Overview
Law360 quoted Dane Jaques in a July 2 article titled “Transpo Regulation And Legislation To Watch: Midyear Report.” The article highlights transportation legislation and regulation to watch in the latter half of the year including the Senate Commerce Committee’s Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act of 2020. The proposed bipartisan legislation overhauls parts of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Organization Designation Authorization, or ODA, program, which delegates certain segments of the aircraft certification process to the plane makers themselves.
Jaques tells Law360 that the bill is a thoughtful comprehensive response to the problems revealed by the 737 Max certification. "On one hand, complex designs require ODA programs because the FAA does not have the budget or expertise to directly conduct the analyses needed for advanced design approval," Jaques explains.
"On the other hand, ODA programs exacerbate the problem of the FAA not having this expertise since inspectors do not gain knowledge of these systems by participating in the day-to-day design and approval process," Jaques adds. "The net result has been a broken ODA program where ODA holders have been operating with minimal FAA oversight, which the 737 Max problems highlighted."
The full article can be read at Law360 (subscription required).
