(The Center Square) – Legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives to increase safety protocols for military aircraft in response to the mid-air collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter over the Potomac River near Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA).
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va. and Rep. Tom Barrett, R-Mich. have introduced the Military Helicopter Training Safety Act of 2025, directing the Department of Defense to “evaluate the feasibility of equipping” military helicopters with modern collision avoidance systems. They argue that this would improve safety measures for “rotary-wing aircraft” operating around civilian airspace.
Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, and Barrett, a former Army helicopter pilot, claim their legislation would lay the groundwork for long-term safety, preventing future accidents by protecting military aviators and civilian aircraft.
“Every day, military aircraft routinely operate in and around civilian airspace without incident,” said Kiggans. “However, small mistakes can lead to terrible disasters, as we saw recently with the tragedy at Reagan National Airport which resulted in the death of 67 people.”
Following the preliminary accident report from the National Transportation Safety Board, it is “urgently” recommending that the Federal Aviation Administration “permanently” prohibit helicopter operations near DCA when runways 15 and 33 are in use, recommending designating an alternate route for helicopters. Runway 33 was designated to be used by the American Airlines flight en route from Wichita on the evening of Jan. 29.
The Safety Board reports that the chopper was flying at approximately 278 feet above the 200-foot permitted flight ceiling at the time of the collision. The ceiling is designed to keep military and law enforcement helicopters clear of commercial aircraft landing and taking off in the already tightly restricted airspace around the nation’s capital.
In addition, the NTSB also noted that before the collision, the chopper had turned off its Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system, a vital tracking system.
The Federal Aviation Administration describes the system as “advanced surveillance technology that combines an aircraft’s positioning source, aircraft avionics, and ground infrastructure to create an accurate surveillance interface between aircraft” and air traffic control.
The lawmakers claim the collision “may have been avoided” if the helicopter had been outfitted with similar collision avoidance equipment as the commercial aircraft.
“Had two TCAS systems been able to communicate with one another, or the helicopter had the benefit of ADS-B IN capabilities, perhaps evasive maneuvers could have been taken before it was too late. Helicopters in every branch of the Armed Services routinely fly training missions near civilian airspace,” according to a release from the lawmakers.
“Jen and I know firsthand the risks that come with operating military helicopters in complex airspace. While there were likely many factors that contributed to the fatal accident at Reagan National Airport, we know evasive action may have been possible had the Black Hawk been equipped with the same collision avoidance system as the airliner,” said Barrett.“This bill allows us to take a closer look at retrofitting our military aircrafts with the life-saving technology needed to prevent future tragedies and keep our soldiers and civilians safe in the sky.”
