Congress Must Swiftly Close Gaps in Air Safety

Newsweek

3 days ago

The deadly mid-air collision earlier this year between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet over Washington, D.C., exposed a longstanding and dangerous safety hazard that has existed for years: the perilous proximity of civilian and military flight paths in restricted airspace near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
More than six months after the disaster killed 67 people, it's clear the issue isn't just confined to our nation's capital. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has identified similar risks at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas and is reviewing traffic around Van Nuys Airport and Hollywood Burbank Airport near Los Angeles, where the FAA recently launched an investigation around a reported Southwest Airlines jet that rapidly descended shortly after takeoff when another aircraft entered its airspace. It's also conducting a broader analysis of other so-called hotspot airports, where commercial jets, helicopters, and other aircraft routinely operate in close quarters.
An American Airlines Airbus A319 airplane takes off past the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
An American Airlines Airbus A319 airplane takes off past the air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently held a three-day hearing into the accident and the stakes for immediate action could not be higher. The investigation remains ongoing, and it's important to wait for the final report before drawing definitive conclusions about the causes and contributing factors that led to the horrible accident in Washington. At the same time, it's clear that the policies and procedures for mixed air traffic in congested airspaces require immediate attention from Congress, as outlined in the NTSB's urgent safety recommendations issued earlier this year.
Thankfully, several substantive proposals have already been unveiled, including the Safe Operations of Shared Airspace Act, which Congress should pass without delay. Authored by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the bill calls for a review of major U.S. airports where multiple types of aircraft share the same airspace, mandates a safety audit after any major, fatal airline crash, and directs all aircraft to use ADS-B, a real-time tracking technology specifically designed to prevent mid-air collisions. Meanwhile, Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) has also introduced legislation to bolster ADS-B use and equipage, demonstrating bipartisan interest and support for addressing urgent aviation safety risks.
The need for action is unmistakable. The tragedy in D.C. has so far revealed multiple systemic shortcomings, including the military helicopter's failure to use ADS-B, dangerously designed flight routes near the airport, and poor coordination between the FAA and Department of Defense to prevent such incidents. As part of the investigation, the NTSB uncovered more than 15,000 near-misses between commercial aircraft and helicopters at Reagan National between October 2021 and December 2024. And multiple passenger jets have been forced to abort landings since the crash—a clear sign that serious safety risks at the airport have not only persisted but remain unaddressed.
The proposed legislation is a critical step forward to enhancing safety across the country, but it isn't the only avenue. Earlier this year, the number of proximity events at Harry Reid Airport decreased by 30 percent in just three weeks after the FAA exerted more control over helicopter traffic and issued more advisories to pilots. But even more can be done.
America's air traffic control system is dangerously outdated. Built on World War II-era technology that still relies on floppy disks and paper flight strips, it lacks the advanced technologies and real-time coordination needed to safely manage increasingly congested skies. Add in the ongoing air traffic controller staffing shortage and the risk multiplies, increasing the likelihood that missed communications or delayed responses could lead to disaster. The $12.5 billion included in the reconciliation bill for modernizing the system is a significant step forward, but Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has accurately called it a "down payment" on the full investment required.
While air travel remains the safest mode of transportation in the U.S., as pilots we know that maintaining that position requires constant vigilance, rigorous standards, and sustained investment in the systems that keep everyone safe. As the investigation into what happened that night over the Potomac continues, there is no reason for delay. Congress and the FAA must work together to close dangerous gaps in our airspace, modernize our infrastructure, and ensure such a tragedy never happens again.
Captain Jason Ambrosi is the 12th president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, the world's largest airline pilot union representing more than 79,000 airline pilots in the United States and Canada.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.