,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #daff ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,august #f1 #bjai,mr4 ,de,saulnier introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to improve technology and address human factors in aviation safety1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,safe ,landings ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,given that the ,united ,states enjoys an exceptionally safe aviation system with an exceedingly low frequency of airline accidents1 efforts to improve aviation safety should examine nonaccident safety incidents for all possible insights4 7#b7 ,aviation safety should not be taken for granted1 and even with so few accidents1 the ,u4,s4 ,aerospace ,system should proactively address safety concerns that emerge from our dynamic and evolving economic conditions1 technology1 aviation industry1 and other factors4 7#c7 ,preventing accidents from occurring in the airport runway environment remains an objective requiring continued effort1 and incidents of runway confusion1 defined as the subset of runway incursions in which an aircraft unintentionally takes off or lands on a taxiway or incorrect runway1 should be carefully monitored1 reviewed1 and studied for insights to improve safety4 7#d7 ,while technology continues to advance and new opportunities to use technology to address safety risks in aviation are examined and pursued1 the evolving role of technology and the expanding use of automation should not be used as justification to diminish attention to and prioritization of the human contribution to aviation safety4 ,the aviation industry and the ,government must ensure that training programs for flight crews and other personnel are appropriately evolving1 that training standards and expectations remain rigorous1 and that risks and concerns associated with the interaction between humans1 technology1 and automated systems are identified1 studied1 and addressed in a timely manner4 #c4 ,implementation of ,,ntsb recommendations 7a7 ,navigational radios ,the ,administrator shall implement the recommendation of the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board numbered as ,a-#ah-bc and issued on ,october #aa1 #bjah1 with respect to the tuning of navigational radios to assist flight crews in managing the flight path of aircraft on visual approaches4 ,the ,administrator shall work with part #aba air carriers on implementation of this recommendation1 and1 not later than #a year after the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall issue to ,congress a report on air carrier compliance rate4 7b7 ,,ntsb recommendation 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall implement the recommendation of the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board numbered as ,a-#ah-be and issued on ,october #aa1 #bjah1 and1 not later than #a year after the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall issue to ,congress a report on the status of the implementation4 7#b7 ,consideration ,in implementing this recommendation1 the ,administrator shall consider any relevant findings identified pursuant to section #ccd of the ,,faa ,reauthorization ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-bed74 7c7 ,pilot alerts ,the ,administrator shall-- 7#a7 collaborate with aircraft and avionics manufacturers1 labor organizations representing pilots operating under part #aba of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 and software developers to develop the technology for a cockpit system that provides an alert to pilots when an airplane is not aligned with the intended runway surface2 7#b7 once such technology described in paragraph 7#a7 is available1 establish a requirement for the technology to be installed on aircraft operating under part #aba of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 landing at airports within ,class ,b and ,class ,c airspace and certified under part #aci of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations2 7#c7 in establishing the requirement as described in paragraph 7#b71 consider any relevant findings identified pursuant to section #ccd of the ,,faa ,reauthorization ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-bed72 and 7#d7 not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 issue to ,congress a report on the progress of the work described in paragraph 7#a74 7d7 ,,ntsb recommendation 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall implement the recommendation of the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board numbered as ,a-#ah-bg and issued on ,october #aa1 #bjah1 and1 not later than #a year after the enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall issue to ,congress a report on the status of the implementation4 7#b7 ,consideration ,in implementing this recommendation1 the ,administrator shall consider any relevant findings identified pursuant to section #ccd of the ,,faa ,reauthorization ,act of #bjah 7,public ,law #aae-bed74 #d4 ,investigations for covered events 7a7 ,in general ,once implementation of section #c7;b7 of this ,act is complete1 the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board may initiate investigations of covered events to determine risk factors specific to the airport at which such an event occurred and other elements of the ,national ,airspace ,system that may contribute to the cause of the event4 ,the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board may also elect to consider multiple events in a single report as part of a special investigation or study to examine safety factors contributing to these events4 7b7 ,additional investigative information ,in addition to any investigation that the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board is conducting with respect to any specific covered event1 the ,,ntsb shall utilize voluntarily provided safety information in its evaluation of associated risk in the ,national ,airspace ,system and protect such information from public release in accordance with section #aaad7;b77#c7 of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code4 7c7 ,content ,the review and analysis shall examine factors present at the time of any covered event at such airport1 including-- 7#a7 challenges pilots perceive