Sec. 346. STUDY ON AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS COMPLIANCE

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## SEC. 346 STUDY ON AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS COMPLIANCE ###

(a)Study The Administrator shall seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to conduct a study, in consultation with appropriate aviation safety engineers of the FAA, on the occurrences and potential consequences of a transport airplane design found to not comply with applicable airworthiness standards. ###

(b)Scope In conducting the study pursuant to subsection (a), the federally funded research and development center shall identify each final airworthiness directive issued by the FAA or another civil aviation authority— ####

(1)applicable to transport airplanes during the 10-year period prior to the date of enactment of this Act; and ####

(2)to address an unsafe condition resulting from an approved design that was noncompliant with an applicable airworthiness standard. ###

(c)Requirements For each such airworthiness directive identified under subsection (b), the federally funded research and development center shall examine— ####

(1)the airworthiness standard with which the transport airplane failed to comply; ####

(2)the resulting unsafe condition and whether such condition resulted in an accident; ####

(3)the methods by which the noncompliance was discovered and brought to the attention of the FAA or another civil aviation authority, to the extent such methods can be identified; ####

(4)an analysis of the method used by the applicant to show compliance during the certification process and whether other compliance methods may have reasonably identified the noncompliance during the certification process; ####

(5)the date of approval of the relevant type design and the date of issuance of the airworthiness directive; ####

(6)any corrective action mandated to address the identified unsafe condition; ####

(7)the period of time specified for the incorporation of the corrective action, during which the affected transport airplanes were allowed to operate before the unsafe condition was corrected; and ####

(8)the total cost of compliance estimated in the final rule adopting the airworthiness directive. ###

(d)Coordination In conducting the study under subsection (a), the federally funded research and development center shall coordinate with, and solicit comments from— ####

(1)transport category aircraft manufacturers; and ####

(2)employees of the Administration, including the official bargaining representative of aircraft certification services engineers and of aviation safety engineers under section 7111 of title 5, United States Code, involved in developing airworthiness directives, as necessary. ###

(e)Report to Congress Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes— ####

(1)the results of the study conducted under subsection (a); ####

(2)actions the Administrator determines necessary to improve safety as a result of the findings under subsection

(a)and any root causes of an unsafe condition that were identified; ####

(3)the comments solicited under subsection (d); and ####

(4)any other recommendations for legislative or administrative action determined appropriate by the Administrator. ###

(f)Definitions In this section: ####

(1)Air carrier; foreign air carrier The terms “air carrier” and “foreign air carrier” have the meanings given such terms in section 40102 of title 49, United States Code. ####

(2)Transport airplane The term “transport airplane” means a transport category airplane designed for operation by an air carrier or foreign air carrier type-certificated with a passenger seating capacity of 30 or more or an all-cargo or combi derivative.