Simple Flying
Abid Habib
25 Feb 2026
Tuesday's vote regarding key safety legislation about the use of ADS-B systems fell short of the required number of votes to get it passed, leaving the families of victims of the American Eagle accident last year devastated. Further worsening the blow was the fact that the vote was only one short of the required number to pass the legislation into effect, which would have improved flight safety in the coming years.
The accident in question saw an American Eagle regional jet collide with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter. The incident was the worst US aviation disaster since 2001.
On Tuesday, February 24, the US House of Representatives failed to pass a key piece of legislation regarding aviation safety, due to last-minute objections raised by the Pentagon. According to Reuters reports, the house did have the majority in the vote with 264 members voting for the safety legislation against 133 votes. However, the legislation could not be passed because the process was expedited.
This bill was raised after the tragic event from last year when an American Eagle regional jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter, during which 67 lives were unfortunately lost. Furthermore, it was reported that the NTSB has been seeking to mandate ADS-B systems as required onboard aircraft for over two decades, and that this system could prevent collisions, such as the one that occurred last year...
