Pilots Need the Full Picture When Seconds Count

A 100% Preventable Tragedy. A Clear Legislative Duty.

The National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) conclusion was unmistakable: The crash of PSA Airlines Flight 5342 was 100% preventable.

That finding gives Congress a clear mandate: Close the safety gaps that left pilots without the full picture when every second mattered. Lawmakers have a responsibility to act on the lessons of this tragedy and strengthen air safety by passing a final law that includes the strongest language from both the Senate’s ROTOR Act and the House’s ALERT Act before another warning sign becomes another loss of life.

Read more in ALPA President Capt. Jason's Ambrosi op-ed in FOX News.

The ALERT Act Is Not Enough.

The January 29, 2025, crash near Washington National Airport, which killed 67 people, exposed a critical vulnerability: Not every aircraft operating near busy airports is required to share the same real-time safety information.

Military and other government aircraft routinely operate in high-traffic civilian airspace without transmitting real-time data on location, altitude, speed, and direction. At the same time, most commercial airliners aren’t equipped with an integrated ADS-B In safety suite, which would give pilots a full-picture view of the operating environment—both in the skies and on airport runways.

While the House-passed ALERT Act takes meaningful steps in response to this tragedy, it does not go far enough to close the safety gaps the crash exposed. 

To be clear, this is not a matter of ROTOR versus ALERT. We support incorporating the strongest components of both pieces of legislation. The goal must be a final law that gives pilots the full picture when seconds count, strengthens real-time aircraft tracking, requires meaningful ADS-B In capabilities, and limits exemptions that could leave dangerous gaps in crowded airspace.

As Congress works to reconcile the two bills, it must not settle for a partial fix.

Where the ALERT Act Falls Short.

• It does not require the full safety suite pilots need. The ALERT Act does not clearly mandate an integrated ADS-B In system, which, in addition to displaying critical ADS-B Out data, also provides pilots with visual and audible alerts when nearby aircraft may pose a collision risk.
• It pivots to a narrower technology update. The bill leans heavily on an update to today’s collision avoidance technology that is not yet widely available, provides limited capabilities at low altitudes, and cannot operate on runways and taxiways—precisely where pilots need the clearest possible picture.
• It risks delaying action. The NTSB has recommended ADS-B In for nearly two decades, and Boeing and Airbus already offer ADS-B In capabilities on certain newly manufactured aircraft. Yet the bill fails to require the FAA to publish a final rule mandating operational use by December 31, 2031, leaving room for more studies, more committees, and more delays.
• It leaves gaps for military and government aircraft. The bill gives the military too much discretion over whether and how aircraft operating in crowded civilian airspace use ADS-B Out. The final bill should require aircraft near congested airports to use this technology at all times, with only narrow exceptions for legitimate national security concerns.

Shared Airspace Requires Shared Standards.

Pilots need to know the positions, speeds, and direction of aircraft around them. When even one aircraft is missing from that view, pilots are forced to make split-second decisions without the information they need.

Safety cannot depend on aircraft category or operator type. Commercial aircraft, helicopters, military aircraft, government aircraft, business aviation and general aviation all operate side by side near high-density airports.

One level of safety. One standard in shared airspace. The full picture when seconds count.