NTSB chairwoman says bill passed by House will make DC airspace less safe: 'Unacceptable risk'
NTSB chairwoman says bill passed by House would make DC airspace unsafe
In a somewhat stunning, passionate news conference, the woman in charge of the National Transportation Safety Board warned that a bill before Congress would make the airspace over D.C. more dangerous by reversing safety changes put in place after the deadly mid-air crash at Reagan National Airport.
WASHINGTON - In a somewhat stunning, passionate news conference, the woman in charge of the National Transportation Safety Board warned that a bill before Congress would make the airspace over D.C. more dangerous by reversing safety changes put in place after the deadly mid-air crash at Reagan National Airport.
Less than a year after 67 people died in a collision over the Potomac River, a $900 billion defense spending bill that would roll back some restrictions on military flights around DCA passed the House on Wednesday.
What she's saying:
"If it sounds like I’m mad — I am mad," NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said during a press conference. "This is a significant, significant safety setback. It represents an unacceptable risk to the flying public, to commercial and military aircraft crews, and to the residents in the region."
The National Defense Authorization Act sets priorities and spending levels for the Department of Defense for 2026. It passed the House in a 312-112 vote.
Homendy says Section 373 of the bill would reverse safety changes made after the deadly collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet back in January by giving the military unfettered access to DCA’s crowded, complex airspace for training flights.
"It’s also an unthinkable dismissal of our investigation and of 67 families — 67 families who lost loved ones in a tragedy that was entirely preventable," Homendy said.
She added that the NTSB was never consulted on the language of the bill.
What's next:
FOX 5 asked her if Congress passes the legislation as is, can passengers feel safe flying at DCA?
"If this becomes law, I would become concerned about safety in the D.C. airspace, absolutely not. I could not assure anybody, I would not stand up there and say it guarantees safety, it does not, in fact I would call it a safety whitewash," she said.
The bill still has to pass out of the Senate, and already, we know some senators — both Republicans and Democrats — have criticized the measure.