§ 32. Destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities

Legislative history

Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.

1. 1956

   Pub. L. 84–595 § 1 · 70 Stat. 292

   Enacted · 18 U.S.C. § 32

   Added July 14, 1956, ch. 595, § 1, 70 Stat. 539

   Source evidence

   Code source credit
   Added July 14, 1956, ch. 595, § 1, 70 Stat. 539

2. 1984

   Aircraft Sabotage Act

   Pub. L. 98–473 title II § 2013(b) · 98 Stat. 1837

   Amended · 18 U.S.C. § 32

   Pub. L. 98–473 amended section generally. Prior to amendment section read as follows:

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Pub. L. 98–473 amended section generally. Prior to amendment section read as follows:

   “Whoever willfully sets fire to, damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks any civil aircraft used, operated, or employed in interstate, overseas, or foreign air commerce; or “Whoever willfully sets fire to, damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks any aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, or spare part with intent to damage, destroy, disable, or wreck any such aircraft; or “Whoever, with like intent, willfully places or causes to be placed any destructive substance in, upon, or in proximity to any such aircraft, or any aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, spare part, fuel, lubricant, hydraulic fluid, or other material used or intended to be used in connection with the operation of any such aircraft, or any cargo carried or intended to be carried on any such aircraft, or otherwise makes or causes to be made any such aircraft, aircraft engine, propeller, appliance, spare part, fuel, lubricant, hydraulic fluid, or other material unworkable or unusable or hazardous to work or use; or “Whoever, with like intent, willfully sets fire to, damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks, or places or causes to be placed any destructive substance in, upon, or in proximity to any shop, supply, structure, station, depot, terminal, hangar, ramp, landing area, air-navigation facility or other facility, warehouse, property, machine, or apparatus used or intended to be used in connection with the operation, loading, or unloading of any such aircraft or making any such aircraft ready for flight, or otherwise makes or causes to be made any such shop, supply, structure, station, depot, terminal, hangar, ramp, landing area, air-navigation facility or other facility, warehouse, property, machine, or apparatus unworkable or unusable or hazardous to work or use; or “Whoever, with like intent, willfully incapacitates any member of the crew of any such aircraft; or “Whoever willfully attempts to do any of the aforesaid acts or things— “shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both.”

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   (b) Section 32 of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: “§ 32. Destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities “(a) Whoever willfully— “(1) sets fire to, damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks any aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States or any civil aircraft used, operated, or employed in interstate, overseas, or foreign air commerce; “(2) places or causes to be placed a destructive device or substance in, upon, or in proximity to, or otherwise makes or causes to be made unworkable or unusable or hazardous to work or use, any such aircraft, or any part or other materials used or intended to be used in connection with the operation of such aircraft, if such placing or causing to be placed or such making or causing to be made is likely to endanger the safety of any such aircraft; “(3) sets fire to, damages, destroys, or disables any air navigation facility, or interferes by force or violence with the operation of such facility, if such fire, damaging, destroying, disabling, or intefering is likely to endanger the safety of any such aircraft in flight; “(4) with the intent to damage, destroy, or disable any such aircraft, sets fire to, damages, destroys, or disables or places a destructive device or substance in, upon, or in proximity to, any appliance or structure, ramp, landing area, property, machine, or apparatus, or any facility or other material used, or intended to be used, in connection with the operation, maintenance, loading, unloading or storage of any such aircraft or any cargo carried or intended to be carried on any such aircraft; “(5) performs an act of violence against or incapacitates any individual on any such aircraft, if such act of violence or incapacitation is likely to endanger the safety of such aircraft; “(6) communicates information, knowing the information to be false and under circumstances in which such information may reasonably be believed, thereby endangering the safety of any such aircraft in flight; or “(7) attempts to do anything prohibited under paragraphs (1) through (6) of this subsection; shall be fined not more than $100,000 or imprisoned not more than twenty years or both. “(b) Whoever willfully— “(1) performs an act of violence against any individual on board any civil aircraft registered in a country other than the United States while such aircraft is in flight, if such act is likely to endanger the safety of that aircraft; “(2) destroys a civil aircraft registered in a country other than the United States while such aircraft is in service or causes damage to such an aircraft which renders that aircraft incapable of flight or which is likely to endanger that aircraft’s safety in flight; “(3) places or causes to be placed on a civil aircraft registered in a country other than the United States while such aircraft is in service, a device or substance which is likely to destroy that aircraft, or to cause damage to that aircraft which renders that aircraft incapable of flight or which is likely to endanger that aircraft’s safety in flight; or “(4) attempts to commit an offense described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of this subsection; shall, if the offender is later found in the United States, be fined not more than $100,000 or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both. “(c) Whoever willfully imparts or conveys any threat to do an act which would violate any of paragraphs (1) through (5) of subsection (a) or any of paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (b) of this section, with an apparent determination and will to carry the threat into execution shall be fined not more than $25,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.”.

   Effective date note
   Amendment by Pub. L. 98–473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 2015 of Pub. L. 98–473, set out as a note under section 31 of this title.

3. 1988

   Minor and Technical Criminal Law Amendments Act of 1988

   Pub. L. 100–690 title VII § 7016 · 102 Stat. 4181

   Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(3)

   Pub. L. 100–690 substituted “interfering” for “intefering”

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 100–690 substituted “interfering” for “intefering”.

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   SEC. 7016. CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERROR IN SECTION 32. Section 32(a)(3) of title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking “intefering” and inserting “interfering”.

