The National Transportation Safety Board in March formally asked the FAA to enhance a series of safety requirements for some revenue passenger-carrying flight operations conducted under FAR Part 91 as general aviation flights. Labeling existing standards for such flights “inadequate,” NTSB Chairman Robert L. Sumwalt said the current regulatory scheme “exposes customers to unnecessary risks.”
The kinds of operations the NTSB is concerned about include parachute jumping, extreme maneuvering/mock air combat, “living history” flights and some kinds of air tours, among others. “Members of the public who pay to participate in Part 91 revenue passenger-carrying activities are likely unaware that these operations have less stringent requirements than other commercial aviation operations,” said an NTSB synopsis of the situation.
