WASHINGTON, DC – This week, Congressmen Rob Menendez and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12) led an effort to include critical safety provisions for the New Jersey and New York region in comprehensive helicopter safety legislation being considered by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. The effort was joined by Congressmembers Dan Goldman (D-NY-10), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), Frank Pallone, Jr (D-NJ-6), and Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-7).
“As you know, helicopter safety and noise concerns are prominent issues in the New York and New Jersey region and are a top priority for Members representing these constituencies. Our region’s airspace is one of the most complex in the world, and beneath it lies some of the most densely populated areas in the country,” the Members wrote. “Last spring’s string of tragedies, including the tragic helicopter crash in Jersey City that killed a family of five and the pilot, highlighted the consequences of inadequate oversight of helicopter safety. Any comprehensive helicopter safety legislation should consider our region, and we urge the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (the “Committee”) to work with our delegation to ensure this vital piece of legislation addresses critical safety issues specific to our region.”
“For years, our constituents, air traffic controllers, and Members of Congress have been raising safety concerns regarding the volume of non-essential helicopter traffic in our region,” the Members continued. “Unfortunately, on April 10, 2025, a tour helicopter flight carrying a family of five crashed into the Hudson River, killing everyone on board, including the pilot. This tragedy and the tragedy at DCA involving a military helicopter and a commercial plane demonstrate the grave consequences of over-congested airspace and the dangers that helicopters can pose.”
“Our delegation has developed several interventions to address this issue. Specifically, we are urging the Committee to include a ban on non-essential helicopter traffic in our region (H.R. 3196, the Improving Helicopter Safety Act),” This bill will significantly reduce the number of aircraft navigating our airspace, and increase safety for the airspace and the communities living beneath it. We also urge the Committee to include a study of how non-essential helicopters impact the safety and wellbeing of the airspace and under-route communities, and solutions for diverting helicopter traffic away from densely populated and recreational areas. (H.R. 5049, the Protecting Communities from Helicopter Noise Act), and require air tour agreements to consider the well-being of under-route communities (H.R. 6153, the Communities Before Air Tourism Act). These solutions are largely bipartisan and would address critical safety and quality of life issues for our constituents,” the Members concluded.
The letter also calls on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to adapt key recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board’s investigation report following the January 29, 2025 plane-helicopter collision at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., and to ensure that those recommendations consider the New York metropolitan region. The changes the members are calling to be adopted are:
Congressman Menendez has long been a leader on helicopter safety issues leading several bills to combat this issue including the Improving Helicopter Safety Act, Communities Before Air Tourism Act, and the Protecting Communities from Helicopter Noise Act. He has worked with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and local and county officials on solutions for helicopter safety and noise pollution. Congressman Menendez also led a letter to the EPA urging action on addressing noise pollution and collaboration with the FAA on helicopter noise. In 2024, he hosted the FAA in Jersey City for a workshop on helicopter noise. He currently serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and sits on the Subcommittee on the Environment, Subcommittee on Energy, and the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
For full text of the letter, click here.
