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Senate to hold hearing on Feb. 12 with NTSB chair

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Senators will be able to listen to cockpit voice

recordings

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House lawmakers working to address NTSB recommendations

(Adds more comments from lawmakers, comment from Senator Cruz,

hearing set in paragraphs 3-13)

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (Reuters) - A bipartisan group of U.S.

House lawmakers said they plan to introduce ‌legislation to

address a series of safety recommendations after a January 2025

mid-air collision between an American Airlines ( AAL ) passenger

jet and Army helicopter ​killed 67.

The top Republicans and Democrats on the House

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the ‍Armed

Services Committee said in a joint statement they are working

"expeditiously on ⁠legislation to ensure a ⁠crash like this can

never happen again."

The National Transportation Safety Board last week made 50

recommendations after the deadliest U.S. aviation disaster ‌since

November 2001.

House Transportation Chair Sam Graves, Armed Services

Chair ​Mike Rogers and Democrats Rick Larsen and Adam Smith said

in the statement "meaningful improvements to the safety of our

airspace require the full and fair consideration ⁠of all of the

NTSB's recommendations."

In December, the U.S. ‍Senate unanimously ​passed legislation

to toughen military helicopter safety rules and require aircraft

operators by the end of 2031 to equip their fleets with an

automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast system, also known as

ADS-B. ‍The bill known as the ROTOR Act, also boosts oversight of

commercial jet and helicopter traffic and flight routes near

commercial airports.

Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz told Reuters he

was scheduling a closed-door meeting Thursday so senators on the

panel can listen to the cockpit voice recordings from the fatal

collision synched with a crash recreation.

This week, Cruz listened to the recordings.

"It makes you ​sick to ‍your stomach because it

illustrates compellingly that if the ROTOR Act had been law a

year ago 67 moms and dads, sons and daughters, and brothers and

sisters would ​still be alive," he said.

Federal law prohibits public airings of the recordings

but Congress can review the materials.

Cruz has called NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy to testify

on February 12 on the findings.

The NTSB determined the accident was caused by the FAA's

decision to allow helicopters to travel close to the airport

with no safeguards to separate them from airplanes and its

failure to review data and act on recommendations to move

helicopter traffic away ​from the airport.

The NTSB made 50 recommendations - most to the FAA -

urging comprehensive reforms to helicopter route design, air

traffic control procedures, data sharing, and collision

avoidance technology.

Cruz said the legislation allows general aviation pilots

to use less expensive portable systems ‍to comply. "The

technology is available for a couple hundred dollars," Cruz

said.