Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)
Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), who represents a Northern Virginia district that includes National Airport (DCA), last night delivered remarks on the House floor during debate on S. 2503, the ROTOR Act (S.2503), aviation safety reform legislation drafted in response to last year’s fatal accident in the skies above DCA that claimed 67 lives. Beyer spoke in support of the bill, crediting families of the victims of the tragic accident for their advocacy.
Some of those family members will join Beyer and other lawmakers for a press conference this morning at 10:30 ahead of the vote, to voice support for the ROTOR Act in person on Capitol Hill as the Department of Defense and several committee leaders issue statements opposing the bill. That press conference will be livestreamed here.
The House vote on the ROTOR Act is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today, with a threshold of two thirds required for passage because of the procedural measure that brought it to the floor. The bill previously passed the Senate.
Beyer’s remarks, as delivered (video here):
“I rise today in support of S.2503, the ROTOR Act.
Last year’s January 29 midair collision at National Airport tragically took 67 lives, but it was preventable.
It is our duty to do everything we can to stop this tragedy from ever happening again.
This bill would implement a central recommendation from the NTSB’s final report on the collision: a requirement to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast technology, “ADS-B Out and In.”
NTSB has recommended an ADS-B In requirement 17 times before.
NTSB’s final report said that ADS-B In would have alerted the flight crew 59 seconds before the collision, and the helicopter crew 48 seconds before [the collision].
ADS-B In would have given those pilots a fighting chance to avoid the disaster.
It is high time that ADS-B Out and In are required in our nation’s busiest airspaces like the National Capital Region.
Passing the ROTOR Act is the strongest first step we can take toward ensuring a safer airspace for the flying public today, to improve aviation safety and prevent a future crash at DCA.
I want to thank Chairman Graves, Ranking Member Larsen, Ranking Member Smith, and Chairman Rogers for the comprehensive draft legislation they released last week, addressing the systemic roots of many of the causes of the January ‘25 collision.
Their Alert Act includes important must-pass provisions.
We need to reevaluate of the arrival rate at National Airport. We need to improve our helicopter route charts. We need to limit military helicopter flights in our region.
But Congress must pass the ROTOR Act this week, to mandate that pilots have access to ADS-B In and Out as soon as possible.
And then we must immediately work to advance the ALERT ACT, while reconciling any differences in a way that maximizes aviation safety, to ensure all the recommendations of the NTSB can be adopted.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the Families of Flight 5342, who have been a driving force for the ROTOR Act and for aviation safety reform.
These families have become advocates, experts, and champions—all in the face of tremendous loss, and it has been an honor to work with them.
Passing the ROTOR Act is the first and strongest step that Congress must take to immediately give pilots another key tool to prevent collisions, and to begin saving lives now.
I urge my colleagues in joining me in supporting the ROTOR Act, and I yield back.”
Congressman Beyer has consistently championed aviation safety and long advocated for measures to alleviate congested air traffic in Northern Virginia skies. After the tragic collision between PSA Airlines Flight 5342 and a U.S. Army helicopter, Beyer urged for a safety review and an extended halt of military helicopter training in the airspace around DCA. Beyer also helped secure language requiring the Department of Transportation to conduct an independent safety review of DCA’s airspace, civil-military coordination, and operational safety in the National Capital Region as part of the FY26 Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Act, which was recently passed into law on February 3, 2026. Beyer was among the first voices to urge the Trump Administration to adopt the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary recommendations following its investigation of the incident.