It’s been nearly 16 months since the deadly midair collision between an American Airlines jet and a military helicopter over Washington DC, and federal lawmakers are demanding an update on aviation safety improvements following the crash.
A U.S. Senate subcommittee on aviation has called FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford to testify on how the agency is changing safety procedures after the accident, which killed 67 people.
In the months following the January 2025 crash, the NTSB has made 50 safety recommendations, more than two-thirds of which are directed at the FAA.
Lawmakers have organized the hearing in order to assess how the FAA is responding to these safety recommendations and to examine what steps the agency is taking to prevent a similar accident from happening again.
“Our aviation system is fragile, as demonstrated by the several close calls, and we cannot afford any delays in implementation of these safety standards,” said Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation. “I look forward to receiving a full and detailed update from Administrator Bedford on the measures taken by the FAA to carry out the NTSB’s safety recommendations to make certain our skies are safe for all who fly.”
In addition to the more than 30 safety recommendations the NTSB has made to the FAA, federal lawmakers have also proposed bipartisan legislation to eliminate a key risk factor with military aircraft that played an important role in the crash.
The ROTOR Act, which is co-authored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), would make it mandatory for all military aircraft to turn on location devices so passenger planes can see them. All commercial jets must use location transmitters, but military aircraft are currently exempt from this regulation, a policy which many experts dub a “safety loophole.”
The bill passed the Senate but failed to pass the House in February 2026.
“Aviation safety requires not just a competent and vigilant FAA, but reforms that help pilots, too,” Sen. Cruz said. “The ROTOR Act, which has overwhelmingly bipartisan support, ensures pilots can see and be seen by all aircraft in both daylight and darkness. It is the commonsense aviation reform the system desperately needs.”
In the three years leading up to the fatal collision, there were more than 15,000 near-misses at Washington DC’s Reagan National Airport (DCA).
The Senate hearing with Bedford is scheduled for May 19 at 2 p.m. ET and will be livestreamed on YouTube and the subcommittee’s website.
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