§ 44725. Life-Limited Aircraft Parts

     (a) In General.—The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall conduct a rulemaking proceeding to require the safe disposition of life-limited parts removed from an aircraft. The rulemaking proceeding shall ensure that the disposition deter installation on an aircraft of a life-limited part that has reached or exceeded its life limits.

     (b) Safe Disposition.—For the purposes of this section, safe disposition includes any of the following methods:

     (1) The part may be segregated under circumstances that preclude its installation on an aircraft.

     (2) The part may be permanently marked to indicate its used life status.

     (3) The part may be destroyed in any manner calculated to prevent reinstallation in an aircraft.

     (4) The part may be marked, if practicable, to include the recordation of hours, cycles, or other airworthiness information. If the parts are marked with cycles or hours of usage, that information must be updated every time the part is removed from service or when the part is retired from service.

     (5) Any other method approved by the Administrator.

     (c) Deadlines.—In conducting the rulemaking proceeding under subsection (a), the Administrator shall—

     (1) not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section, issue a notice of proposed rulemaking; and

     (2) not later than 180 days after the close of the comment period on the proposed rule, issue a final rule.

     (d) Prior-Removed Life-Limited Parts.—No rule issued under subsection (a) shall require the marking of parts removed from aircraft before the effective date of the rules issued under subsection (a), nor shall any such rule forbid the installation of an otherwise airworthy life-limited part.

(Added Pub. L. 106–181, title V, § 504(a), Apr. 5, 2000, 114 Stat. 134.)

References in Text

     The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (c)(1), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 106–181, which was approved Apr. 5, 2000.

     Section applicable only to fiscal years beginning after Sept. 30, 1999, see section 3 of Pub. L. 106–181, set out as an Effective Date of 2000 Amendments note under section 106 of this title.

     This section is referred to in section 46301 of this title.