Warner & Kaine Applaud Committee Passage of Aviation Safety Legislation

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded the Commerce Committee’s passage of crucial airspace safety legislation. TheRotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act,whichpassed out of committee unanimously, includescritical measures backedby Sens. Warner and Kaine and comes in response to the January 29, 2025 collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
“Congress owes it to the traveling public to address the systemic flaws that contributed to the January 29 crash over the Potomac River. This bipartisan legislation is a good step forward, and we are pleased to see it pass out of the Senate Commerce Committee,”said the senators.“This legislation takes concrete steps to help prevent future incidents and ensure greater oversight, better coordination, and a fundamental improvement in the safety and security of all American air travel. We will continue to work on this and other measures that make travel as safe as possible.”
The January 29 crash over the Potomac River exposed multiple system failures, including the Army Black Hawk not transmitting safety-enhancing ADS-B technology (radio systems that aircraft use to share their positions with each other and with air traffic control), unsafe route design for mixed traffic near DCA, and lack of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DoD) coordination to prevent future incidents. TheROTOR Actaddresses these specific failures, as well as broader long-standing FAA air traffic controller shortages, FAA internal safety management systems, and the need for important post-accident safety reviews.
TheRotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act:
Sens. Warner and Kaine have been closely involved with the investigation of the January 29th collision,meeting with first respondersandoffering condolencesto the families and loved ones of the 67 lives lost immediately following the tragedy. The senators also saw throughpassage of a legislationto remember the victims of the crash. Sens. Warner and Kainealso requestedanswers from FAA on its plans to protect the flying public in the wake of the January 29 collision. In March of this year, the senatorsrespondedto the preliminary National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on the crash. Earlier this month, the Senate passed its version of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which included a provision Kaine secured to require all aircraft of the Defense Department that operate near commercial airports be equipped with broadcast positioning technology. The senators have also sounded the alarm for years about the need for increased safety for the flying public, including fighting againstadditional flights out of DCAthat contribute to overcrowding.
Text of the legislation is availablehere.