On Monday, May 12, Representative Sharice Davids visited Wichita to meet with families affected by the recent collision between Flight 5342, traveling from ICT to DCA, and a military helicopter. As a member of the U.S. House Aviation Subcommittee, Davids listened to their stories, addressed their concerns, and discussed her efforts to improve aviation safety. She later spoke with KWCH, emphasizing the urgent need to protect the safety of U.S. air travel.

In the aftermath of the crash, Davids and other Kansas lawmakers expressed strong support for the families and communities impacted. Following the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) preliminary report, Davids called on the FAA to immediately act on the NTSB’s initial recommendations to prevent similar incidents.

Davids also criticized the President’s decision to fire hundreds of FAA employees and urged U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to quickly implement critical aviation safety measures from last year’s bipartisan FAA Reauthorization. These reforms include hiring more air traffic controllers and modernizing outdated air traffic control systems.