ROTOR Act Unanimously Passes the Senate, Moves to the House

The US Senate unanimously passed the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act on December 17, working to fill safety gaps connected to the January 29 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The accident, which resulted in 67 fatalities, triggered a careful reevaluation of how military and civilian aircraft operate in shared airspace.

The ROTOR Act targets controversial provisions in the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act that allowed military aircraft to bypass surveillance and operating standards with a waiver. Specifically, the legislation restores requirements related to aircraft visibility and coordination in congested terminal airspace, especially around Class B airports like Washington National.

The bill was led by Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, who chairs the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Family members of the PSA Airlines Flight 5342 victims appeared for the vote.

“Our aviation system is fragile, and over the last year, Congress has passed significant legislation investing in that airspace to increase the safety and to make sure that all who fly can be and are safe and feel safe,” Senator Moran stated. “More work to be done, but it’s a pretty good day to be taking the steps we’re taking and knowing that more is to come in honor of those who perished on January 29th, from Kansas, across the country and around the world.”

A key component of the ROTOR Act is ADS-B technology. Earlier versions of defense legislation had allowed exemptions for certain military aircraft operating without ADS-B Out in controlled airspace. The ROTOR Act removes that gap and pushes toward broader adoption of both ADS-B Out and ADS-B In, hoping to ensure that all aircraft in high-density airspace can be seen by air traffic control and each other.

The bill was introduced in July, marking six months since the DCA collision. The Senate Commerce Committee advanced the bill in October, and Moran publicly warned in December that the NDAA still fell short of minimum safety expectations, renewing pressure to close loopholes before exemptions became normalized. The recent Senate approval means the ROTOR Act now moves to the US House of Representatives for consideration.

FMI: www.moran.senate.gov