§1119 Accident and safety data classification and publication

Summary

The National Transportation Safety Board must create, within 90 days after this law is passed, a system to sort and label air carrier accident data. The Board must work with the FAA Administrator. The new system must give clearer safety categories than the old one and break down accidents more precisely, especially those with deaths, injuries, or major damage that are only linked to how an aircraft was operated. The Board must allow public review and comment, finalize the categories after consulting the Administrator, use them for calendar year 1997 and every year after, and publish the accident and safety data regularly. The FAA Administrator can ask for changes, and the Board must answer such requests within 90 days. If a Board employee decides an occurrence is an accident, the Board must tell the aircraft owner or operator they can appeal to the Board. The Board must publish the appeal steps. This appeal rule does not apply when the accident results in a loss of life.