In the wake of the midair near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA) on Jan. 29, 2025, NTSB recommendations spurred two pieces of congressional legislation that have put a spotlight on collision avoidance systems: the ROTOR Act and the ALERT Act. The ROTOR Act passed the Senate in December but failed in the House of Representatives, and the ALERT Act passed in the House in March. At press time, the respective bills were undergoing a House/Senate Conference, but substantial debate swirled around how to mandate ADS-B In and/or ACAS X. Both acts address the installation of these systems, but differ in the specifics of requirements and the timelines. In the end, operators are facing a mandate to install at least ADS-B In but possibly ACAS X as well.
NTSB Recommendations
The simplest place to begin is with the NTSB’s recommendations on collision avoidance, although these are just a handful of the dozens that address many different aspects that surfaced during the investigation of the accident. Basically, the NTSB believes that aircraft flying in airspace where ADS-B Out is required should be equipped with ADS-B In and a cockpit display of traffic with audible alerts. The board also wants aircraft that require TCAS installations to be retrofitted with ACAS X, or installed in new production aircraft, and for ACAS X to provide more information. This would include exploring lowering the inhibit altitude for traffic advisories (TAs) and resolution advisories (RAs), a feature that was highlighted in the KDCA midair collision. Accordingly, the NTSB recommendations state:
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