This Day in FAA History: September 27th

Full FAA Chronology at this link.
19380927: The Civil Aeronautics Authority announced that President Roosevelt had approved its recommendation for the immediate construction of a close-in airport to serve the District of Columbia–the Washington National Airport. Expected to serve as a model for the rest of the nation, the new airport would be located at Gravelly Point on the Potomac River. The site of approximately 750 acres would include 500 acres of “made” land from dry fill and dredging. The project was to begin immediately and was scheduled for completion by the end of 1940. (See June 16, 1941.)
19560927: CAA announced the formation of a team of aviation specialists to provide technical assistance and guidance to Afghanistan in developing a national airways system. Under the sponsorship of the International Cooperation Administration, the modernization program called for loans and expenditures totaling $14,560,000 to expand Afghanistan’s air transportation facilities.
19870927: California became the first state to ban smoking on all intrastate trips by airline, bus, or train. In addition, the bill required that at least 75 percent of the space in airports and public transit centers be set aside for nonsmokers. The bill became effective January 1, 1988. (See April 23, 1988.)
20010927: In a speech at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, President Bush announced three measures to enhance aviation safety and security. First, he would continue to expand the air marshal program and seek Congressional approval to make this expansion permanent. Second, he would ensure that, effective October 1, a fund of $500 million would be established to finance aircraft modifications to delay or deny access to the cockpit. Thirdly, he would work with Congress to put the Federal Government in charge of airport security and screening services. The president said that fully implementing the extensive security proposal might take four to six months. Meantime, to ensure that every airport has a strong security presence, he asked the governors of all 50 states to call up the National Guard – at the Federal Government’s expense – to augment existing security staff at every commercial airport nationwide. FAA would provide the necessary training for the National Guard personnel. (See September 23, 2001; September 27, 2001.)
20010927: FAA announced it was launching a nationwide search for personnel to join the air marshal program. FAA was training agents from other federal agencies, including the Customs Service, the Secret Service, the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Already-experienced law enforcement officials were being schooled on handling warfare in a confined space aboard a jet. (See September 23, 2001; September 28, 2001.)
20100927: Southwest Airlines announced it had entered into an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding common stock of AirTran Holdings, Inc., the parent company of AirTran Airways, for a combination of cash and Southwest Airlines’ common stock. Southwest said it could take up to two years before all aspects of the merger were complete, including combining of staff and frequent-flier programs and retrofitting of aircraft.
20130927: A United Airlines pilot suffered a fatal heart attack while flying en route from Houston to Seattle, He was 63 years old. The co-pilot safely landed the plane.
20230927: FAA announced it had closed the closure of the Blue Origin New Shepard 23 mishap investigation. The final report cited the proximate cause of the September 12, 2022, mishap as the structural failure of an engine nozzle caused by higher-than-expected engine operating temperatures. FAA required Blue Origin to implement 21 corrective actions to prevent mishap reoccurrence, including redesigning engine and nozzle components to improve structural performance during operation and organizational changes. During the mishap, the onboard launch vehicle systems detected the anomaly, triggered an abort and separation of the capsule from the propulsion module as intended, and shut down the engine. The capsule landed safely, and the propulsion module was destroyed upon impact with the ground. All debris landed within the designated hazard area.