Cantwell Presses DOD over Use of ADS-B Exemption in D.C. Area | Aviation International News

Regulations and Government

Cantwell Questions DOD’s ADS-B 'Sensitive' Exemption Use

Letter questions routine exemptions, inquires about oversight

Committee chair Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) discusses the FAA Reauthorization Act. — © U.S. Senate

By Amy Wilder • Writer

March 10, 2025

U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote a letter on March 7 voicing concerns about the Department of Defense’s (DOD) use of an exemption that allows helicopters to operate in the National Capital Region without automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) Out activated. The senator’s concerns stem from the January 2025 fatal crash near Washington, D.C., in which a U.S. Army Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter was operating without ADS-B Out during a routine check ride.

In the letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Cantwell pointed to a 2019 exemption issued by the previous Trump Administration allowing federal, state, and local government entities, including the DOD, to operate certain aircraft without ADS-B Out for “sensitive operations.” While the FAA cautioned that this exemption should not be routinely used, Cantwell expressed concern that the DOD has taken advantage of this rule more broadly than intended.

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