General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1993 : hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation, House of Representatives, One Hundred Third Congress, first session, on H.R. 3087, to amend the Federal Aviation

206 Pages·1994·6 MB·English

by  United States. Congress. House. Committee on Public Works and Transportation. Subcommittee on Aviation

GENERAL AVIATION REVITAUZATION ACT OF
1993
(103-40)
4.P 96/11:103-40
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
H.R. 3087
TO AMEND THE FEDERAL AVIATION ACT OF 1958 TO ESTABLISH TIME
LIMITATIONS ON CERTAIN CIVIL ACTIONS AGAINST AIRCRAFT MANU-
FACTURERS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
OCTOBER 27, 1993
Printed for the use of the Committee on Public Works and Transportation
May
4
U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
WASHINGTON 1994
:
ForsalebytheU.S.GovernmentPrintingOffice
SuperintendentofDocuments,CongressionalSalesOffice,Washington.DC 20402
ISBN 0-16-043922-1

GENERAL AVIATION REVITAUZATION ACT OF
1993
(103-40)
4.P 96/11:103-40
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON
PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED THIRD CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
ON
H.R. 3087
TO AMEND THE FEDERAL AVIATION ACT OF 1958 TO ESTABLISH TIME
LIMITATIONS ON CERTAIN CIVIL ACTIONS AGAINST AIRCRAFT MANU-
FACTURERS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
OCTOBER 27, 1993
Printed for the use of the Committee on Pubhc Works and Transportation
ri
y.
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS AND TRANSPORTATION
NORMANY. MINETA, California, Chair
JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota BUD SHUSTER, Pennsylvania
NICK J. RAHALL II, WestVirginia WILLIAM F. CLINGER, Jr., Pennsylvania
DOUGLAS APPLEGATE, Ohio THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin
RON DE LUGO, Virgin Islands SHERWOOD L. BOEHLERT, New York
ROBERT A. BORSKI, Pennsylvania JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
TIM VALENTINE, North CaroUna BILL EMERSON, Missouri
WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI, IlUnois JOHNJ. DUNCAN, Jr., Tennessee
ROBERT E. WISE, Jr., West Virginia SUSAN MOLINARI, New York
JJPAAEMMTEEERSSAAA DTHeRAFAYAFEZISIC,OA,LNoTOu,riesJgirao.nn,aOhio TWWIHALOYLMNIAEASMT.WH..GIEZLEWCLIHINRFGEF,,STIJ,lrl.i,MnoaNirseywlaHnadmpshire
BOB CLEMENT, Tennessee JENNIFER DUNN, Washington
JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois Y. TIM HUTCHINSON, Arkansas
MIKE PARKER, Mississippi BILL BAKER, California
GREG LAUGHLIN, Texas MICHAEL A. "TVIAC" COLLINS, Georgia
PETE GEREN, Texas JAY KIM, Cahfomia
GEORGE E. SANGMEISTER, Illinois DAVID A LEVY, New York
GLENN POSHARD, IlUnois STEPHEN HORN, Cahfomia
DICK SWETT, New Hampshire BOB FRANKS, New Jersey
BUD CRAMER, Alabama PETER I. BLUTE, Massachusetts
BARBARA-ROSE COLLINS, Michigan HOWARD P. "BUCK" McKEON, Cahfomia
ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of JOHN L. MICA, Florida
Columbia PETER HOEKSTRA, Michigan
LUCIEN E. BLACKWELL, Pennsylvania JACK QUINN, New York
JERROLD NADLER, NewYork
SAM COPPERSMITH, Arizona
LESLIE L. BYRNE, Virginia
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
PAT DANNER, Missouri
KAREN SHEPHERD, Utah
ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey
JAMES E. CLYBURN, South Carolina
CORRINE BROWN, Florida
NATHAN DEAL, Georgia
JAMES A. BARCIA, Michigan
DAN HAMBURG, California
BOB FILNER, California
WALTER R. TUCKER, III, California
EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas
PETER W. BARCA, Wisconsin
(II)
Ill
Subcommittee on Aviation
JAMES L. OBERSTAR, Minnesota, Chair
RON DE LUGO, Virgin Islands, WILLIAM F. CLINGER, Jr., Pennsylvania
Vice Chair SHERWOOD L. BOEHLERT, New York
WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI, Illinois JAMES M. INHOFE, Oklahoma
PETE GEREN, Texas JOHN J. DUNCAN, Jr., Tennessee
GEORGE E. SANGMEISTER, Illinois THOMAS W. EWING, Illinois
BARBARA-ROSE COLLINS, Michigan WAYNE T. GILCHREST, Maryland
SAM COPPERSMITH, Arizona JENNIFER B. DUNN, Washington
ROBERT A. BORSKI, Pennsylvania MICHAEL A. "MAC" COLLINS, Georgia
TIM VALENTINE, North CaroUna JAY KIM, California
PETERA. DeFAZIO, Oregon DAVID A. LEVY, New York
JAMES A. HAYES, Loxiisiana STEPHEN HORN, Cahfornia
BOB CLEMENT, Tennessee HOWARD P. "BUCK" McKEON, California
JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois JOHN L. MICA, Florida
MIKE PARKER, Mississippi BUD SHUSTER, Pennsylvania
GREG LAUGHLIN, Texas (Ex Officio)
DICK SWETT, New Hampshire
BUD CRAMER, Alabama
LUCIEN E. BLACKWELL, Pennsylvania
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
PAT DANNER, Missouri
KAREN SHEPHERD, Utah
CORRINE BROWN, Florida
NICKJ. RAHALL II, West Virginia
NORMAN Y. MINETA, CaUfomia
(Ex Officio)

CONTENTS
Page
Summaryofsubjectmatter(staffmemorandum) VII
H.R. 3087 (text) XIX
Testimony
Boyer, Phil, President, AircraftOwners and PilotsAssociation 53
Collins, TheodoreJ., Vice Presidentand General Counsel, the BoeingCo 24
Glickman, Hon. Dan, aRepresentativein Congress from Kansas 6
Hansen, Hon. JamesV., a Representative in Congressfrom Utah 6
Herwald, Chairman and ChiefExecutive Officer, StevensAviation, Inc 53
Katzman, David Ian • 68
Leavens, WiUiam B., Ill, President, Mid-AtlanticAviation Coalition 77
McNamara, Jack, on behalfoftheNewJerseyAviationAdvisory Council 77
Meyer, RusseU W., Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Cessna Air-
craft;Co 24
Mitchell, Monte, President,Aircraft;ElectronicsAssociation 53
Stimpson, Edward W., President, General Aviation Manufacturers Associa-
tion 24
Sontag, FrederickB., President, Inison Industries, Inc 24
Simia, Charles M., President and Chief Operating Officer, Piper Aircraft
Corp 24
West, Pete, President, Government Affairs, National Business Aircraft Asso-
ciation 53
Prepared Statements Submitted by Members of Congress
CoUins, Hon. "Mac", ofGeorgia 6
Coppersmith, Hon. Sam, ofArizona 22
Inhofe, Hon. James M., ofOklahoma 5
Prepared Statements Submitted by Witnesses
Boyer, Phil 91
Collins, TheodoreJ 97
Glickman, Hon. Dan 104
Hansen, Hon. JamesV 106
Herwald, KurtA 109
Katzman, David Ian 115
Leavens, William B., Ill 117
McNamara,Jack 121
W
Meyer, Russell 126
Mitchell, MonWte 135
Olcott, John W 141
Stimpson, Edward 145
Sontag, FrederickB 160
M
Suma, Charles 166
Submissions for the Record
Clinger, Hon. William F., Jr., a Representative in Congress from Pennsylva-
nia:
Post-hearing questions to: General Aviation Manufacturers Association 39
GUckman, Hon. Dan, a Representative in Congress from Kansas, letter from
F. LeeBailey 15
(V)
VI
Oberstar, Hon. James L., a Representative in Congress from Minnesota, ^"^
statement of Hon. Gersild L. Baliles, former chairman, National Airline
Commission 18
Stimps—on, Edward M., President, General Aviation Manufacturers Associa-
tion section 21.3 (reporting offailures, malfunctions, and defects) Federal
AirRegulations 49
Additions to the Record
Clinger, Hon. William F., Jr., a Representative in Congress from Pennsylva-
nia, letter to the National Transportation Safety Board, and letter of re-
sponse 176
Stimpson, Edward W., President, General Aviation Manufacturers Associa-
tion, letter 171
"
LBniNf.Vb«WM la.g'. Bou0E ofEqnTEBOitaKittB
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC WORKS
AND TRANSPORTATION
SUITE2166HAYBURNHOUSEOFFICEBUILDING
WASHINGTON.DC20616
[phone]
MEMORAHPnM
TO: Members of the Subcommittee on Aviation
FROM: Committee's Aviation Staff
DATE: October 25, 1993
This hearing will consider product liability problems faced by
the general aviationmanufacturing industry and the relationship of
product liability to the industry's recent decline. A focal point
will be H.R. 3087, the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1993,
introduced by Congressmen Glickman and Hansen with 241 cosponsors.
H.R. 3087 seeks to lessen the burden of product liability on
general aviationmanufacturers. The bill provides that in lawsuits
arising from general aviation accidents, damages may not be
collected from a manufacturer if the accident occurred more than 15
years after the aircraft was first delivered or, with respect to
problems caused by a faulty replacement part, more than 15 years
after the date on which that part was added to the aircraft. This
type of legislation is commonly referred to as a "statute of
repose.
Z. PRIOR LBOZSIATZOH
In the 100 and lOlst Congresses, the Committee on Public WorKs
and Transportation reported comprehensive bills establishing
(VII)
VIII
2
unifom federal standards for acciden't cases involving general
aviation aircraft. These bills dealt not only with statutes of
repose, but also with such issues such as comparative liability and
general standards of liability. These bills were also referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Energy and
Commerce. The other two Committees did not teOce action in either
Congress on the legislation, so the bills were never considered by
the full House.
II. HBEO FOR LBGISLATIOM
The legislation responds to the serious decline in the
manufacture and sale of general aviation aircraft by United States
companies. In 1979, United States companies manufactured more than
17,000 general aviation aircraft. This output rapidly declined in
the early 1980s to the point where only 2,600 aircraft were
produced in 1983. The recent recession has caused a further
decline, to 899 aircraft in 1992.
The decline in the number of aircraft produced has been more
pronounced than the decline in revenues realized. The latter
declined from $2.2 billion in 1978 to $1.8 billion in 1992. The
reason for the slower decline in revenues is that the aircraft
manufactured in the 1990s are largely business jet aircraft which
are considerably more expensive now than they were in the late
1970s.