Warner Sponsors Bipartisan Amendment to NDAA to Improve Aviation Safety

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) sponsored an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to strike Section 373, areckless provisionthat could undo key safety measures implemented over the Capital region airspace following the January 29, 2025, collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), and replace it with the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act. The bipartisan ROTOR Act wasunanimously passed by the Commerce Committeeearlier this year and includescritical air safety measures championed by Sen. Warner.
“The current version of the NDAA would make flying into the Capital region significantly less safe,” said Sen. Warner. “Following the January 29 tragedy, I fought to implement safety measures and oversight practices to prevent a collision like this from ever happening again. The ROTOR Act preserves those safety measures and requires military aircraft to be equipped with advanced technology so they can better communicate their precise locations with control towers and other aircraft.”
The bipartisan amendment to the NDAA:
TheRotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act:
Sen. Warner was 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. He also saw throughpassage of a legislationto remember the victims of the crash. Sen. Warneralso 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 Sen. Warnerrespondedto the preliminary National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on the crash. He has 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 amendment is availablehere. Text of the ROTOR Act is availablehere.
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