(a)General Power of Department; Accidents; Witnesses; Subpoenas; Court Order. The department, or any person designated by the department, has the power to hold investigations, inquiries and hearings concerning matters covered by this chapter and the rules, regulations, and orders of the department, and concerning accidents in aeronautics within this state. Hearings shall be open to the public, and except as provided in § 42-2-216, shall be held upon such call or notice as the department may deem advisable. The department, and every person designated by the department to hold any inquiry, investigation or hearing, has the power to administer oaths and affirmations, certify to all official acts, issue subpoenas, and order the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of papers, books and documents. In case of the failure of any person to comply with any subpoena or order issued under the authority of this section, the department or its authorized representative may invoke the aid of any court of general jurisdiction of this state. The court may thereupon order that person to comply with the requirements of the subpoena or order or to give evidence touching the matter in question. Failure to obey the order of the court may be punished by the court as contempt of court.
Terms Used In Tennessee Code 42-2-212
Aeronautics: means : (A) The science and art of flight, including, but not limited to, transportation by aircraft. See Tennessee Code 42-2-101
Aircraft: means any contrivance now known, or hereafter invented, used or designed for navigation of or flight in the air. See Tennessee Code 42-2-101
Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
Municipal: means pertaining to a municipality as defined in this section. See Tennessee Code 42-2-101
Person: means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association, joint stock association, or body politic, and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or other similar representative of such a person. See Tennessee Code 42-2-101
Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
Testify: Answer questions in court.
Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
(b)Use and Limitations on Reports of Investigations. In order to facilitate the making of investigations by the department in the interest of public safety and promotion of aeronautics the public interest requires, and it is therefore provided, that the reports of investigations or hearings, or any part of the reports, shall not be admitted in evidence or used for any purpose in any suit, action or proceeding growing out of any matter referred to in the investigation, hearing or report, except in case of any suit, action or proceeding, civil or criminal, instituted by or in behalf of the department in the name of the state under this chapter or other laws of the state relating to aeronautics; nor shall the department, or the commissioner, or any agent or employee of the department, be required to testify to any facts ascertained in, or information gained by reason of, its official capacity, or be required to testify as an expert witness in any suit, action or proceeding involving any aircraft. Subject to this subsection (b), the department may in its discretion make available to appropriate federal, state and municipal agencies information and material developed in the course of its investigations and hearings.
