To amend title 49, United States Code, to require that certain rotorcraft manufactured before April 5, 2020, comply with requirements relating to fuel system crash resistance, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · May 14, 2024
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
The Helicopter Passenger Protection Act requires older helicopters to be equipped with crash-resistant fuel systems to reduce post-crash fires and fatalities. Specifically, helicopters manufactured before April 5, 2020, must install fuel systems that meet modern safety standards within five years of the law's enactment, or operators cannot legally fly them in U.S. airspace. The bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration to work with an advisory committee to review helicopter accident data from 2016 to 2023 and determine how crash-resistant fuel systems could have prevented deaths, with recommendations due within 18 months. The FAA then has 180 days to either implement the recommendations or explain to Congress why it won't, and must work with the helicopter industry to encourage wider adoption of these safety upgrades. The bill does not specify new federal funding, instead relying on helicopter owners and operators to bear the retrofit costs as a condition of continued operation.
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