Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Tuesday announced plans to introduce a bill that would change how military helicopters operate near crowded airports after the midair collision this year that left 67 dead.
The National Transportation Safety Board is set to launch a three-day fact-finding hearing this week on the deadly midair collision that occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in January involving an Army Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airplane.
The day before those hearings began, Cruz unveiled a bill that would mandate "virtually all aircraft and helicopters … in controlled airspace to be equipped with" technology that allows air traffic controllers to monitor an aircraft in flight and would close a loophole that lets the Pentagon fly aircraft domestically without this technology.
"We should not tolerate special exceptions for military training flights operating in congested airspace, no matter the circumstances. Any aircraft flying near commercial traffic must fully adhere to safety standards," Cruz said in a press conference.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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