U.S. Says Rules on Pilots’ Records Database Being Finalized

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it is finalizing rules establishing a long-delayed electronic pilot records database demanded by Congress in 2010 in the wake of a fatal crash.

In March, the FAA published proposed rules to establish a new database to provide potential employers with rapid access to information about pilot performance and employment records after the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009 near Buffalo killed 50 people. The FAA said operators will have three years and 90 days to fully comply with the rule.

In July, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board cited the FAA’s failure to finalize the database as a contributing factor in a February 2019 fatal crash of an Atlas Air cargo plane.

(Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)