Leaders of two House panels released wide-ranging legislation Thursday that would require military helicopters to install and use location data technology that could have prevented a fatal air crash in Washington more than a year ago, and address dozens of other safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The draft bill would set equipment requirements for collision avoidance for fixed-wing and rotor aircraft, alter helicopter route design, enhance air traffic controller training and procedures, and seek to update the Federal Aviation Administration’s safety culture, among other provisions.
The proposal would require aircraft to have so-called ADS-B In (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast), or position broadcasting and surveillance technology. The draft bill would also repeal a provision of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act that provided exemptions from that technology for some military aircraft, according to a summary.
