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On June 14, 1995, the FAA stated that it had asked the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center to study CFIT accidents involving turbojet-powered airplanes equipped with six or more passenger seats and document those CFIT accidents that would have been avoided if GPWS or enhanced GPWS had been installed. The FAA stated that it would review the results of the study to determine any regulatory action that would need to be initiated. On August 29, 1995, the Safety Board stated that it would wait for the study to be completed and then evaluate the actions taken by the FAA in response to the study's findings.

On April 17, 1997, the FAA stated that it had initiated rulemaking proposing to mandate the installation of enhanced GPWS on all turbine-powered airplanes with six or more passenger seats. The FAA also indicated that the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security issued a recommendation that urged the installation of enhanced GPWS on commercial aircraft. The FAA stated that it was proposing to revise 14 CFR Parts 91, 121, and 135 to address the Board's and White House's recommendations.

On July 31, 1997, the Safety Board said that it reviewed the results of the study by the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center. The Board stated that it was pleased that the FAA had initiated rulemaking activity to revise 14 CFR Parts 91, 121, and 135 to mandate enhanced GPWS on all turbine-powered airplanes with six or more passenger seats. The Board indicated that nearly 1 year had passed since the study was completed, and the Board hoped that the FAA's important rulemaking action would not be further delayed.

On January 13, 1998, the Houston Gates Learjet accident occurred. This accident, which was briefly discussed in section 1.18.1.2, involved a positioning flight operating under 14 CFR Part 91. The airplane departed from Hobby Airport in Houston for George Bush Intercontinental Airport, where five people were waiting to board the airplane for a 14 CFR Part 135 charter flight to Fargo, North Dakota. The captain and first officer--the sole occupants aboard the flight--were killed when the airplane struck trees and impacted the ground, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and fire. The airplane was not equipped with a GPWS and was not required by the FARs to be so equipped. Although the Safety Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was flight crew error, the Board also found that the lack of an FAA requirement for a GPWS on the airplane was a factor in the accident.

On May 12, 1999, the Safety Board stated that the circumstances of the Houston Learjet accident, the TAESA Learjet accident, and the Bruno's Beechjet accident clearly