GENERAL-AVIATION product-liability reforms enacted by North Dakota have been hailed as a model for other US states. North Dakota has established a ten-year limit on an aircraft-manufacturer's liability for manufacturing defects, arguing that the 18-year statute of repose passed by US Congress in 1994 does not go far enough.
Buyers and manufacturers will also have to sign an agreement stating how much liability risk each side will accept. The reforms, described as "innovative" and designed to create "a friendlier legal climate for the light-aircraft industry", are intended to attract manufacturers.
Minnesota-based Cirrus Design has indicated an interest in building aircraft in North Dakota. Local kitplane manufacturer Fisher Flying Products says that it will now "seriously consider" developing and building certificated aircraft.
Source: Flight International
