March 26, 2026
Dear Representative:
On behalf of the undersigned labor organizations, including those that represent the pilots, flight attendants, and steamfitters who lost their lives in the mid-air collision of the military helicopter and PSA Flight 5342, we write to express our continued concerns about H.R. 7613, the Airspace Location and Enhanced Risk Transparency Act of 2026 (ALERT Act) as amended, for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s consideration on Thursday, March 26th.
While we appreciate that the ALERT Act takes a comprehensive approach, the measure still fails to implement the strongest possible pro-safety requirements, and we cannot support the bill as drafted. All commercial aircraft operators must equip their fleets with integrated Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast In (ADS-B In) that provides comprehensive traffic awareness, traffic alerting, and collision avoidance systems for expanded situational awareness and earlier traffic alerting for pilots. This requires a solution that utilizes ADSB-In beyond the limitation of TCAS II and ACAS-Xa.
Rather than a clear, direct requirement to install this life-saving suite of technology, the ALERT Act instead prioritizes separate technology called ACAS-Xa which is not yet commercialized. This technology is not currently configured to provide sufficient alerts to pilots and would not have prevented the accident. ACAS-Xa is inhibited (suppressed) at low altitudes and in the airport environment. While ACAS-Xa can utilize ADS-B In, this technology can provide at most 29 seconds of alerting time for pilots and does not include critical features for early alerting and directional traffic symbols, rate of climb, or offer the visual and aural alerts indicating clock position, relative altitude that would allow pilots to take evasive action. ACAS-Xa would not have prevented the PSA Flight 5342 Crash.
The ALERT Act in Sections 101 and 102 requires FAA to study and determine whether these well-known limitations with ACAS-Xa can be safely modified, but even if this is the case, the existing ACAS-Xa standards would need to be revised and approved before the FAA can finalize a rulemaking to implement ACAS-Xa. Certification, production, and installation of this new technology is highly unlikely by 2031. This is why the legislation includes a two-year extension to the deadline, until 2033. Additionally, the Administrator is required to establish a process by which FAA may extend the deadlines even further, for an additional two years, pushing out a potential equipage deadline until 2035.
Simply put, this legislation avoids a straightforward requirement to equip with the appropriate integrated, installed, and operational ADS-B In. ADS-B In is proven technology that can be deployed to save lives and prevent future accidents. The horrific events and 67 lives lost at DCA on January 29th, 2025, and recent mid-air close calls involving commercial airliners underscore the urgency for Congress to enact the strongest pro-safety legislation to protect our nation’s airspace.
We will continue to insist that any final legislation enacted into law appropriately requires ADS-B In to strengthen aviation safety and prevent future accidents.
Sincerely,
Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA)
American Federation of Labor (AFL-CIO)
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD)
Transport Workers Union of America (TWU)