Following Deadly Midair Collision, Rep. Sharice Davids Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Strengthen Aviation Safety, Protect Flyers
Flight departed from Davids’ home state, and collision claimed 67 lives
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to last year’s deadly midair collision of Flight 5342 from ICT to DCA, U.S. Representative Sharice Davids (KS-03) helped introduce the ALERT Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at modernizing aviation safety systems, strengthening air traffic controller training, and reducing the risk of future tragedies.
“There isn’t a single person in Kansas who wasn’t touched in some way by this horrific tragedy,” said Davids. “When lives are lost in a preventable accident, Congress has a responsibility to act. The ALERT Act follows expert recommendations to strengthen training, modernize safety systems, and reduce the risk of midair collisions — protecting pilots, passengers, military personnel, and communities on the ground.”
On January 29, 2025, Flight 5342 departed Wichita (ICT) bound for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). As the flight approached its destination, it collided midair with a military training helicopter, tragically killing the two pilots, two flight attendants, and 60 passengers on the airplane, along with all three crew members aboard the helicopter.
The ALERT Act, split between civilian air travel and military aircraft safety, is informed by recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and addresses concerns about airspace congestion, communication failures, outdated collision-avoidance systems, and coordination between civilian and military aircraft.
Specifically, the ALERT Act would:
- Upgrade Aircraft Collision Warning Systems
- Direct the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to evaluate and implement improvements to advanced collision-avoidance technology on commercial aircraft.
- Establish a timeline for deploying updated systems that provide earlier and clearer warnings to pilots.
- Strengthen Air Traffic Controller Training
- Create expert working groups to modernize controller training standards.
- Improve risk assessment tools to help controllers identify hazards in real time.
- Increase transparency if safety recommendations are not adopted.
- Improve Airspace Communication
- Study technology that detects “blocked transmissions,” which occur when radio messages overlap and critical information is lost.
- Provide Congress with cost and implementation recommendations.
- Review Airspace Congestion and Airport Capacity
- Require the FAA to assess safe arrival and departure rates at congested airports.
- Review aircraft spacing requirements in complex airspace environments.
- Enhance Military Aviation Safety
- Require closer coordination between the Department of Defense and the FAA on collision-avoidance systems.
- Strengthen helicopter safety management systems, particularly in shared civilian-military airspace.
- And more
Read Davids’ statement commemorating the recent one-year anniversary here.
Following the tragic collision, Davids and her Kansas colleagues expressed their steadfast solidarity with the families and communities affected by the tragedy. Davids has taken several additional steps to improve aviation safety and honor the lives lost:
- Met with the victims’ families in Wichita and pledged to be a voice for transparency and reform in the investigation.
- Pressed FAA and NTSB experts in a U.S. Transportation & Infrastructure Committee hearing on air traffic controller shortages and safety protocols.
- Toured the Olathe Air Traffic Control Center to highlight critical staffing needs and renew her call for increased investments in aviation safety infrastructure.
- Responded to initial NTSB recommendations with a commitment to act on any legislative fixes needed to keep passengers and crew safe.
- Pledged to act on recommendations from an initial NTSB investigative hearing on the tragic midair collision.
Aviation is central to Kansas’ economy and identity. As the Air Capital of the World, Kansas is home to leading aircraft manufacturers, suppliers, and a highly skilled aerospace workforce. Davids serves on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and has long championed bipartisan efforts to support innovation and strengthen aviation safety standards, including by helping pass into law a bipartisan FAA reauthorization.