ALERT Act

Requires commercial airlines, cargo carriers, and charter operators to equip their aircraft with advanced collision avoidance systems (ACAS Xa) featuring cockpit visual and audio alerts no later than December 31, 2031.

Requires non-military helicopters and powered-lift aircraft operating in Class B airspace to be equipped with rotorcraft collision avoidance systems (ACAS Xr) or equivalent collision prevention technology by December 31, 2031.

Requires general aviation and other civil aircraft operating in controlled airspace to install and operate collision prevention technology with audible and visual alerts by December 31, 2031.

Requires on-site air traffic supervisors to immediately order drug and alcohol testing of controllers involved in an accident or incident without waiting for higher-level authorization, and mandates annual facility compliance reviews.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to evaluate helicopter routes near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and redesign them to physically separate them from airplane runways or mandate positive air traffic control separation.

Permanently prohibits flight operations on Helicopter Route 4 between Hains Point and the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge in the Washington, D.C. area and removes the segment from aeronautical charts.

Requires military helicopters operating in the National Capital Region to broadcast ADS-B Out tracking signals and mandates that non-combat military aircraft install traffic displays within 180 days and integrated collision prevention technology by December 31, 2031.

Directs the Federal Aviation Administration to evaluate whether collision-alert altitude floors can be safely lowered in airborne collision avoidance systems to provide earlier warnings during maneuvers.

Prohibits government agencies and private entities from using ADS-B tracking data to collect revenue from aircraft owners without consent, and broadens limits on government use of flight-tracking data for enforcement actions.

Requires the Department of Transportation to maintain a public online dashboard tracking collision-avoidance rulemakings and mandates biannual progress briefings for Congress and crash victims' families.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to set maximum shift time-on-position limits for air traffic control supervisory personnel, prioritizing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and other high-volume mixed-traffic facilities.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to implement scenario-based training for air traffic controllers focused on threat and error management.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to develop and conduct instructor-led, scenario-based training for air traffic controllers on pilot-applied and tower-applied visual separation procedures.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to deploy real-time safety risk assessment tools for controllers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport within one year of development and at all other facilities within two years.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to assess flight arrival rates at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and initiate rules limiting scheduled operations into 30-minute blocks to avoid exceeding safe capacity.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to operationalize time-based flow management at Potomac radar control and associated control towers within 180 days.

Authorizes the Federal Aviation Administration and the air traffic controllers union to review and adjust facility pay-level formulas to reflect air traffic density and complex mixed operations.

Convenes an interagency working group to assess requiring all aircraft to share a single radio frequency when helicopter and local airplane controller positions are combined at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to evaluate and create an implementation plan for radio technology that alerts controllers and pilots when simultaneous transmissions block communications.

Directs the Federal Aviation Administration to form a task force and implement a two-year prioritized plan to upgrade airport conflict-alert displays based on the severity of midair collision risks.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to update helicopter route charts near airports to include mandatory altitude floors, ceilings, and vertical separation instructions from fixed-wing traffic.

Requires annual reviews of helicopter route safety criteria and annual reports to Congress certifying that charted helicopter altitudes maintain required separation from fixed-wing airport traffic.

Directs the Federal Aviation Administration to cross-publish helicopter routes onto airplane instrument approach charts and airplane runway paths onto helicopter charts.

Establishes an advisory working group to define close proximity encounters between aircraft and create public reporting standards for near-miss incidents.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to create a central database and a rapid notification process to inform pilots, operators, and airlines when their aircraft are involved in near-midair collisions or resolution advisories.

Directs the Department of Transportation Inspector General to audit the safety culture and safety management oversight within the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic and safety divisions.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to revise and examine electronic tracking for instances when air traffic control tower responsibilities are combined into a single operating position.

Requires the Federal Aviation Administration to review and update miles-in-trail separation standards across all radar control facilities operating in Class B and Class C airspace.

Requires the armed services to conduct safety risk assessments before flying special military helicopter missions with tracking beacons turned off in major metropolitan airspace, and report those flight numbers to Congress.

Directs each military branch to establish dedicated rotary-wing aviation safety management systems by March 1, 2027, conduct an anonymous aviator safety reporting survey, and protect safety personnel from career penalties.

Requires military helicopter crews to receive initial and recurring training on civil airline flight paths, runway configurations, and airport approach procedures in busy airspace.

Requires the Department of Defense to use recorded flight data to identify airspace safety hazards and establish a process to share de-identified flight data with the Department of Transportation.

Directs the Department of Defense to update helicopter operating manuals regarding barometric altimeter error margins and require refresher training for flight crews within 30 days of manual updates.

Requires the military services to verify the calibration and correct operation of ADS-B Out transponders on military aircraft at least once every 90 days.

Requires the Department of Defense to report any near-miss encounters involving military aircraft in the National Capital Region to congressional defense committees within one week.

Directs the President to report annually to Congress on any non-Cabinet government officials authorized to fly on missions exempt from civilian airspace tracking rules.

Directs the Department of Defense to evaluate radio degradation between military aircraft and air traffic controllers and develop an avionics upgrade plan to improve cockpit radio reliability.

Requires the Department of Defense to submit annual reports to Congress for three years on military pilot proficiency flights conducted in the National Capital Region.

Requires the Department of Defense to brief Congress on using virtual flight simulations to reduce the volume of in-air training flights over populated areas.

Directs the Secretary of the Army to provide Congress with the command investigation into the January 29, 2025 midair collision near DCA and requires the Army Inspector General to review the resulting corrective action plan.