The U.S. Army and the Federal Aviation Administration continued to allow several flights to operate near the Washington, DC area airport. He testified at a US Senate Committee hearing, even after the system contributed to an airborne collision in January, which killed 67 people after the absence.

FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau told the Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Science and Transport Aviation, Space and Innovation that he has ordered all flights in the airspace of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

However, until Thursday, Rochero said that such orders were not in place, with the disappointment of some key committee members.

Automatic Dependency Monitoring – This system, known as Broadcast, or ADS-B, automatically broadcasts the aircraft location to other nearby pilots once per second. The system from the broadcasting signal is called ADS-B OUT, and the ability to receive the signal is called ADS-B inch.

The U.S. Army continues to allow even areas around the Virginia-based airport that serve the Columbia district, Maryland and Virginia, also known as the DCA, to turn off flights with ADS-Bs.

“I have to say I find it shocking and deeply unacceptable,” Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican who chairs the entire committee, told Braman.

“And I would like to encourage the Army to reconsider that policy now and reconsider it today,” Cruz continued. “If the Army chooses not to do so, I have a high level of confidence that Congress will pass legislation requiring you to reconsider the policy. Today, if another accident occurs via another helicopter and DCA with the ADS-B turned off, the Army will be very directly responsible.

Rochero said on Thursday it had introduced a requirement requiring ADS-B to be turned on for all flights near the DCA, including military flights.

The ADS-B is considered to be much more accurate than traditional radar, which airs once every 4-6 seconds, said Jennifer Homedy, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Maria Cantwell of Washington, a ranking Democrat on the full committee, appeared to have not questioned how Rocherlow had planned to issue requirements in advance.

“On behalf of the behavior manager, you have not built any faith in this FAA surveillance system,” she said.

She noted that several government agencies and departments, including the Department of Homeland Security, have applied for exemptions to curb the safety system.

Rocheleau said the FAA has a memorandum of understanding that other federal airspace users need to use safety systems, but Cantwell said it cannot be enforced legally.

“The risk of unbearable”

Several factors contributed The fatal January 29th clash Of the Army’s black Hawk helicopter with American Airlines commercial jets on the Potomac River, Homendy said. Sixty-four people from the area’s jets have died, while three have died in Black Hawk.

However, the helicopter’s approved flight routes presented “an unbearable risk to aviation safety,” she said, as they left no margin of error.

Kansas Republican Chairman Jerry Moran said the FAA had ignored warning signs for years.

Over the course of 13 years, there was no month without a “close call” between helicopters and commercial jets operating in DCA, Moran said.

He added that in just over three years, from October 2021 to December 2024, there have been 15,000 “proximity events” between helicopters and commercial jets.

“I want to know how these statistics in the FAA file were unsuccessful in improving safety protocols at Reagan National Airport prior to January 29th,” he said.

American Airlines flights about to land at DCA Starting from Wichita, Kansas, Moran began his hearing with approval of the lost life.

“The 67 lives lost on January 29th were filmed prematurely in an accident that should have been avoided by all the signs,” he said.

The clash was the first disaster of President Donald Trump’s second term, coming just two days after the Senate confirmed former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy as Secretary of Transport.

It was the most fatal plane crash in the Washington area since 1982, when a Florida flight crashed into the Potomac River, killing 78 people.

Transparency

Homedy also told the panel that her agency is struggling to procure records and basic information from a FAA-led working group on helicopter safety in the DC area.

The Army is also a member of its working group, Braman said.

“Can you say there is a DC Helicopter Working Group trying to get people who are part of a working group, get documents from that working group, see what information is being shared and what is being discussed?

She added she would like to see how the flight plan was approved.

Rochero said it works to understand why NTSB has issues with records.

In a statement, the law firm, which represents several families of those killed in the crash, sought more transparency from the agencies involved.

Rochero and Braman “were not approaching the American people, but have done our best to obfuscate the information provided to the committee,” a statement from the Clifford Law Office read. “They were unable to accept responsibility and accountability for this unnecessary tragedy and thousands of other unfavourable experiences that could lead to additional disasters.”

Last updated at 3:29pm, March 27, 2025