INTEGRATED PROJECT TEAMS.

SEC. 108. [49 U.S.C. 44704 note] INTEGRATED PROJECT TEAMS. (a) In General.—Upon receipt of an application for a type certificate for a transport category airplane, the Administrator shall convene an interdisciplinary integrated project team responsible for coordinating review and providing advice and recommendations, as appropriate, to the Administrator on such application. (b) Membership.—In convening an interdisciplinary integrated project team under subsection (a), the Administrator shall appoint employees of the Administration or other Federal agencies, such as the Air Force, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (with the concurrence of the head of such other Federal agency), with specialized expertise and experience in the fields of engineering, systems design, human factors, and pilot training, including, at a minimum— (1) not less than 1 designee of the Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety whose duty station is in the Administration’s headquarters; (2) representatives of the Aircraft Certification Service of the Administration; (3) representatives of the Flight Standards Service of the Administration; (4) experts in the fields of human factors, aerodynamics, flight controls, software, and systems design; and (5) any other subject matter expert whom the Administrator determines appropriate. (c) Availability.—In order to carry out its duties with respect to the areas specified in subsection (d), a project team shall be available to the Administrator, upon request, at any time during the certification process. (d) Duties.—A project team shall advise the Administrator and make written recommendations to the Administrator, to be retained in the certification project file, including recommendations for any plans, analyses, assessments, and reports required to support and document the certification project, in the following areas associated with a new technology or novel design: (1) Initial review of design proposals proposed by the applicant and the establishment of the certification basis. (2) Identification of new technology, novel design, or safety critical design features or systems that are potentially catastrophic, either alone or in combination with another failure. (3) Determination of compliance findings, system safety assessments, and safety critical functions the Administration should retain in terms of new technology, novel design, or safety critical design features or systems. (4) Evaluation of the Administration’s expertise or experience necessary to support the project. (5) Review and evaluation of an applicant’s request for exceptions or exemptions from compliance with airworthiness standards codified in title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on the date of application for the change. (6) Conduct of design reviews, procedure evaluations, and training evaluations. (7) Review of the applicant’s final design documentation and other data to evaluate compliance with all relevant Administration regulations. (e) Documentation of FAA Response.—The Administrator shall provide a written response to each recommendation of each project team and shall retain such response in the certification project file. (f) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, and annually thereafter through fiscal year 2028, the Administrator shall submit to the congressional committees of jurisdiction a report on the establishment of each integrated project team in accordance with this section during such fiscal year, including the role and composition of each such project team.