Helicopter Safety Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7182 To require certain helicopters to be equipped with safety technologies, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 11, 2020 Mr. SHERMAN (for himself, Mr. TAKANO, and Mr. VARGAS) introduced the fol- lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To require certain helicopters to be equipped with safety technologies, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Helicopter Safety Act 4 of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 Congress finds the following: 7 (1) The January 26, 2020, helicopter crash 8 near Calabasas, California, in which 9 individuals 9 lost their lives, was a tragic event. 10 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Jun 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7182.IH H7182 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7182 IH (2) Officials from the National Transportation 1 Safety Board (NTSB) have noted that the helicopter 2 involved in the fatal January crash was not equipped 3 with a Flight Data Recorder (FDR), a Cockpit 4 Voice Recorder (CVR), or a Terrain Awareness and 5 Warning System (TAWS). 6 (3) The NTSB has investigated numerous trag- 7 ic helicopter accidents, including the crash of a heli- 8 copter in the Gulf of Mexico in 2004, in which 10 9 individuals lost their lives, and a crash in Missouri 10 in 2011, in which 4 individuals lost their lives. 11 (4) The NTSB has provided recommendations 12 to the FAA regarding equipping helicopters with 13 crash-resistant Flight Data Recorders, Cockpit Voice 14 Recorders, and Terrain Awareness and Warning 15 Systems. 16 (5) The FAA has not acted on several NTSB 17 recommendations for increased helicopter safety 18 technologies that could potentially avert future trag- 19 edies. 20 SEC. 3. IMPLEMENTATION OF NTSB RECOMMENDATIONS. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsections (b) and (c), 22 not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 23 this Act, the Administrator shall issue such regulations 24 as are necessary to implement the following NTSB rec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Jun 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7182.IH H7182 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7182 IH ommendations for crash-resistant systems, but only with 1 respect to existing and new U.S.-registered turbine-pow- 2 ered rotorcraft certificated for 6 or more passenger seats: 3 (1) Safety Recommendation A–06–017, issued 4 on March 7, 2006 (relating to requiring all rotor- 5 craft operating under parts 91 and 135 of title 14, 6 Code of Federal Regulations, with a transport-cat- 7 egory certification to be equipped with a cockpit 8 voice recorder (CVR) and a flight data recorder 9 (FDR) or an onboard cockpit image recorder with 10 the capability of recording cockpit audio, crew com- 11 munications, and aircraft parametric data). 12 (2) Safety Recommendation A–06–018, issued 13 on March 7, 2006 (relating to not permitting exemp- 14 tions or exceptions to the flight recorder regulations 15 that allow transport-category rotorcraft to operate 16 without flight recorders, and withdrawing exemp- 17 tions and exceptions that allow transport-category 18 rotorcraft to operate without flight recorders). 19 (3) Safety Recommendation A–06–019 issued 20 on March 24, 2006 (relating to requiring all existing 21 and new U.S.-registered turbine-powered rotorcraft 22 certificated for 6 or more passenger seats to be 23 equipped with a terrain awareness and warning sys- 24 tem). 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Jun 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7182.IH H7182 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7182 IH (b) TIMING FOR EQUIPMENT COMPLIANCE.—The 1 regulations required to be issued under subsection (a) 2 shall require all U.S.-registered turbine-powered rotorcraft 3 certificated for 6 or more passenger seats to be equipped 4 with a Flight Data Recorder, a Cockpit Voice Recorder, 5 and a Terrain Awareness and Warning System that each 6 meet the respective requirements applicable under such 7 regulations, not later than— 8 (1) 1 year after the date on which the applica- 9 ble regulation is issued; or 10 (2) 2 years after the date on which the applica- 11 ble regulation is issued, if the Administrator deter- 12 mines appropriate. 13 (c) EXEMPTIONS.— 14 (1) IN GENERAL.—In issuing the regulations 15 required under subsection (a), the Administrator 16 may exempt any civilian helicopter that the Adminis- 17 trator determines appropriate from 1 or more of the 18 equipment requirements of such regulations. 19 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—If the Administrator 20 issues a final regulation that contains an exemption 21 described in paragraph (1), the Administrator shall 22 submit to the Committee on Transportation and In- 23 frastructure of the House of Representatives, the 24 Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Jun 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7182.IH H7182 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7182 IH resentatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science, 1 and Transportation of the Senate, and the Com- 2 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate a report de- 3 scribing the exemption, not later than the date on 4 which the final regulation is issued. 5 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis- 8 trator’’ means the Administrator of the FAA. 9 (2) FAA.—The term ‘‘FAA’’ means the Fed- 10 eral Aviation Administration. 11 (3) NTSB.—The term ‘‘NTSB’’ means the Na- 12 tional Transportation Safety Board. 13 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:26 Jun 30, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7182.IH H7182 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS