WATCH: Davids Speaks with Plane Collision Victims’ Families, Addresses Work to Improve Air Safety
WICHITA, KS – Yesterday, Representative Sharice Davids traveled to Wichita, KS to speak with families of the recent air collision of Flight 5342 from ICT to DCA with a military helicopter. Davids, a member of the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee, listened to their stories, heard their concerns, and shared her work to help make flying safer. Afterward, she spoke with KWCH on the importance of acting quickly to ensure our skies remain the safest in the world.
Following the tragic collision, Davids and her Kansas colleagues expressed their steadfast solidarity with the families and communities affected by the tragedy. Also, after the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the collision, Davids said “the FAA must act to implement the NTSB’s initial recommendations to prevent future disasters.”
Davids also condemned the President’s recent decision to fire hundreds of FAA employees and urged U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to immediately implement key aviation safety reforms included in the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization, which Congress passed last year. That includes hiring more air traffic controllers and updating aging air traffic control technology and systems.
Key Quotes in KWCH: Congresswoman visits Wichita to speak with families of people killed in Flight 5342 crash, address next steps
KWCH: What was your reaction when the FAA admitted an Army helicopter took a scenic route, forcing two flights to abort landings just weeks after the January 29th collision?
DAVIDS: “The simple answer is outrage. As a committee, we need to either come up with new legislation to address issues if there are things falling through the cracks, or do what we can to hold the FAA accountable. I know that… the Secretaries of Transportation, the Acting Administrator of the FAA, and the Secretary of the Department of Defense — they all need to be having those tough conversations. I have concerns about whether, you know, whether and how they're doing that. But I think that folks are valid and right to be frustrated when they're seeing news like that come out.”
KWCH: Given the NTSB included recommendations in their preliminary report, what more can Congress do before the final report is released next year?
DAVIDS: “I really do think that that is a demonstration of just how seriously everyone is taking this. Because these reports… sometimes… take longer than anyone could think that they possibly should. But it's because of how technical they get in their investigations. In the meantime, I do think that taking those preliminary recommendations, [and] figuring out what, if any, updates to legislation need to happen.”
KWCH: Do you think there’s enough support in Congress to fund air safety improvements and modernize outdated technology in response to NTSB recommendations?
DAVIDS: “My hope is that we'll be able to continue some of the bipartisan support we've seen in previous Congresses. I think that the FAA reauthorization — I wish that it had been on the news more, actually, because of the type of bipartisan support we saw. And in that was support for funding to upgrade our systems — both the airspace, the air traffic control systems, as well as our landing systems and those technologies. [And] funding to really ramp up air traffic control hiring.”