WASHINGTON, Feb 24 (Reuters) – Lawmakers and relatives of those killed in the worst U.S. aviation disaster since 2001 urged the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday to pass key aviation safety legislation despite last-minute concerns raised by the Pentagon.
The ROTOR Act, passed unanimously by the U.S. Senate in December, would require aircraft operators to equip their fleets with a safety system known as the automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast system, or ADS-B, by the end of 2031.
It would also require the military to use ADS-B on routine training flights but not on sensitive military missions. The legislation follows the January 2025 disaster, when an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided in the crowded airspace over the nation’s capital that killed 67.
(Reporting by David Shepardson)
