The FAA, DOT, TSA, and NTSB: What You Need to Know About These Agencies

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) promotes aviation safety by issuing and enforcing safety regulations regarding all aspects of the national airspace and what and who fly within that airspace, and encouraging  and licensing the U.S. commercial space transportation industry.  The FAA also enforces the Federal Hazardous Materials Law and the Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR).   This program enlightens the viewer on the myriad of aspects of FAA enforcement before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), FAA, and U.S. district courts, and is useful not only to the aviation industry but to all industries engaged in the transportation of hazardous materials. 

This course also explores the DOT and its Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), which has a wide range of responsibilities from overseeing intermodal transportation to issuing regulations to prevent alcohol and illegal drug misuse in transportation systems and also includes the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), created  by the United States Department of Homeland Security, a federal agency that has wide-ranging authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of aviation security.  Despite some of the negative press that the TSA has received, particularly with respect to passenger inconveniences and delays, the TSA plays a vital role in keeping passengers and property safe at the nation’s airports.  Due in part to this agency’s efforts, the traveling public has enjoyed a historically safe period of time in our nation’s aviation history since September 11, 2001.

In this course, McKenna Long and Aldridge Senior Counsel Allan Horowitz, the former Manager of Special Programs in the FAA’s Enforcement Division, and John Oh, Of Counsel in New York and an experienced airport litigator, discuss the ways in which TSA regulations and procedures frequently arise in various legal disputes involving airport operators, airlines and airport vendors. 

Learning Objectives:

I.     Understand the FAA's scope and enforcement process, including the enforcement responsibilities of the OST, and what to do when you receive a letter of investigation from the FAA 

II.    Recognize the governmental entities that control and can affect you if you operate in the business of aviation and intermodal transportation, particularly of hazardous materials 

III.   Appreciate  how TSA regulations and procedures affect passenger travel and airport operations

IV.  Comprehend how TSA rules can impact legal disputes and litigation that arise at the nation’s airports