Story ID: 
Landing-assessment Rule Dropped–For Now
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: For the time being, air-taxi and fractional jet operators will not be required to add a 15-percent safety margin to actual landing distance as described in
Word Count: 175
For the time being, air-taxi and fractional jet operators will not be required to add a 15-percent safety margin to actual landing distance as described in a June FAA policy notice and an impending OpSpec. Trade groups had argued that since the policy notice was to become a requirement, the FAA is obligated to follow the rulemaking process, including, an initial notice of proposed rulemaking asking for comments. The agency now plans to follow the rulemaking process, which will likely take several months to complete. While the rulemaking is under way, the FAA wants Part 91K, 121, 125 and 135 jet operators to follow safety margin recommendations published Thursday in a Safety Alert for Operators (No. 06012). As a result of last December’s Southwest Airlines runway overrun accident at Chicago Midway Airport, the FAA released a policy notice on June 7 outlining a plan to require that jet operators add a 15-percent safety margin to actual landing distance. The SAFO, which applies to commercial jet operators, includes advice that may be helpful for any jet operator using contaminated runways.