Senators urge new aviation safety proposals informed by fatal collision near DCA
Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) moved to mandate comprehensive new safety reviews for all aircraft operations near DCA and at all major and mid-size U.S. airports, in a new bipartisan agreement that would also require fleets across the nation to be equipped with more precise situational awareness technology.
Their proposal aims to resolve safety issues identified by the federal investigation into the tragic crash in January, where an Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter fatally collided with an American Airlines passenger plane over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
All 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed in the collision.
In a statement on Thursday, Tim and Sheri Lilley — whose son was the first officer onboard that AA Flight 5342 — called on Congress “to continue moving quickly and decisively to pass and fully implement these reforms, because every person who boards an aircraft depends on it.”
The 42-page Cantwell-Cruz Bipartisan Aviation Safety Agreement combines elements of legislation the lawmakers previously put forward separately in the months after the fatal collision.
It includes language that directs every military service with an aviation component to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Federal Aviation Administration to share appropriate safety information and expand coordination to prevent future accidents.
“The Army has historically refused to share safety data except through lengthy Freedom of Information Act requests,” officials wrote in a press release.
Another safety failure that came to light in the wake of the crash was associated with the Army Black Hawk helicopter not transmitting via Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) technology, which essentially enables aircraft to receive data and information about other systems, weather and traffic — delivered directly in the cockpit.
The senators’ proposal would set a clear 2031 deadline for aircraft operators to equip their fleets with the full package of ADS-B capabilities. It also ends many Defense Department “sensitive government mission” exemptions “that have allowed military and other government aircraft to fly near DCA and other busy airports without transmitting their location,” officials wrote.
Among other provisions, the agreement seeks to advance the Airborne Collision Avoidance System-X (ACAS-X) and its variants. The capabilities were discussed as a modern option to improve aviation safety during the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation.
“Bipartisan cooperation must ensure safety improvements are reached in aviation as quickly as possible,” Cantwell noted in the press release.
“What happened at DCA on January 29th was a tragedy,” Cruz said. “67 lives were lost, and their families have had to endure an unfathomable amount of grief. We owe it to them and every traveling American to make sure another accident never happens again.”
The agreement is slated for review by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee during a bill markup on Oct. 21.
