22 C.F.R. PART 102—CIVIL AVIATION
Title 22 - Foreign Relations
Authority: Sec. 302, 60 Stat. 1001; 22 U.S.C. 842.
Source: 22 FR 10871, Dec. 27, 1957, unless otherwise noted.
(a) To airline and Civil Aeronautics Administration representatives. If a scheduled United States air carrier is involved the airline representatives concerned will probably be the first to be informed of the accident, in which event he will be expected to report the accident to the Foreign Service post, to the nearest Civil Aeronautics Administration office, and to his home office in the United States. If this is not the case, the Foreign Service post should report promptly to the nearest office of the airline concerned and to the nearest office of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, any accident occurring to a scheduled civil air carrier of United States registry within its consular district. To be properly prepared, each post should obtain and have on file for ready reference, the address and telephone number of representatives of any United States airline engaged in scheduled operations within or over the post district. (b) To Department and supervisory Foreign Service offices. A Foreign Service post should report promptly to the Department accidents to any United States civil aircraft occurring in the post district. The report should summarize all available information and, in the case of a scheduled United States air carrier, should state whether the airline has taken over the responsibility of notifying the nearest Civil Aeronautics Administration field office. This report should be submitted by the most expeditious means possible (priority telephone or telegraph message) at Government expense. If the accident involves a private plane or non-scheduled air carrier, these circumstances should be reported, also whether the nearest office of the Civil Aeronautics Administration has been informed. In the latter case, the Department will ascertain from the Civil Aeronautics Board whether it desires to investigate the case, and inform the Foreign Service post accordingly. Consular posts should submit a similar report to their supervisory missions or to their supervisory consular offices in territories where there are no United States missions. Supplementary reports should be supplied the Department and the supervisory Foreign Service office whenever considered appropriate. A final report, after the urgency has diminished, and when the post's role is negligible should cover the post's activities in connection with the accident (see §102.16(b)). Representatives of the Civil Aeronautics Board, the Civil Aeronautics Administration and the United States airline involved may not have the documents necessary for entry into the country where the accident occurred. The local Foreign Service post should lend all assistance possible in obtaining the entry of such representatives into the country where the accident occurred and in expediting their travel to the scene of the accident. Always in the case of a scheduled United States air carrier and whenever necessary in the case of a non-scheduled carrier or private plane, a local Foreign Service post should dispatch a member of its staff to the scene of the accident in order to insure that proper protection is afforded United States citizens and property involved in the accident and that any evidence as to the cause of the accident is preserved until the arrival of United States Government investigating personnel. (For steps to be taken when the aircraft was carrying a courier or diplomatic pouches, see §102.14(b).) In the absence of an airline representative, the Foreign Service representative should lend the competent local authorities all possible assistance compatible with the provisions of §102.11 in caring for the survivors, identifying and disposing of the remains of victims, salvaging and protecting property and preserving wreckage pending an investigation. If an airline representative is already at the scene of the accident or if one arrives shortly thereafter, the Foreign Service representative should assist him in the discharge of his recognized responsibilities in connection with passengers and cargo. However, the Foreign Service representative is also obligated to assist investigating personnel of the United States Government by preserving evidence as to the cause of the accident. Any attempt on the part of the airline representative to exceed his recognized sphere of activity should be called to the attention of the airline involved and the competent local authorities. (a) The Department of State has no funds from which expenses attendant upon an accident to United States aircraft can be paid. In emergencies involving scheduled carriers and in the absence of airline representatives, or other authority, the Foreign Service post should request a deposit from the airline (through the Department if desired) with specific authorization to incur whatever financial obligations the airline is willing to assume for the hiring of guards (in case local police protection is considered inadequate), the provision of accommodations, medical care, and onward transportation for survivors and for other expenses resulting from the accident. In accidents involving a private plane or non-scheduled carrier, the Foreign Service post is not in a position to expend any funds without prior authorization from the Department. In such cases, and in extreme cases involving scheduled carriers, when airline and investigation personnel may be delayed in reaching the scene, the Foreign