All aircraft flying near Ronald Reagan National Airport must broadcast positions to air traffic controllers, a representative Federal Aviation Administration told the Senate Subcommittee Thursday.
The policy, which came into effect Thursday, came in after it was revealed that the Army helicopter technology that collided with a passenger jet near the airport in January was turned off during the fatal crash.
Known as automatic dependent monitoring broadcasts, the technology broadcasts aircraft's location, altitude and speed, allowing air traffic controllers to better track helicopter movements. Military helicopters can turn off technology during the so-called continuity of government missions. This will take place in a national emergency and ensure that the location of the top government officials remains tracked.
Policy changes were disclosed as the FAA and military authorities were pressed by the senators. This explained how an Army helicopter on a training mission collided with a passenger jet coming to land on a trafficked route.
“The fact of the matter is we have to do better,” acting FAA administrator Chris Rochero said Thursday. “We need to identify trends. We need to be smarter when we use our data and when we take corrective actions. We need to be diligent and implemented.”
Rochero said that although it was not discussed during the hearing, there are several exemptions in the new policy. He appeared before the Senate committee with Jennifer Homundi and Brigg, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Committee. General Matt Braman, the Army Aviation Director. For about two hours, they answered questions about the ongoing investigation into the crash crash in January, killing 67 people.
This was the first investigative hearing on the conflict by the Subcommittee, the Aviation Committee of the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who chairs the Commerce Committee, said military and other operations continue to disrupt passenger flights at Reagan Airport. He cited an example of several commercial aircraft that had landed at the airport on March 1, reporting alerts for nearby aircraft.
The warning was clearly caused by the Secret Service and the Navy “improper testing of counter-drone technology,” Cruz said.
“I would say this is very intrusive just a month after 67 people died while approaching the DCA.
Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican who chairs the Air Subcommittee, and Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat, asked Rochero about why they missed the warning signs about possible conflicts between military helicopters and commercial planes at Reagan Airport.
A preliminary report by the NTSB found that helicopters and commercial planes collided almost once a month near Reagan from 2011 to 2024, raising concerns about the FAA overlooking such dangers at one of the busiest airports in the country.
Transport Secretaries Homendy and Sean Duffy criticized the FAA for not knowing how often they are near the airport and addressing the issue.
In response, Rocherrow admitted that the agency missed out on important signs.
“We will continue to review what we said before regarding the hotspot,” Rochero said.
