by Donald Wood
Last updated: 7:55 AM ET, Fri February 13, 2026
The United States Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Committee announced that it has passed the new Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) SMS Compliance Review Act of 2026.
The bill forces the FAA to establish an independent expert
review panel to make recommendations for a comprehensive, integrated, and
effective safety management system (SMS) to better predict, manage and mitigate
safety risks across the agency.
“The NTSB has found that the FAA’s weak oversight and
failure to act on the safety data it had collected contributed to the tragic
mid-air collision near DCA one year ago,” Senator Maria Cantwell said. “This
bill will bring in outside safety experts to recommend how FAA can create an
agency-wide Safety Management System that will identify and correct safety
risks and prevent future incidents. The bill aligns with NTSB’s call to ensure
that FAA’s SMS is effective, employee safety concerns are acted upon, and
safety culture at FAA is strengthened.”
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford previously expressed support
for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee’s push to ensure
a stronger, and more integrated agency-wide SMS.
Bedford also supported a stronger SMS as part of the FAA’s
Flight Plan 2026.
“From the deadly DCA crash to the spike in near misses and
air traffic control equipment outages, there are too many alarm bells ringing
that we must strengthen safety in our aviation system,” Senator Tammy Duckworth
said. “It’s the FAA’s job to keep the flying public safe, so it only makes
sense that the FAA should be held to the highest standard of safety when it
comes to its own policies and procedures. I’m proud that our legislation passed
through committee and is now that much closer to ensuring that the FAA is
optimizing effectiveness in its work to strengthen aviation safety and protect
passengers and crew.”
In addition to the SMS changes, the bill would also direct
the panel to evaluate the efficacy of FAA employee voluntary safety reporting
systems, a subject highlighted by air traffic controllers during last summer’s
NTSB’s investigative hearings on the January 29 mid-air collision, who voiced
concerns about their ability to flag safety issues.
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