Service representative, as the representative of all segments of the United States Government in the area, should endeavor to protect and promote the interests of the Government, the airline, and the individual citizen by any means available to him that are consistent with these regulations, and should request funds and instructions as required from the Department. (b) The local Foreign Service post is not authorized to expend any funds for guarding the wreckage to preserve evidence as to the cause of the accident unless the Civil Aeronautics Board or the Civil Aeronautics Administration authorizes in advance the expenditure of such funds on a reimbursable basis. In the absence of such advance authorization, the Foreign Service post can arrange only for such protection as local authorities are willing to furnish gratuitously. (c) Voluntary services and personal services in excess of those authorized by law may be accepted and utilized in the case of an aircraft accident since the law which normally prohibits such acceptance (31 U.S.C. 665) does not apply “in case of sudden emergency involving the loss of human life or the destruction of property”. (a) Medical care and hospitalization. The Foreign Service representative should lend any assistance possible (see §§102.10 and 102.11) in arranging for the best medical and hospital attention available for injured survivors of the accident. If a scheduled United States carrier is involved in an accident, the primary responsibility for providing medical care for passengers and crew rests with the airline, and in such situations the Foreign Service representative should assist the airline in every way that is feasible (see §§102.10 and 102.11). (b) Accommodation and onward transportation. If a scheduled United States carrier is involved in an accident, primary responsibility for providing accommodation and onward transportation for passengers and crew rests with the airline, and in such situations the Foreign Service representative should assist the airline in every way that is feasible (see §§102.10 and 102.11). If the accident involves a private plane or non-scheduled carrier, he should assist passengers and members of the crew who do not require hospitalization in any way compatible with §§102.10 and 102.11 in obtaining appropriate comfortable accommodations accessible from the scene of the accident. If practicable, surviving passengers should remain in the vicinity of the accident until the United States Government investigating personnel can obtain from them all information pertaining to the accident. Surviving passengers leaving the vicinity should furnish addresses at which they can be reached later. The Foreign Service representative should assist the passengers, insofar as he can under the provision of §§102.10 and 102.11, in obtaining necessary clearances from local authorities and in getting onward transportation by the most expeditious means of common carrier transportation available. The surviving aircraft crew will be expected to remain in the vicinity of the accident until otherwise instructed by the investigating personnel. (a) Interim disposition of remains. Generally, local authorities will assume custody of the remains of deceased victims of the accident and consign them to a mortuary until final disposition can be made. (b) Identification of remains. When necessary, the local Foreign Service post should assist in identifying the remains of United States citizens who are victims of the accident by requesting the Department to procure dental charts, passport application data and photographs, fingerprints, or other United States records. (c) Reports on deaths of United States citizens. The local Foreign Service post shall report the deaths of United States citizens occurring in an aircraft accident in accordance with the procedure prescribed in §§72.1 to 72.8 of this chapter. (d) Disposition of remains. When a scheduled United States air carrier meets with an accident, the United States airline concerned will usually transport the identifiable remains of victims of the accident to the place of final interment designated by the next of kin. If the Foreign Service post is requested, or finds it necessary, to dispose of identifiable remains, it shall follow the procedure prescribed in §§72.9 to 72.14 of this chapter. Where remains are unidentifiable, the local authorities may be expected to make final disposition of these remains locally in accordance with the health requirements of the country concerned, usually by common burial or by cremation, and without regard to the disposition desired by possible next of kin. (a) Mail. Article 3, sections 6 and 7, of the Air Mail Provisions annexed to the Universal Postal Union Convention, Paris, 1947, provide that the personnel who survive the aircraft accident shall, when possible, deliver the mail to the post office nearest the place of the accident or to the one best-qualified to reforward the mail. If the aircraft personnel are unable to do this, the local post office concerned shall make every effort, without delay, to take delivery of the mail and to forward it to the offices of designation by the most rapid means, after determining the condition of the correspondence and reconditioning it if damaged. Most post offices are familiar with these provisions, but if in any case the mail is not being properly cared for, the local Foreign Service post should bring the proper procedure to the attention of the nearest post office. (b) Diplomatic pouches. Immediately upon arriving at the scene