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General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 (Engrossed Amendment as
Agreed to by House)
103d CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 1458
AMENDMENT
S 1458 EAH
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
June 26, 1994.
Resolved, That the bill from the Senate (S. 1458) entitled `To amend
the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 to establish time limitations on certain civil
actions against aircraft manufacturers, and for other purposes', do pass with
the following
AMENDMENT:
Strike out all after the enacting clause, and insert:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `General Aviation Revitalization Act of
1994'.
SEC. 2. TIME LIMITATIONS ON CIVIL ACTIONS AGAINST AIRCRAFT
MANUFACTURERS.
(a) IN GENERAL- Except as provided in subsection (b), no civil action
for damages for death or injury to persons or damage to property arising out
of an accident involving a general aviation aircraft may be brought against
the manufacturer of the aircraft or the manufacturer of any new component,
system, subassembly, or other part of the aircraft, in its capacity as a
manufacturer if the accident occurred--
(1) after the applicable limitation period beginning on--
(A) the date of delivery of the aircraft to its first purchaser or
lessee, if delivered directly from the manufacturer; or
(B) the date of first delivery of the aircraft to a person engaged
in the business of selling or leasing such aircraft; or
(2) with respect to any new component, system, subassembly, or other
part which replaced another component, system, subassembly, or other part
originally in, or which was added to, the aircraft, and which is alleged to
have caused such death, injury, or damage, after the applicable limitation
period beginning on the date of completion of the replacement or
addition.
(b) EXCEPTIONS- Subsection (a) does not apply--
(1) if the claimant pleads with specificity the facts necessary to
prove, and proves, that the manufacturer with respect to a type certificate
or airworthiness certificate for, or obligations with respect to continuing
airworthiness of, an aircraft or a component, system, subassembly, or other
part of an aircraft knowingly misrepresented to the Federal Aviation
Administration, or concealed or withheld from the Federal Aviation
Administration, required information that is material and relevant to the
performance or the maintenance or operation of such aircraft, or the
component, system, subassembly, or other part, that is causally related to
the harm which the claimant allegedly suffered;
(2) if the person for whose injury or death the claim is being made
is a passenger for purposes of receiving treatment for a medical or other
emergency;
(3) if the person for whose injury or death the claim is being made
was not aboard the aircraft at the time of the accident; or
(4) to an action brought under a written warranty enforceable under
law but for the operation of this Act.
(c) GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT DEFINED- For the purposes of this Act,
the term `general aviation aircraft' means any aircraft for which a type
certificate or an airworthiness certificate has been issued by the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, which, at the time such
certificate was originally issued, had a maximum seating capacity of fewer
than 20 passengers, and which was not, at the time of the accident, engaged in
scheduled passenger-carrying operations as defined under regulations in effect
under the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. App. 1301 et seq.) at the
time of the accident.
(d) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER LAWS- This section supersedes any State law
to the extent that such law permits a civil action described in subsection (a)
to be brought after the applicable limitation period for such civil action
established by subsection (a).
SEC. 3. OTHER DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act--
(1) the term `aircraft' has the meaning given such term in section
101(5) of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1301(5));
(2) the term `airworthiness certificate' means an airworthiness
certificate issued under section 603(c) of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958
(49 U.S.C. 1423(c)) or under any predecessor Federal statute;
(3) the term `limitation period' means--
(A) 15 years with respect to piston-powered general aviation
aircraft and the components, systems, subassemblies, and other parts of
such aircraft;
(B) 18 years with respect to turboprop-powered general aviation
aircraft and the components, systems, subassemblies, and other parts of
such aircraft; and
(C) 22 years with respect to other general aviation aircraft
(including jet-powered general aviation aircraft) and the components,
systems, subassemblies, and other parts of such aircraft;
and
(4) the term `type certificate' means a type certificate issued
under section 603(a) of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C. 1423(a))
or under any predecessor Federal statute.
SEC. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICATION OF ACT.
(a) EFFECTIVE DATE- Except as provided in subsection (b), this Act
shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act.
(b) APPLICATION OF ACT- This Act shall not apply with respect to civil
actions commenced before the date of the enactment of this Act.
Attest:
Clerk.
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