Congressional response to last year’s tragic midair collision of Flight 5342 with an Army helicopter near Ronald Regan Washington National Airport (DCA) continues to accelerate with release of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) final accident report.
Today, the House of Representatives considered the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act under suspension of the rules, a procedure that prohibits amendments and requires 2/3 majority for passage. Sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-WA), the ROTOR Act seeks to improve air traffic control around DCA and mandate the use of ADS-B In technology in most classes of controlled airspace. The ROTOR Act fell short of passage this afternoon, however, granting time for the House to consider legislation introduced last week by bipartisan leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Sponsored by House T&I Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act would address the NTSB’s 50 safety recommendations, including accelerated development of Airborne Collision Avoidance System X (ACAS-X) technology.
“NATA and our members continue to hold in our thoughts the victims, their families, and all others impacted by last year’s tragic midair collision, including first responders, FAA and NTSB investigators, and members of the commercial and military aviation communities. We appreciate the NTSB’s thorough investigation of the accident, we commend Congressional leaders for their action to further safeguard our national airspace, and we join the entire aviation industry in our commitment to honor those lost by learning from this tragedy and driving continuous safety improvements,” said NATA President and CEO Curt Castagna. “We thank members of the Senate Commerce Committee and House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for their tireless commitment to aviation safety, in particular Senators Cruz and Cantwell and Representatives Graves and Larsen, who have displayed extraordinary bipartisan leadership in the aftermath of the DCA collision. We look forward to continued collaboration as they finalize aviation safety legislation. Safety is the bedrock of our American aviation system, and NATA applauds their efforts to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again.”