Ted Cruz & Maria Cantwell Demand Aviation Safety Reform After DC Mid-Air Collision

Aviation Safety Concerns and Recent Incidents

• ✈️ A recent incident involved a JetBlue flight narrowly avoiding a mid-air collision with an Air Force tanker over the Caribbean due to the military aircraft not broadcasting its location.
• ⚠️ This near-miss echoes the tragic mid-air collision nearly a year ago above D.C., where a military helicopter and American Airlines flight 5342 were on a collision course because the helicopter was not transmitting its location.

The ROTOR Act vs. NDAA Provision

• 📜 Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell are calling to replace Section 373 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with the bipartisan ROTOR Act.
• ❌ Section 373 of the NDAA, they argue, unwinds safety measures enacted after the D.C. crash by allowing the military to fly with different rules and less effective technology in civilian airspace.
• ✅ The ROTOR Act, authored by Cruz and Cantwell, would require all aircraft operating around D.C. airspace to transmit their precise location using ADSB technology.

Calls for Action and Bipartisan Support

• 📣 The senators, along with families of the victims of the American Airlines flight 5342 crash, are urging Congress to strip Section 373 from the NDAA.
• 🤝 The ROTOR Act has unanimous support from the Senate Commerce Committee and is endorsed by the Trump administration, including former Secretary Duffy.
• 🏛️ They aim to have the ROTOR Act voted on and passed quickly, potentially as part of an appropriations measure, to strengthen aviation safety and prevent future tragedies.

Military's Use of Loopholes and Bureaucratic Resistance

• ⚠️ It is revealed that the military had been using an exemption to not transmit location data 100% of the time, despite agreements to close this loophole after the fatal crash.
• 🚫 Career bureaucrats within the Pentagon are described as resistant to changes, even when leadership like Secretary Hegsth has committed not to oppose the ROTOR Act.
• 📢 The families of the victims are advocating for safety reforms, emphasizing that no family should endure such loss and demanding that aviation safety be a prime objective.

Modernization and Future Safety Measures

• 🛠️ The Trump administration had already begun modernizing air traffic control systems and requiring military aircraft to broadcast location data using ADSB technology.
• 💡 The ROTOR Act aims to build on this progress by ensuring all aircraft can see each other, preventing collisions and enhancing safety in congested airspace.
• 📈 There is a call for an aggressive FAA and Congress to force the military into adopting necessary safety resolutions, highlighting that the ADSB implementation has been delayed for over a decade.