Sen. Ted Cruz Blasts Army for Withholding DCA Helicopter Crash Memo

Army's Refusal to Release DCA Memo

• 📌 Senator Ted Cruz is criticizing the US Army for refusing to provide a Senate committee with an unredacted memo detailing its standard operating procedures for helicopter operations near DCA airport.
• 💡 The memo, titled "Automatic Dependent Broadcast Surveillance or ADSB out off operations in the National Airspace," concerns procedures for when Army helicopters can forego broadcasting their locations and altitudes.
• ⚠️ The Army's refusal occurred despite being permitted to release the memo by the independent crash investigator, the NTSB, and followed a hearing on a deadly mid-air collision near DCA.

Congressional Oversight and Consequences

• 🏛️ Senator Cruz and Ranking Member Canwell have explicitly requested the memo via a joint letter, giving the Army 24 hours to comply, with threats of "real consequences" for non-compliance.
• ⏳ Five days after the hearing, the Army has still not provided the memo, leading Cruz to question what the Army is trying to hide regarding its flight operations.
• 📜 Cruz stated that if the Army continues to stonewall, the committee will use its full authority, including a subpoena, to compel the memo's production.

Near Misses and Airspace Safety Concerns

• ✈️ Events since the January crash highlight precarious situations in the nation's airspace, including a near-miss incident last Friday involving three flights cleared for takeoff at DCA while a military flyover approached Arlington National Cemetery.
• 🚨 A US Air Force T38 came within a dangerously close proximity (half a nautical mile laterally and 200 ft vertically) of a departing Delta aircraft, triggering a resolution advisory.
• 📉 This incident, along with communication breakdowns between air traffic control and the DCA notification about the flyover, suggests the air traffic organization is under extreme stress.

Accountability and National Defense

• 🛡️ Cruz emphasized that while all senators support a strong national defense, the Army cannot ignore the United States Senate.
• ⚖️ He warned that if another accident occurs due to the Army's policy of turning off ADSB out, and the Army prioritized protecting itself over proactively saving lives, the responsibility for those deaths would lie with the Army.
• ✅ The responsible action for the Army is to provide the memo immediately to the committee.