NTSB Chair Urges Congress to Pass Stalled Aviation Safety Legislation

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Monday urged Congress to approve significant aviation safety reforms, breaking a months-long standoff over competing legislative measures. The push for action follows a catastrophic midair collision in 2025 that highlighted systemic safety failures.

NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated that the board had "provided a clear roadmap to improve aviation safety and reduce the risk of another catastrophic midair collision. Now it’s time for action that was promised months ago," according to a Reuters report.

Legislative Impasse

Two separate bills aimed at bolstering air safety have stalled as lawmakers work to resolve their differences. The U.S. House and Senate are currently in talks to reconcile the competing proposals.

• The House of Representatives passed its version in April with a strong 396-10 vote. This bill mandates the installation of collision-prevention technologies on most military aircraft by 2031 and establishes requirements for similar systems on civilian planes and helicopters.
• The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a rival bill, the ROTOR Act, in December. However, the bill fell one vote short of the two-thirds majority required to pass the House under fast-track rules.

Prompted by 2025 Tragedy

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The legislative efforts are a direct response to the January 2025 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army helicopter. The incident, which killed 67 people, was the worst U.S. aviation disaster since 2001.

In its investigation, the NTSB found the accident was caused by systemic failures at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The safety board concluded the FAA had allowed helicopters to operate close to the airport without adequate safeguards to separate them from airplanes and had failed to act on recommendations to alter helicopter traffic routes.

Focus on Technology and FAA Stance

The NTSB has emphasized that technology like ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast) would have prevented the 2025 collision by providing pilots with greater situational awareness. Both legislative proposals focus on mandating such collision-avoidance systems.

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford told Reuters earlier this month that the agency supports rapid adoption of available technology. "More situational awareness faster is better than waiting for the perfect solution that might not happen for six or seven years," Bedford said. He added that while the FAA could proceed with some measures without a new law, it would prefer direction from Congress.