NTSB Says ALERT Act Falls Short of Safety Goals

Agency officials cite lack of ADS-B requirement.

Zach Vasile

Friday, February 27, 2026 at 04:15 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Black Hawk helicopter over Washington [Credit: U.S. Air Force/Nicholas A. Priest]

Key Takeaways:

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) leadership cannot support the ALERT Act, an aviation safety bill advanced by House Republicans, stating it falls short of fully implementing their key safety recommendations.
The NTSB specifically criticizes the ALERT Act for not requiring ADS-B In technology on all aircraft operating in airspace where ADS-B Out is mandated, and for providing exemptions to crucial safety technologies.
Both the ALERT Act and the recently failed ROTOR Act were drafted in response to a fatal midair collision a year prior, which the NTSB believes its recommendations would have helped prevent.

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The leadership of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Thursday that it cannot support the ALERT Act, an aviation safety bill advanced by Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.

In a letter addressed to House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves and Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers—both major backers of the ALERT Act—NTSB officials said the bill incorporates some but not all of the safety recommendations included in the agency’s investigation of the fatal midair collision in Washington, D.C., one year ago.