Flightcrew Member Duty and Rest Requirements

SUMMARY: This rule amends the FAA's existing flight, duty and rest regulations applicable to certificate holders and their flightcrew members operating under the domestic, flag, and supplemental operations rules. The rule recognizes the universality of factors that lead to fatigue in most individuals and regulates these factors to ensure that flightcrew members in passenger operations do not accumulate dangerous amounts of fatigue. Fatigue threatens aviation safety because it increases the risk of pilot error that could lead to an accident. This risk is heightened in passenger operations because of the additional number of potentially impacted individuals. The new requirements eliminate the current distinctions between domestic, flag and supplemental passenger operations. The rule provides different requirements based on the time of day, whether an individual is acclimated to a new time zone, and the likelihood of being able to sleep under different circumstances.

DATES: Effective January 14, 2014.

ADDRESSES: For information on where to obtain copies of rulemaking documents and other information related to this final rule, see "How To Obtain Additional Information" in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For technical issues: Dale E. Roberts, Air Transportation Division (AFS-200), Flight Standards Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-5749; email: [email protected]. For legal issues: Rebecca MacPherson, Office of the Chief Counsel, Regulations Division (AGC-200), 800 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone (202) 267-3073; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority for This Rulemaking

The FAA's authority to issue rules on aviation safety is found in Title 49 of the United States Code. This rulemaking is promulgated under the authority described in 49 U.S.C. 44701(a)(5), which requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations and minimum safety standards for other practices, methods, and procedures necessary for safety in air commerce and national security. This rulemaking is also promulgated under the authority described in 49 U.S.C. 44701(a)(4), which requires the Administrator to promulgate regulations in the interest of safety for the maximum hours or periods of service of airmen and other employees of air carriers.

Table of Contents

I. Overview of Final Rule

II. Background

A. Statement of the Problem

B. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Recommendations

C. Flight and Duty Time Limitations and Rest Requirements Aviation Rulemaking Committee

D. Congressional Mandate

E. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

III. Discussion of Public Comments and Final Rule

A. Applicability

B. Definitions

C. Fitness for Duty

D. Fatigue Education and Training

E. Fatigue Risk Management System

F. Flight Duty Period--Unaugmented

G. Flight Time Limitations

H. Flight Duty Period--Augmented

I. Schedule Reliability

J. Extensions of Flight Duty Periods

K. Split Duty

L. Consecutive Nights

M. Reserve

N. Cumulative Limits

O. Rest

P. Deadhead Transportation

Q. Emergency and Government Sponsored Operations

R. Miscellaneous Issues

IV. Regulatory Notices and Analyses

A. Regulatory Evaluation

B. Final Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

C. International Trade Impact Assessment

D. Unfunded Mandates Assessment

E. Paperwork Reduction Act

F. International Compatibility

G. Environmental Analysis

V. Executive Order Determinations

A. Executive Order 12866

B. Executive Order 13132, Federalism

C. Executive Order 13211, Regulations That Significantly Affect Energy Supply, Distribution, or Use

VI. How To Obtain Additional Information

A. Rulemaking Documents

B. Comments Submitted to the Docket

C. Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act

I. Overview of Final Rule

The FAA is issuing this final rule to address the risk that fatigue poses to passenger operations conducted under 14 CFR part 121. Part 121 applies to the majority of flights flown by the American public. As such, changes to the existing flight, duty and rest rules in part 121 will directly affect the flying public. This rule applies to all part 121 passenger operations, including traditional scheduled service and large charter operations. The FAA has removed the existing distinctions between domestic, supplemental and flag passenger operations because the factors leading to fatigue are universal and addressing the risk to the flying public should be consistent across the different types of operations.

This final rule addresses fatigue risk in several ways. The underlying philosophy of the rule is that no single element of the rule mitigates the risk of fatigue to an acceptable level; rather, the FAA has adopted a system approach, whereby both the carrier and the pilot accept responsibility for mitigating fatigue. The carrier provides an environment that permits sufficient sleep and recovery periods, and the crewmembers take advantage of that environment. Both parties must meet their respective responsibilities in order to adequately protect the flying public.

The final rule recognizes the natural circadian rhythms experienced by most people that causes them to be naturally more tired at night than during the day. Under the final rule, flightcrew members will be able to work longer hours during the day than during the night. Significant changes in time zones, a situation unique to aviation, are accounted for to reduce the risk to the flying public posed by "jetlag".

The FAA has decided against adopting various provisions proposed in the NPRM. The final rule does not apply to all-cargo operations, although those carriers have the ability to fly under the new rules if they so choose. The proposal that carriers meet certain schedule reliability requirements has been dropped, as has the proposed requirement that carriers evaluate flightcrew members for fatigue. The FAA has determined that these provisions were either overly costly or impractical to implement.

1. Fitness for Duty

This rule places a joint responsibility on the certificate holder and each flightcrew member. In order for the flightcrew member to report for an FDP properly rested, the certificate holder must provide the flightcrew member with a meaningful rest opportunity that will allow the flightcrew member to get the proper amount of sleep. Likewise, the flightcrew member bears the responsibility of actually sleeping during the rest opportunity provided by the certificate holder instead of using that time to do other things. The consequence of a flightcrew member reporting for duty without being properly rested is that he or she is prohibited from beginning or continuing an FDP until he or she is properly rested.

2. Fatigue Education and Training

Part 121 air carriers are currently statutorily-required to annually provide, as part of their Fatigue Risk Management Plan, fatigue-related education and training to increase the trainees' awareness of: (1) Fatigue; (2) "the effects of fatigue on pilots;" and (3) "fatigue countermeasures." Today's rule adopts the same standard of training as required by the statute. In addition, today's rule adopts a mandatory update of the carriers' education and training program every two years, as part of the update to their FRMP. Both of these regulatory provisions merely place the existing statutory requirements in the new flight and duty regulations for the ease and convenience of the regulated parties and the FAA.

3. Fatigue Risk Management System

The FAA proposed a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) as an alternative regulatory approach to provide a means of monitoring and mitigating fatigue. Under an FRMS, a certificate holder develops processes that manage and mitigate fatigue and meet an equivalent level of safety. The FAA is adopting that proposal largely as proposed. The FAA has also decided to extend the voluntary FRMS program to all-cargo operations, which are not required to operate under part 117. Under the FRMS provisions that this rule adds to subparts Q, R, and S of part 121, an all-cargo operator that does not wish to operate under part 117 can nevertheless utilize an FRMS as long as it has the pertinent FAA approval.

4. Unaugmented Operations

--This is a summary of a Federal Register article originally published on the page number listed below--

Final rule.

CFR Part: "14 CFR Parts 117, 119, and 121"

RIN Number: "RIN 2120-AJ58"

Citation: "77 FR 330"

Document Number: "Docket No. FAA-2009-1093; Amdt. Nos. 117-1, 119-16, 121-357"

Federal Register Page Number: "330"

"Rules and Regulations"