Family Affairs Assistance
Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act-1997
Support Department of State programs
Notes:
Family Affairs Assistance
The Foreign Air Carrier Family Support Act of 1997 is the culmination of efforts by several agencies of the U.S. government to extend the support services of our domestic victim assistance plans to better meet the needs of victims and their families that might be involved in an air disaster of international nature. Now international passengers on all airlines serving the U.S. will receive similar protection in case of an accident. Also, ICAO is moving toward international standards to address the needs of air crash victims and their survivors.
The Coordination Role of our Office of Family Affairs has been tested in real world situations on several recent occasions. The Swissair MD-11 accident in Canada was a code share flight with Delta airlines. The EgyptAir accident in the North Atlantic and the Korean Air accident in Guam were major tests because of the international passenger list and the diverse cultures. The Family Affairs personnel have ensured that the surviving family members have been treated with compassion and respect.
Support for the Department of State programs for American Citizens Overseas is readily available. NTSB Family Affairs personnel recently launched to Tanzania to assist the State Department following the crash of an air tour flight that killed 10 American citizens. Our personnel were there to assist officials to make proper identification of the victims and to ensure that they were treated with respect.