By the mid-1980s, the general aviation industry was headed toward a grave and uncertain future. Cessna Aircraft had made the decision to cease piston-aircraft production. Piper Aircraft was headed toward bankruptcy and by 1991 had entered Chapter 11. An industry that in 1979 delivered nearly 18,000 aircraft had dwindled to about 2,500 unit shipments just six years later and 1,300 by 1993. And that was turbine and piston aircraft combined.
While many factors played into this, most fingers pointed to product liability as a chief reason. Simply put, manufacturers could no longer afford the long liability tail left by their 40-plus-year-old machines. That was the backdrop for a nearly decade-long battle that culminated in the 1994 passage of the General Aviation Revitalization Act, or GARA. One of the most significant victories for the industry, it was a massive undertaking in a Congress that had little appetite for product liability reform. However, it was an effort that brought together an interesting mix of House and Senate Democrats and Republicans, the business and general aviation industry, labor, and even the airline community. A few of the key players in this battle shared their stories from the time and/or thoughts on the impact of the legislation, which was signed into law on August 17, 1994, now 30 years ago.
More In Regulations and Government
