Families push Congress to pass ROTOR Act after deadly crash

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - It has been 594 days since a deadly plane crash above Washington, D.C., that killed all 67 people on board. Families of the victims say nothing has been done since to prevent another tragedy.

Items returned to families

A teddy bear made it home after the midair collision in January 2025. The little girl holding it did not. She was one of 67 victims that day. The bear is one of thousands of items returned to families, fished from the Potomac River. Those families, items in hand, are now demanding change.

Doug Lane said, “If you think the cost is too high. Show us the math. Tell us what a human life is worth to you.”

ROTOR Act

One of the families’ demands is that Congress pass the ROTOR Act. The legislation failed by a single vote in the House in February. It would require technology called ADS-B In, or Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, which alerts planes in real time of other aircraft near them.

A family member said, “Flight 5342 did not have it. The NTSB found that it could have given the crew warning of the helicopter roughly 59 seconds before impact, about 40 more seconds than they had. I cannot tell you if those 40 seconds would have saved them, but I can tell you they did not get them.”

Sen. Cruz said, “That accident over DCA did not have to happen. It could have been prevented. And we know how to prevent it.”

Pentagon accountability

Another major ask in the legislative push is to hold the Pentagon accountable. Families want all military aircraft, including Black Hawk helicopters, to also be in compliance with the technology requirement.

Lame-duck session

The plan is now to push the ROTOR Act through during the lame-duck session after the November elections.

The civilian lawsuit against American Airlines is proceeding in federal court. The current plan is for a trial on fault and damages to begin in April 2027.