Grieving families press Congress on aviation safety reforms after midair collision near DC

Senators, Families Push for Aircraft Safety Upgrades After Deadly Collision

Key senators and families of the 67 victims killed in last year’s airliner collision with an Army helicopter near Washington D.C. are urging Congress to mandate advanced aircraft location systems that experts say could have prevented the tragedy. Despite unanimous Senate approval of safety legislation, the bill faces an uncertain future in the House.

The Senate Commerce Committee held a hearing Thursday examining the National Transportation Safety Board’s 50 recommendations following the January 29, 2025 midair collision between an American Airlines jet from Wichita, Kansas and a military helicopter. The crash, which claimed the lives of everyone aboard both aircraft, including 28 members of the figure skating community, has sparked renewed calls for comprehensive aviation safety reforms.

At the center of the debate are Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) systems. Since 2020, all aircraft have been required to have ADS-B Out technology that broadcasts their location and speed. However, ADS-B In systems, which receive these signals and display nearby air traffic to pilots, are not mandatory – despite NTSB recommendations dating back to 2008.

“This seems like a no-brainer, right? Especially when this is not a new thing that they’re proposing,” said Amy Hunter, whose cousin Peter Livingston died on the flight with his wife and two young daughters.

The ROTOR Act, which passed unanimously in the Senate, would require all aircraft operating around busy airports to install both types of ADS-B technology. Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz expressed concern about potential loopholes that could exempt regional airlines and private jets from the requirement.

“Flying can only be safe when everyone follows the same standards,” Cruz said, adding he hopes the House will approve the bill within two weeks.

However, Rep. Sam Graves, who leads the House Transportation Committee, indicated Thursday he doesn’t plan to consider the Senate legislation. “We’re going to do our own bill,” Graves stated, suggesting House leaders prefer to craft comprehensive legislation addressing all NTSB recommendations rather than passing the ROTOR Act alone.

NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy – the hearing’s sole witness – along with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have endorsed the ADS-B requirement. This marks the 18th time the safety board has recommended this technology.

According to the NTSB, if both aircraft had been equipped with ADS-B In systems, pilots would have received nearly a minute of advance warning about the impending collision. However, the helicopter’s ADS-B Out system, which should have been broadcasting its location, was either turned off or malfunctioning at the time of the crash.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth criticized the Federal Aviation Administration for failing to act on warnings from its own controllers after a similar near miss in 2013 regarding risks posed by helicopters around Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).

“FAA’s failure in the face of blaring alarm bells, screaming out that it was a matter of when — not if — one of the near misses at DCA would become a deadly tragedy is, unfortunately, emblematic of a chronic crisis that’s plagued FAA for years,” Duckworth said.

Since the tragedy, the FAA has implemented several changes, including prohibiting helicopters from flying along the crash route when planes are landing on DCA’s secondary runway and requiring all aircraft to use their ADS-B Out systems.

Cost remains the primary obstacle to widespread adoption of the technology. Upgrading some airline jets could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, particularly affecting regional carriers with tighter profit margins. Some aircraft models involved in the crash, like certain CRJ jets, don’t even have certified ADS-B In systems available yet.

Nevertheless, industry leader American Airlines has already equipped more than 300 of its approximately 1,000 planes with the technology at a cost of less than $50,000 per aircraft, according to Homendy. The upgrades provide both safety benefits and operational advantages by enabling more precise aircraft spacing.

For smaller aircraft, the solution is even more affordable. About three-quarters of business jet and small plane pilots already use portable ADS-B In receivers costing around $400 that can display nearby traffic information on tablets. Homendy demonstrated one such device during her testimony.

Tim Lilley, whose son Sam was the airliner’s copilot, emphasized that having both locator systems would have prevented the tragedy. “If those recommendations had been fully realized, this accident wouldn’t have happened,” Lilley said. “I don’t know what value we put on the human life, but 67 lives would still be here today.”

For victims’ families, recent weeks have been especially difficult as they marked the crash anniversary while also watching the Olympics – a painful reminder that victims like young figure skaters Everly and Alydia Livingston will never have the chance to pursue their Olympic dreams.

As Congress debates the path forward, the fundamental question remains whether lawmakers will prioritize implementing safety recommendations that experts have been advocating for nearly two decades or continue to delay action due to cost concerns and legislative disagreements.