The U.S. Army has provided a memo to the Senate detailing why it routinely failed to use a safety system called ADS-B on helicopter flights around Reagan Washington National Airport. This memo was requested by Senator Ted Cruz, who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee. The Army had initially refused to turn over the memo, but eventually provided it to the Senate Armed Services Committee, which then gave it to the Commerce Committee. The memo gives guidance to commanders on when to operate aircraft with ADS-B intentionally turned off.
An Army Black Hawk helicopter that collided with an American Airlines regional jet on January 29, killing 67 people, did not have the ADS-B system operating during the training mission. Senator Cruz expressed concerns about the Army flying partially blind and questioned what information they may be withholding. ADS-B is a technology that transmits an aircraft’s location to improve surveillance.
Civilians airplanes are required to use ADS-B, but the military was granted an exemption by the Federal Aviation Administration in rare circumstances. The Army has rarely used ADS-B in Washington training flights, despite calls from U.S. airlines for military aircraft to be required to use it near large airports to prevent collisions. The FAA now requires ADS-B use near Reagan National by government helicopters except in cases of active national security missions. Senator Cruz warned that if a collision were to occur between a passenger jet and a Black Hawk helicopter without using the safety system, the responsibility would lie with the Army.
