§ 44731. Collection of data on helicopter air ambulance operations

(a)In General.— The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall require a part 135 certificate holder providing helicopter air ambulance services to submit to the Administrator, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, a report containing, at a minimum, the following data:

(1) The number of helicopters that the certificate holder uses to provide helicopter air ambulance services and the base locations of the helicopters.

(2) The number of flights and hours flown, by registration number, during which helicopters operated by the certificate holder were providing helicopter air ambulance services.

(3) The number of flight requests for a helicopter providing air ambulance services that were accepted or declined by the certificate holder and the type of each such flight request (such as scene response, interfacility transport, organ transport, or ferry or repositioning flight).

(4) The number of accidents, if any, involving helicopters operated by the certificate holder while providing air ambulance services and a description of the accidents.

(5) The number of flights and hours flown under instrument flight rules by helicopters operated by the certificate holder while providing air ambulance services.

(6) The time of day of each flight flown by helicopters operated by the certificate holder while providing air ambulance services.

(7) The number of incidents, if any, in which a helicopter was not directly dispatched and arrived to transport patients but was not utilized for patient transport.

(b)Reporting Period.— Data contained in a report submitted by a part 135 certificate holder under subsection (a) shall relate to such reporting period as the Administrator determines appropriate.

(c)Database.— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator shall develop a method to collect and store the data collected under subsection (a), including a method to protect the confidentiality of any trade secret or proprietary information provided in response to this section.

(d)Report to Congress.— Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report containing a summary of the data collected under subsection (a).

(e)Definitions.— In this section, the terms “part 135” and “part 135 certificate holder” have the meanings given such terms in section 44730.

(Added Pub. L. 112–95, title III, § 306(a), Feb. 14, 2012, 126 Stat. 60.)

References In Text

References in Text

The date of enactment of this section, referred to in subsecs. (a), (c), and (d), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 112–95, which was approved Feb. 14, 2012.