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Over a year after the midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people, lawmakers are still debating the best use of ADS-B collision-warning technology.Two different acts have been submitted in response to the crash, the ROTOR Act and the ALERT Act. While both have the same goal of making our skies safer, they conflict with each other in such a way that only one can come into effect. ROTOR has seen strong support in the Senate and pilot unions, while ALERT was passed in the House of Representatives and was supported by the House Transportation Committee.
The Deadly Crash
On Jan. 29, 2025, a Bombardier CRJ-700 operating as American Airlines Flight 5342 and a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk Army helicopter collided half a mile from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River. Both aircraft were destroyed, and all 67 people aboard were killed. Several factors were cited as contributing to the crash, with one of the more glaring gaps being that the helicopter was not equipped with any integrated traffic awareness or collision-avoidance technology, such as ADS-B.
Currently, a loophole allows Department of Defense aircraft to fly domestically without using ADS-B Out, which communicates an aircraft's location to other aircraft. Conditions at the time of the crash would have made it difficult for either crew to see the other visually.
Where the Bills Diverge
The ROTOR Act was introduced by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in July 2025 and approved by the Senate in December 2025. It requires all aircraft to use both ADS-B In and ADS-B Out while in controlled airspace by 2031. The bill states that the requirement would better communicate aircraft location compared to radar tracking and would close the DOD's loophole for military operations.
The ALERT Act takes a narrower approach. It would require the DOD and DOT to reach an agreement on collision prevention technologies for DOD aircraft and mandates that DOD helicopters use ADS-B Out as the default while operating in U.S. airspace. The department would need to work with the DOT to conduct a safety risk assessment and implement precautions when its helicopters carry out special missions in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. All DOD aircraft must be equipped with and operating ADS-B In by Dec. 31, 2031, unless designated as special mission aircraft. The act was introduced by House Transportation Committee Chair Sam Graves.
The FAA carries its own obligations under the ALERT Act, including requiring aircraft with ADS-B Out to also carry ADS-B In, setting time-on-position limits for supervisory air traffic control personnel, creating a process to notify parties involved in certain near-miss incidents, and evaluating whether helicopter routes around Reagan National need to be revised.
ROTOR was rejected by the House of Representatives on Feb. 24, while ALERT still needs Senate approval. Supporters of ALERT have argued that a broad ADS-B mandate would burden general aviation and that ROTOR addresses only a fraction of the NTSB's recommendations. Relatives of those killed in the crash have countered that ADS-B would have saved their loved ones and that carve-outs like those in ALERT are precisely what caused the collision.
"Congress should not advance a bill that neither improves aviation safety nor closes the loopholes that have allowed operators, including the military, to fly blind in congested airspace," said Cruz after ALERT passed the House.
"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 after ROTOR failed in the House. "The ROTOR Act touches on only two of the NTSB's 50 recommendations and provides an overly prescriptive approach to mandating a specific technology, which is still largely under development, in a manner that can prove burdensome to some operators and create barriers to its adoption."
The NTSB and the FAA
The NTSB has pushed back against the ALERT Act, stating in February that it does not fully implement the board's recommendations on ADS-B. Among those recommendations: that the FAA require ADS-B In alongside ADS-B Out, and that military aircraft use ADS-B In under similar operational conditions.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency would not impose a mandate without congressional action, according to the Wall Street Journal. He raised concerns that ADS-B In retrofits might not be compatible with hundreds of planes in the U.S. commercial fleet. Industry officials have put the retrofit cost at $50,000 or more per aircraft. Bedford suggested that the technology could instead be added to tablet computers mounted in cockpits.
"There are very affordable ADS-B In solutions that we could implement, I think voluntarily very quickly," said Bedford.
That position created open friction with the NTSB. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy told Bedford that the FAA's overall response sounded like an expletive directed at the board's recommendations.
"I am angry because people died," said Homendy after Bedford suggested she control her emotions.
The following week, the two agencies met to continue discussing the safety recommendations. Homendy described the session as very productive.
The Effect on General Aviation
Business jet and turboprop owners are watching a potential ADS-B In mandatory avionics upgrade that could cost $50,000 or more per aircraft, significant but manageable against the value of a large-cabin jet — but still a valuation hit for those on the wrong side of the upgrade fence. For the broader general aviation fleet, the math is far more punishing. On a $60,000 piston single, a $50,000 retrofit is more of a retirement notice than an upgrade. Many aircraft will simply be grounded rather than upgraded, effectively shrinking the active GA fleet overnight. Neither bill is law yet, but the direction is clear enough that all owners and buyers, regardless of aircraft category, should be stress-testing the cost against what their airplane is worth before the mandate lands. Either way, avionics shops should expect a significant increase in demand as the legislation advances.