House Rejects Bill Requiring Aircraft Locator Systems

Legislation to require all aircraft flying around busy airports to have key locator systems to prevent midair collisions failed to win approval in the House on Tuesday. The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said the system that her agency has been recommending since 2008 would have prevented last year’s midair collision near Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people. The bill passed the Senate and had the backing of the victims’ families and key unions. It would require all aircraft to be equipped with a system that can receive data about the locations of other aircraft. The complementary system that broadcasts an aircraft’s location is already required.