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Congress considers requiring US military to use helicopter safety alerts near DC airport, report near misses

On Dec 8, U.S. Congress unveiled defense-policy legislation requiring U.S. military helicopters on training missions to broadcast alerts near Reagan Washington National Airport.
After a January training collision killed 67, NTSB disclosures show 15,200 air separation incidents and 85 close-call events near Reagan Washington National Airport since 2021.
The bill would require the Pentagon to disclose past near-miss counts and issue annual reports, mandate safety reviews at Reagan Washington National Airport, and direct the Army Inspector General's Office to audit safety coordination while requiring an ADS-B feasibility report for military helicopters.
The FAA had already required ADS-B near Reagan National and barred Army helicopter flights near the Pentagon, while the Defense Department could only waive alerts after risk assessments addressed commercial plane risks.
Senator Ted Cruz said 'closes a dangerous loophole that allowed military aircraft to operate in domestic skies without communicating their position quickly and accurately to other aviators.

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Congress considers requiring US military to use helicopter safety alerts near DC airport, report near misses

U.S. military helicopters on training missions would need to broadcast alerts to nearby commercial aviation aircraft around Reagan Washington National Airport to avoid collisions under annual defense policy legislation unveiled late Sunday.

4 months ago·United Kingdom

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