Helicopter Safety Parity Act of 2026

This Act may be cited as the Helicopter Safety Parity Act of 2026.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Certain helicopter operators conduct passenger service under part 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, that is substantially similar to part 121 of such title scheduled passenger operations.

(2) These operations avoid the more rigorous standards for pilot training, duty and rest, maintenance, and equipment required under part 121 of such title.

(3) The Federal Aviation Administration has acknowledged this gap and proposed rulemaking to close it, but such rulemaking has not been finalized.

(4) Public safety requires that rotorcraft providing passenger service comply with standards equivalent to those governing airlines.

(5) This Act builds on, and does not duplicate, the requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Management System final rule issued in 2024.

(6) A series of helicopter accidents in recent years, including fatal crashes involving tour operators, charter services, and air taxi operations, have revealed recurring issues with pilot fatigue, inadequate maintenance, and insufficient equipment, including the April 2025 Hudson River helicopter crash, which demonstrated that inadequate maintenance oversight under part 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, can contribute to catastrophic failures, highlighting the need for harmonized standards with part 121 of such title.

In this Act:

The term part 121 operations means operations conducted under part 121 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

The term part 121 operators means operators conducting part 121 operations.

The term part 135 operations means operations conducted under part 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

The term part 135 operators means operators conducting part 135 operations.

The term rotorcraft has the meaning given that term in section 1.1 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

This section applies to all turbine-powered helicopters carrying 2 or more passengers for compensation or hire.

Operators subject to subsection (a) shall comply with safety equipment, training, and maintenance requirements equivalent to those applicable to part 121 operations, including—

(1) equipment capable of providing terrain awareness, or equivalent technology approved by the Administrator;

(2) equipment capable of cockpit voice recording, or equivalent technology approved by the Administrator;

(3) equipment capable of flight data recording, or equivalent technology approved by the Administrator; and

(4) compliance with standards under part 121 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, for pilot qualification, duty and rest, and maintenance programs.

Operators subject to this section shall achieve full compliance not later than 24 months after the date of enactment of this Act.

The Administrator may grant an extension of up to 6 additional months upon a showing of good faith progress toward compliance.

This section shall not apply to operations conducted exclusively for emergency medical services under subpart L of part 135 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue final regulations to carry out this Act.

The Administrator shall rescind or modify any exemptions, interpretations, or guidance inconsistent with this Act.

An operator that fails to comply with the requirements of this Act shall be subject to the same penalties, certificate actions, and enforcement measures applicable to violations by part 121 operators under chapter 447 of title 49, United States Code.

There are authorized to be appropriated to the Federal Aviation Administration $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the requirements of this Act, including rulemaking, enforcement, oversight, and the hiring and training of aviation safety inspectors to strengthen maintenance and operational surveillance of rotorcraft operators.

Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration 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 describing—

(1) staffing needs for implementation of this Act;

(2) steps taken to hire and train additional aviation safety inspectors; and

(3) progress in integrating rotorcraft operators into oversight systems consistent with part 121 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations.

The requirements of this Act shall take effect on the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act.