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Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced Tuesday that he plans to introduce legislation aimed at revising the way military helicopters operate near busy airports, following a fatal midair collision earlier this year.
The National Transportation Safety Board is holding a three-day fact-finding hearing this week to investigate the January collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airplane.
On the eve of the hearings, Cruz introduced a bill that would require “virtually all aircraft and helicopters … in controlled airspace to be equipped with” tracking technology that enables air traffic controllers to monitor aircraft in real-time. The bill would also eliminate an existing loophole that allows the Department of Defense to operate aircraft within U.S. airspace without this equipment.
“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 stated at a press conference on Tuesday.
