95 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 16.5 

communications between FAA employ-
ees who participate as parties to a 
hearing pursuant to 16.203(b) of this 
part and other parties to a hearing. 

Hearing officer means an attorney 

designated by the Deputy Chief Coun-
sel in a hearing order to serve as a 
hearing officer in a hearing under this 
part. The following are not designated 
as hearing officers: the Chief Counsel 
and Deputy Chief Counsel; the Re-
gional or Center Counsel and attorneys 
in the FAA region or center in which 
the noncompliance has allegedly oc-
curred or is occurring; the Assistant 
Chief Counsel and attorneys in the Air-
ports and Environmental Law Division 
of the FAA Office of the Chief Counsel; 
and the Assistant Chief Counsel and at-
torneys in the Litigation Division of 
the FAA Office of Chief Counsel. 

Initial decision means a decision made 

by the hearing officer in a hearing 
under subpart F of this part. 

Mail means U.S. first class mail; U.S. 

certified mail; and U.S. express mail. 
Unless otherwise noted, mail also 
means electronic mail containing PDF 
copies of pleadings or documents re-
quired herein. 

Noncompliance  means anything done 

or omitted to be done by any person in 
contravention of any provision of any 
Act, as defined in this section, as to 
matters within the jurisdiction of the 
Administrator. 

Party  means the complainant(s) and 

the respondent(s) named in the com-
plaint and, after an initial determina-
tion providing an opportunity for hear-
ing is issued under § 16.31 and subpart E 
of this part, the agency. 

Person  in addition to its meaning 

under 49 U.S.C. 40102(a)(33), includes a 
public agency as defined in 49 U.S.C. 
47102(a)(15). 

Personal delivery means same-day 

hand delivery or overnight express de-
livery service. 

Respondent  means any person named 

in a complaint as a person responsible 
for noncompliance. 

Sponsor means: 
(1) Any public agency which, either 

individually or jointly with one or 
more other public agencies, has re-
ceived Federal financial assistance for 
airport development or planning under 
the Federal Airport Act, Airport and 

Airway Development Act or Airport 
and Airway Improvement Act; 

(2) Any private owner of a public-use 

airport that has received financial as-
sistance from the FAA for such airport; 
and 

(3) Any person to whom the Federal 

Government has conveyed property for 
airport purposes under section 13(g) of 
the Surplus Property Act of 1944, as 
amended. 

Writing or written includes paper doc-

uments that are filed and/or served by 
mail, personal delivery, facsimile, or 
email (as attached PDF files). 

[Doc. No. 27783, 61 FR 54004, Oct. 16, 1996, as 
amended at Amdt. 16–1, 78 FR 56141, Sept. 12, 
2013] 

§ 16.5

Separation of functions. 

(a) Proceedings under this part, in-

cluding hearings under subpart F of 
this part, will be prosecuted by an 
agency attorney. 

(b) After issuance of an initial deter-

mination in which the FAA provides 
the opportunity for a hearing, an agen-
cy employee engaged in the perform-
ance of investigative or prosecutorial 
functions in a proceeding under this 
part will not, in that case or a factu-
ally related case, participate or give 
advice in an initial decision by the 
hearing officer, or a final decision by 
the Associate Administrator or des-
ignee on written appeal, and will not, 
except as counsel or as witness in the 
public proceedings, engage in any sub-
stantive communication regarding that 
case or a related case with the hearing 
officer, the Associate Administrator on 
written appeal, or agency employees 
advising those officials in that capac-
ity. 

(c) The Chief Counsel, the Assistant 

Chief Counsel for Litigation, or an at-
torney on the staff of the Assistant 
Chief Counsel for Litigation advises 
the Associate Administrator regarding 
an initial decision, an appeal, or a final 
decision regarding any case brought 
under this part. 

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