The Airline Dispatchers Federation stands firmly with the National Transportation Safety Board, the families of Flight 5342, and bipartisan congressional leaders in vehement opposition to Section 373 of the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

As aviation safety professionals who share responsibility for the operational control of every flight, we cannot remain silent when legislation threatens to undo hard-won safety improvements and recreate the conditions that led to a preventable tragedy. On January 29, 2025, PSA Airlines Flight 5342 and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, claiming 67 lives. We owe it to those victims, their families, and every person who boards an aircraft to ensure this never happens again.

The NDAA is an annual must-pass defense policy bill that sets policies and authorizes funding for the Department of War. It has been enacted for 64 consecutive years. The FY2026 bill authorizes $900.6 billion in defense spending and covers everything from military pay raises to acquisition reform. The House passed this year's compromise bill on December 10, 2025 by a vote of 312-112, and the Senate is expected to vote on final passage next week before sending it to President Trump for his signature.

Section 373 of this legislation, titled "Manned Rotary Wing Aircraft Safety," is drafted to appear as though it enhances safety. It does not. As NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy stated, this provision "significantly reduces the safety of the airspace" around Reagan National Airport and represents "a major step backwards." The section would roll back broadcast requirements to the very conditions that existed at the time of the January 29 collision by allowing military aircraft to operate without ADS-B Out—the technology that broadcasts an aircraft's precise GPS location. The NTSB found that the Black Hawk helicopter involved in the collision had not transmitted ADS-B data to an FAA ground station for 730 days prior to the accident. Section 373 also relies on TCAS-compatible alerts as a safety measure, yet TCAS is inhibited during low-altitude descent and did not prevent the collision despite issuing an alert nearly 20 seconds before impact. Furthermore, the provision preserves broad national security waivers similar to those that were in place at the time of the tragedy, and essentially gives military departments authority to conduct training missions in Washington's crowded airspace with minimal FAA input. The NTSB was not consulted about this language.

While this provision directly impacts the National Capital Region, the precedent it sets threatens safety at every major airport in the United States where military and civilian operations share airspace. The loopholes preserved in Section 373 could be exploited nationwide, putting passengers, crews, and communities at risk from coast to coast. The ADF urges Congress to strip Section 373 from the NDAA and pursue legislation that closes dangerous ADS-B exemptions rather than preserving them. True aviation safety demands that all aircraft operating in congested airspace transmit their positions accurately—a principle the NTSB has championed for decades. The ADF stands ready to work with Congress, the FAA, the Department of War, industry partners, and all stakeholders to develop policy that ensures the safety of the flying public and honors those we lost.

The 15,000-plus near-misses documented near Reagan National Airport in the years preceding this accident were a warning we failed to heed. We must not wait for the next tragedy to act.

We encourage all ADF members to watch for follow-up communications on ways to support this effort, including opportunities to contact your Senators and Representatives.