NORFOLK, Va. — Following the tragic mid-air collision that claimed the lives of more than 60 people in January outside of Reagan National Airport, Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia) is proposing a measure aimed at enhancing safety technology in military helicopters.
The bill would task the Defense Department with exploring the possibility of implementing modern collision avoidance systems in military helicopters.
The collision involving a passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter sadly resulted in the loss of 67 lives.
Watch previous coverage: Several questions remain following deadly plane, helicopter crash in DC
“The name of the game is how can we prevent aviation mishaps just like the one we saw in Washington at all costs," said Kiggans.
The Military Helicopter Training Safety Act would require a feasibility study on the addition of a traffic alert and collision avoidance system—known as TCAS—onto military helicopters.
Kiggans emphasizes that while civilian airliners are equipped with this technology, military helicopters lack it.
Watch previous coverage: Rep. Kiggans, former pilot, says nighttime aviation is challenging in relation to DC plane crash
“We want to make sure that that technology that is out there is available for use in all aviators.”
The helicopter involved in the collision had a different surveillance system, known as ADS-B, but it was not activated. The reason for this is still under investigation.
The TCAS system would provide military helicopters with an additional layer of protection and alert pilots to nearby aircraft. Kiggans is herself a former Navy pilot.
“I know as a former Navy pilot any time we're flying in a congested civilian air space, but especially in low visibility situations—either the weather's not good or it's nighttime—we need all the technology that we can get to be able to see what else is out there,” said Kiggans.
Watch previous coverage: Passengers flying through ORF saddened, express concern after deadly plane crash in DC
To gain further insight, News 3 spoke with Timothy Johnson, a Hampton University professor of aviation and a former Air Force air traffic controller.
“Having a change like this makes a lot of sense," he said.
Johnson points out that aviation changes frequently arise in response to mishaps.
“It's not unusual to get a rule change; unfortunately, it happened with an incident that's very, very tragic," he said.
