By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The chair of the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee will introduce broad aviation safety legislation on Tuesday on the eve of a three-day investigative hearing into the January 29 collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet that killed 67 people.
Senator Ted Cruz, who disclosed some details of his proposal earlier this month, will be joined by National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to discuss his proposal to require the use of ADS-B, an advanced aircraft-tracking technology, by U.S. Army helicopters near civilian planes, mandate a review of helicopter routes across the country and require the Army inspector general to review “systemic breakdowns” that may have contributed to the deadliest U.S. aviation crash in more than two decades.
Some relatives of those killed are set to attend Tuesday’s event to unveil the legislation.
The NTSB hearing will review the Army Black Hawk helicopter air data systems and altimeters as well as the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of Washington airspace and air traffic and the board will release thousands of pages of records from its investigation.
The hearing is scheduled to run over 25 hours during three days. It will include officials from the FAA, Army, airline and others who are expected to release significant new details of the crash.
Senators and regulators have raised the alarm over close calls involving Army helicopters.
Last month, the FAA shrank the area where helicopters are allowed to operate. In March, the FAA imposed permanent restrictions on non-essential helicopter operations to eliminate the chance of collisions, including permanently closing one key route.
In the aftermath of a May 1 incident in which two passenger airline flights were forced to abort landings at Reagan because of a nearby Army helicopter, the FAA barred the Army from conducting helicopter flights around the Pentagon.
Last month, seven Democratic senators introduced legislation requiring a review of helicopter and passenger operations at major airports, mandate new FAA safety reviews after fatal passenger airline accidents and require the use of ADS-B.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Leslie Adler and Chizu Nomiyama )
