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WASHINGTON � The U.S. Department of Transportation�s
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today proposed a rule that overhauls the airworthiness standards for small general aviation airplanes.
The FAA�s proposal, which is based on industry recommendations, would reduce the time
it takes to get safety enhancing technologies for small airplanes into the
marketplace while also reducing cost. �This proposal would
improve safety, reduce costs, and leverage innovation to ensure the highest
level of safety is designed and built into small airplanes,� said U.S.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. �General
aviation is vital to the U.S. economy, and this proposal would benefit
manufacturers, pilots, and the general aviation community as a whole.� The Notice
of Proposed Rulemaking restructures the existing certification standards and
replaces
the current prescriptive design requirements in Part 23 with performance-based
standards that maintain the same level of safety. It would add new certification standards to address general aviation loss
of control accidents and in-flight icing conditions. The proposal
establishes performance- and risk-based divisions for airplanes with a maximum
seating capacity of 19 passengers or less and a maximum takeoff weight of
19,000 pounds or less. �This proposal would streamline how we approve new technologies for small
piston-powered airplanes all the way to complex high-performance executive jets,�
said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. �The FAA�s collaboration with industry and
international partners reflects a performance-based, flexible approach which would
accommodate today�s rapidly changing aviation
industry and technological advances now and in the future.� The proposal
responds to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 and the Small Airplane
Revitalization Act of 2013, which directed the FAA to streamline the approval
of safety advancements for small general aviation aircraft. It also addresses
recommendations from the FAA�s 2013 Part 23 Reorganization Aviation Rulemaking
Advisory Committee. The FAA estimates
that the overall economic impact would be cost beneficial. This proposal would affect airplane
manufacturers, engine manufacturers, and operators of affected equipment. A video highlights the benefits of
the proposed rule. The comment period is 60 days
from publication in the Federal Register.
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