4. 1994

   Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

   Pub. L. 103–322 § 330016(1)(S) · 108 Stat. 1796

   Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 32(a); 18 U.S.C. § 32(b)

   Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(S), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $100,000” in concluding provisions

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsecs. (a), (b). Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(S), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $100,000” in concluding provisions.

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   (S) in sections 32, 1167, 1365, 2251, and 2344 by striking “not more than $100,000” each place it appears and inserting “under this title”;

5. 1994

   Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994

   Pub. L. 103–322 § 330016(1)(O) · 108 Stat. 1796

   Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 32(c)

   Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(O), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $25,000”

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 103–322, § 330016(1)(O), substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $25,000”.

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   (O) in sections 32, 114, 753, 1028, 1365, 1512, 1792, and 2118 by striking “not more than $25,000” each place it appears and inserting “under this title”;

6. 1996

   Pub. L. 104–132 § 723(a)(1) · 110 Stat. 1214

   Inserted · 18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(7)

   Pub. L. 104–132, § 723(a)(1), inserted “or conspires” after “attempts”

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsec. (a)(7). Pub. L. 104–132, § 723(a)(1), inserted “or conspires” after “attempts”.

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   (1) Sections 32(a)(7), 32(b)(4), 37(a), 115(a)(1)(A), 115(a)(2), 1203(a), 2280(a)(1)(H), and 2281(a)(1)(F) of title 18, United States Code, are each amended by inserting “or conspires” after “attempts”.

7. 1996

   Pub. L. 104–132 § 721(b) · 110 Stat. 1214

   Struck and inserted · 18 U.S.C. § 32(b)

   Pub. L. 104–132, § 721(b), in closing provisions, struck out “, if the offender is later found in the United States,” before “be fined under this title” and inserted at end “There is jurisdiction over an offense under this subsection if a national of the United States was on board, or would have been on board, the aircraft; an offender is a national of the United States; or an offender is afterwards found in the United States. For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘national of the United States’ has the meaning prescribed in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–132, § 721(b), in closing provisions, struck out “, if the offender is later found in the United States,” before “be fined under this title” and inserted at end “There is jurisdiction over an offense under this subsection if a national of the United States was on board, or would have been on board, the aircraft; an offender is a national of the United States; or an offender is afterwards found in the United States. For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘national of the United States’ has the meaning prescribed in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   (b) Destruction of Aircraft or Aircraft Facilities.— Section 32(b) of title 18, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking “, if the offender is later found in the United States,”; and (2) by inserting at the end the following: “There is jurisdiction over an offense under this subsection if a national of the United States was on board, or would have been on board, the aircraft; an offender is a national of the United States; or an offender is afterwards found in the United States. For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘national of the United States’ has the meaning prescribed in section 101(a)(22) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.”.

8. 1996

   Pub. L. 104–132 § 723(a)(1) · 110 Stat. 1214

   Inserted · 18 U.S.C. § 32(b)(4)

   Pub. L. 104–132, § 723(a)(1), inserted “or conspires” after “attempts”

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 104–132, § 723(a)(1), inserted “or conspires” after “attempts”.

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   (1) Sections 32(a)(7), 32(b)(4), 37(a), 115(a)(1)(A), 115(a)(2), 1203(a), 2280(a)(1)(H), and 2281(a)(1)(F) of title 18, United States Code, are each amended by inserting “or conspires” after “attempts”.

9. 2006

   USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005

   Pub. L. 109–177 § 123(1) · 120 Stat. 192

   1. Added · 18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(5)(7)

      Pub. L. 109–177, § 123(1), (2), added par. (5)

   2. Redesignated · 18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(5)(7)

      Pub. L. 109–177, § 123(1), (2), redesignated former pars. (5) and (6) as (6) and (7), respectively. Former par. (7) redesignated (8)

   Source evidence

   Code amendment note
   Subsec. (a)(5) to (7). Pub. L. 109–177, § 123(1), (2), added par. (5) and redesignated former pars. (5) and (6) as (6) and (7), respectively. Former par. (7) redesignated (8).

   Enacted provision · exact public law section
   (1) in subsection (a), by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), and (7) as paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) respectively;

10. 2006

    USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005

    Pub. L. 109–177 § 123(1) · 120 Stat. 192

    1. Redesignated · 18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(8)

       Pub. L. 109–177, § 123(1), (3), redesignated par. (7) as (8)

    2. Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 32(a)(8)

       Pub. L. 109–177, § 123(1), (3), substituted “paragraphs (1) through (7)” for “paragraphs (1) through (6)”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsec. (a)(8). Pub. L. 109–177, § 123(1), (3), redesignated par. (7) as (8) and substituted “paragraphs (1) through (7)” for “paragraphs (1) through (6)”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (1) in subsection (a), by redesignating paragraphs (5), (6), and (7) as paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) respectively;

11. 2006

    USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005

    Pub. L. 109–177 § 123(4) · 120 Stat. 192

    Substituted · 18 U.S.C. § 32(c)

    Pub. L. 109–177, § 123(4), substituted “paragraphs (1) through (6)” for “paragraphs (1) through (5)”

    Source evidence

    Code amendment note
    Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 109–177, § 123(4), substituted “paragraphs (1) through (6)” for “paragraphs (1) through (5)”.

    Enacted provision · exact public law section
    (4) in subsection (c), by striking “paragraphs (1) through (5)” and inserting “paragraphs (1) through (6)”.

12 of 13 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 partial