PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

The FAA must improve human factors training for air traffic controllers, pilots, and flight crews. It must deal with problems and follow-up recommendations from the National Research Council’s report on air traffic control automation. The FAA must work with airlines and university programs to make training that fixes key safety issues: recovering from loss of control (including unusual attitudes and mechanical failures), stopping unsafe departures from standard procedures (like wrong emergency or weather responses), keeping proper altitude and location to avoid hitting terrain, and improving landings and approaches (including nonprecision approaches and go-arounds). The FAA must also run a test program with air carriers to try model Jeppesen approach plates or similar tools to make precision-like approaches. Within 1 year of enactment, the FAA must report to the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on progress encouraging the use of advanced qualification programs. An advanced qualification program is an alternate way to qualify, train, certify, and check the competency of flight crews and other commercial aviation staff covered by parts 121 and 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

Title 49, §44516

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(a)Human Factors Training.—

(1)Air traffic controllers.—

The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall—

(A)address the problems and concerns raised by the National Research Council in its report “The Future of Air Traffic Control” on air traffic control automation; and

(B)respond to the recommendations made by the National Research Council.

(2)Pilots and flight crews.—

The Administrator shall work with representatives of the aviation industry and appropriate aviation programs associated with universities to develop specific training curricula to address critical safety problems, including problems of pilots—

(A)in recovering from loss of control of an aircraft, including handling unusual attitudes and mechanical malfunctions;

(B)in deviating from standard operating procedures, including inappropriate responses to emergencies and hazardous weather;

(C)in awareness of altitude and location relative to terrain to prevent controlled flight into terrain; and

(D)in landing and approaches, including nonprecision approaches and go-around procedures.

(b)Test Program.—

The Administrator shall establish a test program in cooperation with air carriers to use model Jeppesen approach plates or other similar tools to improve precision-like landing approaches for aircraft.

(c)Report.—

Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report on the status of the Administration’s efforts to encourage the adoption and implementation of advanced qualification programs for air carriers under this section.

(d)Advanced Qualification Program Defined.—

In this section, the term “advanced qualification program” means an alternative method for qualifying, training, certifying, and ensuring the competency of flight crews and other commercial aviation operations personnel subject to the training and evaluation requirements of parts 121 and 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (c), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 106–181, which was approved Apr. 5, 2000.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section applicable only to fiscal years beginning after Sept. 30, 1999, see section 3 of Pub. L. 106–181, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2000

Amendments

note under section 106 of this title. Human Factors Professionals Pub. L. 118–63, title IV, § 410, May 16, 2024, 138 Stat. 1156, provided that: “The Administrator [of the Federal Aviation Administration] shall take such actions as may be necessary to establish a new work code for human factors professionals who— “(1) perform work involving the design and testing of technologies, processes, and systems which require effective and safe human performance; “(2) generate and apply theories, principles, practical concepts, systems, and processes related to the design and testing of technologies, systems, and training programs to support and evaluate human performance in work contexts; and “(3) meet education or experience requirements as determined by the Administrator.” Human Factors Education Program Pub. L. 116–260, div. V, title I, § 124, Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2346, provided that: “(a) Human Factors Education Program.—“(1) In general.—The Administrator shall develop a human factors education program that addresses the effects of modern flight deck systems, including automated systems, on human performance for transport airplanes and the approaches for better integration of human factors in aircraft design and certification. “(2) Target audience.—The human factors education program shall be integrated into the training protocols (as in existence as of the date of enactment of this title [Dec. 27, 2020]) for, and be routinely administered to, the following:“(A) Appropriate employees within the Flight Standards Service. “(B) Appropriate employees within the Aircraft Certification Service. “(C) Other employees or authorized representatives determined to be necessary by the Administrator. “(b) Transport Airplane Manufacturer Information Sharing.—The Administrator shall—“(1) require each transport airplane manufacturer to provide the Administrator with the information or findings necessary for flight crew to be trained on flight deck systems; “(2) ensure the information or findings under paragraph (1) adequately includes consideration of human factors; and “(3) ensure that each transport airplane manufacturer identifies any technical basis, justification or rationale for the information and findings under paragraph (1).” [For definitions of “Administrator” and “transport airplanes” as used in section 124 of div. V of Pub. L. 116–260, set out above, see section 137 of div. V of Pub. L. 116–260, set out as a note under section 40101 of this title.]

§44516 Human Factors Program

Summary

Title 49, §44516

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Effective Date

Amendments

Citations & Metadata