of the accident, the Foreign Service representative should ascertain whether the aircraft was carrying a courier or diplomatic pouches. If a courier is found to be aboard, the same personal arrangements should be made for him as are made for other passengers (see §§102.10 to 102.13). An immediate search should also be made for whatever diplomatic pouches the courier may have been carrying and for any pouches that may have been carried as regular cargo. Usually, the cargo manifest will list diplomatic pouches carried as air freight or cargo. The passenger manifest normally will list the total number of pieces of luggage or pouches checked by a courier (if one is aboard), but since he usually carries his pouches with him into the cabin of the plane, the pouch invoices on his person or in his briefcase will offer positive proof of the number of pouches he had in his custody. If any are found, they should be cleared through appropriate government officials of the country and taken to the nearest United States Foreign Service office to await disposition instructions. If it is learned that the postal authorities have already recovered United States diplomatic pouches that may have been involved, these pouches should be obtained from the postal authorities and taken to the nearest United States Foreign Service office to await diposition instructions. A telegraphic message should be dispatched to the Department and to the regional courier office having jurisdiction over that area, giving a description of the pouches recovered. This description should include the office of addressor and addressee and the classification indicator (C, A, or S). The Department and the regional courier office will coordinate instructions to the office for the disposition of these pouches. (c) Baggage, personal effects and cargo. The Foreign Service representative should request the local authorities to arrange for the security storage and protection of such baggage, personal effects and cargo as is recoverable from the aircraft until the property can be released to its owners by local customs and accident investigating authorities, or by the courts. When released, the personal effects of United States citizens, who died in the accident, should be taken into possession and disposed of by the local Foreign Service post in accordance with the procedure prescribed in §§72.15 to 72.55 of this chapter. In so far as local law permits, the Foreign Service representative should see that arrangements are made (by the airline representative with the local authorities, if a scheduled carrier is involved) for the protection of the wrecked aircraft and its property contents against further damage, pilferage, and access by unauthorized persons, until the arrival of the accident investigation personnel. The prior removal of any of the wreckage or the contents of the aircraft should be prevented unless such action is necessitated by very compelling reasons, such as the need for treating the injured or for removing bodies, or when the wreckage constitutes a public hazard. When under the latter conditions the wreckage and contents of the aircraft must be moved or disturbed in any way, if possible, a record should be made or photographs taken showing the position and condition of the wreckage prior to disturbance. In the case of a private aircraft or non-scheduled carrier, protection should be arranged for the wrecked aircraft and its contents pending the receipt of information from the Department as to whether the Civil Aeronautics Board will investigate the case, and until final disposition is made of the property. If the owner of a private aircraft is killed in the wreck and is a United States citizen, the aircraft constitutes part of his personal estate and should be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of §§72.15 to 72.55 of this chapter. For rules governing the payment of expenses in connection with the protection and preservation of wrecked United States aircraft, see §102.11. (a) Records. The Foreign Service representative should maintain a record of the various transactions taking place prior to the arrival of airline, Civil Aeronautics Board and Civil Aeronautics Administration representatives. This record should include all pertinent details with respect to the disposition of persons and property, obligations assumed, arrangements made, et cetera, and should also include any statements made by witnesses. (b) Reports. Reports should be submitted to the Department for its information and the information of aviation authorities and other interested parties in the United States regarding the progress of any investigation which is held and its final outcome when known. When an accident occurs to a foreign aircraft in the district of a Foreign Service post and United States citizens or property are involved, the local Foreign Service post shall report the disaster fully to the Department and to the supervisory mission (or the supervisory consular office where there is no mission). The local Foreign Service post shall follow substantially the procedures prescribed in §§102.11 to 102.13 in protecting United States citizens (whether alive or dead) involved in a foreign aircraft accident. The local Foreign Service office shall follow substantially the procedures set forth in §§102.11 and 102.14 in protecting United States mail and baggage, personal effects and cargo belonging to United States citizens. Authority: Sec. 4, Act of May 26, 1949, as amended (63 Stat. 111; 22 U.S.C. 2658); E.O. 11920 (June 11, 1976, 41 FR 23665).