when flying into and out of the airport2 7#b7 challenges that air traffic controllers face when working at the airport2 7#c7 characteristics of the communications among and between groups of personnel whose work relates to the movement of aircraft into and out of the airport including pilots1 air traffic controllers1 maintenance workers1 dispatchers1 and airline airport operations personnel2 and 7#d7 physical characteristics of the airport and its facilities1 such as the configuration of runways1 runway lighting1 and construction activity4 #e4 ,task ,force on ,human ,factors in ,aviation ,safety 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #f months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall convene an ,,faa ,task ,force on ,human ,factors in ,aviation ,safety4 7b7 ,composition ,the ,task ,force shall consist of members appointed by the ,administrator and having expertise in an operational or academic discipline that is relevant to the analysis of human errors in aviation4 ,the number of members shall be determined by the ,administrator to ensure sufficient representation of relevant operational and academic disciplines4 7c7 ,duration 7#a7 ,in general ,members of the ,task ,force shall be appointed for the length of the existence of the ,task ,force4 7#b7 ,length of existence 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,task ,force shall have an initial length of existence of #b years4 7,b7 ,option ,the ,administrator may exercise an option to lengthen the duration of the existence of the ,task ,force for a period of #b years4 7d7 ,disciplines ,for purposes of subsection 7b71 disciplines may include air carrier operations1 line pilot expertise1 air traffic control1 technical operations1 aeronautical information1 aircraft maintenance and mechanics psychology1 linguistics1 human-machine integration1 general aviation operations1 and organizational behavior and culture4 7e7 ,expertise 7#a7 ,in general ,no less than half of the members shall have expertise in aviation4 7#b7 ,additional expertise ,the ,task ,force shall include members with expertise on human factors but whose experience and training are not in aviation specifically and who have not previously been engaged in work related to the ,,faa or the aviation industry4 ,the ,task ,force shall also include pilot labor organizations and at least one member from an air traffic controller labor organization4 7f7 ,,faa members 7#a7 ,in general ,not more than #d members may be employees of the ,,faa and ,,ntsb1 excluding representatives of the labor representatives of employees of the air traffic control system4 ,not more than #b members may be employees of the ,,ntsb4 ,the ,,faa and the ,,ntsb members shall be non-voting4 7#b7 ,,faa employees ,any member who is an ,,faa employee shall have expertise in safety4 7g7 ,duties ,in coordination with the ,research1 ,engineering1 and ,development ,advisory ,committee established under section #ddejh of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 the ,task ,force shall-- 7#a7 not later than the date on which the ,task ,force is no longer in existence1 produce a written report that-- 7,a7 to the greatest extent possible1 identifies the most significant human factors and their relative contribution to aviation safety risk2 7,b7 identifies new research priorities for research in human factors in aviation safety2 7,c7 reviews existing products by other working groups related to human factors in aviation safety including the ,commercial ,aviation ,safety ,team 7,,cast7's work pertaining to flight crew responses to abnormal events2 7,d7 provides recommendations on potential revisions to any ,,faa regulations and guidance pertaining to the certification of aircraft under part #be of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 including sections related to presumed pilot response times and assumptions about the reliability of pilot performance during unexpected1 stressful events2 7,e7 reviews rules1 regulations1 or standards regarding flight crew rest and fatigue that are used by a sample of international air carriers1 including those deemed to be more stringent and less stringent than the current standards pertaining to ,united ,states air carriers1 and identify risks to the ,national ,airspace ,system from any such variation in standards across countries2 7,f7 reviews pilot training requirements and recommend any revisions necessary to ensure adequate understanding of automated systems on aircraft2 and 7,g7 reviews approach and landing misalignment and make any recommendations for improving these events2 7#b7 produce a written report to ,congress not less than once every #b years that-- 7,a7 summarizes new research developments on human factors in aviation safety2 7,b7 to the greatest extent possible1 identifies the most significant human factors and their relative contribution to aviation safety risk2 and 7,c7 provides any recommendations for policy or regulatory action2 and 7#c7 if the ,secretary exercises the option described in subsection 7c77#b77;,b71 not later than the date that is #b years after the date of establishment of the ,task ,force1 produce an interim report containing the information described in paragraph 7#a74 7h7 ,applicable law ,the ,federal ,advisory ,committee ,act 7#e ,u4,s4,c4 ,app47 shall not apply to the ,task ,force4 #f4 ,research and development program on new approaches to data analysis for aviation safety 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall establish a new research and development program to be undertaken by the ,,faa's ,consortium in ,aviation ,operations ,research 7,,nextor ,,ii7 to investigate and develop new approaches to data analysis for understanding the factors in aviation safety incidents and identifying emerging risks of future safety incidents4 7b7 ,approaches ,the approaches described in subsection 7a7 include the use of new algorithms for analyzing the text and audio of communications between flight crews and air traffic controllers and the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence methods for analyzing a variety of data sets1 including1 data on weather1 performance of communication1 navigation and surveillance equipment and facilities1 flight delays1 safety incidents1 flight crew