NTSB Chair Slams New Defense Bill, Says Skies Near Reagan National Airport Will Be Less Safe

Hidden away inside the 3,000-page bill, which grants the Department of “War” $900 billion and greatly expedites weapons acquisition programs, is a provision to open up military flight access in Washington, DC, airspace with fewer tracking requirements. Specifically, the bill grants US Army helicopters nearly free rein in the airspace of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), where 67 people died in January of this year in a midair collision.

The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board , an unprecedented move in American lawmaking history, publicly and assertively pushed back against the bill during congressional review. Jennifer Homendy, NTSB Chair, called the bill's provisions a shameful step backward and safety measures that make the airspace around DCA even