Press Releases

The comprehensive legislative response to the various aviation safety issues raised by the tragic 2025 midair collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a UH-60 Army Black Hawk helicopter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) was released today by the bipartisan leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Armed Services Committee.

The Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency (ALERT) Act of 2026 addresses all 50 safety related recommendations issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which concluded its thorough investigation and issued its final report on February 17, 2026.

The ALERT Act considers all of the NTSB’s findings of probable cause that contributed to the accident and responds to each of the NTSB’s 50 safety recommendations to provide a thorough and holistic legislative solution to improve U.S. aviation safety. Critical safety issues the bill addresses include:

• Establishing requirements for equipping collision mitigation, avoidance, and alerting technologies and systems for civil fixed-wing and rotorcraft
• Improving helicopter route design, guidance, and separation
• Preventing loss of separation (near-miss) incidents
• Addressing deficiencies in the FAA’s safety culture
• Enhancing air traffic control training and procedures, particularly during high traffic
• Strengthening the safety of the DCA airspace – one of the nation’s busiest and most congested airspaces
• Repealing section 373(a) of the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)

The ALERT Act is led by Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA), Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), and Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA).

“The collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 with an Army Black Hawk helicopter in our nation’s capital was a terrible tragedy, and I will continue to pray for the families of the 67 victims. The NTSB provided a thorough investigation into all of the factors that caused this crash. As I have said from the beginning, the best way to serve and honor the victims and their families is by thoughtfully addressing the broad range of safety issues raised by the now-complete accident investigation, and that’s just what the ALERT Act does,” said Graves. “This comprehensive bill will make our aviation system safer by directly addressing various factors that contributed to this accident. I want to thank T&I Ranking Member Larsen, Armed Services Chair Rogers, and Armed Services Ranking Member Smith for their partnership and leadership in drafting this important bill, and I look forward to moving it through the House to strengthen the safety of American aviation.”

“My condolences remain with the victims and families of the devastating DCA midair collision, and I appreciate the families’ strength and resilience for channeling their unimaginable grief into powerful advocacy. This horrific tragedy exposed critical vulnerabilities in the National Airspace System, and as Chair Homendy said in her recent testimony, ‘We cannot allow this to happen again. Every single one of the 50 safety recommendations we issued in response to the DCA catastrophe must be acted on immediately,’” said Larsen. “The bipartisan ALERT Act delivers on Chair Homendy’s calls by taking steps to comprehensively address all 50 NTSB recommendations, improving airspace safety to protect travelers from future accidents, and repealing Section 373 of the FY2026 NDAA. I urge all my colleagues to support it.”  

“We have a responsibility to make our air space as safe as possible, and to prevent another tragedy like last year’s crash between a commercial aircraft and an Army helicopter,” said Rogers. “Rather than take a piecemeal approach, the Armed Services Committee worked closely with our counterparts on T&I to craft comprehensive legislation that makes our skies safer for airline passengers and for the servicemembers who fly critical missions for our national security. The ALERT Act directly addresses the full range of recommendations made by the NTSB after a year-long investigation. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this bipartisan legislation and strengthen our air safety.”

“Last year’s horrific collision between an American Airlines Flight and Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac resulted in the avoidable deaths of 67 people. I send my condolences to the families and thank them for their advocacy in ensuring our airspace is safe and that a tragedy like this never happens again,” said Smith. “I also commend the NTSB for their extensive, year-long investigation that revealed systemic failures and vulnerabilities that require congressional oversight and action. Since the release of the report, my T&I and HASC colleagues Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, and Chairman Rogers, and I have worked to develop the ALERT Act, which aims to deliver bipartisan and comprehensive legislation to address all of NTSB’s recommendations to make our skies safer for civilians and service members. This legislation further aims to honor of the lost souls and their grieving families, all of whom remain in my thoughts and heart.”

The ALERT Act – Full Text

The ALERT Act – Section by Section