House Committees Push Aviation Safety Changes

0:00On March 26, two House committees are taking up the Alert Act today to push major aviation safety changes. This comes after a deadly crash last January between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan, Washington, National Airport. That accident killed 67 people and led the National Transportation Safety Board to issue 50 recommendations following a year-long probe. The bill targets key fixes by installing collision avoidance systems on planes and helicopters by the end of 2031. It also calls for better air traffic control training, improvements to the federal aviation administration safety practices, and tighter rules for. Airspace around busy airports like Reagan National, which has the country's single busiest runway. Lawmakers and families of the victims have been pressing hard for action since a related bill called the Rotor Act fell just one vote short in the Macea House last month.

1:00That measure had passed the Senate unanimously, but needed a two-thirds majority under fast track rules. The Pentagon's pullback doomed it despite widespread support. The updated Alert Act now lines up much closer with the safety boards advice, including requirements for automatic-dependent surveillance broadcast technology on aircraft fleets. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration just tightened helicopter rules last week, suspending visual separation near big airports to boost safety. If the House approves this, leaders from both chambers will hash out differences with the Senate version, aiming to get a final bill to the President, and prevent future tragedies and shared skies.