Air Safety : Bibliogov : 9781289034504 : 1289034508 : 26 Jun 2013 : Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) proposed Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), focusing on its: (1) safety benefits; (2) commercial prospects; and (3) development plans. GAO found that FAA: (1) designed TCAS to reduce the risk of mid-air collisions by providing pilots with an independent airborne backup to the FAA ground-based air traffic control system; (2) has three models which vary in cost, technical sophistication, and capacity, with TCAS III having the most risk-reduction capability; and (3) designed TCAS II to permit an easy, low-cost upgrade to TCAS III capability. GAO also found that FAA: (1) proposed legislation requiring installation of TCAS I in all jets with 10 to 19 passenger seats and installation of TCAS II and III in larger commercial aircraft; (2) did not conduct a safety study for TCAS I; (3) is currently perf