The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) is pushing back on the US House’s newly introduced ALERT Act, saying the bill does not go far enough to prevent another midair collision like the January 2025 tragedy near Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA).
In a statement, ALPA President Capt. Jason Ambrosi said the union supports many elements of the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency Act of 2026, but argues the legislation “falls short” because it does not mandate ADS-B In technology with a cockpit traffic display for pilots.
The union pointed to the National Transportation Safety Board’s final report on the DCA crash and said the board found that ADS-B In could have given the PSA Airlines Flight 5342 crew about one minute to identify the approaching helicopter, instead of 19 seconds. “One minute versus 19 seconds,” Ambrosi said. “That difference could have saved 67 lives.”
The NTSB faulted the FAA and the pilots of the US Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with the American Eagle-coded CRJ700 jet as it approached DCA after a flight from Wichita on the evening of January 29, 2025.
ALPA said that instead of clearly requiring ADS-B In integrated into the flight deck, the ALERT Act creates an industry-driven rulemaking process for broadly defined “collision mitigation” technology. ALPA argued the approach covers too few aircraft and includes an alternative compliance waiver for commercial aircraft that could hinder pilot situational awareness.
The NTSB’s core recommendation calls for all commercial aircraft to carry ADS-B In with an integrated cockpit display of traffic information that provides alerts to pilots. ALPA faulted the ALERT Act for relying on a rulemaking process for collision mitigation systems, rather than a clear mandate for ADS-B In cockpit traffic displays across aircraft flying into dense commercial airports.
ALPA used the statement to steer lawmakers toward a different bill. The union said the Senate’s ROTOR Act “got it right” on ADS-B In and called on the House to pass that measure without delay. Any aircraft required to broadcast ADS-B Out should also have ADS-B In integrated into the flight deck for pilot use, ALPA argued.
The ALERT Act aims to respond to the NTSB’s findings with a wide package of changes, while the ROTOR Act targets a narrower set of technology requirements. ALPA’s critique suggests the fight may come down to whether Congress treats cockpit traffic awareness as a must-have technology, as the airline pilot union wants.
ALPA said it plans to work with House lawmakers to refine the ALERT Act so it fully implements the NTSB’s recommendations.
