Title 49 — TransportationRelease 119-73not60
§1112 Special Boards of Inquiry on Air Transportation Safety
Title 49 › Subtitle SUBTITLE II— OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES › Chapter 11— NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD › Subchapter II— ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATIVE › § 1112
Summary
NTSB may form a three-member special inquiry for air accidents that raise serious public-safety questions: one NTSB member as chair and two public members appointed by the President. The public members must be qualified, have no financial ties to aviation businesses involved, and the panel has the same investigative powers as the NTSB.
Full Legal Text
Title 49, §1112
Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)If an accident involves a substantial question about public safety in air transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board may establish a special board of inquiry composed of—
(1)one member of the Board acting as chairman; and
(2)2 members representing the public, appointed by the President on notification of the establishment of the special board of inquiry.
(b)The public members of a special board of inquiry must be qualified by training and experience to participate in the inquiry and may not have a pecuniary interest in an aviation enterprise involved in the accident to be investigated.
(c)A special board of inquiry has the same authority that the Board has under this chapter.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 111249 App.:1443.Aug. 23, 1958, Pub. L. 85–726, § 703, 72 Stat. 782. 49 App.:1655(d) (1st sentence).Oct. 15, 1966, Pub. L. 89–670, § 6(d) (1st sentence), 80 Stat. 938. 49 App.:1903(a)(1)(A).Jan. 3, 1975, Pub. L. 93–633, § 304(a)(1)(A), 88 Stat. 2168. In subsection (c), the words “when convened to investigate an accident certified to it by the National Transportation Safety Board” are omitted as surplus.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
49 U.S.C. § 1112
Title 49 — Transportation
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60