WASHINGTON – It’s been six months since 67 people were killed in a midair collision over the Potomac River, and now lawmakers say they are taking steps to make the skies safer as the investigation into the crash continues.
What we know:
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joined Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Tuesday to announce the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform, also called the Rotor Act.
“Today is an auspicious day for aviation safety. A day marked, I hope, by a revived spirit of hope and a shared determination to act in the face of an unforgettable tragedy. American skies must be as safe as possible. And our duty as lawmakers is to ensure that they are,” Cruz said.
Cruz called the bill a “commonsense step forward in aviation safety reform,” which would require key flight tracking technology (Ads-b out and Ads-b in) for all aircraft, including both military and civilian.
“This technology allows aircraft to broadcast their positions and to receive the positions of others in real time, faster than other technology used today. It gives pilots and air traffic control a clear view of what is happening in the skies.”
The Texas senator went on to call out double standards in aviation safety as Secretary Sean Duffy criticized “unacceptable” missed warnings.
“We should not tolerate special exceptions for military training flights operating in congested airspace. No matter the circumstances. Any aircraft flying near commercial traffic must fully adhere to safety standards,” Cruz said,
Duffy said, “in the past, people became complacent, leaders became complacent. And we had warnings of near misses in the DC airspace, unacceptable.”
What they’re saying:
Doug Lane, who lost his wife and 16-year-old son in the tragic crash, spoke out as a representative of the families of Flight 5342.
“The Rotor Act reflects many of the priorities our families have been advocating for since the tragic loss of flight 5342 six months ago today… This is not about politics for us. It’s about saving lives,” Lane said.
Tim and Sherry Lilly, the parents of the first officer of Flight 5342, also called for change when it comes to aviation safety.
“Today marks six months since the most tragic event in our family’s history. What we’re doing here today is we’re going to try to make sure that no other families have that this tragic event happened,” they said.
What’s next:
The National Transportation Safety Board will meet on Wednesday for the beginning of a three-day investigative hearing on the deadly collision.
Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy says the board will “go through some pretty in-depth discussions on different points of this investigation.”
The hearing will be available to watch live on FOX LOCAL and on the FOX 5 DC YouTube page.
The backstory:
On January 29, American Airlines Flight 5342 was preparing to touchdown at Ronald Reagan National Airport when air traffic controllers asked pilots if they could land the jet on a shorter runway a few minutes before landing, and they said they were able.
Controllers then cleared the plane to land on Runway 33. Flight-tracking sites showed the plane adjusting its approach to the new runway.
Less than 30 seconds before the crash, an air traffic controller asked the Black Hawk if it had the arriving plane in sight.
The controller made another radio call to the helicopter moments later, telling them, “PAT 25, pass behind the CRJ.” Seconds after that, the two aircraft collided.
The wreckage tumbled into the icy Potomac River and all 67 people on board — 60 passengers and four crew members on the American Eagle jetliner, and three people onboard the military helicopter — were killed in the crash. It marked the deadliest U.S. air disaster in almost 25 years.
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from a press conference held by Sen. Ted Cruz and previous reporting by FOX 5 DC.