work schedules1 and air traffic and crew member communications for detecting anomalies in the ,national ,airspace ,system4 7c7 ,collaboration ,in carrying out the research program established in this section1 member institutions of the ,consortium shall collaborate in the sharing of data for the purpose of testing and demonstrating the potential effectiveness of new approaches to analysis-- 7#a7 with each other2 7#b7 with aviation industry partners2 7#c7 with units within the ,,faa including groups within the ,air ,traffic ,organization1 ,next,gen ,office1 ,office of ,airports1 and ,aviation ,safety2 and 7#d7 with the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration's ,aviation ,safety ,reporting ,system4 7d7 ,research 7#a7 ,in general ,the research undertaken pursuant to this section shall prioritize understanding the ways that various forms of human factors contribute to aviation safety risk4 7#b7 ,factors ,the factors described in paragraph 7#a7 may include fatigue and distraction during critical phases of work among pilots or other aviation personnel1 tasks and workload1 organizational structure and culture1 communication among personnel1 adherence to safety procedures1 and any other relevant factors that are the cause or potential cause of human error in aviation operations4 7#c7 ,highly automated aircraft ,research should seek ways to improve the design of highly automated aircraft to reduce instances of mode confusion and to combat problems of reduced awareness of basic flight parameters resulting from complacency about automated systems4 7e7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #bj1jjj1jjj for carrying out the program described in this section for each fiscal year from #bjai through #bjbd1 including grants to participating research institutions1 including the academic institutions that make up the ,,faa's ,consortium in ,aviation ,operations ,research1 the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration1 the ,,faa's ,office of ,safety1 the ,next,gen office1 and units within the ,,faa's ,air ,traffic ,organization that work on safety issues4 7f7 ,sunset ,the program shall terminate on the date that is #f years after the date on which the program is established4 #g4 ,using instrument approach procedures as backups to visual approaches 7a7 ,report ,not later than #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall issue a report to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate that uses a representative sample of part #aba and part #abi air carriers to review the current range of air carrier practices in requiring the use of instrument approach procedures as a backup system for visual approaches and the extent to which operators require pilots to use approach procedures4 7b7 ,issuance of guidance ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall review and analyze the collected data from the report described in subsection 7a7 and issue guidance to air carriers on the most effective techniques and procedures to use instrument approach procedures as a backup system for visual approaches4 ,such guidance shall encourage the use of instruments to provide vertical and lateral guidance to mitigate the potential for a wrong surface alignment and to provide flight crews with more precise vertical and lateral deviation information4 #h4 ,,notam ,modernization ,initiative 7a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator shall lead an effort to reform and update the notices to airmen 7,,notam7 system to harmonize with ,international ,civil ,aviation ,organization 7,,icao7 ,annexes and ,standards and ,recommended ,practices 7,,sarps71 including the existing methods of writing1 formatting1 and disseminating information under this system1 for the purposes of improving these notices' clarity1 user-friendliness1 and effectiveness in conveying priority1 safety-related concerns4 7b7 ,requirements ,in carrying out this initiative1 the ,administrator shall-- 7#a7 collaborate with airlines and labor organizations representing pilots operating under part #aba of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 organizations representing general aviation1 air traffic controllers1 airport operations personnel1 and the military on developing recommendations for improving the user-friendliness of the content1 style1 and formatting of ,n,o,t,a,ms1 including any changes to existing conventions for such items as abbreviations1 punctuation1 font1 and font size2 7#b7 collaborate with avionics manufacturers and software developers in considering hardware and software options for sending1 accessing1 and displaying ,n,o,t,a,ms2 and 7#c7 take appropriate actions within the ,international ,civil ,aviation ,organization 7,,icao7 to adopt recommended standards on the writing1 formatting1 and disseminating of ,n,o,t,a,ms4 7c7 ,report to ,congress ,the ,administrator shall issue a report to ,congress not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and no less than every #f months thereafter1 until new standards for the writing1 formatting1 and dissemination of ,n,o,t,a,ms have been adopted by the ,,faa4 ,this report shall include an update on the progress of the work described in this section1 including an explanation of how any new recommendations that have been developed will improve safety and an explanation of any obstacles remaining to achieving consensus for new international standards for the ,,notam system4 #i4 ,,gao study on risks associated with the use of ,,cvr data in foreign countries 7a7 ,in general ,the ,comptroller ,general shall take the lead in carrying out a study on the risks associated with the use of ,,cvr data in investigations led by foreign governments or units of foreign governments4 7b7 ,contents ,at minimum1 this study shall-- 7#a7 review past incidents in which ,,cvr data was used by foreign governments or units of foreign governments in such a way that the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board found to depart from the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board's standards and procedures for a safety investigation1 including the use or circulation of ,,cvr data for purposes other than determining the causes of an accident or safety incident1 inappropriate release of data contained on a ,,cvr1 or the dissemination of information or conclusions based on a misinterpretation of data contained on a ,,cvr2 7#b7 document the protections provided for cockpit voice recordings and transcripts by ,,icao and other countries where ,united ,states-based air carriers operate2 7#c7 identify and assess the risks to ,united ,states flight crews1 air carriers1 manufacturers1 and other stakeholders in the aviation industry associated with ,c,v,rs capable of recording more than #b hours of data2 and 7#d7 provide recommendations on measures to adopt to mitigate against such risks and ensure that any use of ,,cvr data serves the sole purpose of a safety investigation1 including recommendations for the ,united ,states to make to ,,icao to mitigate these risks4 #aj4 ,transparency in aircraft maintenance and repair work 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall update the guidelines of the ,,faa for part #aba certificate holders in implementing a ,continuing ,analysis and ,surveillance ,system 7,,cass7 for their air carrier maintenance programs to include reporting no less than once every #f months by certificate holders to the ,,faa of any failure to follow procedures in aircraft maintenance as well as any major alteration1 complete overhaul1 or repair of mechanical irregularities of each airframe1 engine1 propeller1 and appliance4 7b7 ,advisory ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall issue an advisory with formatting guidelines for air carriers to report information as required under subsection 7a74 7c7 ,inclusion ,for each instance of a failure to follow procedures and for each major alteration1 overhaul1 or repair reported under the requirements of this section1 the ,administrator shall require certificate holders to include any name and any physical address where the work is carried out for each maintenance provider that performs work4 7d7 ,notifications to the ,,ntsb ,the ,administrator shall notify the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board of each instance identified in carrying out subsection 7c7 of this section and shall share with the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board all information it gathers in relation to each such instance4 7e7 ,unscheduled landings due to mechanical issues 7#a7 ,in general ,each ,certificate ,management ,office within the ,,faa shall immediately notify the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board in any instance in which a part #aba air carrier falling under its supervision completes an unscheduled landing at any airport in the ,united ,states1 including any instance in which an airplane returns to its airport of origin after takeoff before or without completing its scheduled flight1 in which a mechanical issue was a factor4 7#b7 ,content ,the notification described in paragraph 7#a7 shall include any information available about the cause of the unscheduled landing4 7f7 ,,ntsb analysis and report ,the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board1 in collaboration with the ,,faa1 shall analyze information in the notifications it receives in subsections 7d7 and 7e7 of this section1 for the purpose of identifying any trends or emerging concerns with any individual air carriers4 ,not less than once per year1 the ,national ,transportation ,safety ,board shall submit to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate a report on its analysis1 the findings of its analysis1 and any safety recommendations resulting from the analysis4 7g7 ,definitions ,in this section1 the terms major alterations1 airframe1 propeller1 and appliance have the meanings given such terms in part #a of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4 #aa4 ,review of ,,faa's ,aviation ,safety ,inspection ,program 7a7 ,audit by the ,department of ,transportation ,inspector ,general ,not later than #f months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,inspector ,general of the ,department of ,transportation shall initiate a review of the ,,faa's ,august #bjag ,flight ,standards reorganization and its aviation safety inspection program4 7b7 ,review ,the review shall include an evaluation of-- 7#a7 the ,,faa ,flight ,standards reorganization from a geographic-based system to a functional-based system2 7#b7 the implementation of the ,,faa's ,compliance ,philosophy as it relates to safety inspections and enforcements2 7#c7 the ,,faa's new oversight system known as the ,safety ,assurance ,system 7,,sas72 7#d7 training for aviation safety inspector and operational research analysts on the ,compliance ,philosophy and ,,sas2 and 7#e7 the impact of the ,,faa's reorganization and ,,sas on the ,,faa's ability to produce reliable estimates of aviation safety inspector and operational research analyst staffing needs4 7c7 ,report ,the ,inspector ,general shall submit to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate a report on the results of its review and any recommendations to improve the aviation safety inspection program of the ,,faa4 #ab4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,administrator ,the term ,administrator means the ,administrator of the ,federal ,aviation ,administration4 7#b7 ,covered event ,the term covered event means-- 7,a7 a category ,a or ,b runway incursion1 as defined in ,order #gjej4a;,b of the ,federal ,aviation ,administration 7dated ,november #c1 #bjac72 7,b7 a landing on a taxiway1 incorrect runway1 or other area not designed as a runway at a public-use airport on land2 7,c7 descent by an aircraft below #cjj feet above ground level on approach to a taxiway1 incorrect runway1 or other area not designed as a runway at a public-use airport on land2 or 7,d7 a landing by an aircraft notwithstanding an instruction by air traffic control that the aircraft perform a missed approach or go-around4 7#c7 ,,faa ,the term ,,faa means the ,federal ,aviation ,administration4 7#d7 ,part #aba air carrier ,the term part #aba air carrier means an air carrier that holds a certificate issued under part #aba of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4 7#e7 ,part #abi air carrier ,the term part #abi air carrier means an air carrier that holds a certificate issued under part #abi of title #ad1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations4