Action
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
Summary
This document proposes to use airplane weight and performance characteristics to require a collision avoidance system on airplanes operating under part 121, 125, or 129. The current traffic alert and collision avoidance system (TCAS) rules for parts 121 and 125 require use of TCAS based on airplane weight and passenger-seating configuration criteria and, in some cases, combination passenger/cargo configuration criteria. Part 129 uses passenger-seating configuration and the type of airplane power plant. This proposal would require use of a collision avoidance system by all-cargo airplanes for the first time, and would standardize the requirements for all-cargo and passenger-carrying airplanes. In the past, cargo air carriers had small fleets which operated primarily at night. However, the air cargo industry has experienced rapid growth and cargo fleets are expanding. Also, cargo operations are increasingly occurring around the clock and those operations occur in airspace shared with passenger airplanes. Therefore, the FAA is proposing collision avoidance system requirements for certain cargo airplanes to minimize the possibility of midair collisions involving a cargo airplane. In addition, this proposal would standardize the collision avoidance system requirements for part 121, 125, and 129 airplanes.