of this section, the term transport airplane has the meaning given such term in FAA Notice N 8900.649, titled Use of Air Carrier Pilots During Flight Standardization Board Evaluations for Transport Airplanes (issued December 23, 2022).