Letter to the Honorable Michael Huerta, Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration - Regarding the FAA Implementation of Safety Regulations

Letter

Dear Administrator Huerta,

I am writing out of concern about the slow pace of implementation of the creation of a pilot records database (PRD), as required by the 2010 Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act.

I was dismayed to read the Audit Report issued by the Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General (IG) on August 20, 2015, in which the IG found that your agency's "progress in developing and implementing the PRD remains limited, and its completion remains uncertain." Additionally, the Audit Report stated that the FAA does not plan to issue a rulemaking until 2017, with full implementation occurring as late as 2023. This timeline is unacceptable and further delay jeopardizes the safety of the flying public.

I worked with my colleagues in Congress, as well as the families of those who tragically lost their lives as a result of the 2009 crash of Colgan Air flight 3407, to enact a number of new aviation safety rules as part of the Airline Safety and Extension Act of 2010. The timelines for developing the new rules that we mandated as part of that legislation were included to ensure that the FAA moved as quickly as possible to fix the egregious lapses in safety that were exposed by that tragedy. However, I am deeply troubled by the fact that these deadlines have routinely been missed, and that it is expected to take another eight years for the PRD to be fully implemented.

The PRD is critical to ensuring that air carriers have access to the full safety records of pilots during the hiring process. As the IG report stated, the National Transportation Safety Board found during its investigation of the flight 3407 crash, "that the captain of the flight failed to disclose failed proficiency checks that occurred prior to his employment with the airline." The flying public has the right to know that when they step onto a flight, the airline and regulators know the full extent of that pilot's safety record in determining that he or she is qualified to fly.

Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter, and I urge you to work as expeditiously as possible to speed up the timeline to fully implement the creation of the PRD. I will continue to monitor the progress of this rulemaking very closely, and please do not hesitate to contact Jordan Baugh, in my Washington office, if you wish to discuss this matter further.

Sincerely,

Kirsten Gillibrand

United States Senator

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