*

Senators to unveil deal on military helicopter safety

legislation

*

Revised bill requires ADS-B system by 2031, boosts

oversight

*

NTSB chair calls defense bill helicopter proposal an

unacceptable risk

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Dec 17 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate

unanimously passed legislation Wednesday to toughen military

helicopter safety rules and rescind a provision in the annual

defense bill that critics said would have weakened aviation

safety.

Republican Senate Commerce Committee chair Ted Cruz on Wednesday

won unanimous consent to approve a revised version of

legislation that would 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,

co-sponsored by Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell, also boosts

oversight of commercial jet and helicopter traffic and flight

routes near commercial airports.

Cantwell said the act "ends the exemption for planes to be

in the airspace without a broadcast signal that includes the

military, so no more flying in the dark."

The bill will still need to be approved by the U.S. House of

Representatives. The Pentagon said it supported the legislation.

The Army Black Hawk helicopter involved in the crash was flying

above maximum altitude levels and not broadcasting ADS-B at the

time. Other incidents have also sparked alarm. On Friday, a

JetBlue passenger jet bound for New York from the

Caribbean nation of Curacao took evasive action to avoid a

mid-air collision with a U.S. Air Force tanker plane near

Venezuela that was not using a transponder in a commercial air

corridor.

After a close call in May, the Federal Aviation Administration

barred the Army from helicopter flights around the Pentagon. The

defense bill would require U.S. military helicopters on training

missions to broadcast alerts to nearby commercial aviation

aircraft, but does not specify the type of alerts. The Defense

Department could waive the requirement if a risk assessment had

been completed and those risks to commercial planes could be

addressed.

National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy

has called the defense bill helicopter proposal "an unacceptable

risk to the flying public" and warned she could not vouch for

the safety of the Washington airspace if the defense provision

took effect.

Families of those killed in the January 29 collision oppose

the language in the defense bill. In a statement, they called

for "real, enforceable visibility standards for all military

aircraft operating near civilian traffic."

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said Tuesday he would ensure

the safety of the airspace and traffic if the defense provision

took effect. But he said the FAA was not consulted on the

provision.