Disputes Agency Authority Over Personal Parachute Airworthiness Directives
The ARSA updated their membership on their disagreement with the FAA over the agency’s authority for issuance of airworthiness directives concerning man-portable parachutes not installed in any aircraft. The agency, according to ARSA, should only be able to legally enforce their AD’s regarding aircraft and their engines, propellers, and appliances, over which they requested clarification in July 2021. On December 3, ARSA requested the assistance of the Department of Transportation's Office of General Counsel, since the FAA had “refused to consider the substantive question of its authority to issue an AD against a parachute”.