ALERT Act

The bill would require the FAA to issue a final rule — effective no later than December 31, 2031 — mandating that civil aircraft already required to carry ADS-B Out (which broadcasts an aircraft's location) also be equipped with ADS-B In collision-prevention technology (which receives traffic data and alerts pilots). It would also launch rulemaking to require upgraded ACAS Xa collision avoidance systems on commercial aircraft and new ACAS Xr systems on helicopters and powered-lift aircraft, both by 2031. On the operational side, the FAA would have to establish time-on-position limits for supervisory air traffic controllers, create new threat-and-error-management and visual-separation training, develop a safety risk assessment tool for ATC facilities, and permanently close the DCA Helicopter Route 4 segment linked to the crash. A DOT Inspector General audit of FAA's safety culture would be required within one year.

For military aviation, the bill would create a new chapter of Title 10 requiring the Department of Defense and Department of Transportation to sign a memorandum of agreement by September 30, 2026, making ADS-B Out the default setting for DOD helicopters in national airspace. Non-special-mission DOD aircraft would have to be equipped with integrated collision-prevention technology by December 31, 2031. The bill would also direct annual reviews of helicopter route charts, establish a public dashboard tracking every rulemaking deadline, and require regular briefings for Congress and the families of the 67 crash victims.

Commercial airlines, regional carriers, cargo operators, air ambulance services, helicopter operators, and general aviation pilots whose aircraft are required to carry ADS-B Out — potentially tens of thousands of aircraft. Air traffic controllers and their supervisors at all FAA facilities, with particular focus on Reagan National Airport. The Department of Defense and each military department operating rotorcraft. Avionics manufacturers and aircraft modification shops that would produce and install required equipment. Families of the 67 victims of the January 29, 2025 collision, who would receive mandatory rulemaking briefings.

If enacted, pilots would gain electronic collision-warning capability they currently lack, air traffic control supervisors would face legally binding workload limits, and the Army and other DOD branches would need to run ADS-B and safety management systems that proved inadequate before the crash. The public dashboard and mandatory congressional briefings create enforceable accountability for an agency that the NTSB found had ignored repeated prior safety recommendations for years.

The FAA would convene aviation rulemaking committees (ARCs) composed of industry, labor, and safety experts to develop standards before issuing proposed rules for ACAS Xa, ACAS Xr, and collision-prevention technology. DOT would maintain a public website dashboard tracking every rulemaking milestone; if any deadline slips, the FAA Administrator must brief Congress in person within four weeks. The DOD/DOT memorandum of agreement (due September 30, 2026) sets the framework for military compliance, followed by phased equipage deadlines through 2031. The DOT Inspector General would audit FAA safety culture within one year; the Comptroller General would review military rotary wing safety management systems by 2027. Annual helicopter route chart reviews and biannual congressional briefings would provide ongoing oversight.