WASHINGTON — U.S. aviation officials intend to impose broad new safety requirements to prevent aircraft crashes such as the one that killed basketball star Kobe Bryant.
Small airlines, charter-flight operators and air-tour companies would be required to have extensive internal safety systems like ones adopted by airlines in 2018, according to a proposal Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The regulation is designed to expand the use of management tools widely credited with lowering risks in airlines to other areas of the aviation industry. The FAA has separately been trying to crack down on unscrupulous charter operators that skirt regulations.
The 2020 crash that killed Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others might have been prevented if such a program was in place, the National Transportation Safety Board concluded.
The NTSB has repeatedly called for such measures in other accidents, such as a 2019 helicopter crash in Kauai, Hawaii, that killed a pilot and six tourists.
“Expanding safety management systems to other players in the aviation industry will reduce accidents and incidents and save lives,” acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a release.
The proposed regulation would also require U.S. aircraft manufacturers to adopt similar so-called safety management systems. They were not in place at Boeing Co. before the 737 Max crashes that killed 346 people, though Boeing and some other large plane manufacturers have since imposed them.
The public and industry will have 60 days to comment on the rule before FAA begins work to finalize it.
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