Overview
- The midair collision on Jan. 29, 2025, between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter killed 67 people and prompted a full NTSB investigation.
- The NTSB’s final report issued 75 findings and 50 recommendations and concluded that Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) traffic alerts would have prevented the crash.
- NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy urged Congress on Monday to reconcile the Senate ROTOR Act and the House ALERT Act so the board’s recommendations can be enacted into law.
- The House passed a broad safety bill in April that would require collision-prevention systems on most military and many civilian aircraft by 2031, while the Senate passed the narrower ROTOR Act last December and differences remain unresolved.
- The FAA and U.S. Army have already closed a helicopter route near Reagan National and suspended visual separation, and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford says the agency can expand ADS-B deployment without new law but prefers congressional direction.