Panels unveil aviation safety text as House sets vote on Senate bill
Source: Roll Call
Posted February 19, 2026 at 8:10pm, Updated February 20, 2026 at 5:38pm
Leaders of two House panels released wide-ranging legislation Thursday that would require military helicopters to install and use location data technology that could have prevented a fatal air crash in Washington more than a year ago, and address dozens of other safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The draft bill would set equipment requirements for collision avoidance for fixed-wing and rotor aircraft, alter helicopter route design, enhance air traffic controller training and procedures, and seek to update the Federal Aviation Administration’s safety culture, among other provisions.
The proposal would require the adoption of collision mitigation technologies dictated by an FAA rulemaking process to determine which technologies provide the appropriate solution. The draft bill would also repeal a provision of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act that provided exemptions from the use of that technology for some military aircraft, according to a summary.
House Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and ranking member Rick Larsen, D-Wash., along with Armed Services Chairman Mike D. Rogers, R-Ala., and ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., released the draft and said in a joint statement that it addresses 50 recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board last month.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/02/19/panels-unveil-aviation-safety-text-as-house-sets-vote-on-senate-bill/
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