Source: 41 FR 31548, July 29, 1976, unless otherwise noted.
The purpose of this subpart is to set forth procedures for the receipt by the Department of State of comments from private parties on possible recommendations by the Department to the President on decisions of the Civil Aeronautics Board submitted for the President's approval under section 801 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958, which relates to overseas and international air transportation. (a) This subpart applies to all communications between private parties and officials or employees of the Department of State, including those stationed abroad, on matters set forth in §102.21 of this subpart. (b) This subpart applies, with respect to any particular proceeding before the Civil Aeronautics Board, from the time that the Board's decision has been submitted to the President for consideration until the President has issued a final decision with respect to that proceeding. (a) All communications by private parties with Departmental officials or employees concerning a Presidential decision under section 801 of the Federal Aviation Act shall, whenever possible, be made in writing. Any such communication which is not made in writing shall be summarized by the official or employee of the Department who receives the communication. (b) All such summaries and written communications, except those relating to matters that are specifically authorized under criteria established by Executive Order to be kept confidential in the interest of national defense or foreign policy, are to be placed in a public docket and available for public inspection and copying and for responsive comment. (a) All comments submitted under this subpart shall reference the number of the Civil Aeronautics Board docket relating to the proceeding which is the subject of the comment. (b) The original and four copies of such comments may be mailed to the Director, Office of Aviation, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, or delivered to the Director, Office of Aviation, Room 5830, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, 8:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday except Federal holidays. Written comments submitted to Department officials other than the Director of the Office of Aviation and summaries of oral communications prepared in accordance with §102.25(a) of this subpart shall be forwarded to the Director of the Office of Aviation. (c) All comments submitted under this subpart and placed in the docket, are available for public inspection and copying and for responsive comment at the address and times specified in paragraph (b) of this section.
Title 22: Foreign Relations
PART 102—CIVIL AVIATION
Section Contents
§ 102.8 Reporting accidents.
§ 102.9 Arranging for entry and travel of investigating and airline representatives.
§ 102.10 Rendering assistance at the scene of the accident.
§ 102.11 Arranging for the payment of expenses attendant upon an accident.
§ 102.12 Protective services for survivors.
§ 102.13 Protective services with respect to deceased victims of accidents.
§ 102.14 Salvage of mail and other property.
§ 102.15 Protection and preservation of wreckage.
§ 102.16 Records and reports in connection with investigation.
Foreign Aircraft Accidents Involving United States Persons or Property
§ 102.17 Reports on accident.
§ 102.18 Protection of United States citizens involved.
§ 102.19 Protection of United States property.
§ 102.21 Purpose.
§ 102.22 [Reserved]
§ 102.23 Applicability.
§ 102.24 [Reserved]
§ 102.25 Submission of comments.
§ 102.26 [Reserved]
§ 102.27 Docket.
Subpart A—United States Aircraft Accidents Abroad
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§ 102.8 Reporting accidents.
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§ 102.9 Arranging for entry and travel of investigating and airline representatives.
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§ 102.10 Rendering assistance at the scene of the accident.
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§ 102.11 Arranging for the payment of expenses attendant upon an accident.
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§ 102.12 Protective services for survivors.
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§ 102.13 Protective services with respect to deceased victims of accidents.
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§ 102.14 Salvage of mail and other property.
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§ 102.15 Protection and preservation of wreckage.
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§ 102.16 Records and reports in connection with investigation.
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Foreign Aircraft Accidents Involving United States Persons or Property
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§ 102.17 Reports on accident.
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§ 102.18 Protection of United States citizens involved.
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§ 102.19 Protection of United States property.
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Subpart B—Recommendations to the President Under Section 801 of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958
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§ 102.21 Purpose.
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§ 102.22 [Reserved]
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§ 102.23 Applicability.
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§ 102.24 [Reserved]
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§ 102.25 Submission of comments.
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§ 102.26 [Reserved]
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§ 102.27 Docket.
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