“The inclusion of Section 373 in the National Defense Authorization Act is wholly inadequate and a disservice to the memory of those lost in the tragic collision of the Army helicopter with PSA flight 5342 on January 29. The bill's language recreates the conditions that were in place at the time of the Washington National Airport mid-air collision, which was the nation's deadliest aviation disaster in more than 20 years.
“ALPA fully supports the Senate Commerce Committee-passed ROTOR Act, which closes ADS-B Out loopholes that have allowed military and other government aircraft to fly near Washington National Airport and other busy airports without transmitting their location. The ROTOR Act represents a significant step forward in preventing future tragedies by immediately closing dangerous loopholes and mandating enhanced safety technology. We support the Cruz-Cantwell amendment to the NDAA to replace Sec. 373 with the ROTOR Act.
“We should be working together to prevent the next accident, not inviting history to repeat itself by recreating the same conditions that were in place on January 29th. The ROTOR Act represents the meaningful reform needed to advance aviation and honor the lives lost. Congress must help ensure that the lessons learned from January 29 result in real, lasting improvements to our national airspace system.”
Tags: Capt. Jason Ambrosi, Air Line Pilots Association, (ALPA)
