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Seven Democratic senators have introduced a sweeping aviation safety bill following a fatal crash in January involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines (NASDAQ:AAL) regional jet near Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people. The tragedy has sparked widespread concern over systemic lapses in airspace coordination and helicopter oversight around the nation’s capital.
The proposed legislation mandates a comprehensive review of helicopter and commercial airline operations at major U.S. airports, requires immediate Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safety evaluations after fatal commercial crashes, and enforces the use of ADS-B, a modern aircraft-tracking system designed to prevent midair collisions.
Critics have questioned why the FAA failed to act on years of near-miss data involving helicopters near Reagan. Senator Maria Cantwell, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, emphasized that the deadly incident exposed “critical gaps in aviation safety oversight,” adding that the bill would “close dangerous loopholes” and compel the FAA to respond to mounting safety data.
The Army helicopter involved in the crash was not using ADS-B during its training mission. In response, the FAA said in April it would require most government helicopters near Reagan to operate with ADS-B, barring national security exceptions. The FAA also suspended Army helicopter flights near the Pentagon following another close call on May 1.
Since 2021, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has documented over 15,200 incidents involving dangerously close proximity between helicopters and airplanes near Reagan, including 85 classified as serious close calls.
The families of the victims praised the legislation as a crucial and overdue move to prevent future aviation disasters. FAA Acting Administrator Chris Rocheleau admitted in March, “Clearly something was missed.”
