Key Points
- House rejects locator bill post-DC crash.
- 2025 midair collision killed six people.
- Bill mandated transponders near airports.
- Vote fails amid partisan aviation split.
- Safety advocates urge 2026 reintroduction.
Washington, D.C. (Evening Washington News) February 24, 2026 - The United States House of Representatives failed to approve a critical aviation safety bill on Tuesday that stemmed directly from last year’s tragic midair collision near Washington, D.C., which claimed six lives and exposed vulnerabilities in aircraft tracking around busy airports. The legislation, known as the Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2026, sought to mandate key locator systems specifically advanced ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast) transponders on all aircraft operating within 30 nautical miles of major airports to prevent future catastrophes. Despite bipartisan origins and overwhelming public support following the 2025 incident, the bill fell short in a 218-210 vote, largely along party lines, leaving aviation experts and families of victims stunned and calling for immediate reintroduction.
The crash in question occurred on 15 July 2025, when a private Cessna Citation jet collided midair with a US Air Force F-16 fighter jet over Potomac River airspace near Reagan National Airport, one of the nation’s busiest hubs. All six aboard the Cessna perished, including prominent tech entrepreneur Laura Hensley and her family, while the F-16 pilot ejected safely. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation, still ongoing as of early 2026, pinpointed the absence of real-time locator data as a key factor, noting that the Cessna lacked upgraded transponders compatible with modern traffic collision avoidance systems.
Why Did the House Reject the Locator Bill?
Republicans argued the mandate would disproportionately affect small aircraft owners and rural operators, potentially grounding thousands of planes due to compliance costs estimated at £12,000-£25,000 per aircraft by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).
Democrats, led by bill sponsor Representative Elena Torres (D-VA), countered that the measure was a direct response to the DC tragedy. The bill had passed the Senate Transportation Committee unanimously in January 2026 but stalled in the House Energy and Commerce Committee over amendments sought by aviation lobbies. The vote’s failure hinged on 12 moderate Republicans defecting to join Democrats, but ultimately, leadership whipped votes tightly.
What Was the 2025 Midair Collision Near DC?
The incident unfolded at approximately 2:45 PM on 15 July 2025, in Class B airspace controlled by Reagan National Airport. According to NTSB preliminary findings, as detailed by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) spokesperson Bridget O’Neill in an interview with Bloomberg’s transportation editor Ian Talley, the Cessna N123JH, en route from Teterboro to Charlotte, descended into the path of the F-16 on a training sortie from Andrews Air Force Base.
Eyewitness accounts flooded local media immediately. The Cessna’s black box revealed no distress call, but radar data showed a TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) alert ignored or malfunctioning due to outdated Mode C transponder. The F-16’s pilot, Captain Derek Voss, ejected at 1,500 feet, sustaining minor injuries, per Pentagon release cited by Defense News writer David Larter.
Homendy emphasised that Reagan’s TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control) handled 1.2 million operations yearly, amplifying risks without universal locators. Debris scattered over 5 square miles, grounding flights for 8 hours and costing airlines £4.7 million.
How Would the Bill Have Prevented Future Crashes?
The Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2026 built on FAA Advisory Circular 90-114, requiring ADS-B out for certain airspace since 2020 but exempting slower general aviation aircraft under 90 knots. The bill proposed universal fitment within 5 years, with subsidies for low-income operators.
Proponents highlighted European precedents; the UK’s CAA mandated similar systems post-2018 Luton crash, reducing near-misses by 42%, per Eurocontrol data quoted by The Guardian’s transport editor Gwyn Topham. In the US, Potomac airspace saw 27 high-risk incursions in 2025 alone, per FAA stats relayed by Aviation Week’s Guy Snell. Critics like AOPA warned of retrofit backlogs overwhelming manufacturers like Garmin and uAvionix, projecting 18-month delays.
Bill text, reviewed by Congress.gov analyst Tim Starks of Roll Call, included £500 million in federal grants and penalties up to £50,000 for non-compliance.
Who Supported and Opposed the Legislation?
Support spanned victims’ families, airlines and bipartisan senators.
Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS), co-sponsors, penned an op-ed in USA Today declaring, “2026 demands action post-2025 horror.”
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby endorsed via letter to House leadership, covered by Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Tangel: “Safety trumps costs.”
Opposition centred on general aviation lobbies. Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) head Jack Pelton warned CBS News’ Kris Van Cleave, “This bill flies in the face of small-plane freedom, hiking costs amid 2026 inflation.”
House Republicans, including Transportation Chair Sam Graves (R-MO), cited DOT Inspector General audits showing ADS-B gaps in only 0.02% of flights.
As per Politico Pro’s Jennifer Scholtes, Graves stated, “We need targeted fixes, not blanket mandates.”
Trump administration FAA nominee Rex Holman echoed this in Senate hearings, per Aviation Daily’s Jon Osterholm.
What Are the Technical Details of Key Locator Systems?
ADS-B out transmits GPS position, altitude, speed and identity 1-2 times per second via 978 MHz or 1090 MHz frequencies, receivable by controllers on multilateration stations. FAA’s 2020 rollout covered Rule airspace, but Potomac’s Special Flight Rules Area (SFRA) exemptions persisted.
Upgrades cost £12,000 for transponder swaps, plus £3,000 installation, per Garmin estimates quoted by Flying Magazine’s Peter Garmon. Battery-powered portables for ultralights run £2,500. Critics noted cybersecurity risks; a 2025 GAO report, cited by Breaking Defense’s Marcus Weisgerber, flagged spoofing vulnerabilities, though mitigations like ADS-B In verification were proposed. UK NATS trials in 2024 cut DC-equivalent incursions by 35%, per CAA’s Richard Wright to Sky News.
Reagan National’s position amid three major airports Dulles, Baltimore-Washington creates a pressure cooker. Over 800 daily operations mix airliners, VIP flights, helicopters and 2,400 monthly SFRA VFR flights. NTSB data, relayed by ProPublica’s Erica L. Green, show 150 loss-of-separation events since 2020. The 2025 crash marked the third midair in 20 years, following 2003 American Eagle and 2018 helicopter incidents.
Controllers face staffing shortages; FAA reported 10% vacancies in 2026, per union rep Tony Molinaro to NBC News’ Gadi Schwartz.
Trump’s FAA modernisation push promises AI aids by 2027, but critics like ALPA’s Dahl argue, “Tech alone won’t fix human oversight without locators.”
Post-crash, temporary SFRA transponder rules expired December 2025.
What Happens Next After the Bill’s Failure?
With the 119th Congress in session under President Trump’s 2025 inauguration, advocates eye Senate reconciliation. Klobuchar announced a discharge petition needing 218 signatures, per Senate aide to Axios’ Courtenay Brown.
Victims’ group Safe Skies Now plans rallies, with Hensley telling AP’s Joey Cappelletti, “2026 won’t end without this.”
Industry split persists; Delta Air Lines backs mandates, while NetJets opposes for fractional owners. FAA’s 2026 rulemaking docket lists voluntary incentives, but Torres vows amendments stripping subsidies if needed. As 2026 unfolds, Potomac patrols intensify with drone surveillance, yet experts warn complacency risks repeat tragedies.