US Senate committee votes to advance aviation safety bill

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve aviation safety legislation after a fatal January collision involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter that killed 67 people spurred calls for reform.

The bill requires aircraft operators to equip their fleets with an advanced aircraft-tracking technology known as ADS-B by the end of 2031 and other significant safety reforms, including boosting oversight of mixed jet and helicopter traffic and flight routes near commercial service airports. The Army Black Hawk in the fatal crash was not using ADS-B at the time of the crash.

Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz said the bill "closes a dangerous loophole that allowed military aircraft to operate in domestic skies without communicating their position quickly and accurately to other aviators like commercial aircraft do."

The bill would require the use of ADS-B by military helicopters near civilian planes and the use of the technology for all civilian aircraft.

ADS-B, or automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast, is an advanced surveillance technology that transmits an aircraft's location.

Lawmakers from both parties and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy have questioned why the Federal Aviation Administration failed to act for years to address close calls involving military helicopters near Washington Reagan National Airport.